Interview with Loud Lights
Here’s an interview with Tereza and Jimi from the band Loud Lights about the bands origins, music and future.
How did you get started with music?
Jimi: I started playing guitar in upper secondary school when I was 14-15 years old. After about a year of playing I joined my first band and played with them for five years or so. We played trash metal. Since then I’ve been involved in different band projects. Along with my first band, Loud Lights has been the longest lasting project.
Tereza: Since elementary school until I was about 16 years old I’ve been singing a lot. I also used to play piano. Here in Finland at the age of 21 I got more into drumming and band playing. I used to play drums in punk band called Shaking Legs. Samira was a singer in the band.
Jimi: Samira also started playing guitar at 15.
Tereza: Yeah, she was in lots of different bands. Punk bands mostly.
What kind of music inspired you?
Jimi: When I was really young I was mostly into rock and hip hop. When I started playing guitar I was listening to a lot of 90’s grunge rock bands and heavy metal. Since then my taste has become more diverse.
Tereza: When I was a young kid I found some of the nu-metal bands really interesting. Not so much anymore, though. *laughs* I was into the grunge rock bands as well.
Photo by Merita Berg.
Could you tell me about the origins of Loud Lights? How did you get together?
Tereza: At the time when our previous band Shaking Legs came to an end we wanted to do something different. Samira and I still wanted to continue playing but the punk style didn’t really feel like our own anymore. Samira asked Jimi if he would be interest in playing together. This was the first band where we felt like doing something a bit more… ambitious I guess.
Jimi: I had been jamming with Samira at the time before forming Loud Lights so we were kind of familiar with each other already.
When did you start playing together?
Jimi: We started playing in the autumn of 2014.
Tereza: In fact, we started as a four-piece band. In the beginning we actually had a bass player for about a year. Then she left but we decided to continue anyway. It’s better this way, I think. We are all really close friends.
Jimi: Yeah, I just acquired some technology to make up for the lack of bass player. *laughs*
Photo by Maya Sharabaty.
How would you describe the sound of Loud Lights? What are your influences?
Jimi: Well, our sound could be described as a mixture of post-punk and psychedelic rock. It’s hard to name any direct influences.
Tereza: I think we have a pretty good idea of what we want to sound like.
Jimi: Yeah, it has become more and more clear to us.
Do you write your songs together?
Jimi: I usually come up with the riffs and the main melody lines. Then we just jam and play around with it. From there everyone can express themselves however they feel like. It’s not like I’m going to control Tereza’s drumming for example.
Tereza: Yeah. Of course we share ideas and talk about them together as well.
Jimi: Also some songs are just born out of our jam sessions.
Tereza: Samira has complete freedom with lyrics.
Photo by Mohammed Mustafa.
What’s in the future for Loud Lights?
Tereza: I think we’re building our reputation mostly in the underground scene. I don’t see us selling out stadiums or anything like that. Our next major step is probably going to be an album release of some sort.
Jimi: Yes. We recorded three songs in a studio recently that we are hoping to release soon at least in a digital format. Also we are working on a music video in the near future. Next year we’ll be on a hiatus, though, because of Tereza’s exchange studies. We’ll be working on some new songs with Samira in the meantime. We are probably going to do some duo gigs as well.
What are your expectations from the EXCITE –project?
Tereza: We are hoping to get visibility so that more people are aware of us. Hopefully we get a bigger following and also more gigs. It would be great to play abroad as well!
Do you have some closing words for your fans and audience?
Jimi: Follow us in social media and come to see us play!
Tereza: Yes! The audience really makes a huge difference when it comes to the energy in the live shows. The more people the better!
You have the opportunity to hear Loud Lights play on October 5th in Bar Passion as part of The Lost in Music –festival.
More details http://www.lostinmusic.fi/home
Loud Lights’ links
Website: http://loudlightsband.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loudlightsband/
Text and interview by Akseli Takanen
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