Interview / Scatter The Tribe

I stumbled upon Scatter the Tribe purely by accident. A friend of mine needed a photographer for a shoot in November 2022 and introduced me to this incredibly talented quartet, who were also looking for some band photos. I didn’t know what to expect musically, but I had to wait a long time to find out. Their first single didn’t drop until January 2024. It was a long 14 months from when I photographed them to when the first single, "Consume," came out. The second single, "Rush," followed three months later in April, and their latest track, "Tempest," was released in September 2024. The wait was worth it, with three bangers in one year that totally blew me away.

Scatter the Tribe is a modern metal band from London, composed of Craig Lockyer, Dante Coates, Javier Rosas, and Reza Felayati. With their impressive debut and captivating sound, I was eager to learn more about their journey, creative process, and what lies ahead for them.

How did the band come together? What’s the story behind how you all met and decided to start making music?

Dante: The band initially started as a group that formed to play university projects. I met Craig a few years before uni and we quickly bonded over a shared interest in bands (Metallica, Korn, Slipknot etc.) and a passion for musicianship. A few years down the line, after covid had partially subsided, we began our third and final year at BIMM London, which is when I met Javi. Javi, Craig and myself often stayed late after hours playing Lamb of God and Mastodon songs, to practice for our next class. Sharing the stage and performing together during these classes seemed to come quite naturally to us; rarely did we seem nervous. At this point, we knew we wanted to start a band but there was a piece missing. I found Reza’s Instagram profile by chance, as we were making similar content and after a quick follow and a DM, I found out he was from Indonesia. I thought being in a band together was never going to happen, until he told me he lived in North London! After meeting and exchanging some details, I asked him if he’d be willing to play in our uni projects and then the band, to which he agreed without hesitation. A few months after, I got a text for an opportunity to play our first gig, which is when we frantically started writing some songs.

At what point did you realize this group had something special? Was there a specific moment or experience that made you think, “This is going to work”?

Craig: For me, it was during the performances of the Bloodstock: Metal 2 The Masses competition. We gained a bunch of new fans during those gigs and not only that, we had judges with industry experience tell us that there was something special going on.

Reza: I think seeing the great reception to our first single ‘Consume’ was the moment when we knew there was something good. We amassed 5k streams in a week, when our original goal was to try and get a thousand. Hearing people’s positive opinions about the song, spurred us on to do more.

Javi: For me, it was our first ever live performance for our uni projects. Even though we were all at uni, you could feel that we worked well together.

Dante: I remember hearing Meyrick’s (producer) first mix of ‘Consume’ and being blown away. I had a feeling it was going to go somewhere from that moment.

Guys, I must ask, what took so long between the formation of the band and the release of your first single?

We struggled for a little while to find a good producer to help our sound come to life. We found Meyrick de la Fuente through a good friend, Nick from Blue Eyed Giants, who helped us get connected with each other. It’s quite vulnerable to put the fate of your music in another’s hands but that’s why finding a great producer/engineer is so important. After a few brief zoom calls and discussions, we put our faith in Meyrick and felt like we could trust him to bring our vision to life and boy, did he deliver.

You’ve released three incredible singles so far, and it seems like some bands are moving away from EPs or full albums. What led you to take this route? Is it about production costs, the ability to build an audience faster with singles, or something else entirely?

Releasing singles when you’re starting out is a great way to gauge an opinion on your tracks. Yes, studio costs aren’t cheap, but having something digestible for new fans to latch onto is paramount in building a fanbase. Also, we’re still developing our sound and identity as a band and releasing singles allows us to be a little more flexible with our presentation. We’d love to do more extended work in the future like an EP (hint, hint) or an album later down the line, as we still believe it’s an art form. A body of work represents an era of the band and we want to show everyone who we are and what we can do.

You've primarily released music through digital platforms like Spotify. What’s your take on physical media, such as vinyl, CDs, or even cassettes? Do you see any appeal in going physical at some point, or is digital the future for a band like yourselves?

Of course we see the appeal! Currently, digital releases are the way to go, however we wouldn’t necessarily say no to doing some physical releases in the future. There is something almost religious about having a vinyl, a CD or even a tape that you have to pick up, put on and press play. Owning a physical copy of someone’s music shows real devotion to a band/artist and those are the same fans that wear your merch and rush to the barrier for every show. Also, physical copies are cool to look at (laughing).

