Interview with the Band Movment (UK)
By Mick Michaels
The Cosmick View: Hello, and welcome to The Cosmick View/MBM Ten Pounder! Thanks for taking some time to chat with us!
CV: Describe your definition of the band’s sound and
style and how does that definition uniquely describe the music?
Kevin: We are
post-punk, which for us means we are influenced by aspects of punk, we are what
came after punk. Some parts of punk music that we are influenced by are: The DIY ethic. Record and release your own music. Anyone can
write songs. Everyone has something to say. We are also independent and heavily
involved in our recordings and production, our artwork, and our photography.
And our music is dark, as we are influenced by bands that were moody,
apprehensive and had a mysterious ambience.
Martin: We were once called Heavy Metal’s answer to the Smiths. But to be honest, we don’t label the music we create. That is up to others to do so. There are aspects of metal in our music, but we are not strictly a metal band. There are lots of music styles woven into the music we create. And we have a diverse range of influences and they all feed into the songs we write. We try to be unique, and using synths and sounds helps us achieve that. But we also fit into several genres. Ultimately, we are a rock band, but I’d leave it to journalists and reviewers and fans to label us. They are better at doing that.
CV: Today, everyone talks about artist and audience
connection. Is such a level of connection actually achievable for an artist and
if so, how have you made the connection to your fans?
Kevin: If the
music and songs are genuine, then you can definitely connect with the audience
and the listeners. As a fan of music, when I like a song, I connect with it.
But there are different levels of connection. A song that you cannot stop
playing because you find it so good, that is possible. Can we write songs that
connect with people, I believe we can. The only dilemma artists face today is
that there are so many songs to listen to, it is not possible for listeners to
give every song a chance. So only a small number of songs make connections with
listeners, while others are simply not heard.
Martin: There are songs that stay with you, and sometimes stay within your mind for life. These are rare but it can happen with any song. I expect every artist wants to write songs that connect with listeners. But there are always songs that standout on albums. Sometimes it is not easy to identify those particular songs. But with streaming stats and video views, you get some indication of what is resonating with people.
CV: Is fan interaction an important part of the
band’s inner culture?
Kevin: We
write songs for people to listen to. If they hear it and like it, they become
fans. I don’t expect anyone to like every song we write. We are available to interact with fans if they want to find out
more about how we create music and write songs. Within reason, we can interact
with fans. I’d expect more popular bands to have difficulty with this as it is
not always possible to engage with fans all the time. But creating art of any
kind requires others to interact with it and get something out of it. It is an
important facet of a band’s existence.
Martin: We have a simple approach to writing songs. We write songs and filter the good ones, and we release those songs, making them available to whoever might like them. Our listenership is limited due to the type of music we play but we get a kick out of the songs. And we hope there are other people that enjoy them too. We are music fans so we know how satisfying and engaging songs and music can be. The experience of pleasure from an amazing song is hard to surpass.
CV: Can a band truly interact with its fans and
still maintain a level of personal privacy without crossing the line and giving
up their “personal space” in your opinion?
Kevin: I
suppose it depends on how popular you are. Engaging with a few hundred people
is possible, but if a band has hundreds of thousands of fans it might be more
difficult. I am sure an effort can be made to interact with fans even at this
level. It depends on the band and the music they play. Some fans do not require
interaction. But there are lots of ways bands and fans can interact. I’m sure
all bands like downtime with friends and family. They need to switch off at
times and step back. But there is no excuse for not being able to engage with
fans in different situations. The more popular you become it is inevitable that
you will lose some of your personal privacy.
Martin: Personal privacy is important, but if you do get a large following it will become more difficult. Some musicians encourage fan interaction. It depends on the music you create and what your fans expect of you. For us it is not an issue and is unlikely to be a problem. We tend not to be self-promoting ourselves but promote the songs and music instead. But if we put a lot of ourselves into our music, then the engagement can get more intense. You will find that a lot of what we sing about is cryptic and obscure, so we are not actively opening ourselves up to scrutiny as people.
CV: Is music, and its value, viewed differently
around the world in your opinion? If so, what do you see as the biggest
difference in such multiple views among various cultures?
Martin: There
are large differences in music styles worldwide, but I feel our genre and
approach is universal, and should appeal to most cultures, especially with
younger people that have access to a large amount of rock and pop music. So, I
would not see any problems with our music being played on radio in Chile or
Japan. There are audiences for what we do in every country. And as for the
value of music, gigs seem to be the main source of income for a lot of bands
now, but merchandise is important too.
So, the value of recorded music has been reduced as lots of people have access
to it now but do not pay for this. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Getting
people to listen to your songs is essential.
Kevin: Music is meaningful and compatible in most
countries, especially in certain genres. There are traditional forms of music
that are beloved and loved in specific countries and cultures, but what we do
is accepted and loved in most cultures. As for the value of music and the
income generated by musicians, it will depend on the country’s economy and how
much disposable income fans have. And with streaming, lots of people don’t
expect to pay for music to listen to it. So, musicians have to use a variety of
means to generate income from the music they create. But I believe music has a
value, so, musicians should be rewarded in some way for creating it.
