Broken Hands Reveals the Inspiration for Their New Album
by Natasha Wolff | December 9, 2016 3:12 pm
United Kingdom’s alternative rock band Broken Hands debuted their album Turbulence, an instant hit in the UK. While listening to the band’s high-energy, booming songs, including the hit single “Meteor,” you’d never guess that the house where Turbulence was realized is located just outside of quiet Canterbury in the charming village of Kent. The band’s members, Dale, Callum, Jamie, Tom and David offer slamming drums, wild guitar riffs and some pretty eccentric visuals during every performance.
Photo Credit: Steve Gullick
When asked about the inspiration for this album, Dale Norton, the lead vocalist of Broken Hands describes the epiphany he had at London’s Gatwick Airport that sparked the focus for the album. “I was dropping off some of my best friends and realized that everyone I knew was leaving to go somewhere else. This idea ran through my head while I was hearing the jet engines soaring into the sky from the runways. They sounded like fuzzed-out guitar feedback and festival sound drums crashing. Then came more images: planes taking off and people getting messed up. Turbulence and paranoia.”
Dale mentioned that after he had this epiphany he brought his idea back to the members of the band and they were all on-board immediately. One of the band members happens to be Dale’s brother, Callum, on drums. “I’ve always recognized that the drummer has one of the most difficult roles in a band,” Dale said. “Having my brother take on that role is great- I wouldn’t have it any other way. Having a mate and part of your family with you on the road makes it that much better.”
Photo Credit: Steve Gullick
Another one of Dale’s mates include the British rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen. They’ve worked together in the past and Dale says of their relationship, “Not everyone works well together. With Catfish, we’ve had a few really natural collaborations. We jam quite well together.”
The jamming Broken Hands does on stage is quite different from some of Dale’s favorite music. What would fans be surprised to know he listens to?
“The Prodigy. It’s like, very fast beats, like electronic dance music. Kind of like, rave music. We used to go to a lot of late-night shows in our country, they were quite popular.”
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Source URL: https://dujour.com/culture/uk-rock-band-broken-hands-interview/