The New Normal

 “At the heart, we are a punk band, but some of our songs delve into hardcore punk, thrash metal, garage rock and a little pop for good measure.”

Up n Comin’ NI is excited to introduce this weeks artist, The New Normal, a 5 piece Punk band based in Belfast. “But we ourselves are from Larne and Bangor (please don't hold that against us). We play loud, fast, punk that wouldn't sound amiss on a Tony Hawk's soundtrack.”

 

The band members have all played in various bands and have therefore been involved in the music scene for a long time. “During the pandemic, Neil had been toying with the idea of starting a new band. As much as he was enjoying baking banana bread, it wasn't really the creative outlet he needed. He found Carlin via an ad posted online and he brought his friend Paul in. It very quickly clicked, and we began writing songs and finding our sound. So, we went from Neil and Cathy knowing each other for years and Carlin and Paul knowing each other for years to just being 4 good friends. We recently appointed Ryan, our new guitar player and he fits in like a glove with a similar love of the music and the same terrible sense of humour.”

 

With such a diverse taste in music, the band couldn’t narrow down any specific artists that they all love. But they say that they are inspired by the US Punk revival scene of the late 80s to the early 2000s. This ranges from artists like Green Day and Bad Religion to NOFX and The Distillers. 

 

“We think at this stage, it would be hard for nearly any band or artist to be completely unique and different from their peers. You can only add your take on what has been established, however, what you will find with us is we have such a large energy and passion for what we do. For some bands, gigging and writing songs is a hobby and something they enjoy. For us, this is our lifestyle, we want to push what we do and take it as far as it will absolutely go.”

 

“Do what you love and you'll find your place. We write music that gets stuck in our heads, and lyrics about things we care about. Our music is not mainstream, but we are always true to ourselves and our band.”

 

The band simply describe their songwriting process as “Chaos.” They go on to say, “Our songs usually grow in our practice room from a riff that Carlin, Paul or Ryan will come up with and we go from there. Usually, the songs end up twice as fast and twice as angry as when they started! Neil is a mind reader and has a natural talent for composition, he will hear the riff you are imagining, see what you're envisioning and help you get there in minutes. Paul is a fantastic guitarist who is always happy to add a searing solo to any piece when asked, (most are played with no pinky finger… we don't know how he does it). Cathy is our primary lyricist and gets the final say. We joke that once we have a song "finished" musically, Cathy will come in and add another loop or set of bars to make the lyrics work with the music. All in all, it is a democratic and fun process.”

 

Asked about the lyrics and content they choose to write about, the band says, “We are 5 very different people, but we share the same core value; We have a civic and public duty to dispel racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia, transphobia or in short, hatred of any kind where and when it is found. We are all the same, we bleed the same and we feel the same. We use our music to share this message. We hope it encourages anyone who hears it to spend less time hating and judging other people for being different, but also empowers people to be who they are and do what they love despite the unwelcome judgement they face on a daily basis.” 

Music and lyrics almost always comes from people’s own experiences. The band decided to share the message behind their recent EP release ‘Not Yours’. “Cathy wrote the lyrics for ‘Not Yours’ amid the anger felt in the weeks and months after the abhorrent murders of women across our nation. The chant of “Not Yours” in the chorus is a direct message for anyone who feels they can control, abuse or even end the life of another person, not just women.”

 

“We're loud, fast and incredibly passionate about what we do and what we bring to the table. We are the type of band that live, the more energy you invest into us, the more you will receive.”

 

“We gig as often as we can! We have played extensively throughout this country over the last couple of years with an array of amazing bands and talent and made some really great friends and acquaintances along the way.” Their most recent gig was their debut in The Empire Music Hall in Belfast which they all described as a fantastic experience. Their next gig will be a supporting one for American Post-Hardcore act Drug Church in Voodoo, Belfast. 

 

When asked to describe their most memorable gig, they said, “I think we can all agree our EP launch in McHugh's Basement, Belfast was our biggest and best gig to date. We poured our heart and soul into the promotional campaign for our EP and the show itself was electric! It certainty felt like our hard work and love for what we had created had paid off. It was a fun filled night spent with our friends, families and two of our favourite bands! Not to mention how incredible our audience was that night. Standing watching other people sing and dance at our shows is the best feeling there is.”

 

Last year the band entered some Battle of the Bands competitions. “We thought it would be a great way to meet new bands we hadn’t played with before.” One night the band played Bennigans. “We didn’t know a single person in the audience, and we were playing alongside some fantastic local talent. We knew we didn’t stand a chance, but we were just so excited to be playing our first show in Derry. We gave it our all and had an absolute blast! Much to our surprise, we won the heat, gaining not only the judges votes, but a few new fans in the audience too! It was such an achievement for us, and we got to play in the final with some of the greatest bands we’ve shared a stage with.”

 

So, what’s next for The New Normal?

“We have big plans for 2024. We’ve started the year with our debut gig at The Empire Music Hall in Belfast (another iconic venue ticked off our bucket list!) and we got chosen as one of 12 NI acts to look out for in 2024 by a national newspaper. It’s been a great start to the year and it’s only getting better! On 4th February we are supporting New York post-hardcore titans Drug Church on their Belfast tour date. This is our first time supporting an international touring act and we are both honoured and excited for our biggest show to date. Definitely keep an eye on our social media for upcoming gigs and follow our Spotify for our latest releases. We have so much planned for this year and we can’t wait to share our new music with you.”

Make sure you follow them and keep up to date with all their songs, events and gigs: 

Spotify: The New Normal

YouTube: The New Normal NI

Instagram: the_new_normal_ni

Facebook: The New Normal NI