East Anglia is host to some proper up and coming bands and Bind. are one of those that I love, with their heavy sound you can be sure to mosh hard too (and of course two step). What started out as a project towards the end of lockdown in 2020 has turned into almost 6 years of hitting up UK shows and even mianland Europe by featuring on Hellfest.
Their recent release War in Heaven which came out last October, just shows how hard they go on with each track. If that doesn’t make you want to show your solidarity with you going hard in the pit I don’t know what will. Give it a spin and I’m sure it will make you want to find their next available show.
I caught up with Bind. at The Black Heart at the start of February, where they supported French Hardcore band Sorcerer and if you weren’t there, this show hit off. Here’s to East Anglia coming up.
FIRST OF ALL WHERE ARE YOU GUYS BASED & HOW DID YOU ALL MEET?
We’re based around East Anglia. Three of us live just outside King’s Lynn and our drummer is from Great Yarmouth, so we usually just say East Anglia.
Bind. started towards the end of lockdown in 2020 after a previous band that three of us were in disbanded. We brought Alex in on guitar and began working through material he’d written before joining, which later became our first singles.
We played our first two shows in December 2022 and have been full steam ahead ever since.
WHAT WAS THE SCENE LIKE IN EAST ANGLIA GROWING UP & HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN IT?
Being from different parts of the county meant we experienced slightly different scenes, but the common thread was always going to shows and starting bands with friends.
There was a time when local venues had shows on nearly every day of the week, and they were packed. There were so many bands and everyone travelled to support each other. Josh (drums) actually saw Michael’s (bass) old band play at one of his local venues about seven years before they ever properly met or played together.
You’d either be watching your friends’ bands or catching touring bands who later went on to become huge, like seeing Enter Shikari, Your Demise, or Basement in rooms with a 100-cap at most.
THIS MIGHT SOUND LIKE A DUMBASS QUESTION BUT HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME BIND.?
The name came from Alex. We went through loads of names early on and probably changed our minds every week for a few months. When Alex suggested Bind., it was the first name everyone genuinely agreed on straight away, so it stuck.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND TO SOMEBODY WHO HASN’T HEARD YOU BEFORE?
We like a good mosh riff and a solid two-step part, so we’d describe our sound as heavy, energetic, and mostly short and to the point.
WHAT HAS BEEN SOME OF THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES YOU’VE BEEN FACED WITH?
Balancing everything outside the band.
We all have full-time jobs, families, and relationships, so finding as much time as we’d like to write music and play shows can be difficult.
Also… paying for van rentals and parking in London.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVOURITE ARTISTS?
We all listen to a bit of everything, especially while in the van.
Josh (drums): Sanction
Jake (vocals): Jeff Buckley
Michael (bass): Tyler Childers
Alex (guitar): Meshuggah
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE SHOWS YOU’VE REALLY ENJOYED BEING A PART OF & DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE VENUE?
That’s a hard one because there have been so many.
Our top three would be:
Hellfest (France) – Playing in Europe for the first time at such a huge festival was surreal. Playing outside in 36°C heat was something else.
Harms Way at The Underworld, Camden – This venue had always been on our bucket list. We’ve all been there loads to see our favourite bands, so playing there with one of them was a special experience.
Burn It Down Festival – A festival we’d always wanted to be part of. Every year we talk about how good the lineup is, so getting to play it last year was a highlight. It was incredibly well run and a great way to end the summer.
Favourite venues would be The Underworld (London), The Hope & Ruin (Brighton), and Voodoo Daddy’s (Norwich).
Honourable mention goes to the King’s Lynn skatepark show put on by Yellow Tape Promotions. Playing on a skate ramp is on every band’s bucket list, right? It was also great to see shows happening in King’s Lynn again.
WHAT WOULD BE YOUR DREAM TOUR TO GET BIND. ON?
We could easily just list our favourite bands, but a UK tour opened by Us Scarab, Dying Wish, and Boundaries headline would be unreal.
WHAT HAS BEEN SOME OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES YOU’VE HAD TOGETHER?
Definitely Hellfest. Being able to play it and experience the festival together was insane. Watching so many of our favourite bands — and bands we never thought we’d see — from side stage is something we’ll never forget.
YOU MENTIONED YOU GUYS ARE VEGAN, WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR GO-TO PLACES WHEN HITTING UP SHOWS?
One of our favourite parts of travelling to shows is getting to eat. Every new city means finding something we can’t get at home.
Huns Vegan in Leicester has some of the best fried “chicken” we’ve had.
Beelzebab inside The Hope & Ruin in Brighton is unreal — proof you don’t need meat to have a great kebab.
You also can’t go wrong with a good pizza, and places like Papa John’s have way more options now for people who don’t eat meat or dairy.
