Man of Moon are a two piece alternative rock band based in Glasgow with krautrock, electronic and psychedelic elements. Guitarist and vocalist Chris Bainbridge shared more on the band which also includes new drummer Iain Stewart.
How did Man of Moon come to be? And were there many possible band names being considered or was this an instant “That’s it“?
Man of Moon started at Jewel and Esk college back in 2014 when myself and the old drummer met on a sound engineering course. We began jamming in the college studio because the class needed someone to play guitar and someone to play drums so that the class could practise recording musicians. We quickly realised we were onto something. I was writing loads of songs and ideas at the time. I had been in loads of bands growing up, and one particular band was doing quite well but then split up not long before I started college, so I had loads of new ideas to get us going.
The name took a few days to land on, but once I thought of “Man of Moon” and said it out loud, it felt like a good one so we went with it. I’m still happy with the name which is a good sign I think. I think band names are really important to be honest because I think it shapes how someone feels about a band before they’ve even heard them. The band is named in memory of my dad. We would talk about space and the moon a lot when I was a kid and a lot of the early lyrics were inspired by conversations we had.
What is your creative process? And what has been the most bizarre source of inspiration?
To be honest it changes all the time, we don’t stick to a strict formula or anything for writing. But it usually begins with me working on a riff for a while and then bringing it to the drummer and we jam it out and produce it a bit until we have sections. Then we will record it into my laptop, i’ll add different things onto it and try figure out some vocals. For me, lyrics usually always come last. Sometimes they come quick and sometimes they take a while, and a lot of the time i’ll finish them last minute because I think a deadline helps me finalise them.
I’m not sure about bizarre, but the sea has always been a big inspiration for me. I grew up right next to it on the east coast of Scotland in a wee town called Musselburgh and it’s just always had an effect on the music I think. It creeps into the theme of the lyrics a lot of the time. I also get inspired when I’m on trains. The constant motion and moving imagery outside makes me wanna work on ideas, and I love listening to music looking out the window on a train.
Man of Moon released album Machinism earlier this year. Does the album have an overall theme? Where was it recorded and were the songs decided on before the recording session?
Yeah there’s three main themes on the album I feel. I think escapism is a strong one that shows it self throughout. Another is anti-establishment. And the final is a comment on the rise in use of technology (machines) in every day life and the effect that is having on us. Machinism refers to this machine led society we now live in.
We recorded it in a studio in Castlemilk which is in the Southside of Glasgow. We did it with a guy we have been working with for years Paul Gallagher. We have a really good working relationship with him and he knows what we’re going for. Yeah the tracks were decided on before going in but we hadn’t figured out the order yet, that came later.
You have just played Left of the Dial festival in Rotterdam. Can you briefly describe your experience?
It was incredible, we absolutely loved it. Rotterdam is such a cool city and we are definitely gonna go back to play there again. The festival was really well organised and ran smoothly. We had a really good show too at a venue called Perron and we were really buzzing to walk out onstage to a packed out venue. There must have been 300-400 people watching us which we didn’t expect so that was class. It’s always nice when loads of people come to see you far from home. I’d highly recommend the festival to other bands.
Looking forward what are your plans for the rest of 2024, and anything on your wish list/ already scheduled for 2025 you’d like to share?
As I’m writing these interview answers we are in the van on our UK tour playing some shows in England and Wales, touring our new album. In December we have a big hometown headline show at Glasgow’s St Luke’s on the 20th which will be the biggest headline we have ever played. We are so excited for it. We have a band Cloth supporting us who are amazing. It’s gonna be a good one. We are currently booking some more shows for Europe next year and looking at doing some more UK dates. We will also be recording some new material later this year and early next year with some new music coming out before next summer. We would really love to play some international festivals next year and get some good support slots. Fingers crossed
If I looked in your fridge right now what would I find?
You’d probably find nothing because I just had to buy a new one because I broke the old one. Maybe some milk, if you’re lucky.
