Manchester based quartet Rude Films, are quickly acquiring a glowing reputation for what is seen as an, “uncompromising attitude”, towards what the music press like to label as, “the ethereal” and “the chaotic”.
“We frequently get described as ‘Shoegaze’,” the band’s bassist James Platt revealed when I spoke to him earlier this month.
“Shoegaze,” thank God for Wikipedia, “(originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop), is a sub-genre of indie and alternative rock, characterised by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volume.” That told me!
Originating originally from Chorley in Lancashire, Rude Films is vocalist and guitarist, Aaron Hill-Southern, Liam Miro on guitar, James Platt on both bass and synth and drummer, Rick Ryding. They prefer to describe themselves, whenever pushed, as, “alternative if anything”, although they are determined not to be pigeonholed, “so as not to alienate”.
According to Jarred Up, Rude Films have a, “totally unique… brilliant sound”, that is, “dark, foreboding and atmospheric”, and having cut their teeth touring with acts like IST IST, October Drift and Yowl, they have already built up a loyal and faithful following of discernible devotees; something that has not gone unnoticed in the meantime, with their regional B.B.C. station confidently labelling them as 2025’s, “Ones To Watch”: acclaim that their eponymously titled debut L.P. more than lives up to, despite the pressure that comes from such exultantly high hopes.
The album starts quietly, gradually building to a haunting, beguiling, layered tone, reminiscent of a resonating call to prayer. The opening track, Where Have You Been Lately?, then morphs into a seamless and rousing guitar riff, with a powerful and thematic thumping percussion for accompaniment, immediately bringing forth a collage of sweaty images full of hordes of young punk “shoegazers” in Hussar-type tunics of the brightest blood red, all stomping up and down in time in a modern day mosh-pit. And so the stage is set! The songs unyielding and moody, with a vocal performance that is strategically overlaid in order to capture that certain something; atmospheric, yet with an otherworldly musical anxiety that makes it immediately compelling, perplexing and intriguing in equal measure… Like some sort of Golem emerging fully formed from a lump of wet clay.
The following nine tracks – Mort Subite, Death Hex, Serenity, Blood On The Tracks, Religion, Wide-Eyed Boy, You’re The Image I Can’t Forget, A Lonely Moon and Black Snow – then blend into one another naturally, like a tune-filled brashly coloured comic strip, each persistent but without any sense of that desperate rush that can over-power an eagerly anticipated debut album. They are tight, the songs and the band, and thoroughly complement each other as crowd pleasing rabble rousers – I can’t wait to see these tracks performed live!
You’re The Image I Can’t Forget, my favourite track from the L.P.,with its tantalisingly faint echoes of inspiration and fondness towards Joy Division and/or Elbow, and Black Snow, a stirring finale reminiscent of the Idles, encompass it all and yet, somehow, still remain singularly unique and incredibly fresh and vibrant: natural evolution, perhaps?
There’s huge pride in being from a place with such prestigious musical heritage
James
“There’s huge pride in being from a place with such prestigious musical heritage,” James says of Manchester and it’s iconic musical legacy that can still weigh heavy. “But I wouldn’t say we’ve ever felt any pressure because of it,” he is quickly keen to add.
“It feels like a different time and place from one we could ever inhabit,” he says, after some thought. “Making and distributing music is way more accessible these days, so I think it’s normal for budding artists to accept they probably won’t be the next Oasis.”
So what’s the scene in Manchester like now?
“I’m not sure if we’ve been initiated into a ‘scene’,” he replies, “but two bands that we’re huge fans of are DEAFDEAFDEAF and Slap Rash, both of which are killing it. I’m hopeful that Manchester will always have a strong alternative scene.”
One thing that might hamper any future hopes for up and coming bands though, is the rapid decline in affordable, quality rehearsal space.
“When we started out it was super easy to get a spot in an old run-down mill on the fringe of the city centre. One-by-one though, they seem to be closing down… Getting converted into apartments,” they tell me with sadness and regret.
How did they all meet?
“We’ve known each other getting on for 15 years, having originally met at high school. We’ve all sporadically been involved in several other musical projects over the years, two of which came to an end concurrently in 2018, which prompted us to get together as Rude Films.” With wide-ranging influences, it initially took the friends a while to determine the kind of band they wanted to be, James revealing that, early Rude Films was a decidedly lighter and more upbeat band.
“After an extended break due to the pandemic, we returned to write the Statements of Fear E.P., which carries a much darker tone and that’s something we’ve kind of stuck with. Smells Like Teen Spirit seems to be the first song that every noughties child gets taught when they first learn the guitar, so we’ve undoubtedly been influenced by 90's grunge, as well as shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive.
“When we first started making music around 2012, we were in our teens and Chorley had a thriving music scene, so we were influenced by bands like Cactus Knife, Kong and USA Nails.”
“Some contemporary influences and artists we reference when writing,” guitarist Liam Miro adds, “would include: The Psychotic Monks, Deafheaven and Radiohead… bands that probably aren’t associated with easy listening,” he readily admits.
I asked the guys to quickly run us through the tracks on the new album, and tell us how each one came about?
“It was written and recorded in three stints over a period of about 18 months, and is presented in roughly the order it was created,” James says. “There’s no over-arching narrative but you can kind of hear the thing become more hopeful as you get towards the end.”
Rick adds that, “Our favourites are probably Death Hex, Blood on the Tracks and Black Snow. Musically we try to create contrast where possible and Death Hex typifies this in a way. The intro is super heavy,” he admits, “but gives way to a stripped-back, synth-laden verse which brings you right back down,” he says. “The title and lyrics come from an occult spell type thing that Aaron came across whilst writing.”
“Blood on the Tracks,” James tells me, “has a very specific yet private meaning which we’re loathe to discuss… It’s probably the most atmospheric track, again with a marked difference between calm verses and chaotic choruses.” Any titular similarity with the Bob Dylan album is purely coincidental, they assure me.
“Black Snow wasn’t the last song we wrote but it was clear that it had to close the album. Religion was very much a studio song, in that it was half an idea that we thought we’d have a go at.”
“It was done in one take,” Aaron remembers now, “with a few vocal overdubs but turned out quite nicely.”
And what of their writing process?
“We tend to take snippets of our own ideas and build upon them collaboratively. This keeps things interesting,” the guys admit, “and we’re always amazed at how different the finished article is from the initial idea.”
“Occasionally songs write themselves and emerge fully formed from an improvisation. Wide-Eyed Boy from the album is a decent example of this, or Gory Bastard, one of our early singles.”
Do the guys like being in the studio or prefer being on the road, playing live?
“We’ll always try to capture a fully live take as it would be performed on stage and then build upon that by layering guitars, synths, drones and feedback to add to the atmosphere. We’ve been fortunate enough,” James says, “to do some great gigs in the past year, but we’d take a week in the studio over a week on the road any day,” he laughs.
“We’ve definitely landed on a certain vibe,” Liam admits later, albeit one that is far removed from where they started, “and that’s partly an emotional thing and partly through amassing gear such as guitar effects and synthesisers. Perhaps in the future we’ll strip it all back again and challenge ourselves to do more with less?”
And their plans for the future?
“We’ll be recording some new music in the summer with a view to releasing an E.P. towards the end of the year, with a limited run on vinyl. Alongside that,” they reveal excitedly, “we’ve got shows lined up in Nottingham, Northampton, Hull, Manchester and Brighton.”
The album Rude Films was released on 21st March
Support Rude Films via
Find their tune Death Hex on our NEW INDIE MUSIC playlist.
![Mandy James [Guest Author]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=20&d=identicon&r=g){kind=avatar}
Recent Comments