We’d always recommend giving Veganuary a go or just trying more plant-based options in general. There’s so much good food out there now, we could start talking some recipes but then this interview would turn into a cookbook haha!
HOW HAVE YOU FOUND THE SCENE CHANGE IN RECENT YEARS?
It’s really started to pick up again over the last couple of years.
More venues are opening locally, more bands are coming out of East Anglia again, and there are promoters working hard to bring shows back to Norwich and the surrounding areas.
When we first started, we were playing other cities pretty early because it felt like every other part of the UK had a stronger scene. Every year since, it seems to improve. Even with venues closing in some cities, there are still people pushing to make things happen.
Overall, we genuinely think the UK metal scene is thriving and in the best place it’s been for a while.
WHO HAS BEEN SOME OF THE LARGEST INFLUENCES IN YOUR SOUND?
Earth Crisis, Boundaries, Sanction, and Great American Ghost.
WE CAN’T ALL BE MUSICIANS 24/7 SO WHAT JOBS/CAREERS DO YOU GUYS HAVE?
Ah yeah — if we didn’t have to be up for work on Mondays, that would be the dream. We all have fairly different jobs, nothing too crazy.
Josh is a barista. Jake works in IT. Michael is an HGV electrician. Alex works in a kitchen.
HAVE YOU GOT ANY HOBBIES/INTERESTS THAT YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE PEOPLE?
Josh likes to skateboard, which has also influenced some of our merch designs.
Jake is into video games and restoring 90s/2000s tech, especially old camcorders. We actually used some from his collection to shoot our video for “The End Of Everything As You Know.”
Michael is into American cars, the NFL, and pints haha.
Alex also enjoys video games, but he’s the main songwriter and records all our demos, so music production is a big hobby for him as well.
YOU RELEASED YOUR LATEST EP ‘WAR IN HEAVEN’ LAST OCTOBER, WHAT WERE YOUR INFLUENCES FOR THESE TRACKS AND HOW HAPPY WERE YOU WITH HOW THEY CAME OUT?
With this release we took elements we liked from our previous material and refined them. It’s slightly less melodic and more riff-driven, with influence from early 2000s metalcore while still keeping the hardcore elements.
Influence-wise, it’s definitely Earth Crisis, Sanction, Great American Ghost, and Boundaries.
We’re over the moon with how the EP turned out — the songs, production, and artwork.
Huge shout-out to
Betrayed By Life Records (@betrayedbylifereocrds)
Monolith Studios
(@monolithstudioslondon)
and Dylan (@onarazorsedge_)
We recorded all the instruments and vocals ourselves at Jake’s house, then worked with Charlie Wilson at Monolith Studios in London for re-amping, mixing, and mastering.
Our personal favourites are track two and three: “Panic Dressed As Muscle Memory” and “Hatred’s Arrival.”
HAVE YOU GOT ANY SHOWS COMING UP THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO PLAYING?
Honestly, every show we’ve got booked this year. We’ve already had some great ones, including a sold-out London show with Sorcerer and No Relief, and a sold-out Norwich show with The Callous Daoboys.
Coming up, we’re playing Norwich again next week with Employed To Serve, which we’re really excited about. After that, we’re just looking to get out as much as possible, play new places and meet new people.
We’ve also got a weekender at the start of April with some great lineups. That includes a couple of shows with our friends in Hour of Reprisal and a show headlined by Negative Frame. The run finishes in Birkenhead at Dawnfest, which we’re buzzing for.
On top of that, we’ve got a headline show in Bristol that we’re really excited about, we haven’t played there since May last year, and it always goes off.
WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM BIND. IN 2026?
Plenty of shows and a busy year ahead. There are quite a few things not announced yet which can’t wait to share with everyone!!
Including hitting some new places and returning to a few favourites. All positive vibes from us!
FINALLY, HAVE YOU GOT ANY OTHER ARTISTS/FRIENDS YOU THINK THE PEOPLE SHOULD CHECK OUT?
From our local scene: 2nd Location, Hour Of Reprisal, Heel Turn, and Break Them.
We’ve been lucky enough to meet loads of great bands through playing shows, so definitely also check out How Long You Been Driving, Demeanour, Long Goodbye, Detriment, Not Without Punishment, Divine Hatred, Lethal Minds, Crowquill, Black Mould, Life’s Forbidden Sin, Chaos Reigns, Going Off, and Despondent — the list goes on.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this interview with BIND., head over to streaming platforms and give their recent EP War In Heaven a spin!
Remember to always support grassroot bands and venues so if you’re interested in checking out their merch and upcoming shows visit the links below!
With so many shows coming up it’s best to check their linktree and socials for up and coming dates however you can catch BIND. at DawnFest this April with artists such as Flesh Creep, Nylon, Missgendered and many more!
Until next time, I’ll catch you in the pit!
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