Cane Rouge Talk New EP, Musical Influences And More


Words by Glenn Sargeant
Feature Image Photo Credit: Phil Roberts
Newcastle’s rising alt-rock trio Cane Rouge deliver raw emotion, explosive energy, and bold evolution on their sophomore EP, Lights Out, dropping Friday 10th October 2025. We sat down with the band to find out more:
Who is in Cane Rouge, how did you meet and what do you play?
Cane Rouge are Ant Clarke (Vocals, guitarist), Dale McGee (drums) and Joe Harrison-Brown (bassist). Myself and Dale have been mates since school, playing in and out of bands before Cane Rouge. We reached out to Joe via joinmyband and here we are!
What is your earliest musical memory?
In terms of musical experience I genuinely think my first musical memory would be seeing Guns n Roses (without slash) at the Metro Radio Arena in Newcastle. It was 2006 and I was 11 years old at the time. I was pretty obsessed with GnR growing up so I think it completely blew me away watching Axl Rose performing on a stage in front of me. Even though he came onstage like 2 hours late because he couldn’t get his dinner (true story!)
When did you begin songwriting?
From a very young age, I would say around 12 years old. In my first band I think we had a song called “Rock is rocking out” or something like that. We’d give Status Quo a run for their money, Absolute genius I know. But me and Dale used to write songs in school too when we started taking it a bit more seriously. I moved away from writing for a while and would just play instead. I began having a crack at writing on my own in my early twenties.
You have your new EP ‘Lights Out’; released on 10th October 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the EP?
We approached it in a similar way we did for our first EP “Embers”. It worked a treat last time. A live setup with Dale and Joe getting their tracks down together (I was recording too but just a guide track) Except this time we allocated more time to the recording as we wanted to take a bit more time with it. We blasted off 5 tracks in just over a day last time. Where as this time we did 3 songs in 2 days.
Where did you record the EP and who produced it?
We recorded the EP at The Studio in Hartlepool, produced by Mark Folland. We knew Foll was the man for the job after getting our first EP done with him. Such a sound guy and a real master in his craft. We have a good laugh too which always helps.
Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?
Well it turns out I was having a bit of a nightmare that day so we started late, my toilet was completely bust and it turns out there was a tree branch outside blocking the pipe completely. I couldn’t get in touch with anyone to see it so I was pretty stressed haha. You can hear it in “Lights Out”, there’s a big sort of scream at the end and I’m certain it’s because of the situation at the time! So there you go. A happy accident as Bob Ross would once say.
Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?
I use my Fender Jag for everything. It has my sound, Joe has his sound dialled into his board too. When recording we’ve found doing a separate guitar track using Foll’s telecaster works a treat too.
Which of your new EP tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?
I think Lights Out for both happiest and reflective. Because although the song is about dealing with losing someone close in your life, it’s also a testament to their memory and spirit which lives on within you everyday. Turbulence would be the song where I’m the angriest I think. It’s mainly focused on regret, life choices and kind of being harsh on yourself and beating yourself up. Nice and positive I know haha.
Was it a difficult EP to write?
When it came to writing, these songs just sort of flowed nicely because I’m mostly telling a story lyrics wise. We got some demos together and took them to rehearsal. we had a lot of fun with it as we always do. but in terms of performance they’re more challenging than our last EP in my opinion. There’s a lot more parts that are intricate, melodic and thought out.
Who designed the EP artwork?
We work closely with Darlington based photographer Phil Roberts, and we wanted to use one of his shots for the cover. So it was as simple as that. We chose that photograph because we loved how the stars separate the two sides. I designed some text for the cover, cropped it and showed the lads then that was it!
You have released the title track single . What was the story/inspiration behind the track?
Lights out came to me when I had this melody ringing around my head and I just had to write something to it. It’s a song about aspirations, dealing with loss and remembering someone. For the studio recording we stripped back the intro with just me and an acoustic to capture the true rawness of it. Musically it was probably a turning point for us in terms of writing.
The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?
Dale scoped out this big empty factory close by. I had a look myself and thought let’s do a photoshoot there. We then thought you know what? Let’s do a video there. We pitched the idea to DKA who loved the idea and he worked his magic. All the angles etc was all his vision for it. We couldn’t be happier with how it’s turned out.
Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?
My hometown is Gateshead, I’d describe it as real, forgotten, bittersweet, nostalgic and constant.
How do you look after your voices?
Mostly I tend to just step it back abit in rehearsals before gigs. I like to really give it my all in every performance so If I can make sure it happens, I do.
Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?
We’re eyeing up a couple of UK festivals at the minute but no doubt we will have plenty live dates next year, we seem to do pretty well on the gigging front so keep an eye out on our Instagram!
What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?
We hope that it meant something to someone in the audience and we hope that we’re proud of our performance.
Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?
We all use the same gear for every gig. It just has our sound within that setup. Joe has his sound dialled in on his line 6 board, I’ve got my Orange Combo with a few pedals running through. I only really use a few. My boss SD1 and little Big Muff are an absolute go to for lead parts these days. I recently bought a Shure beta 56a which I’ve started using as my mic. Absolutely love it.
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?
I’m going to go with “Mr Smiley: My last pill and testament” a biography on Howard Marks, one of the biggest drug smugglers of his time trying to get out of that life and go straight but of course it doesn’t go that way. I haven’t read it in a very long time but I remember it was just wild some of the stories and situations he got himself into. I think Cane Rouge would write a pretty gnarly score for that.
Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?
Some of my influences would be Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Page, Noel Gallagher,
Grian Chatten, Joe Talbot to name a few. I’d also recommend Wunderhorse. Incredible band of modern times.
Dale’s main influences are Dave Grohl, Jeff Buckley, Michael Jackson and Josh Homme.
Joe’s main influences are Geezer Butler, Lemmy and Geddy Lee. I’d recommend all of the above. Incredible musicians. Music wouldn’t be what it is today without a lot of these.
What makes Cane Rouge happy and what makes you unhappy?
People showing us any form of appreciation makes us very happy. Whether that be at a show, a song of ours they like, or even just something they praise us on. We are very grateful for that! Seeing people not getting the love and appreciation for putting their heart and soul into something makes us unhappy.
Feature Image Photo Credit: Phil Roberts
Cane Rouge’s sophomore EP, ‘Lights Out’ is released on Friday 10th October 2025.
Order Here: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/canerouge/lights-out-2
Official LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/canerouge