GETTING TO KNOW: PREDECEASED

Introducing PREDECEASED: a trio of “weirdo riffers” hailing from Manchester, known for their unique blend of grunge, hardcore, and punk. Their music, described as "Grunge that's played too well, Hardcore with riffs that are too weird, and punk with too much self-respect," has garnered fans like Henry Rollins and the support of Daniel P Carter, Alyx Holcombe at BBC Radio One, BBC Introducing, Tom Robinson at BBC 6Music, and Shell Zenner at Amazing Radio. Having toured with notable acts such as Quicksand, Mclusky, Fall of Troy, and JOHN, PREDECEASED is now embarking on their first UK headline tour, starting at The George Tavern on May 9th.

Their latest release, THE NEWS, is part of a double a-side single produced by Wayne Adams (PETBRICK, USA Nails, Shooting Daggers). Thematically, it addresses societal division and the overwhelming impact of relentless news coverage. As guitarist Charlie Wyatt explains, “THE NEWS is about willingly ignoring the TV and apps to stop having constant bad news piped into my brain, enforcing the idea of ignorance being bliss while also being embarrassed and ashamed about what higher beings would think of us if they ever visited.”

Following the release of their debut album WHAT DO YOU DO? last year, and playing alongside bands like DITZ, Modern Color, Meatbodies, CLAMM, and USA Nails, PREDECEASED kicked off 2024 with a live EP and video. With more music on the horizon, this year promises to be a significant one for the band.

1. With your upcoming UK headline tour and the release of your double a-side single, "THE NEWS" and "THE SUN", there's a lot of excitement surrounding Predeceased right now. Can you give us some insight into the themes and inspirations behind these new tracks, particularly focusing on "THE NEWS" and its commentary on societal division and media consumption?

I in no way claim to be a political science expert which is why my grasp of these issues and lyrics talking about that grasp are purposefully not academic, all I know is my experience of news channels and papers are doing to decent everyday people.

It's no secret many of the low-brow rags in this country are completely unbiased and will sensationalise just about any tragedy to coax a myriad of extreme reactions out of people. It incites all kinds of prejudices and frustrations in the disenchanted working public then points them to vulnerable targets in our communities when it really doesn't have to be this way. It's almost as if the newspapers, just the like government have figured out there's no money in having everyone get along.

Now don't get me wrong,I work in construction and there's plenty of people who I don't agree with but have to get on with so I can work safely in life. I just think all the calling everyone a 'gammon' or a 'snowflake' amounts to no advancement towards real societal change, it just keeps the right and left in a staring contest with each other instead of eyeing up the people who are keeping us broke, jobless and upset. Can't remember who said it but if all the working class spat at the rich instead of each other then the rich would drown. Just look at the artwork by Tin Savage, even Helios the god of the sun can't bear to read what's put in front of him.

2. You've garnered praise from industry heavyweights like Henry Rollins and received support from BBC Radio One, BBC 6Music, and Amazing Radio. How does this recognition impact your approach to creating music, and what do you hope listeners take away from your unique blend of grunge, hardcore, and punk?

It's of course flattering and also quite nuts to us as it's all our first band where this kind of attention has been given to it. We're in a country where playing in a band in your mid 30s can be considered 'lame' or passed it sell by date but I guess the one of the greatest characteristics of punk & hardcore I love so much is it's ability to not only exist outside of trends, but to flourish on it's own two feet for nearly five decades. With the left foot being the artists and the right foot being the audience, it constantly treads new ground whilst pogoing up and down on familiar territories too.

ANYWAY, my point is this new attention doesn't really impact our writing at all, we're simply adding to the conversation of music that we've been listening to in spades for 30 years. I don't even wanna be the loudest voice anymore either so long as we're saying something different from time to time.

3. Your music has been described as "grunge that's played too well, hardcore with riffs that are too weird, and punk with too much self-respect." How do you balance pushing boundaries with maintaining a cohesive sound, especially when experimenting with unconventional riff structures and genre blending?

Honestly we just try to write what we want to listen to in our own time, we all enjoy heavy music but like our jammy music too. I think it would be kinda lazy of us to not want to try and push what the three of us can make now... It's becoming more of an open secret that bands make dick all cash so we at least want to make sure that when we do get the opportunities to play together we're at least trying to hone in on what we're trying to write. Oddly as well our schedules don't allow us to spend too much room time together so most of our experimenting with structures/timings etc was all done on logic with drum programs and amp modelers for the first two years (especially during covid)We try to keep a healthy balance of getting weird without alienating anyone.

4. Last year, you released your debut album, "WHAT DO YOU DO?" and recently dropped a Live EP on tape and video. Can you talk about the evolution of Predeceased's sound from your album to your live recordings, and how your performances translate the energy and intensity of your music to a live audience?

We've tried to do two things since the inception of this band... Be a solid trio and use the studio as another instrument. 

So long as our live show doesn't stray from recordings while on the other side of the coin our recordings give off at least a couple sparks of buzz that wanna make someone come catch a show... then we're getting somewhere also it's got to have the rock.

5. As you embark on your headline tour, what can fans expect from a Predeceased live show, and are there any memorable moments or experiences from past tours that have left a lasting impact on the band?

It's our first tour so best thing to expect is that we're playing with great bands too! So keep peeping what we're gabbing on about online and maybe you'll find out about something killer that ain't just us!