CV: Do you feel that a band that has an
international appeal, will tend to connect more so to American audiences? Would
they be more enticed or intrigued to see the band over indigenous acts because
of the foreign flavor?
Kevin: We sing
in English so that will impact listeners in different languages. I listen to
music in different languages so I have no problem with that. It can still be
enjoyed. I’d say genres of music affect the appeal of songs just as much. There
is an attraction to bands that are from different countries. But for what we
do, the genre is important. Yes, the US audiences are important to us but so
are European audiences and South American audiences. We don’t really
differentiate between audiences. If we can make our music available anywhere in
the world, there will be somebody there that likes it. Perhaps there is a
slight favoring of bands that are from a different country but I think the
quality of the song and the connection it has with the listener is more
important. If a song in German sounds great and clicks with people, that is
what matters.
Martin: Rock and Pop music is appealing in most
countries. Perhaps music in languages other than English are more captivating
in countries where that language is spoken, but English is acceptable in lots
of countries. So bands that have a natural appeal internationally are more
engaging and will attract fans everywhere, regardless of the native language of
the listener. There is an attraction to bands from overseas or music that has
an unfamiliar flavor.
CV: Has modern-day digital technology
made everyone an artist on some level in your opinion? Have the actual lines of
what really is an artist been blurred?
Kevin: Yes, of course. It is so
much easier to create music, to write songs, to record them professionally and
mix them. And even more importantly it is really easy to release music. Digital
releases are easier to distribute. But that means there is a huge amount of
music been released every day. So, the challenge now is getting people to
listen to your music. But from our punk viewpoint, we believe everyone can be
an artist. Why not? It is not a competition. It is about expressing your ideas.
Anyone can create something, using their imagination, their own ideas. And it
can be brilliant!
Martin: Music is art to me. Writing a song makes you an
artist. Whether it is good or not does not really matter. Creating something
new from your own mind is what I am intrigued by…judging whether it is good or
not does not take from the fact that something has been created. It is easier
to become an artist, and this is not a bad thing. We all have access to our own
minds. Express yourself.
CV: How would you describe the
difference between an artist who follows trends and one who sets them?
Kevin: I believe that creating
something unique to yourself is an important part of being an artist. Copying
someone’s art or music is not art in itself. Re Imagining someone’s song. I
think all art should have its own unique stamp. So, I would not encourage
artists to follow trends. I embrace unique forms of art. But being influenced
by someone’s music or songs is not bad either. You should always put some of
yourself into music, even if it is similar to other artists.
Martin: Some bands mimic songs and sounds they like. That just happens. We are trying to be unique, but I am sure our influences are part of our sound. We follow our own instincts when writing songs. Our influences play a part in our style of music, but we do try and create something that is unique to us. We have no interest in being part of a scene. Our label is called Distort The Scene.
CV: Has music overall been splintered into too many
sub-genres in an effort to appease fan tastes in your opinion? And has such fan
appeasements, in actuality, weakened music’s impact as a whole by dividing
audiences?
Kevin: I quite
like sub genres. It narrows down the music to the styles I like. It can be
difficult to sift through lots of music in a small number of genres that you do
not really like, in order to find great new music…the more precise a genre the
better. I think music fans have unique tastes. And I quite like the idea of
Movment having a small committed fanbase.
Martin: Sub-genres are necessary as music has evolved a lot, and there is a lot of fusion of music genres. And we, and other bands, do not necessarily fit into a specific genre. So, I usually describe bands using multiple genres and adjectives. It makes more sense when you are trying to create something new and unique. It is probably easier for blogs and magazines and radio if a band can fit in a box. Has it weakened music by having too many genres. I’m not sure that it has. It means music has a better description and makes it easier to find what you like.
CV: What can fans expect to see coming next from
you?
Kevin: We
wrote our latest album, Reinvention, over a year ago, and it was mixed and
mastered by the Summer. It has been released in November 2023, so we are
working on new songs already. We have 6 songs which are ready to be recorded,
and we hope to start writing our 4th album during the 1st
half of 2024.
Martin: We will release some new singles between January and June 2024. And we will start writing new songs for our next album early next year. So you can expect new material from Movment very soon.
CV: Thanks again for taking some time and talking.
It is greatly appreciated.
Kevin: No problem. Thanks for asking the questions.
And I hope the readers know a bit more about Movment and our motivations when
writing songs.
Martin: Yeah, thanks for giving us the opportunity to connect with new fans. I hope they listen to Movment and get in touch with us if they like what we are doing.
Check out Movment at:
Official Website - https://www.movment.ie
Twitter - https://twitter.com/movment
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/movmentie
Instagram - https://instagram.com/movmentie
TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@movmentie
Threads - https://www.threads.net/@movmentie
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/movment
Band Record Label Shop - https://www.distortthescene.com/shop
https://linktr.ee/distortthescene
https://linktr.ee/movmentie
Movment on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3GdN5oK
Distort
The Scene on YouTube
https://bit.ly/46tNtu7
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