Interview with Jasmine Marceau.
We sat down with Niall and Jude of Beyond Extinction before they hit the stage at The Dome in London to talk about their charity gig on Saturday 17th August for their band member and friend Zach who passed away just over a year ago.
Could you tell me about setting up this event?
Jude: It’s basically been our band, some of Zach’s family and friends. Jasper’s done a lot of the booking.
Niall: I would say it’s been a very rewarding experience.
Jude: It’s nice to see everyone coming together for this special day.
Niall: Especially all of the bands involved, they’ve got this connection with the day.
Jude: It’s very rare that you actually get to play a show with all of your mates. And all coming together for one purpose, we’re happy with the charities we’ve got lined up too.
Which charities have you chosen?
Jude: The charities are CALM, which is campaign against living miserably; Help Musicians and Young Minds. It’s going to be really good to work with everyone and hopefully raise some good money!
Niall: I think it’s going to mean a lot to a lot of people. There’s a lot of people coming down that met him.
Jude: A lot of people have been touched with similar issues to this. The metalhead community is really good at coming together when we need to and support each other. Not being afraid to say to get the help if you need it.
Niall: We want to spread the awareness of these charities.
When did you start setting up the event?
Niall: We’ve been talking about it for a long time.
Jude: I’m pretty sure it was late last year. We really wanted to have a tribute show for Zach, and it eventually shaped up. It’s hard to believe it’s so soon but the line up is so great, the venue is great. Everything’s gone really smoothly so it should be a really good day.
Are you doing anything else to raise money? Are they going to be like merchandise?
Jude: Yes, we’ve got specific merchandise for the show. We’ve got tote bags…
Niall: Badges…
Jude: Most of the money from the show is all going to be split between the charities. We’re going to have donation buckets around the venue so people can give what they’d like. It’s going to be a celebration and also a recognition of the help that people can still do.
How important do you think it is to talk openly about mental health in the music industry?
Jude: I think it’s really important. I know that a lot of the reasons why people get into this kind of music is because they were bullied, or they felt like they didn’t fit in properly or they were shunned, or made fun of dressing a certain way, or listening to the kind of music. I think the metal community is very supportive and just be who you are, just enjoy the music for music’s sake and come to a show. You can dress up with giant spikes on your collar and black eye shadow and people wouldn’t bat an eyelid. I think that’s really good.
Niall: I can’t agree more. It’s like going to see live shows builds a connection with the people around you, the community and the band. It’s all great listening to a band on Spotify, but when you turn up, you have that emotional connection with the artists. It’s very important.
Jude: I think a lot of people go to concerts as a way to blow of steam, and it works for us blowing off steam at shows. Get all of your aggressive feelings out in a positive way. There’s nothing like moshing or doing anything like that and just the amount of energy a metal show brings. It’s really therapeutic in a way, being able to connect with other people who like the same music and chatting to them about anything, including mental health, there’s a lot of similarities we can share, so it’s nice to be in a community and talk about it.
Do you think it’ll be an emotional day for everyone involved?
Jude: We’re looking forward to it but it’s going to be tough at times. At the end of the day it’s a celebration and Zach would want us to have the best day and just rock out in his name, and just mosh to all of these amazing bands that are playing.
Niall: There’s so many people around to support. I think as much as there will be difficult at times, there couldn’t be better people around to share it with.
Jude: We’re going to be with our friends and family, so it’s going to feel like a proper community has turned out.
Tickets to the event at The Underworld on Saturday 17th August are available here.