“Take no shit!” vocalist Darran Charles yells at us through his webcam, pointing a finger. “That’s my one piece of advice,” he explains when we ask what he’s learned throughout his 14-year tenure as a member of Godsticks. “I actually never wanted to be in a band,” he says. The group’s formation was nothing more than a college project that Charles was forced into as part of the curriculum at the London Guitar Institute. As a module, he was expected to put together a performance with other members. “I didn’t like it at first because it was just nerve-racking,” he recalls, “I had to spend eight hours a day studying and practising and that.”
Prior to this, Charles had had dreams of composing music for other artists and remaining behind the curtain, but after a few live shows he decided that he could see himself on the stage instead. He dropped the “fantasy” of composing for others, gritted his teeth, and placed an advertisement for other musicians to join him.
“The setlist I put together had music from Zappa, George Benson, Steve Vai… a mad variety of musicians,” he laughs. “Just one person replied, that was it.”
That one person was Godsticks’ first bass player, Jason Marsh, and together he and Charles put together a setlist that Charles says they had no audience for.
“It was just to challenge ourselves. This is the music we like, we didn’t give a shit if we had an audience or not,” he remembers. Their search to complete the band continued, but their material limited the applications. “We went through about 8,000 drummers until we were able to find somebody who could play it,” Charles laughs, “I think we were called Multistorey Earthworm back then.”
After those rocky initial years, Charles says he “stumbled” into writing his own instrumental music.
“I didn’t really appreciate lead guitar as the main melody instrument,” he adds, “I just didn’t think it was a strong enough instrument. Not as strong as the voice. In the end I just put some ideas down and Jason said, ‘Oh, that sounds okay’ and we went from there.”
Charles makes it sound so simple, but one listen to Spiral Vendetta, Godsticks’ 2010 debut, and it’s clear it’s anything but. Odd time signatures are scattered across the soundscape, and crunchy, repeating riffs lure in the listener. It’s raw, but it’s plain to see Charles had a talent for writing even in Godsticks’ infancy.
Charles tells us of the struggles in getting that release finished. “We managed to put about five songs together but it was an arduous process because we didn’t like what any of the producers were doing,” he recalls.
Far from blaming external factors for any sort of conflict, he acknowledges: “We were just idiots, to be honest.”
He sent the record out to labels but released it independently, adding, “I was completely naïve. I didn’t have a clue.”
From the reception to Spiral Vendetta though, a light shone in the dark cave of the industry for Charles.
“I discovered the prog scene,” he smiles. “There were people who might actually want to listen to that music!”
It was this prog scene that convinced him to carry on with Godsticks. Charles explains that the sound of the band since then has been a natural evolution but puts their growth down to the members’ interactivity and chemistry with one another. When Godsticks began, he says, he wasn’t interested in socialising with anybody.
“I get on with my bandmembers now,” he explains. “Not that I didn’t before, but I never placed any importance on having a rapport with them. It was always just me leading the way and dragging everyone along.”
He explains that he felt each member was so talented at their own instrument that he never needed to involve them further than necessary, especially not in the promotional side of the work.
“I just assumed I’d have to do it myself,” he says, referring back to his naïvety at the time. “It’s hard work, no one wants to do it… it’s like a fucking job!” he says.
That changed for Godsticks in 2015. With the addition of guitarist Gavin Bushell and drummer Tom Price as well as bassist Dan Nelson, Charles felt he could open the band up to a more collaborative approach.
“They do as much as I do, and that’s a big deal,” he adds. “Everybody contributes and invests into the band, and a shared success is treasured more.”
Charles is quick to add that he isn’t disrespecting any former members by saying this: “I’m not slagging the previous members off, but I never asked them to do anything.”
He talks at length about how difficult and arduous it can be to promote your music, especially now everyone has access to the internet, and getting your new release out there is as simple as clicking a button.
Times have been pretty difficult for Godsticks over the years, with Charles wondering whether they were doing enough promotion, getting enough good luck, or even creating music in a way that was appealing to people.
“It’s either you need a lot of luck, or we’re really shit and I just don’t know about it yet,” he grins. “There is definitely a part of me that thinks, ‘Are we just shit?’”
He’s smiling, but this is a genuine concern for Charles, and he’s not alone. The truth is, with music being so accessible to everybody in the modern age, more and more people are composing and releasing it without any prior experience, and seeing success.
The most important factor for continuing as a band is evolution, and if a release has themes that are relatable to people then it’s easier for them to take on board. This isn’t the approach Godsticks have taken though, as Charles explains: “Lyrics are an afterthought! It’s always been the music that’s come first and the lyrics are inspired by the melody that’s written.” He adds, “Every single song that gets turned into a demo is gibberish, as a rule.”
Laughing, he elaborates that he just likes the sound of certain words and that because of the lockdown period the latest Godsticks album, This Is What A Winner Looks Like, is inspired by TV shows. He quotes Succession, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos as discoveries throughout that time, and notes that their previous album, Inescapable, has a much more personal feel in comparison. There’s also an element of self-preservation as well as intrigue, as he tells us: “I’m a lot more interested in other people than myself, and I don’t expect anyone else to be.”
