ICONOCLASM AND INNOVATION
With a combined love of all things pop and experimental, Divina Icon play The Vapour Trail in a perculiar position – that of a band in transition. Led by vocalist and guitarist Dale Every, their songs are often dynamic explosions of the 3 – 4 minute variety, while their sound is richly layered with crunching guitars, melodic riffs and bubbling electronics. Lyrically, the songs have always explored the whys and wherefores of life, sometimes set against the grainy backdrop of London, the city which spawned the group. Although they appear to be very much in the midst of a period of uncertainty, one thing that we can be sure of is the power they pack live. But let’s find out more….
We first wonder how the group got together, although we forget to remember how unremarkable stories of this ilk usually are….“We all met at a ‘model railway’ convention! Our shared love of the locomotive brought us together. The usual.”As mentioned previously, the subject of the group’s range in sound and influences gets broached, as we wonder what the primary inspirations were when getting the group together….“We all bring our own (influences) to the table. The darker pop edge comes from, without name dropping, bands like Cocteaus, Killing Joke etc that Giorgio and Leon bring in while the electronics are influenced by the Dancy stuff Dale does – Nixie listens to a lot of American guitar music like Pumpkins, QOTSA and that comes through. Some kind of vague mix of these elements.” Moreover, was there any initial aim in terms of the overall musical direction, lyrical direction and so forth?“Nah, too many egos in the band to agree on one ideology! The nature of what we are is about not being confined to a set identity as such– that can be great but it’s not what we do, at least not yet. Might be one or two concept albums in us!”One thing that definitely sets the group apart from the gaggle of identikit indie rock bands you see floating about is there use of electronics within their multi-layered sound. We wonder what inspired them to implement this…“We feel it brings a dynamic to out guitar-based sound – when there are so many guitar bands that have that one sound it gets a little dry. It’s another layer, which can change the whole vibe of something, it’s important to our evolving sound, experimenting is important to us. Pissing around with soundscapes, definitely comes from the electronic influence on the band.”
Bearing in mind the fact that there is a greater emphasis on live performance now more than ever, what does the band hope to achieve when they go out and play?“We haven’t played any gigs while because we have been putting this new project together but we are looking forward to doing some shows. Each gig has its own character, if you’re playing in front of no one except for someone’s lost dog then you’re not gonna be trying to make some big connection (which actually happened!) so each as they come but we always like to make an impact in whatever form – its very much a cathartic release for us – throwing our tunes out …”
And lastly, the inevitable question that always must be asked – what is next for them?“Revolution, after Giorgio has got the next round in! – Then a name for this new project – we are Divina Icon for this gig although the band is no more and this new one needs a name.”
So, does this gig symbolise the end of an era, or the beginning of a new one? I suppose we’ll just have to find out….
www.myspace.com/divinaicon
With a combined love of all things pop and experimental, Divina Icon play The Vapour Trail in a perculiar position – that of a band in transition. Led by vocalist and guitarist Dale Every, their songs are often dynamic explosions of the 3 – 4 minute variety, while their sound is richly layered with crunching guitars, melodic riffs and bubbling electronics. Lyrically, the songs have always explored the whys and wherefores of life, sometimes set against the grainy backdrop of London, the city which spawned the group. Although they appear to be very much in the midst of a period of uncertainty, one thing that we can be sure of is the power they pack live. But let’s find out more….
We first wonder how the group got together, although we forget to remember how unremarkable stories of this ilk usually are….“We all met at a ‘model railway’ convention! Our shared love of the locomotive brought us together. The usual.”As mentioned previously, the subject of the group’s range in sound and influences gets broached, as we wonder what the primary inspirations were when getting the group together….“We all bring our own (influences) to the table. The darker pop edge comes from, without name dropping, bands like Cocteaus, Killing Joke etc that Giorgio and Leon bring in while the electronics are influenced by the Dancy stuff Dale does – Nixie listens to a lot of American guitar music like Pumpkins, QOTSA and that comes through. Some kind of vague mix of these elements.” Moreover, was there any initial aim in terms of the overall musical direction, lyrical direction and so forth?“Nah, too many egos in the band to agree on one ideology! The nature of what we are is about not being confined to a set identity as such– that can be great but it’s not what we do, at least not yet. Might be one or two concept albums in us!”One thing that definitely sets the group apart from the gaggle of identikit indie rock bands you see floating about is there use of electronics within their multi-layered sound. We wonder what inspired them to implement this…“We feel it brings a dynamic to out guitar-based sound – when there are so many guitar bands that have that one sound it gets a little dry. It’s another layer, which can change the whole vibe of something, it’s important to our evolving sound, experimenting is important to us. Pissing around with soundscapes, definitely comes from the electronic influence on the band.”
Bearing in mind the fact that there is a greater emphasis on live performance now more than ever, what does the band hope to achieve when they go out and play?“We haven’t played any gigs while because we have been putting this new project together but we are looking forward to doing some shows. Each gig has its own character, if you’re playing in front of no one except for someone’s lost dog then you’re not gonna be trying to make some big connection (which actually happened!) so each as they come but we always like to make an impact in whatever form – its very much a cathartic release for us – throwing our tunes out …”
And lastly, the inevitable question that always must be asked – what is next for them?“Revolution, after Giorgio has got the next round in! – Then a name for this new project – we are Divina Icon for this gig although the band is no more and this new one needs a name.”
So, does this gig symbolise the end of an era, or the beginning of a new one? I suppose we’ll just have to find out….
www.myspace.com/divinaicon
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