CROWLEY Talk Musical Influences, Future Plans And More

CROWLEY is an occult rock band from Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Comprised of vocalist Lidya Balaban, guitarists Eliza Lee and Ruth Cranston, bassist Kim Fellows, and drummer Sav Montore. The band have a series of Summer 2024 UK festival appearances including Maid Of Stone Festival and we wanted to learn more about the band and their music:

Who is in Crowley and what do they play?

CROWLEY is a 5 piece rock band, playing big, 70’s style rock inspired by witchcraft and the occult.

When and how did you all meet?

We have known each other for a long time, Eliza and Lidya met playing in their previous bands on the local gig scene, Ruth and Kim have been in a band together before, and we recently summoned Sav as a gift from the wood gods.

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

We want to feel like we’ve really put everything into playing the music we love to play, and I think we always hope for a strong reaction of some kind – whether someone thinks we’re the best rock band they’ve ever seen, or thinks we’re totally awful – anything but a lukewarm reception.

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

We all really like the gear we use, Eliza and Ruth run Kemper profilers they may not be authentically vintage but they’re such great versatile pieces of kit. Kim uses a dark glass because she’s a Virgo, Lidya uses a wireless Sennheiser mic – big shout out to Paul Reed Smith guitars, Fender, Epiphone, Music Man, Mapex. We are also proudly official GHS strings artists.

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

As a band our hometown is Newcastle but only one of us is actually a Geordie – as for a five word description: the castle is actually old.

You have also released the track ‘Pyre’. What was the story/inspiration behind the song?

This is a song about burning people to death. Forgive and forget is a great message, but it’s not the one we wanted to go for – this is about getting vengeance being healthy on occasion, and some people deserving it. No one specific moment of inspiration, more several hundred over a collective lifetime.

Do you have any plans for live shows in Europe/UK in 2024?

We have some cool stuff coming up, some of which we can’t announce yet but very excited to play Maid of Stone Festival, Wildfire Festival, Love Rocks and more.

How do you look after your voices?

– Honey and Lemon

– Steam

– No more than 75 units of alcohol per week

– Vocal rest

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

Happy songs aren’t exactly our forte, but we do a live number called the Resurrection Song that’s a kind of cavort with the undead vibe, that’s a pretty joyous experience. Angriest thus far is Pyre, however we have our angriest song yet coming next so stay tuned for that. We also have a live number called Hecate that could be classed as our most reflective.

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

We’re influenced by all the usual big 70’s rock (Zeppelin, Purple, Sabbath) but we’re pretty eclectic at the moment we love Frank Zappa, The Hu, Gutalax and we always love Stevie Nicks.

Do you have any further music releases planned?

We are nearly finished with our latest recordings so you can expect announcements pretty soon.

What makes Crowley happy and what makes you unhappy?

What makes us happy: witchcraft, vengeance, the biggest shoes you’ve ever seen, harmfully spicy food, Stonehenge, long hair, the moon.

What makes us unhappy: the government.