Prog quizzes Charles on Godsticks’ tendency to lift up darker lyrics with lighter, more upbeat melodies but he bats this observation aw...
Prior to this, Charles had had dreams of composing music for other artists and remaining behind the curtain, but after a few live shows he decided that he could see himself on the stage instead. He dropped the “fantasy” of composing for others, gritted his teeth, and placed an advertisement for other musicians to join him.
“The setlist I put together had music from Zappa, George Benson, Steve Vai… a mad variety of musicians,” he laughs. “Just one person replied, that was it.”
That one person was Godsticks’ first bass player, Jason Marsh, and together he and Charles put together a setlist that Charles says they had no audience for.
“It was just to challenge ourselves. This is the music we like, we didn’t give a shit if we had an audience or not,” he remembers. Their search to complete the band continued, but their material limited the applications. “We went through about 8,000 drummers until we were able to find somebody who could play it,” Charles laughs, “I think we were called Multistorey Earthworm back then.”
After those rocky initial years, Charles says he “stumbled” into writing his own instrumental music.
“I didn’t really appreciate lead guitar as the main melody instrument,” he adds, “I just didn’t think it was a strong enough instrument. Not as strong as the voice. In the end I just put some ideas down and Jason said, ‘Oh, that sounds okay’ and we went from there.”
Charles makes it sound so simple, but one listen to Spiral Vendetta, Godsticks’ 2010 debut, and it’s clear it’s anything but. Odd time signatures are scattered across the soundscape, and crunchy, repeating riffs lure in the listener. It’s raw, but it’s plain to see Charles had a talent for writing even in Godsticks’ infancy.
Charles tells us of the struggles in getting that release finished. “We managed to put about five songs together but it was an arduous process because we didn’t like what any of the producers were doing,” he recalls.
Far from blaming external factors for any sort of conflict, he acknowledges: “We were just idiots, to be honest.”
He sent the record out to labels but released it independently, adding, “I was completely naïve. I didn’t have a clue.”
From the reception to Spiral Vendetta though, a light shone in the dark cave of the industry for Charles.
“I discovered the prog scene,” he smiles. “There were people who might actually want to listen to that music!”
It was this prog scene that convinced him to carry on with Godsticks. Charles explains that the sound of the band since then has been a natural evolution but puts their growth down to the members’ interactivity and chemistry with one another. When Godsticks began, he says, he wasn’t interested in socialising with anybody.
“I get on with my bandmembers now,” he explains. “Not that I didn’t before, but I never placed any importance on having a rapport with them. It was always just me leading the way and dragging everyone along.”
He explains that he felt each member was so talented at their own instrument that he never needed to involve them further than necessary, especially not in the promotional side of the work.
“I just assumed I’d have to do it myself,” he says, referring back to his naïvety at the time. “It’s hard work, no one wants to do it… it’s like a fucking job!” he says.
That changed for Godsticks in 2015. With the addition of guitarist Gavin Bushell and drummer Tom Price as well as bassist Dan Nelson, Charles felt he could open the band up to a more collaborative approach.
“They do as much as I do, and that’s a big deal,” he adds. “Everybody contributes and invests into the band, and a shared success is treasured more.”
Charles is quick to add that he isn’t disrespecting any former members by saying this: “I’m not slagging the previous members off, but I never asked them to do anything.”
He talks at length about how difficult and arduous it can be to promote your music, especially now everyone has access to the internet, and getting your new release out there is as simple as clicking a button.
Times have been pretty difficult for Godsticks over the years, with Charles wondering whether they were doing enough promotion, getting enough good luck, or even creating music in a way that was appealing to people.
“It’s either you need a lot of luck, or we’re really shit and I just don’t know about it yet,” he grins. “There is definitely a part of me that thinks, ‘Are we just shit?’”
He’s smiling, but this is a genuine concern for Charles, and he’s not alone. The truth is, with music being so accessible to everybody in the modern age, more and more people are composing and releasing it without any prior experience, and seeing success.
The most important factor for continuing as a band is evolution, and if a release has themes that are relatable to people then it’s easier for them to take on board. This isn’t the approach Godsticks have taken though, as Charles explains: “Lyrics are an afterthought! It’s always been the music that’s come first and the lyrics are inspired by the melody that’s written.” He adds, “Every single song that gets turned into a demo is gibberish, as a rule.”
Laughing, he elaborates that he just likes the sound of certain words and that because of the lockdown period the latest Godsticks album, This Is What A Winner Looks Like, is inspired by TV shows. He quotes Succession, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos as discoveries throughout that time, and notes that their previous album, Inescapable, has a much more personal feel in comparison. There’s also an element of self-preservation as well as intrigue, as he tells us: “I’m a lot more interested in other people than myself, and I don’t expect anyone else to be.”
Prog quizzes Charles on Godsticks’ tendency to lift up darker lyrics with lighter, more upbeat melodies but he bats this observation aw...
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Prog (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 142