It’s that time of year where we set out to interview as many of the Sophie, New Blood, and Jager bands as we can in the lead-up to one of the most anticipated festivals of the year, Bloodstock. Answering our questions here are Kurokuma who play the New Blood Stage on Thursday.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We’re based in Sheffield. George now lives in Liverpool. I (Jake) will soon be living in Bulgaria. Joe is holding the fort in the bastion of the Steel City. Metal transcends miles.
How long have you been playing together as a band?
Joe and I began playing together in the then-unnamed Kurokuma in December 2013. Joe hadn’t long come back from living in Japan, and I’d just left/been kicked out of my old reggae band. Our first bassist, Fridge, left the UK to live in Vikingland in March 2014 and in comes our little Romanian wonder, George, in April 2014.
Where does the name of the band come from?
Kurokuma Falls in Aomori, Japan, a waterfall in the city Joe used to live in.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
Sex appeal.
But seriously – while our sound is rooted in doom, we actually view the genre as the blank canvas for wider expression, experimentation and all-round mutation this corner of metal is so ripe for. When you’re making music in a space that has so much scope for atmosphere, tonal variety and emotional intensity, it seems wasteful to trot out the same tired tropes ad infinitum.
Whether people like what we do instead isn’t a great concern of ours. Our tribe is small but elite, and the worthy fans will always find us.
If you like what we do, consider ing us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
What’s your live show like? Why are people going to watch you instead of another band?
A lot of bands forget that the live show is a performance. How much theatricality you choose to put in is a personal choice, but a live show should always have energy, power and intensity – whatever form those aspects may take.
I like to think we bring this to each and every show.
Have you been to Bloodstock before? What did you think?
We never played before and I don’t think any of us ever attended in a non-band capacity. The festival is a major mainstay of the British heavy scene and we’re looking forward to it, especially after these past 18 months.
Which M2tM region did you win, or did you come through other channels?
We came in through other channels. M2tM is not our vibe.
Can you put into 10 words or fewer how it felt when you realised you were heading to Bloodstock?
Victorious.
What sort of setlist can we expect?
It’s a beer-fuelled metal festival, not an artsty chin-stroker night. We’ll be doing something more high-octane.
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
Which other bands do you most hope you’re not squished up next to so you can see them play?
We’re on Thursday so we’ve got the run of the place. I’m not familiar with most of the bands so I’m sure we’ll be missing some gems. That said, Memoriam can give us some Bolt Thrower-adjacent kicks and the Conan boys are always a jam.
It’ll be good to catch a load of our peers playing over the weekend too. There’s some good people we haven’t seen for a long time.
What are you working on at the moment?
Trying to find a label that doesn’t want to hold off until late 2022 to put out the Sanford Parker-recorded album we’ve got ready for release.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Gotta be the house party we played down in a basement where a guy shit himself in a bathtub. There was a lot going on that night.
Or another house party we played where someone put a watermelon through the wall and some guy in the audience came fully dressed as The Mask. Presumably not the same guy that shit himself.
What drink do you throw back to get yourself fired up before going on stage?
A custom blend of ashwagandha and kratom mixed with maple syrup and spring water from Lourdes.
Kurokuma: facebook | twitter | instagram | bandcamp
