Seven Blood Reflect on Their First Headline Tour: “It’s Been Insane in the Best Way”
After seeing Berlin-based emo metal band Seven Blood live in Cologne, Germany (see here), we caught up with them again in London just before they took the stage for the final show of their first ever headline tour. We spoke with Azaria (vocals) and Oli (guitar) about transforming their early EPs into a debut album, life on the road and the moments of connection that made the run unforgettable.
This is your first headlining tour, co-headlining with Lastelle — how’s it been so far?
It’s been insane in the best way possible. Lastelle and High Regard are such lovely people and we really love sharing the stage with them. It’s also crazy to finally meet people that discovered us over the course of the last two years and we really appreciate every person who showed up to our shows.
What have you enjoyed most about touring so far, and what’s taken the most getting used to?
I really love the atmosphere of travelling together. It’s exciting and you get to see so many things and meet so many great people. However, for me personally it can be really tough as there are rarely moments of quietness or alone time. But that's a really minor inconvenience. It’s something they invented noise cancelling headphones for.
As an artist, you have to give up a lot — what do you feel you’ve missed out on the most?
I actually don’t feel like I missed out on something. However, on tour I definitely miss out on a lot of deep sleep.
What’s been your favourite city on the tour so far, and why? Any highlights or funny stories from the road?
To be honest, all cities have their own highlights. I think in Cologne we had the loudest audience. But it's also a crazy feeling to be in London (aka far away from home) and have people come up to you and tell you that they have been listening to your songs and already own your debut on vinyl.
After less than two years as a band, you released your debut album ‘Life Is Just a Phase’, featuring songs from your EPs. How did it feel to present your early material as a complete album?
It felt like a full circle moment. We completed our first chapter that defined who Seven Blood is and we couldn’t be more proud of that.
Which track was the hardest to record, and why?
Definitely ‘Hourglass’. I think we rewrote this song about four times until we were really happy with it. And I really love how it turned out. Definitely one of my favourite songs to play live.
What’s it like playing these songs live and seeing the crowd’s reaction? Any moments on tour that really stood out where you felt a real connection with someone in the audience?
It’s a crazy feeling to finally get to play some songs live. And it’s even crazier to hear and see people sing along. On this tour we played our song ‘Goodbye’ that we wrote just a week before the tour started. It’s a rather intimate and quiet song. Every time we played this song, I felt like every person in the room felt the same emotions. It was a very special atmosphere.
This is the final date of the tour — what’s next for the band?
After the tour we will go back into the studio and write songs. We also have a few festivals scheduled and definitely can’t wait to go on tour again!
Let’s play a quick game of ‘this’ or ‘that’. We’d ask a bunch of questions and you need to choose one or the other.
If you could instantly unlock a new skill, would you choose guitar or drums?
Azaria: Drums (Sorry, Oli).
Oli, what about you? Singing or hitting the drums hard?
Oli: Tzzz…singing.
Festival or small, sweaty clubs?
Azaria: Sweaty clubs. The sweat needs to drip from the ceiling.
Loud amps or in-ear monitors?
Azaria: In-Ear monitors.
After-party or hotel sleep?
Oli: Hotel sleep.
Headbang or dance it out?
Azaria: Dance out.
Oli: Would also say, dance it out!
News songs or fan favourites?
Oli: Fan favourites.
Chaos on stage or tight and polished?
Both: Tight and polished.
Tour Bus or long drives?
Both: Touring bus.
Writing riffs first or lyrics first?
Both: Hard to say, you need both ways from time to time.
