What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences and are they the same as when you started out?
ATTRITION as a name was inspired by “War of ATTRITION” the name used for the First World War… my Grandfather was wounded on the Western Front at Ypres in 1917 and I had always had a fascination for that war as a child when I heard stories…
I used it as a name for the band when we started at the end of 1980.
I was initially inspired by The Sex Pistols and Punk rock to start making my own music… first I started a fanzine here in Coventry, “Alternative Sounds” in 1979… and then started making music… by then influenced by punk, post punk and experimental electronics of bands like Joy Division, Magazine, Cabaret Voltaire, Kraftwerk etc etc…
How do you approach songwriting and why?
I tend to start with ambient textures and from that, usually electronic, beginning I develop rhythms and bass lines and vocals and this is joined by more melodic parts, often from guest players on guitar or strings or piano… the music varies from dark ambient soundscapes to rhythmic dark dance pieces… I started out writing more direct lyrics in the eighties, talking about political issues…animal rights , racism, church and state control.. gradually my words became more philosophical and more surreal is I explored inside…
I have to do it… I really don’t have a choice in this…if I haven’t written any new music for a while I start to feel that need more and more… its self expression in one of its purest forms really.
How do you approach songwriting and why?
I tend to start with ambient textures and from that, usually electronic, beginning I develop rhythms and bass lines and vocals and this is joined by more melodic parts, often from guest players on guitar or strings or piano… the music varies from dark ambient soundscapes to rhythmic dark dance pieces… I started out writing more direct lyrics in the eighties, talking about political issues…animal rights , racism, church and state control.. gradually my words became more philosophical and more surreal is I explored inside…
I have to do it… I really don’t have a choice in this…if I haven’t written any new music for a while I start to feel that need more and more… its self expression in one of its purest forms really.
How do you decide what to perform live?
I tend to choose the more upbeat songs live as I enjoy the energy on stage more than the more cerebral dark ambient pieces, which are better suited to film soundtracks (of which we have made a few) but I do include some ambient intros and interludes… and have occasionally performed our horror film scores live… most notably in the mountains of Translyvania in 2018!
How do you decide what to perform live?
I tend to choose the more upbeat songs live as I enjoy the energy on stage more than the more cerebral dark ambient pieces, which are better suited to film soundtracks (of which we have made a few) but I do include some ambient intros and interludes… and have occasionally performed our horror film scores live… most notably in the mountains of Translyvania in 2018!
What plans do you have for the future?
- Well even after all this time I am always busy with ATTRITION, an occasional side project, and producing/mastering other bands here in my studio, The Cage… ATTRITION have just released the “Live in the Cage” live album with the original 80’s line up, who returned to the fold last year and are continuing to perform and starting to record new material.
The all new ATTRITION album, The Black Maria will also be released this autumn as we prepare for more shows in The UK, Europe and North America.
Thank you for the interview!!
Do check out more about us on our various websites.
Martin Bowes. Coventry, England. June 2023
www.attrition.co.uk
www.facebook.com/ATTRITIONMUSIC
http://attritionuk.bandcamp.com/
www.youtube.com/user/attrition
www.instagram.com/attrition_uk
https://twitter.com/attritionuk
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5yAtVvdaWrTxW4GPC18643
www.thecagestudios.co.uk
audio production and mastering