Tempers Fray have just returned back to the BN1 following a stint of shows from across the channel. They wrapped up August with a sold out BN1 x LBU show down at Daltons on Brighton Beach and are looking to the end of September where they will join Deprivation of Liberty for “one last dance” in Newport.

I caught up with guitarist Chris whilst they were across the pond to run us through the beginning, the present and what we can look forward to in the future from Tempers Fray!

FIRST OF ALL WHERE ARE YOU GUYS BASED AND HOW DID YOU ALL MEET?

We are based between Brighton & London.

Dom, Jon and I have been mates since forever…and I personally met Connor & Zack through HC many years ago, from playing shows with their old band Put Down. But essentially we’ve just all been pals for a very long time!

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR NAME ‘TEMPERS FRAY’?

Hard to remember…we never had a name when we recorded our first demo early 2012. We had a few names spinning about, then this name cropped up and it stuck really! Coming up with a names suck…

WHO HAS BEEN SOME OF THE LARGEST INFLUENCES IN YOUR SOUND?

It’s mostly from older UK hardcore and metal bands like Stampin Ground / Burning Skies / Knuckledust, but then US bands like Obituary and Sepultura play a big part too. Anything heavy, and hard as nails. I often try and nick riffs from ‘The Impossibility of Reason’ and hope no one notices…

WHAT HAS BEEN SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED TOGETHER?

We’ve not had too many to be honest, I think like most bands it’s just making sure five people are all free at the same time, but that never changes or gets easier, you just have to love it enough to make it work. You’ve got to be super flexible and understand that everyone has lives. You’ve got to be able to cope well with disappointment…there’s nothing worse than being offered a show with your favourite band to find out three of you are at a Wedding that day…that’s a real pain.

WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE ARTISTS?

That’s tricky, I love so many bands. But right now I’ll shout some cool bands who are our mates and we get to play with a lot… Splitknuckle, Exhume, Bodybag, Surge of Fury, Born from Pain, Becoming AD, Steel Freight, Overpower, Inhuman Nature, King Street, Heat, No Relief… there are so many good UKHC bands and European bands that the list would go on and on. 

WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE SHOWS YOU’VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO PLAY & WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ‘THE’ VENUE TO PLAY IN THE FUTURE?

We played with Madball in Brighton, that probably goes down as the best show we’ve played, and a huge privilege too. We also played Superbowl of Hardcore in 2016 with Walls of Jericho & Surge of Fury, and that was a really well run festival and was packed out….also playing with Biozhazard and Sick of it All (two separate occasions) at The Underworld, legendary venue with legendary bands (sorry that’s four shows…).

Actually I want to add that…since starting to write this up to now, we just came back from playing two shows in France, Rennes with Hard Mind, Peer Pressure, and a bunch of other cool bands, then Spread of Rage Festival in Essouvert with a ton of sick bands…both these shows were so well run, the catering was unreal, all the crew and staff were mega, the shows were packed, and we made loads of cool new friends. We honestly had the best time and they’ll go down as two of my favourite shows we’ve played. Sorry that’s six now…

I don’t have a dream venue really these days, but I always wanted to play the Astoria in London before it got knocked down. I’d happily play Brixton Academy though…

WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM TOUR TO BE INCLUDED IN?

Probably anything with Hatebreed! Right now, I’d say Whispers, Sanguisugabogg and Dying Fetus, all around East Asia. That’s the dream, getting out to Asia is a big aim of ours which we are trying to work on currently.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE CRAZIEST EXPERIENCE THAT YOU’VE HAD OVER THE YEARS?

Hmm, nothing that crazy really…probably being held at gunpoint at the French border…or sharing a room with Jon and Zack…felt like a warzone, and I was unarmed. The snoring is inexplicable!

WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR MOST RECENT ALBUM ‘RETURN TO THE EARTH’ IN 2023?

It was a mix of a lot of riffs we had from our archives, we actually started writing it in 2018 but never got it done (some of the riffs are actually from a band a few of us were in back in 2009!) Then we took a hiatus, and a couple of us started another band, then another band, and a lot of the music came from that, then we just tried to make it as heavy as we could. It was the first time recording and working with Connor since he joined so it was nice to freshen up the songs we had the skeletons for. Just wanted a really heavy, good record. We don’t particularly hone in on one genre of heavy music…we are equally influenced by all types of metal and hardcore, and this record reflects that. It’s not just a heavy beatdown record, it’s quite thrashy and metal too.

WE KNOW THAT WE CAN’T ALL BE MUSICIANS 24/7 SO WHAT JOBS DO YOU GUYS HAVE?

Connor smokes weed 24/7, Dom’s on a corporate vibe, I work in event logistics, Zack sells computer shit, and Jon works with water.

HAVE YOU GOT ANY HOBBIES/INTERESTS THAT YOU’D LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT?

Nah man! Beer, weed, and riffs. 

FINALLY, HAVE YOU GOT ANY OTHER ARTISTS/FRIENDS YOU THINK THE PEOPLE SHOULD CHECK OUT?

Yeah definitely, that goes back to the question before where I’ve listed a bunch of bands… to be honest, just UKHC in general, support it, listen to bands, catch a show, buy the merch, engage with them on social media… basically the same thing everyone always says, but it’s true and it’s important. Our friends know who they are all through the UK and Europe. Just listen to Surge of Fury and Knuckledust, and work your way backwards… and all the good bands will reveal themselves.

Known for their groovy, metal and hardcore influenced sound you can check out Tempers Fray via their social media accounts and the spotify link below.

Make sure to show them your support at their next show, buy some merch, throw some shapes!

As always I’ll see you in the pit!

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