DA Talk Debut Album, Favourite Instruments And More

UK hard rockers DA are gearing up for a massive breakthrough as they prepare to unleash their explosive self-titled debut album, DA, arriving Friday 10th April 2026. Ahead of the release, the band will drop their brand-new single and video, Forever Enslaved, on Friday 3rd April 2026.

 

Who is in DA, how did you meet and what do you play?

Answered by R Brancher.

Hello Glenn and everyone at Just Listen To This, redress included. My name is Robin, and I am a founding member of DA. Thank you for your interest in our band. Matt, the vocalist for DA and myself (Guitarist) will be answering you questions.

DA took shape in 2021 when I, a guitarist and former member of Desolation Angels, connected with vocalist Matt Oakman through an online band-advertising site. After experimenting with several lineups, we found stability with Neil Craddock, an old friend and former Desolation Angels member, on bass, and Dan Smith on drums, whom I met by chance at a pub on the Kent coast. This lineup established the foundation for our writing sessions, and together, we began developing the songs that would become our debut album.

Our current name, DA, originally stood for Desolation Angels. People used to shorten the name to DA, and that habit stuck. When I left Desolation Angels, I found out I couldn’t use the full name because it had been trademarked without my knowledge. Looking back, that turned out to be a good thing, since I was able to trademark DA instead. At first, I wanted DA to compete with Desolation Angels in every way. Now, I’m in a much better place both musically and personally, and those old rivalries don’t matter anymore. Desolation Angels is a big part of my past, but I’m happy to have moved on, and I’m excited about what’s ahead for DA.

These days though we joke about the name DA and where it came from who gives a *hit anyway, we’er on a roll and loving our musical journey . . . although there is rumour that we could actually be decedents from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Disaster Area, a plutonium rock band from the Gagrakacka Mind Zones, which are generally held to be not only the loudest rock band in the Galaxy, but in fact the loudest noise of any kind at all. Of course, that’s us!

DA are: Robin Brancher – Guitars, Matt Oakman – Vocals, Neil Craddock – Bass, Dan Smith – Drums.

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

Answered by M Oakman.

Some of my earliest musical memories were watching my dad play gigs in his various groups he was in. He played bass in rock n roll bands all over from the 1960s all through his life, and with all that music in my life it was inevitable that I would get the music bug.

 

When did you begin songwriting?

Answered by R Brancher.

I first started writing songs a long time ago, beginning with Blackwater Fever (The forerunner to Desolation Angels) and then Desolation Angels. As I mentioned earlier, I was part of Desolation Angels for many years, from my youth into adulthood, and stayed involved until just recently. There’s a lot of information about my songwriting with that band online, and you can still find DA albums for sale today.

 

You have your new self-titled album released on 10th April 2026. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

Answered by M Oakman.

In a way the approach to writing this album was, no constraints on what we want to write. Just let the music come out as it does and go with it. Obviously it’s rock, but how the style of rock would be created would just be natural and probably because of the interesting mix of people in the band, and their musical tastes, it would always be a bit of an experiment to see what came out.

 

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

Answered by R Brancher.

We recorded our DA debut album at Magpie Studios in Ashford, Kent. Charles Creese, who owns the studio, produced it. I’m also credited because I wanted everything to be just right. Next time, though, Charlie will handle everything, and that starts this summer when we work on our second album.

 

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

Answered by R Brancher.

The most memorable moment for me came right after we finished recording Angels and Forever Enslaved. It was uplifting, unreal, and I was transported, an astral plain experience to the realm of dreams, psychic phenomena, and the journey of consciousness between lives. It was truly inspirational and a very special moment.

 

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

Answered by R Brancher.

Well, that would be telling lol. I used everything Magpie had to offer equipment-wise, and that includes Charlie’s vast creative knowledge; he took care of all the guitar sounds. I trust him totally.

 

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Answered by M Oakman.

Happiest would probably be, Devil on My Side.  

Angriest, might be surprisingly Daisy Chains. 

And most reflective Forever Enslaved. 

 

Was it a difficult album to write?

Answered by M Oakman.

Not really, I think we had lots of ideas and fresh enthusiasm for the band, that made writing a great experience. 

A bit of a musical adventure to see what would come out of ourselves. 

 

Who designed the album artwork?

Answered by M Oakman.

Neil our bass player designed our logo, which I think he did a great job, and Rob put the cover artwork together.

 

One of the tracks is the single ‘Snake’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Answered by M Oakman.

The inspiration for Snake, is it kinda of a twisted look at people who you can never trust, who would stab you in the back if they could.

Sometimes you can see it in their eyes, like a gut feeling about them. 

 

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

Answered by R Brancher.

It was a band thing. We all have strong ideas and creative minds. Neil came up with the Snake loop used in the video. The rest was scripted by Neil and me. The overall creation was done by a magnificently talented chap called Ryan Griffiths.

Incidentally, there are two Snake videos. One was done when we first recorded the song. We later made the latest one (the official single release) for our PR company to promote. We added live footage to the second video because it wasn’t available for the first. The single release also has much more technical wizardry overall.

 

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Answered by R Brancher.

I’ve lived most of my life in North London, in a place called Winchmore Hill. It’s near Highgate and Camden and used to be a quiet, charming suburb.

How would I describe Winchmore Hill now? Lovely, once upon a time.

 

How do you look after your voices?

Answered by M Oakman.

Vocally, I normally do 2 workouts a week, comprising of breathing exercises, scales and songs that push my voice in different ways. It takes about 2 and a half hours, and hopefully keeps my voice fighting fit for gigs!

 

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026?

Answered by R Brancher.

Sadly, at this point, we don’t. This is because we are without proper management or a music business agent/partner (Interested parties, please make contact). We hope to remedy this situation soon.

But we do have a video of our last gig in its entirety at this link: https://www.youtube.com/@DAfilm666

 

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

Answered by M Oakman and R Brancher.

Matt – I think as long as I’ve entertained the audience and rocked as hard as I can and given my best, then I reckon I’ve done the job well.

Robin – For me, it’s the thought that we have given the audience something new to think about – so far, that has been the case, and to great effect as well!

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Answered by R Brancher.

Currently for gigs I use two guitars, a white Jim Root Fender Telecaster and a highly customised black 1993 Fender Starcaster, basically made to sound like the Jim Root but with a whammy bar. They are very loud! My backline consists of Marshall Mode 4 gear, 4×12 cabs and amps, plus a whole host of Boss pedals and a Dunlop Wah Wah. 

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Answered by R Brancher.

I appreciate the idea and would be glad to contribute to a movie soundtrack. Many of my favorites, such as Dune, Blade Runner, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, have already set a high standard. If given the opportunity, I would have loved to collaborate with David Crosby. Realistically, I would welcome any chance to work with Billy Duffy. That would be an incredible experience.

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Answered by M Oakman.

Influences vocally would obviously be the main one for me, Sebastian Bach then after there’s so many, from Rob Halford, David Coverdale, to Michael Vascera, Miljenko Matijevic and many more.

 

What makes DA happy and what makes you unhappy?

Answered by M Oakman.

Playing DA music to large audiences, and people liking our music makes us happy, and not playing makes us unhappy. 

So book us for some shows please! Lol

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By San PR

DA’s new single and music video ‘Former Enslaved’ will be released on Friday 3rd April 2026. 

Their self-titled debut album will be released on Friday 10th April 2026. 

https://www.dametal.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/@dafilm666
https://www.facebook.com/DAMetalUK/
https://www.instagram.com/da_metal_uk