I sat down with vocalist and guitarist Deb Gough before her gig at Voodoo Daddy’s. Here’s what she had to say about the independent music scene, grassroots venues and the band’s upcoming work. 

Deb Gough and I sat inside a café opposite Voodoo Daddy’s, for me it was to escape the heat, for her the bustle of soundcheck inside the venue.

We started off by recognising the importance of independent venues within the music scene. Gough stated, “When you first start, most bands aren’t going to be playing Academies, Institutes and Arenas.” 

Spaces like Voodoos are not only important for upcoming bands to experiment and hone in on their craft but a way to bring communities within the music scene together. 

“There’s a lot of pressure with being in a band and independent venues are really at the core of what it means to be in one,” she touches on. Looking back on the experiences she’s had she realises that whilst it’s a massive achievement to play arenas, it’s the smaller venues that look after you as an artist much better. 

Gough believes that it’s much more difficult to sustain being in a band than people would imagine. “You’re going out on tour and losing thousands of pounds just on basic living costs, so you need a good support system behind you.”

She admitted that there’s a certain privilege that comes with being able to sustain life in a band as she confesses that she still works a full-time job whilst on tour whilst the other band members take unpaid leave, so it is possible for them to do what they all love. 

“Independent venues give a much more realistic overview of music and bands in the community,” she explains, praising these spaces where just about anyone can get up on stage and put themselves out there to do what they love. 

“None of Heriot comes from wealth, so we’re very lucky that we’ve been able to get by with the conditions we have,” she explains, expressing her gratitude for the support system she has had around her that is not just her fellow bandmates but family and other more established bands that have taken them under their wing. 

Norwich isn’t the largest city in the world so some might downplay the achievement of playing a gig here, but Deb expresses gratitude for any opportunity to do what the band and her loves the most, which is playing music. 

“Playing smaller cities is great as a band because you get to play for people who you might not have done before, which is really cool!” she exclaims. 

Now the conversation has started flowing, she begins to tell me some artists Heriot has played with before and those that are upcoming such as Kublai Khan TX, Boundaries, Trivium and Converge.

As we talk about Heriot’s creative process, Deb praises bandmate Jake for being a “master at production and mixing,” telling me that everyone chips in to create the demos, whether that be solo in the comfort of their own homes or together in the studio. 

Whilst Heriot are yet to have another artist feature on one of their own songs, Deb has jumped on projects with a few different bands and tells me how cool it is to be able to create with different people in a different way. 

“I’ve got to do some things that I’ve wanted to do but haven’t fit in with Heriot before,” she tells me excitedly as she recalls her collaboration with Boston Manor, the emo band that whilst cool, are very different from Heriots’ hardcore sound.

After hinting at upcoming projects throughout our chat Deb admits that Heriot are working on their second album. “It’s not officially announced but we’ve spoken about it,” which I was very excited to hear, so I’ll be watching out for the official announcement. 

Unfortunately playing Norwich again is not on the cards for Heriot as of yet, but if you want to see them, you can catch them opening at these shows:

Bring Me the Horizon – Manchester, 10-11 July 

Loathe – Liverpool, 17 July

Image credit: Izzy Hollyhead