What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences and are they the same as when you started out?
The name “Ventures” reflects our journey together, venturing forward with no looking back. While our primary influence is our shared love for playing live, we also draw inspiration from bands like The Amity Affliction, Attila, and others.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
Often, one of us will come in with 50-70% of a song already outlined, and then we’ll spend weeks, months, or, in the case of “Melt with Me,” years—haha—tweaking and refining it to capture that distinct “Ventures” feeling. Over the years, Ollie has written lyrics on a wide range of subjects, though, to be honest, most of it goes over our heads—we’re just here to play the music.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
Often, one of us will come in with 50-70% of a song already outlined, and then we’ll spend weeks, months, or, in the case of “Melt with Me,” years—haha—tweaking and refining it to capture that distinct “Ventures” feeling. Over the years, Ollie has written lyrics on a wide range of subjects, though, to be honest, most of it goes over our heads—we’re just here to play the music.
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
We chose metalcore because it’s a genre we all grew up with, no matter who we were listening to. There’s so much you can do within this style—just look at bands like Woe, Is Me and Attack Attack!. We believe there are no limits within metal and metalcore; as long as the music means something to us and our fans, that’s all that matters.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
This is a tough one. We’ve gone through countless setlists, which is pretty crazy. Before we started using backing tracks, we used to have a different setlist for each show just because we could. In terms of transposing, there’s not much we need to adjust—just add the backing tracks and we’re good to go. The longest part is probably programming the lights.
How do you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
This is a tough one. We’ve gone through countless setlists, which is pretty crazy. Before we started using backing tracks, we used to have a different setlist for each show just because we could. In terms of transposing, there’s not much we need to adjust—just add the backing tracks and we’re good to go. The longest part is probably programming the lights.
What plans do you have for the future?
We’re hoping to tour more in 2025 because we love playing live more than anything. The studio can wait—haha! For now, in 2024, we have our latest single “Melt With Me” released on May 17th, and we’re planning to follow it up with another song called “Portrait” sometime in July or August. We also have a few upcoming shows for anyone local who wants to check us out:
- May 25th: Old Pint Pot, Salford
- June 8th: Twisted Tongue, Whitehaven
- June 28th: The Rutland, Chesterfield
- July 12th: Old Pint Pot, Salford
- July 29th: Aatma, Manchester City Centre
- November 29th: The Rutland, Chesterfield