Various go getters POINT CLEAR have blended together their styling's by each of their members. Since releasing an EP, with much more tracks and ideas not that far off either. The band goes into further talks about these matters and more.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band.
Point Clear's first incarnation came to be in 2015. Jamie, previously of a number of cover bands had begun working on original material with a drummer called Ivo, previously of the Essex punk rock band The MacGregors. Ivo introduced Ben and myself (Josh) who were also from the same band and have been playing together in various bands since we were about 15. After a few weeks rehearsal the waters were tested at a local battle of the bands which we won. Already it felt like there was good chemistry and the material was good so this was a real confidence boost. After a few more gigs however Ivo moved back to Portugal, so like a cadaver on a table the band were lifeless and without a heartbeat. Luckily before long Matt strode through the mist and kicked the beating heart back into action- bringing his own classically influenced style to the Point Clear machine. Since then, the band have gone from strength to strength having numerous festival and radio appearances and gigs across Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and London.
2. What's the origin of your band's name?
We struggled for a long while to find a name that we thought fitted our style and that didn't have too many connotations to other genres or bands- and most of all because for every sensible idea there were 11 ridiculous ones. We settled on Point Clear because we felt it didn't put us into any particular box yet also encapsulated that with our songs there is a real message of how we feel about the scenarios and situations that the tracks deal with- even down to the smallest everyday things that we hope the listeners can relate to. In short, we like to make our point - clearly.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We are based out of North Essex and South Suffolk in the area in-between Colchester, Chelmsford Ipswich and Cambridge. We are lucky in this sense as each has its own set of venues dedicated to playing live original music so despite there being an unfortunate downward trend of venues closing in recent years there are still people that are trying to keep the music alive and supporting bands and they're all within fairly close reach. A couple of standout bands: Wiink, some young chaps we shared a stage with. Their sound is somewhere between indie and grunge and they have a really mature chemistry considering at the time they were only in college and about to go to uni (together- rock n roll!). Three Foot High are a three piece from near us who have a really cool sound- big driving riffs like Clutch and Miss Lava. Motorcycle Display Team (MDT) and Swimsuit Competition have also got a lot of upbeat catchy material worth a listen.
4. How would you describe your style?
We generally see our style as being a balanced blend from across the music landscape- each member has varied tastes and brings elements of that to the table when we develop songs. Jamie who is the primary songwriter is influenced largely by players such as Stevie Ray Vaughn and Joe Bonamassa but equally draws inspiration from Rage Against the Machine and Royal Blood. His style is to play hard and has a unique attack which is his signature. Ben's always experimenting with his bass dynamics and really likes to push the boundaries of the sounds he can get- from chest pounding fuzz lines to subtle harmonics. He's influenced largely by players such as Cliff Burton from Metallica, Duff McKagan from Guns N Roses and Velvet Revolver and also draws inspiration from Muse. Similar to Jamie I am a Stevie Ray Vaughn fan among others like Rory Gallagher but have been influenced in my playing more by the les paul players: Slash from Guns N Roses, Jimmy Page of Led Zepplin and Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society and Ozzy Osbourne. Matt having had classic influence and instruction from a very young age is the most formally accomplished member of the band and draws influences from Steve Copeland of the Police and of course Animal! He plays with a cool style reminiscent of the 60s but brings the energy of modern bands like the Foo Fighters and the Killers. He is currently a student of the New York jazz drummer Daniel Glass. Our songs have been likened to bands across the board from Clutch to The Pigeon Detectives and from ZZ Top to the Kooks and we hope this means that within our catalogue there is something for everyone.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
Our EP 'Far and Wide' just came out and we're getting great feedback from around the world. As our first formal release we're really proud of how it sounds. I think people can expect a bit of everything- as cliché as that is. The EP itself is named as both a homage to how far we’ve come and to the breadth of influences which came together to make it, so we're confident that most people can find something within our sound they can enjoy whether they prefer harder rock tracks or softer ones. Our songs are generally upbeat and- based on us still humming the tunes 2 days after practice and the feedback we've had so far, we're confident to say there's a lot of catchy hooks in there too.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Over the years Jamie's squirrelled many tunes and ideas away and in spare time between writing and rehearsing he wanders the dusty corridors of his hoard and sometimes ideas make it back to rehearsal and we work on them. Recently we've also been working on a few bass lead tracks which Ben has brought to the table, as well as our usual catalogue of current songs. We will be following the EP with an album- we haven't discussed what, where or when as the plan was to get out and gig the EP but obviously this year has fallen totally flat on that front. But the material is all there and we already have a fair idea of how we want the album to sound.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We had a fully booked summer with festivals and radio slots but obviously were grounded by the pandemic. Currently we have a couple of near sold out shows people are holding tickets for so as soon as restrictions lift, we'll be out in full force!
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
The plan is to drive as hard as we can and see where we can get with it. Obviously, the dream is to play to bigger crowds and that's a good motivator.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
We are on all major streaming platforms: iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Deezer, emusic, Roxi, YouTube Music, TikTok, IMVU and a few more. We're planning on doing a fresh EP exclusive run of T-Shirts and EP CDs as well- these will be announced on our social media. We have pretty active Facebook and Instagram pages which we use to keep everyone up to date on gigs, upcoming releases and to give an insight into band life. Go check us out @pointclearband and give us a Like!
10. What is it you'd like the listener to remember most when hearing your music for the first time?
To tell their friends to listen to us as well and come see a show... We hope that people get a boost from listening to our music by putting a bounce in their stride or making them bob their heads- whether that be from lyrics, bass, drums or rhythm hooks we hope people find something they connect with and makes them feel good and want to press play time and again.
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