We are thrilled to introduce Kubo Kobi, a recently added band, to our musicians database! 🎶 Dive into their musical journey, projects, and gain insights for aspiring musicians. Follow their story on social media and check out their tunes here.
How did the band start, and who are the band members?
Dave: I had been out of music for a few years and was looking to get back into playing and writing, however, there was nothing out there I was really interested in getting involved with. You join bands that you don’t really buy into and it doesn’t last,
I wanted something I was passionate about. At the time, I was bored of all the Oasis wannabe indie bands, classic rock bands, playing the same old riffs and same sounds. I’m not an outright metal player either, so finding what I was looking for was hard. So I thought let’s do this myself. I started writing and looking for like-minded individuals, I got a lot of early interest, but getting the right people was difficult, those that can play both the ambience and heaviness of the sound.
Although I eventually crossed paths with Rob our bassist and Asim our former drummer joined soon after, the three of us jammed my ideas and built a structure to the songs, with Anca joining and adding her vocal talents and lyrics to the themes we had in mind, we originally used a lot of spoken audio tracks to get our message over.
The last ones to join were Bobby, our lead guitarist, and Michael, our new drummer. All five of us are of similar age and have vast experience from different genres, and it came together well and we have a good chemistry, with the songs getting the post-rock vibe, with the metal and alt rock elements, whilst having a more mainstream catchiness.
2. Can you tell us a bit about your music/albums next events?
Rob: The songs from the start have had very social conscious themes, like diversity and politics. We wanted our voice to represent something we are all concerned about. The current state of British politics and the split within the country is a big driver, the xenophobia and veil the Government has over some people’s eyes.
Anca: We’re working on our first album due for release in 2024 and we can’t wait to finally have something for people to hear if they don’t get a chance to see us live. Speaking of live, our next gig will be in February in Ivory Blacks, but more details will follow closer to the date. And of course, we plan to have an album release party, but I like keeping secrets so I won’t reveal more.
3. What do you like/find challenging about the Edinburgh music industry?
Anca: Since I’m the only one who lives in Edinburgh (my bandmates are all based in Glasgow), I’m probably the most familiar with it. As a gig goer, it’s the lack of mid-sized and big venues that gets me down because I always have to travel to Glasgow for gigs. As a musician, it’s a pain to find reliable bandmates or bands that play something other than punk, jazz, blues or covers. Needless to say that most of the applications for playing festivals or gigs here in Edinburgh go unanswered, which for a newcomer band can be very daunting.
4. Can you recommend any organisations that help musicians or any that you receive help or advice from?
Bobby: Help Musicians is the first one that comes to mind. Not only do they offer creative funding, but also a mentorship programme and wellbeing support for musicians. In addition, they have a series of workshops with topics such as building an audience online or making money from music.
5. Who inspires you?
Dave: From the start we aimed to have a sound that was a clash of ambient chilled post-rock vibes with heavier elements, taking those influences from post-rock bands like Mogwai, Hammock and Russian Circles and Sudden Burst of Colour and combining it with heavier bands like Deftones and Tool. We have quite an eclectic taste in music within the band and experimenting with sounds and styles. You can definitively hear a stoner rock vibe to us, with a bit of grunge thrown in. One of our songs sounds like Kyuss, even though they’re a band I’d never listened to before, but I was a massive QOTSA fan back in the day, so that influence sneaked in.
The thing we take away from our influences, is we don’t look for traditional verse chorus songs, we play the song to its needs, treating the song as a journey, often you end up in a different place than where you started. Although there are some songs that may follow a more traditional journey.
6. What advice would you give a musician at the start of the road?
Michael: Practice as much as possible to become a better musician, make connections with other bands and promoters and don’t forget to have fun while making music! Find something that will set you apart from your fellow musicians and get clued up on how to make the best out of social media.
7. What do you think about Music in the Community?
Rob: It’s a great idea to have a database of musicians that promoters can use to find whatever they need for the gigs they organise. It makes it easier not only for them, but also for us musicians since we get more visibility.
Thank you, Kubo Kobi, and we look forward to following in your journey.
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