The Fires Below Talk New EP, Musical Memories And More

Jun 2, 2025 | Interviews

Words by Glenn Sargeant

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By San PR

The Fires Below are a heavy rock band who have released their new live EP and film ‘Crouch End Sessions’. We caught up with the band to learn more:

Who is in The Fires Below, how did you meet and what do you play?

We are a loud, fierce heavy rock band from London mixing metal fury, punk rock energy, stoner groove, and djent. It all started back in 2021 during the pandemic. Smithy (vocal, guitar) and Del (drums) knew each other from a previous band, and Del had been in a previous band with Si (bass guitar). After the enforced break during COVID we decided to start something new. Sam (guitar) was the missing piece of the puzzle and we met him online via a music forum. Using lockdown as an opportunity to write material, we finally met in the rehearsal room when restrictions were lifted, rocked out and the rest is history!

What is your earliest musical memory?

Smithy – My earliest musical memory was my Dad playing acoustic guitar. There were always a couple of acoustic guitars in my house because my Dad played and tried to teach my mum. He said he had to stop playing because as a toddler I would always try to grab the strings. Who knew? As a teenager, one day in Spanish class my mate passed me his headphones and told me to “listen to this”, it was Korn’s debut album, my first exposure to heavy music and I was blown away, I had never heard anything like it before. Needless to say, I didn’t learn much Spanish after that.

When did you begin songwriting?

Smithy – I actually tried writing songs as a teenager with mates and tried to make a band at school. Needless to say the music was not great, we we’re not really committed like you see some kids are today; but we just recorded stuff for fun, you have to try. But that’s a rite of passage, ‘everybody has to start somewhere’. I think that’s what we even called the recording.

You will release your live EP and film ‘Crouch End Sessions’ is out now. How did you want to approach the making of the EP?

It’s the first time we’ve recorded a studio session, performing simultaneously. You can’t be as fussy with the outcome when trying to record 3 tracks in one day, plus film it, but you can be well prepared. The planning and rehearsals were key. We wanted to capture the intense raw energy of our live shows in a studio setting. The video is equally as important as the EP, we saw it as a great opportunity to get the cameras in, to show the world what we are about.

Where did you record the EP and who produced it?

Crouch End Studios in North London, a fantastic Studio. We chose that place because it looks great as well as sounds great; both were important and it was big enough for what we wanted to achieve. Rollo Smallcombe was the Producer who did a great job and was a pleasure to work with.

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

We found time to record an on-camera interview that is spliced in-between the different songs in the film. We won’t spoil the stories but we found out more about each other while recording. You’ll just have to watch the film to find out.

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

The drum kit was a Pearl Session Studio and Del has his own various cymbals. Smithy uses his Ibanez S-Series guitar that he customised and has had for years. He uses it for every recording and Live gig. He keeps the guitar pedals to a minimum for now and uses an Orange Dark Terror Amp for the distortion. Si used an Orange OB-1 300 Bass combo Amp and played on his Schecter bass guitar. Sam played on a Dunable Yeti guitar and used two amps mic’d simultaneously to create a blended tone; his Mesa Amp and a Morris Custom Shop valve amp.

When did the idea to release an accompanying film arise?

As well as streaming, we see and listen to a lot of good music on YouTube. Some of our
favourite bands have created similar work, for example if you check out ‘From The
Basement’, bands like QOTSA and IDLES have recorded sessions for them and the videos
have a very unique dark but simple look and atmosphere to them. So we wanted to try and
capture something similar.

What was the thought process behind the film and who directed it?

Smithy directed it, and makes videos for a living, so he has some great friends and contacts who helped out with the production and post-production. As well as the Live performances, we wanted to include an interview and behind the scenes footage to tie the whole thing together. Not a completely original idea, but definitely something new for us as a band. To be fair it could have been a lot longer as we chatted for ages in the interview during recording, but we wanted to cut it down to just the very best bits, just to give a flavour of who we are and not distract too much from the music.

Do you have any memories/stories from the making and production of the film?

Everything went smoothly to be honest, we were concentrating so much on what we had to do within our self-imposed time limit, we just made it work. The film edit took a lot longer than anything, because there were so many different camera angles and we performed each track at least 5 times to get the best take. It was a great experience for us, very different from how you would usually record in a studio. Playing simultaneously, we didn’t want to let each other down, so I think our concentration and performance was at a peak, we rose to the occasion.

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

a) None of them are Happy lol
b) ‘The Storm’ probably has the most anger and energy
c) ‘The Crows Can Wait’ has reflective lyrics

Was it a difficult EP to write?

These are 3 tracks we had already written but had not yet recorded traditionally, so we just picked the best we had at the time. We are constantly writing new material but not everything is going to be a banger, so you just have to be a bit self-critical of your work and the best stuff will come out the other side.

Who designed the EP artwork?

Del (drummer) is a graphic designer. He took a still image from the video and put his own graphical spin on it, so it was more than just a straight photo but still represents the studio, the session and us four.

One of the tracks is the single ‘The Crows Can Wait’ which is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

Sam had written the guitar parts and had come up with this great stoner desert rock vibe. The lyrics are about not wanting to die, but being fully aware of our own mortality. A defiant message, that the crows can wait to pick apart our bodies because we are not done yet. It’s a gruesome, poetic image to compliment the music, that creates a dark atmosphere with determined anger. What do we say to the God of Death? Not today! That’s the message; some will get that reference.

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

Create a great entertaining show that makes the crowd want to come back for more, and not to break a guitar string.

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

Think we’ve covered that.

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

London – Dirty, Loud, Welcoming, Artistic, Fun.

How do you look after your voices?

Not very well, Smithy needs to get better at this. Having in ear monitors to hear yourself clearly is key so you don’t overdo it, but if they stop working for whatever reason you find yourself overstretching your voice a bit. Lemon and ginger tea is good!

What are your future plans after the EP release?

Put on some DIY gigs with other similar bands we like, there is a network of musicians in London who are doing this now and supporting each other which is great. Get back to writing some more music and see what direction that takes. Who knows, an album would be nice. One day, but we will see.

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

QOTSA, Deftones, Mastodon, Meshuggah, Idles, Kyuss, Dozer, Yur Mum, Pig Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs, Brutus, Red Fang, Gojira, King Buffalo, Dope Smoker, JOHN, Black Rainbows, Greenleaf, Slabdragger, Iron Monkey, Kverlertak, Die Spitz, Cavity, The Atomic Bitchwax.

Do you have any live dates in the UK/Europe for 2025?

We will be playing with Desert Clouds, Hades Labyrinth, Blue Tree Monitor and Kushthulhu at The Post Bar, Tottenham in London on Friday 27th June. Its free entry. That is all we have confirmed for now, but if you want us to play in your hometown let us know.

What makes The Fires Below happy and what makes you unhappy?

When people come up to us after a gig saying they had a great time. The state of the world today.