IYUS INTERVIEW

IYUS
METAL
SOUTHEND, ESSEX

I spoke to Rob Williams (vocals / bass) of the Metal sextet Iyus from Southend-On-Sea to see what the boys in black are getting upto, recently they gigged with Southend stalwarts Merciless Fail and are now burning blisters in the Rayleigh Battle Of The Bands, this is what he had to say:

> How long has Iyus been going and what is the best point in your career so far?

Iyus has been going for about 9 months now. Personally I'd say our best moment so far has been getting through to the finals of the Rayleigh Mill Battle Of The Bands, playing that gig in general was just fantastic.

> What does the band name mean and who came up with it?

Surprisingly we don't get asked this very often haha, it doesn't actually mean anything, it was created by our guitarist, Josh and our ex-vocalist (also named Josh). They were talking about Tenacious D and wondered how you'd pronounce the "ious" and for whatever reason that name stuck!

> How does it feel being part of the Rayleigh Battle of The Bands competition?

Well for us it's a way of gauging our progress this year, being a fairly young band it means a lot to us to be able to get through to the finals. But also aside from all that it's great fun competing alongside bands we're friends with.

> Is there any plans for a CD release this year?

Well back in February we released our first 4 song EP, but since then we've dramatically matured our writing style and as such approach our song writing with great criticism and care. Showing our progress from since we started is very important to us, so recently we've just been releasing singles, however a CD with plenty of new material will be on the horizon as soon as possible!

> How did you guys form and was there any line-up changes over the years?

It was a simple phone call between Josh and our old guitarist Jake that got it going. To be honest we haven't had that many changes since our first EP, before that when the band was first starting there were a few, but we feel with every change we've become a stronger, more solid group.

> Are you at present looking for a label deal or planning to continue being independent / unsigned?

We of course are constantly looking out for what's in our best interest. We're a band that take risks and try anything, but we are equally as wary. Being signed would be a dream come true, but whether we are ready for that quite yet is another question. I'm sure when the opportunity arises we'll be ready.

> Is there any tours your planning to do, whether it be local or regional or even per se East Anglia?

We're always talking about organising a tour, next year we definitely will be on the road.

> Is there any tips you could give to budding musicians?

Don't be waiting for things to get moving on their own, do everything yourself and don't be afraid to try anything!

> What can we expect from Iyus that has not already been mentioned?

We have some exciting gigs lined up and a new single (Alpha & Omega) on it's way. Be sure to check us out at facebook.com/IYUSofficial to keep updated!

So overall a promising time for Iyus, as Rob said, check out Iyus on their Facebook!!!

RHYS STEVENSON