Interview with Matt Welsh and Lawrence Taylor of While She Sleeps

While She Sleeps has over a decade under their belt and they have no intention of stopping and make sure that anyone that sees them will never forget.

While She Sleeps is a metal band that formed in 2006 all the way in Sheffield, United Kingdom. With over a decade of hard work, this band has been a staple in the metal genre. These guys have toured with too many acts to name. Their fans are one of the most passionate in the metal community and continue to gain more traction as they perform live shows and keep releasing music. Matt Welsh and Lawrence Taylor gave a few minutes to Loud Hailer to discuss playing at festivals, breakdowns, and so much more.


LH: So, I’m sitting here with While She Sleeps. You guys formed in 2006 and have been killing it ever since!
Matt: Yeah man! That’s right!

LH: So, the festival has been incredibly rainy. So, the first question I have for you guys, is how do you prepare for the unpredictable?
Matt: That’s a good question! We don’t really think about it, we come to every show with the thought that anything could happen in mind. We come to every show ready to rock out and give it our all. Our live show doesn’t really change. We play the same to 10 people as we would 1,000.
Lawrence: I think with gear it could be the same way. You can come to a show and your gear will work just fine and then you go to play and it decides not to work. Hopefully, your gear will get you through it.

LH: In your genre, a lot of things can sound similar. What is your reasoning as to why that isn’t the truth?
Matt: For While She Sleeps, we were in bands before the internet was prominent in introducing everyone and us to bands. I think we step outside of our genres. You have to take each band as a different thing before you decide to give them a chance. I don’t think it’s stale at all. There are different bands always doing different things and it’s the same way with our band.

LH: Where you guys are from across the ocean, music festivals seem to be more frequent and truthfully, you guys are more passionate about your music. Why do you think that is?
Matt: I think the things that have done well for us as a band is the sort of punk rock DIY ethic. It’s almost like blood sweat and tears are put into work hard with it. The guys in the band work incredibly hard and I think we put in exactly what we get out of it and I think that’s a big reason for the passion.

LH: So, let’s be real. I love breakdowns and that is a big part of this genre. What is your favorite breakdown and why is that one so important to you?
Matt: It changes with each record, but I’d have to say right now that one of my favorites is “Anti-Social.” I don’t know if you’d call it a breakdown, but it comes in and it just has that f**king bounce to it.
Lawrence: There are a lot of songs on our records that have that. I think my favorite would have to be “Four Walls.” It has a chunky breakdown and it’s kind of fast. I think I prefer those kinds of breakdowns to a massively slow one.

LH: Another big part of this genre would be time signatures. They are not easy to time and sync together. How do you guys as a band put everything together and get everything right?
Lawrence: Well, for me, I don’t really play guitar, I am trying to learn. However, all the guys in the band have been friends for a while and knowing each other’s mindsets help in many ways.
Matt: Sometimes with the tempos and stuff, we will work a very long time to get that perfect bounce and we will play it. If it doesn’t sound right, we will speed it up or slow it down.
Lawrence: Sometimes you guys will take sections of other songs and mix them together.
Matt: Yeah! That’s a good point. Sometimes we will just say “yeah, let’s put that in there” and it turns out great.

LH: So, when you’re playing festivals, there are so many bands on the bill to see. Why should someone drop by and see a set from While She Sleeps?
Lawrence: Cause it’s a passionate and different show and no one should miss it.
Matt: Yeah, I think we can get people’s blood flowing and cause them to wake up, especially at a festival.
Lawrence: I think people would be excited to watch and I think we have a lot more to give then some of the bands, you know?

LH: So, do you guys enjoy the electric atmosphere of a festival or do you guys like the sweaty intimate venues?
Lawrence: I think we like them both for different reasons. I think some of the sound could change when you’re at something like a festival, but one of the cool things about an environment like that is you can play to different types of people that you may not get to play to usually.
Matt: We see small shows the same as a packed out show. We always give 110% no matter where we play.

Be sure to check out these guys as they tour all around the word this summer!

WHILE SHE SLEEPS
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About Scottie Brown 39 Articles
Music is the main passion. I love music of all types and will give anything a try. When I'm not writing, I am a big geek. I love video games and comic books. I'm laid back and am a huge people person.

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