Check out our interview with Mick Chrysalid from Merseyside six-piece Rongorongo, ahead of their forthcoming release ‘Black Rain’:
1. How did RongoRongo form?
Probably like most bands we formed from the ashes of various other groups. Liverpool has a wide network of artists/musicians/creative communities. Mick and I, for example, met through writing for Bido Lito magazine, Sam played in The Wild Eyes, Alex was in Ticks, Our Keith was in Cup, Mick and Phil have been in a few bands together.
2. Is there a story behind the band’s name?
Rongorongo is a form of proto-writing discovered on Easter Island. The island has sadly suffered from a turbulent history, leaving behind no speakers of the language.
3. Who would you say have been your biggest influences as a band?
Our tastes diverge often wildly from one member to the next, but there’s certainly an affinity for 4AD bands like Pixies and Cocteau Twins.
4. Would you say you prefer being in the studio recording new material or playing live shows?
Neither is without its charms. We’ve played some incredibly enjoyable shows recently – including the Liverpool Music Week closing party – however we are now hunkering down in the studio, which is a much more cerebral process and ultimately more satisfying in the end.
5. What was the first music festival you went to – as a fan or indeed as a band?
Thinking back, our first festival as a band was Light Night 2015 at the Bombed Out Church in Liverpool with Bernard + Edith and Aldous RH – it’s a great venue and a powerful reminder of the history of Liverpool.
6. Do you have a favourite venue/city to play live? (They don’t have to be the same!
Drop the Dumbulls in Liverpool is probably the best venue at the moment – run by genuinely lovely people.
7. If you had to only play festivals or headline sets for the rest of your career, which would you prefer?
Festivals would offer the best chance to watch other bands, which is probably the best part of playing gigs!
8. Do you have a favourite song to play live?
Again that would differ person to person, but Slice of Heart always contains a lot of energy. Aside from that it’s always whichever is our newest.
9. What are your ambitions as RongoRongo for the future?
We’re in album mode at the moment so that’s our immediate ambition. Capturing what’s in our heads on tape, so to speak in a digital age, is something we’re really keen on getting right. We do it all in house so we have total control.
And finally..
10. If you could have written one song in history yourself, what would you have preferred it to be.
Other members will hate this but for me it would be Tonight, Tonight by the Smashing Pumpkins. Such drama and romance.
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