Exclusive Interview: Caspian's Island is Making Waves From Across the Pond
Updated: Sep 15, 2021
This London based neo-psychedelic group is ready to surface with their new single, "Imperial Echo Vault". Prepare to be submerged in their tides of textural groove.
Inspired by the revolutionary power of rock and roll, founder Ken started the project in his bedroom. Another artist following the steps of modern icons like Ariel Pink or John Dwyer, seeming collaging together his own soundscape. After months of recording and fine tuning, Caspian's Island is ready to let their freak flags fly while carving a space into the world of experimental music.
With the release of their first EP, "No One Else", the group created a name for themselves among their local DIY community allowing them to play with the likes of Mystery Jets and The Horrors. Their new single is their next step toward revealing their overall aesthetic.
We had the opportunity to catch up with lead guitarist, Ken, last week.
Here's what he had to say:
Q: How did Caspian's Island come together? What was the local scene like where you originated?
A: I spent a lot of time in my teenage years mesmerised by great bands and artists of the past like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Libertines, The White Stripes, The Who, Radiohead, Nirvana when I should have been doing homework. I was so hooked by how they performed in a godly manner and created sounds that were defining history. The natural progression was onto more obscure, lesser-known artists that were doing the same despite not having the financial backing or incentive but pushing the envelope yet further; Late of the Pier, Tom Vek, Phoenix, Friendly Fires, Jai Paul, Toro Y Moi to name a few.
I started making music imitating styles of my favourites, I felt like a kid in a candy store picking and choosing this part of this artist and mixing it with another aspect of another. I was a scientist in a lab mixing up concoctions to my own taste which grew on to become the sounds you hear today. I never used to like singing on tracks but there was always a final touch that the songs needed to get across verbally how I was feeling at the time, the cherry on top of the vibe even if the words are sometimes few.
Watching all the many hours of footage from live shows of my idols and when I was standing in the crowd of the first gig I ever went to it was then that I thought: "I want to be up there, not down here" and so I went about trying to look for a way to build my very own band. Myself (Kenzo), James Hogg (drummer), Luca Torrens (guitarist) were all close friends before the band. He had to find a new bass guitarist and ended up putting an advert out online: “Bassist wanted” We met Harry and the deal was done. Here we are, Caspian’s Island!
Q: Did you play many live shows before recording material? Were you involved in a sort of DIY culture?
Actually, it was the other war round, initially it started as a bedroom project of mine just seeing what I could come up with