Newcastle trio Liberties – Ciaran (vocals), Amy (guitars) and Kieran (drums) – play music of the hardcore rock variety. To date, they have released a three-track EP called Day to Day that follows on from their four-track demo EP. The band are currently in the final stage of planning before their next release, but Ciaran found some time to chat with AMNplify – check out what he had to say below!

How and when did the band form?

We got together just under two years ago now. Kieran and I were looking for members to join the last band at the time. After a few weeks of playing with Amy and April, it was quite obvious that this was something different and so we formed Liberties.

Who or what inspired you to pursue a career in music?

For me, I’ve always liked the idea of a career in music. I guess that came from my parents exposing me to lots of different music as a kid.

How would you best describe your sound?

Hard-hitting Southern blues rock.

Who are your main musical influences?

With this band we wanted to pull influence from the music that made us originally fall in love with music like Toto, Paul Kelly & Phil Collins while still staying close to the music we listen to now like Rise Against, Beartooth, Gallows etc.

What are the themes explored on the three-track Day to Day EP?

The three-track primarily touches on the ideas of self-doubt and self-improvement.

How does the 3-track Day to Day EP differ to the four-track demo EP?

The Day to Day three-track was the first time we went to a studio for a release, while the demo was recorded at our rehearsal studio in about a day with minimal production. The demo was intended to be a very raw preview of what we were aiming for musically while the three-track was a lot more thought out. This gave us the chance to write a set of songs that really captured a sense of us as a band.

What makes Liberties different to similar sounding bands?

Well, all of us have come from very diverse musical backgrounds and I think the combination of these have made the punk/heavy rock blend that can be found in Liberties.

What has been your most memorable career highlight to date?

The last tour we went on (the Day to Day Australian Tour), we played across the country selling out venues in cities we had never been to; which just blew me away.

What is something you would like to achieve career-wise that you haven’t done yet?

For me, it’s definitely touring outside of our own country.

If you could play any venue in the world, where would it be and why?

Either the O2 Academy in Brixton or The House of Vans in Brooklyn.