On the heels of three bare knuckle EP’s, Ireland bred Bailer are readying their full length debut, Disposable Youth, and it’s an atom bomb of grim, metallic hardcore born from a world that has literally gone to hell in a hand basket. The album is truly a testament to where they’ve been in a sense of maturing from the EP’s and molding that early sound into a gnarly beast that is as nihilistic as it is heavy. Just ahead of the album’s release we posed our set of Profile questions to bassist David Cleere to get some background on him and the band. Read on to see how it went down and do be sure to pick up a copy from the links contained within.
—
How did you first get into playing music, and have you achieved the level of success that you hoped for?
We all got into playing music out of the sheer love and passion we have for it. Growing up, so many bands and artists inspired us to start a band of our own, to create the kind of music we wanted to hear and play. I think as you get older, the experience of being in different bands really leads you to a point where you know what works and what doesn’t. In terms of achieving the level of success that we want, that can be answered with both a yes and no. Yes because we always set goals for ourselves to reach and we work hard to make them happen. And no because we are always setting new goals for ourselves. That ‘no’ isn’t a negative. It’s something that drives us forward to keep achieving the next goal and the next and so on. You have to keep motivated and always raise the level of success you want to achieve.
What’s the most you have ever debased yourself to get your band onto a show, into a magazine or otherwise promoted, covered, and praised? (If you don’t have a story, please tell us any funny/embarrassing story.)
This is actually a tough one! We’ve always had the mantra of taking on shows that we’re happy with, so it’s not often, if at all, that we debase ourselves so to speak. We did a Russian tour that we didn’t exactly break even on, shall we say. But damn if that wasn’t such a fun tour. From playing in an Irish bar in the middle of nowhere in a town called Kurgan, which used to be a Russian penal colony, to playing in a venue owned by a biker gang who then absolutely made sure we stayed back for a lock in…things can get pretty wild out there on the road!
What do you see as some of the great things happening in metal and what are some of the worst things happening inside the scene right now?
The creativity in the metal scene is through the roof right now. So many bands have evolved the genre, or even created different sub-genres of metal. It’s great to see so many bands out there who are doing their thing and creating a niche for themselves. On the downside of that, if a particular sound becomes popular, sometimes it can become a bit of a trend which leads to over saturation in the genre and maybe a little less originality. But overall, people are always pushing the envelope.
It seems that now everyone has a passion for some cause and that those people are very open about displaying their passions. This is probably a very, very good (and progressive) thing socially. What are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you and how do you insert those issues into your music?
I think it’s great that so many artists are so passionate for a cause and are willing to show that through their music. Music has a long and storied history of tackling social issues and sometimes that even leads to change in society. As much as we love bands doing that, we tend to let people interpret our lyrics and music in their own way. The songs definitely have meaning, but if someone else hears the lyrics and they relate to it in a different way, then that’s really cool too. It’s possible we might be more direct towards a cause in the future, but right now we’re happy letting people interpret things their own way.
What, or who, got you into metal and how old were you? How did your family take the news?
I remember watching Headbanger’s Ball on MTV in the 90’s when I was maybe 10 years old and just being amazed by the music I was hearing. I had never heard sounds like that before, as it was always just pop music on the radio. But here came these awesome sounds from the likes of Deftones, Pantera, Rage Against The Machine, etc. I was absolutely hooked from there on out. My family didn’t care, haha. They’re quite supportive really and were happy to see my love for it.
What advice do you have for aspiring music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?
Another tough one. So many outlets do great things for so many bands. I think what would be good to see is more features on up-and-coming bands. It definitely takes time to search for those and to find the hidden gems out there, but that could be a make-or-break thing for that band. Also, letting people know how much hard work goes into being in a band is important, I believe. Sometimes it can be taken for granted and people think that musicians on tour live a big, glamorous lifestyle. That’s not the case for most bands out there. We struggle and we work damn hard to pull off the shows that we do. But hey, we’re not complaining, we love what we do and wouldn’t change it for anything.
What’s your goal? You guys thinking world domination? Maybe saving a continent? Maybe invading one? Any interest in starting a cult? Do you guys have day jobs or hobbies you want to share? Whatever it is, please let us know.
All of the above? Haha. Our goal is a simple one: play music that we love, to a venue full of people who love that kind of music too. We’re here to have a good time and we want that for everyone attending our shows as well. I think I might start a cult now that you mention it though. Watch this space.
When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently? (Feel free to include non-metal)
Turnstile’s new album “Glow On” is incredible. That’s been getting a lot of listening time since it was released. Those dudes have the best vibes, their music is just fucking great and extremely catchy. Perturbator also released some new material recently and as usual, the dark lord of synth is killing it. Knocked Loose just dropped a new EP too and that’s sounding pretty damn violent. In a good way obviously.
What is the 12-month outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?
Our debut album “Disposable Youth” is being released on November 12th and we’re really excited to finally let it out into the wild. Beyond that, we want to get back doing shows and touring. The pandemic has been extremely difficult on the music industry, it’s time we start to get back on our feet and bring live shows back to the people.
Summarize your band in exactly one word. (Disclosure: If you include additional words, we will select our favorite for the final publication.)
Grimcore.
—
Many thanks to David and Bailer for their time!
Disposable Youth will be available November 12 on Blood Blast Distribution. For more information on Bailer, visit their Facebook page.
Nine Circles 