You label yourselves as a modern metal band. From your perspective, what defines ‘modern metal’? What sets it apart from other subgenres? Are there any specific themes, techniques, or elements that make it unique for you?

Funnily enough, this is the one question we all had slightly different answers to, which kind of explains what ‘modern metal’ is to us. It’s everything! Typically it’s down- tuned guitars, with technical and heavy riffs, all encompassed within a modern style of production. The production of the song being current, is most likely the key element here. However, modern metal does feel different to death metal or thrash for example in that, it allows us to use influences from non-metal genres too e.g. pop, jazz, RnB, funk. These influences may be subtle but due to our eclectic tastes, these nuances naturally come out in our playing, in ways we don’t even realise and can often add to a song.

Every band has their influences, whether they’re obvious or subtle. Who would you say are your biggest musical influences? Are there any non-metal artists or genres that have unexpectedly shaped your sound?

Some of our biggest musical influences are Northlane, Monuments, Bury Tomorrow, Architects and Tesseract to name a few. All of our musical backgrounds are based around rock/metal but our personal tastes can differ. There’s funk, jazz, pop, soul, k- pop, blues, classical music, folk, EDM, hip-hop etc. The list goes on really

When you guys start working on a new song, what does the creative process look like? Do you begin with a riff, lyrics, or just a vibe you want to capture? Does it come together collaboratively, or is there one person who drives the initial idea?

Dante: It depends on the song but usually, it starts with a guitar riff that’s too difficult to play, which is always fun. I’ll write a couple sections of music and send it to the guys to gather opinions or ask for help. Sometimes it’s started with a drum groove that Craig has sent over and I’ve put a riff on it or Reza will send over a bridge that completes the puzzle piece.

Craig: Once we form the basic skeleton of the song, Javi will then put lyrics to the music. So it starts with an initial idea but becomes more of an elaborate story as the rest of us collaborate.

Dante: In terms of vibe/emotion, I’ll try not to tell the guys what I’m going for, so they can form their own feelings about it without a preconceived idea. This way, the meaning of the song can change and all of a sudden you might have a song with 4 different meanings to 4 different people. That’s the beauty of music!

Your songs explore intense emotions like inner conflict and a sense of being lost or out of control. What draws you to these themes, and how do they influence your songwriting?

Javi: Thematically, I’ve always been fascinated by the human psyche. Feelings of inner conflict or the loss of control is a very real thing and something everyone deals with at some point or another.

Dante: Writing about these things can also help break stigmas around mental health and talking about it too.

Javi: Although inspiration can also come from something as simple as graffiti on the tube. One of our lyrics from the chorus of ‘Consume’ actually came from a sentence that was written on the train. Though it’s up to you guys to figure out what it might be.

Your singles have sick artwork. How come you don't have any merch to sell? I bet your t-shirts would be snapped up quickly.

Thanks! All three of our single artworks were made by Jeff and our video graphics by Conor. Funny you mention that though, we recently decided to make our first batch of shirts for our first ever headline show at the New Cross Inn and we ended up selling well over half of our first batch. We’re currently looking to set up a website so people from outside of London can order a shirt.

We all know the challenges of being a metal band today, but what specific hurdles have you faced as a new band in the 2020s? Where do you see yourselves in the current music landscape, and where would you rather be in terms of your goals and vision for the future?

Social media can always be quite challenging, knowing what to post and how often. Being a band in the current age also means being a producer, a content creator, knowing how to market the band, website designer etc. It’s not easy but we’re here for the challenge! In the future, we’d love to be playing more headline shows, festivals and supporting bigger bands. Currently, we’re still navigating the underground metal landscape in London but through this, we’ve met and networked with some amazing people.

Lastly, what are your plans for live performances in the next 3-6 months? Any upcoming tours or shows we should be on the lookout for?

We’re planning to perform more outside of London, starting with a gig in Rugby on the 25th January. Also we’re playing the Modern Era fest on the 22nd March, with Heart of a Coward headlining at the New Cross Inn. More details about these shows are coming soon, so stay posted!

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For more on Scatter The Tribe, visit the following links: Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp