FyreSky
Feature
UK goth-rockers FyreSky have recently joined the Polestar Music Management roster so I took the chance to catch up with all four members of the band by Zoom to find out more about them as they start their new chapter.
The first thing to get right is the name; it’s all one word, the second letter is ‘y’ and there’s no ‘e’ on the end. So far, the band have found themselves referred to as ‘Frying Pan’, ‘Frisky’ and ‘Freaksy’ among other things. I found that it is particularly important to get it right on You Tube. The band’s actual page is well worth subscribing to but if you type in ‘The Firesky’ you are directed to a song of that name by a Belgian indie band called ‘Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat’- and they’re not quite as gothic as they sound!
Gabriel Valentine (Vocals / Guitar) and Kris White (Bass) formed FyreSky over four years ago having previously played together in other ventures. Drummer, Ryaan Sandham, was recruited out of music college prior to recording their debut album in 2019 and the current line-up is completed by guitar whizz-kid and Tik-Tok tutoring sensation, Nicole Lastauskas. Kris and Gabriel had spotted Nicole’s talent some years earlier performing in her previous band ‘Let’s Be Strange’ and apparently you can also spot Nicole rocking out in the crowd in some of FyreSky’s early live videos.
The band sport a very distinctive look with liberal use of face paint and Kris in particular has a powerful and distinctive presence. Ryaan recalled once wondering why everyone was staring at them during a post-gig Costa stop before remembering that they were still all painted up and Kris was rocking her foot-high mohawk. The image has certainly raised some eyebrows at ‘mixed’ music shows. One of the band’s finest early achievements was winning the ‘Essex Undiscovered’ competition in 2017, beating out 180 other (predominantly Indie) acts and Gabriel described a very satisfying moment as jaws dropped and the room fell silent when their triumph was announced. Shades of Lordi at Eurovision by the sound of it.
The prize for that win was assistance recording a music video for their stellar track ‘Carpe Noctem’ (Seize the Night) and it is a very good introduction to the band which you can check out on their You Tube channel. It’s one of the oldest songs on the self-produced album ‘The Grand Illusion’ and one of my favourites. Whilst definitely and defiantly gothic, there are plenty subtle variations going on within that and the piano intro and twin-guitar work on ‘Carpe Noctem’ almost hint at southern rock in parts, for me. Comparisons like that are something the band are used to and others have apparently referenced a flavour of Iron Maiden, Guns ‘n’ Roses and Evanescence running through their music at times.
I particularly like Gabriel’s definitive description of their music as ‘weird, twisted goth-rock’ and that certainly suits them. Incidentally, Gabriel’s professional vocation is night-undertaker and it does not get much more gothic than that does it? There’s a good example of the twistedness on ‘Red Velvet Rope’ from an early EP and they take that up another notch on the album track ‘Pleasure For Pain’ which is almost a love song but with a definite kink. That’s another one you can check out on a lyric video but its not entirely suitable for work (especially Gabriel’s!) and Facebook also had a bit of a problem with its content. Tempted?
The band are clearly enthusiastic about their relationship with Mark Robinson of Polestar Music Management which has been ongoing for some time but formalised recently. Ryaan, in particular, was keen to highlight the advantages of having Mark’s knowledge and experience on board, not just on the business side but also relating to performance, emphasising his own relative inexperience behind the kit before joining the band. Kris also acknowledged that the band had ‘hit a brick wall getting out of Essex and out of our comfort zone’ whilst working away on their own. Although the band have done well in places like the Midlands they are keen to raise their profile, play more shows and reach some bigger stages, with Gabriel noting Scotland’s Winterstorm festival as an ambition. Gabriel has been particularly impressed with the amount of options that Mark has put forward, including some ideas that the band have previously toyed with but which Polestar’s bands have actually been doing; highlighting the recent success of Everyday Heroes as an example.
Polestar have pinpointed the virile goth scene in Eastern Europe as a possible target, drawing on Nicole’s Lithuanian family heritage and aiming for exposure in places like Romania and Estonia where the force is strong. Gabriel was also keen to highlight their involvement in the domestic UK goth scene. FyreSky have built friendships with other like-minded bands, including Scotland’s Gothzilla and also Walk In Coma - ‘one of the heaviest metal juggernauts in Essex’ who’s sound was described admiringly as ‘insane’. The band are also proud to be part of the New Rise of Gothic Rock and Metal Facebook group (Kris curates a Spotify playlist of the same name). The aim is to bring some unity to the scene by drawing together the sometimes fragmented web of sub-genres and show that the darker side is not just all about blast-beats and screaming.
Like everyone else, the band can’t be together just now but they’re still plugging away and Gabriel has gathered around 6 ideas for new tracks ready to be fleshed out. Everyone is contributing in isolation; Ryaan is experimenting with new beats and rythyms, Nicole is working on the keyboards side while Canadian Kris has been sending up some ‘word vomits’ from her Kent base to add to the mix.
I will look forward to monitoring the band’s progress. In the meantime, you can check them out on all the usual outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and You Tube (but remember to get the spelling right). They also highlighted CD Baby as a great outlet for small bands and their music and merchandise is available on Bandcamp (including a nice double-sided Blue T shirt – see, it doesn't always have to be black).