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Every Monday we will be bringing you interviews with unsigned UK or Ireland artists for Independent Music Monday. Recently we caught up with unsigned Brighton band ADALIA to find out more…

Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the band name?
Why hello there, let us introduce ourselves. Here we have lead singer Corey Plant, guitarist Sam Cotton and drummer Jordan Hart. Together we are ADALIA – a collision of Brighton-based, misplaced misfits serving alternative rock madness with a quirky twist. Now taking their first steps towards world domination.

C: For a long time I used not being in a band as an excuse not to write and procrastinate. The name ‘Adalia’ originally comes from a band called Madina Lake who I’ve been fortunate enough to meet. We talked about the world of Madina Lake, the whole concept that forms the band’s foundations, specifically Adalia’s origin. As we talked about everything she stood for, something just aligned. Whilst our ADALIA isn’t a replica of, or even a direct reference to theirs – the only thing they really have in common is the name – the principles surrounding who she is are very similar. It was the perfect name that represents everything we stand for as a band.

Initially, she was as an idea to help me overcome my stage anxieties as a solo artist. You could look at it as a persona I could hide behind so to speak, but I prefer to think of it as a way of separating and imprisoning those anxieties so that I can enjoy myself on stage and give a performance audiences deserve. But being solo wasn’t for me – it never was. That’s when Mr Sam Cotton walks in. We started as those kids on the beach or in a park with an acoustic guitar playing our favourite songs and something just worked. We wanted to take it to the next level which is when we found the next missing piece: Jordan.

Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
J: My first taste of guitar music growing up was Green Day, so growing up I listened to a lot of early 2000’s Pop Punk/Emo bands such as My Chemical Romance, You Me At Six, Paramore, A Day To Remember etc which I still have a huge soft spot for. As I’ve gotten older, my tastes have broadened drastically and will listen to just about anything, but I am currently massively into bands like Don Broco, Bring Me The Horizon, and PVRIS, and how they incorporate some electronic sounds into their music.

S: I’m with Jordan on this one. I was a MASSIVE emo kid. My sister was the source of all this. She would put me onto bands like Good Charlotte and Green Day, I remember listening to the Young and the Hopeless album and thinking to myself “this is a perfect album” I still think that. Ultimately it was that album that inspired me to pick up a guitar. Over the years I branched out, discovered a love for blues and rock’n’roll, listening to the likes of John Mayer and Jimi Hendrix. They play a massive role in my writing process for both rhythm and lead parts in Adalia. But at the end of the day it’s trashy pop-punk that will always have my heart.

C: As mentioned above Madina Lake are a HUGE influence, not only name wise obviously. But my influences are pretty much the same as the other two – I mean that’s one reason we all work so well. Growing up I was surrounded by a lot of 80s Glam and Rock, from AC/DC to Queen and 90s likes of The Offspring, Green Day etc. I will always be the Emo/Pop Punk kid (it’s not a phase!) constantly listen to bands like The Maine, You Me At Six, Joan Jett & The Black Hearts, The Pretty Reckless, Andy Black, the list is endless! So in my labyrinth of influences, I attempt to draw upon every element of the odd musical concoction I was raised on. But I love words and their power to manipulate… I mean encourage… an imagination. Forever favouring lost worlds over reality. I’m fascinated with writers such as Stevenson, Poe, Grimm Brothers, but also songwriters such as Amy Lee (Evanescence), Jim Steinman who craft intricate narratives where obscurity and truth coexist. Attempting to colour what would otherwise be a black and white world.

How would you describe your sound?
C: This is always such a difficult question to answer as, with pretty much every band, we find it hard to put ourselves in a box. We tend to label ourselves as is Alternative Rock as there’s room for so much experimentation within that, we can be a little bit of Pop Punk, a little Rocky, but also our ballads aren’t out of place there either.

S: To me I’ve always described our band as if Joan Jett and Green Day had an angsty baby.

What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
C: The latest single is called ‘Roll Up’. It’s gritty. It’s driving. It’s dirty. It’s a cornucopia of angst, grunge and rebellion, complete with raucous guitars, punching drums and pop-polished-rock-tarnished vocals. Jekyll and Hyde in its nature, the song explores the struggles behind the duality of identity caused by the pressures of social conformity but ultimately, and unapologetically, giving in to who we really are. Starting somewhat plaintive, the song soon explodes into an invigorating, exhilarating anthem for the misguided and misunderstood.

As you heard, we have a wide array of influences which results in our songwriting being equally as varied. After releasing pop-punk ‘Chemical Hearts’ in June (our first release in two years) which was perfect the summer, we wanted to show the world something a little different. I’m slightly obsessed with the concept of identity and the Jekyll/Hyde duality of people, which is what the lyrics explore, so drawing upon our heavier influences seemed a lot more appropriate here. But the wonderful thing is, it still sounds like ADALIA despite their huge differences.

What’s your local music scene like?
J: I think Brighton has a huge music scene. Before lockdown you could find a gig on almost every night of the week of varying genres, everything from open mics to metal, to hip hop. And with BIMM just around the corner, there’s always a lot of new bands appearing.

S: Brighton’s music scene is all encompassing and forever evolving and everyone does their fair share to grow and support it. What’s that saying about never being more than 6ft away from a rat in a city? Well it’s like that but in Brighton replace rats with musicians. We couldn’t be happier to be a part of it, a community of musicians who look after one another and reward one another with amazing opportunities and guidance.

What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
J: Ideally we’d be out gigging as much as possible, but there’s a lot of uncertainty about when gigs will be up and running again. Especially when you’re trying to make a name for yourself and build a fan base. We’ve always got new material in the pipeline being worked on, so until gigs are back to normal we’ll spend more time polishing up new songs and trying to get into the studio again. Just trying to build our name and push our music to as many people as possible.

Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
S: Well in Brighton the rock scene is very much alive and thriving, there are tons of bands and artists that we would love to get involved with such as Tidal Rave & Out of Reach. Even a little further afield we are lucky enough to know some incredible musicians such as Southampton’s very own Reawaken. It’s definitely something we really want to push for 2021 but definitely check out these wonderful bands you really won’t be disappointed!

Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
C: This doesn’t classify as a funny story, but one of our most memorable live performances has to be in a comic book shop. Performing next to/sharing a stage with an 8ft Hulk was definitely interesting, to say the least!

What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
C: WE HAVE A GIG! This isn’t a drill. Live music is gradually making it’s return and we are going to be there. Due to the pandemic we have had to cancel a lot of our shows, but we absolutely adore being on stage and sharing our songs with people. So on Saturday 19th September, we will be making our return at The Rec Rooms, Horsham. The wonderful folk both running the show and venue have been working hard to make sure it will be a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. For instance, you will have to pre-book a table, this will avoid breaking any regulations. If, like us, you have been having gig withdrawal symptoms tickets are available at: https://www.tickettailor.com/all-tickets/sussexeventtickets

S: We’d also love to take a moment to say how grateful we are to have had so much support in the past from our fans, particularly following the release of ‘Chemical Hearts’ and ‘Roll Up’. Such kind, kind and beautiful words aren’t heard and then forgotten, we really do carry them with us. One of the best parts about gigging is hanging out after the show with people who have come to check out our music and support the scene. So to anyone planning on coming to a show stick around and grab a drink with us, would love to meet you.

You can find out more about ADALIA via Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, Twitter or YouTube.