Friday 26th May 2017
Camilo are an up and coming band hailing from Cambridgeshire, and bassist Adam Milton contacted me recently with their latest single ‘At This Moment’. Having spent time trying to piece the band together whilst writing and recording music, they’re now on the road to defining their sound and are ready to move Camilo on to the next stages. Being in the early days of their career, I take a moment to chat with Adam to find out how it’s all going and what’s next for Camilo. They’re out to not only spend every moment enjoying what they do, but it’s clear there is drive and passion to push the band forward.
Could you tell me about the band and how you came together; where did you all meet and at what point did you decide to form Camilo?
Initially the band started with Motey (vocals/guitar) & Scott (drums) wanting to start playing music together again after having a band together for a few years prior to Camilo, so they recorded and released four tracks in late 2014 with the intent to grab the attention of other musicians that would want to get on board. I then contacted the others having known their previous outfit and came on board from there.
What changes have you gone through as a band since you first set out, and how has this helped you develop?
The EP was written with the intention of being a four piece band but we found ourselves trying out different guitarists to no avail as they had other commitments at the time. This resulted in us, eventually, deciding that it made sense to go forward as a three piece as the three of us maintained the passion to get the project moving. We then had to essentially start from the drawing board again and since about June 2016 we’ve been locked away in our rehearsal rooms creating a set of new songs to carry us forward. With regards to helping us develop, I think really we obtained an understanding of one another as to how we saw the band moving on and really got into a routine for writing songs in a way that we could all bounce off eachother.
How would you describe your music to anyone hearing it for the first time?
This is such a difficult question. We’re always asked by friends/colleagues to name a band they’ll know that we sound like and I never know how to answer it. People that have come to see us live generally always comment on how big our sound is for a three piece so I guess there’s a bit of that. Otherwise, I would say we have a lot of melody mixed in with a heavy but atmospheric sound.
Listening to your new single ‘At This Moment’ and the B-side ‘Sweet Poison’ both tracks have a different sound to each other. Who are your musical inspirations and how do they influence you as a band?
They are very different tracks yes! I guess what people will hear at the moment is really us finding and developing our sound as a three piece. We all grew up listening to similar bands but I would say we all have our seperate influences as well. Whereas there is influence from bands like Deftones/Thrice & Oceansize, what we find now is that we can pick up a lot of influence from new bands. The UK scene has a lot of talent coming up doing different things and it’s cool to sometimes be able to step back and take in what bands in a similar position to us are doing.
How are you finding the response to your music so far? You’ve been picked up by the BBC Introducing platform which must have been a great help raising your profile?
The response has been great so far. We appreciate that, although we haven’t put out music in a long time, people have given us an opportunity to play shows and the feedback has always been positive. Tom at BBC Introducing has always been good to us since day one and it’s great having someone in his position being genuinely interested to see what we come out with next.
How are you feeling about getting ‘At This Moment’ out there and have you set a release date?
It’s going to be such a relief! We recorded the B-side in August 2016 so we’ve been sitting on that one for a long time. It’s just going to be good to be able to take on feedback from people and see what aspects of each track they like the most. This will help us develop our sound for sure. Hopefully it’s going to help us get some more shows too. There’s not an official release date as such, it’s been sent to iTunes/Spotify etc so really now it’s just a matter of time.
Will there be a video for the single?
We kindly managed to get a bit of help whilst we were recording the single so we have a studio video to go with it of sorts.
Are you looking to release an EP and have you got any live dates planned?
We’re always on the look out for new shows yes. We have dates coming up in Norwich, London and Bedford but I’m sure we will be adding to that list soon. An EP would be cool but we’ve decided at this stage to try and release a single/B-side regularly rather than taking the time out to record a full EP. A lot of bands are doing that now, I think it’s quite cool to be able to have new music every couple of months from a band rather than waiting for a full EP or album.
Being in the early stages of your music career, how are you finding the process and have you been given any lasting advice?
Everyone in the band has either toured/recorded or gigged extensively before so we’re quite experienced (old) anyway. What we’re finding now is that the most important thing is to make sure we’re always enjoying it. We have a good understanding of how to approach certain situations for sure, but the main thing is making sure our live element is enjoyable and that we always give 100%.
What’s the ultimate aim for the band and where do you hope your music will take you?
I don’t think we’ve really discussed this to be honest! It comes down to enjoyment. We’re all passionate and believe in what we do but really music is our outlet. It’s important for us to have that getaway and I’m sure (hope) the quality of what we do will be enough to play some cool shows and meet some good people. Anything on top of that is a bonus.
Connect with Camilo via their Website, Facebook and Twitter.
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