Ravenheart Music: Interviews

Lady Maggot is a lovely name for a band, and after having heard their 5 track UMBRA EP, I wanted to find out more about this Dublin based duo. So, I tracked down Martyna their singer and her partner in crime Piotr and here is the result!

Hi from England and how are you?
Martyna: Hello from chilly Dublin – we’re fine, thanks!

I understand that although you are Dublin based, you are in-fact originally from Poland?
Martyna: Correct – we are from Bydgoszcz, Poland.

And how did you end up in Ireland?
Martyna: As you may well be aware a lot of Polish people came to Ireland and the UK in recent years. The fact that some of our friends were already living here when we arrived was an important factor of our choice of destination. When you change your life around, it helps to have a familiar ‘Start-up pack’ – somebody who will introduce you to the new reality. We didn’t come here only for work and money, though, and definitely not to steal the jobs from the lovely natives! The slightly forgotten Celtic culture, the picturesque cliffs with the epic Clannad soundtrack in the background (well, not really), the real language experience that no university will ever give you, laid-back people (sometimes too much), and of course the beer – all these things brought us here and were the reason we stayed here in the end.

And it is great that you now live in a lovely part of the British Isles. I believe that the band is just you and Piotr?
Martyna: The core of the band is me and Piotr, however there will be a drummer and a bassist for live gigs.

How did you come to meet up?
Martyna: We’ve known each other for ages; we had the same circle of friends and went to the same gigs when we still lived in Poland. At the time Piotr played with Mortis Dei and I was a regular visitor of their concerts. The funny thing is that we only really started thinking about making music together when we moved to Ireland. It took us a while but we finally did it.

I understand that Piotr has his musical roots within the Death Metal genre. I would hardly call the UMBRA EP Death Metal, so why did Piotr decide to go more ‘melodic’?
Piotr: I’ve always been melodic. If you listen to the music I wrote in the past for bands such as Mortis Dei and Puki 'Mahlu, you will discover that in fact there is plenty of melody, even though served in its brutal form. This is part of my style. I think that melody is important and indispensable in every kind of music. When you look at the layer of riffs, you will notice it’s the same music; only certain patterns are selected and arranged in a different way. Besides, Martyna's vocals add some delicacy, which makes everything sound much more melodic.

Are either of you involved in any other musical projects?
Martyna: At the moment Piotr is playing guitars for another polish death metal band Puki ‘Mahlu. I am singing for a Dublin based alternative rock band Photosonic Orchestra.

Can you tell us more about the EP that to be honest I think is rather awesome?
Martyna: Thanks! The EP came to existence rather unexpectedly. First we recorded Eclipse which is actually based on a synth pop (!) version that I made ages ago with a band called Liu Cain. One evening we had a great party, and after a few drinks we decided that the song would sound rather epic in a metal setting. I am very attached to the lyrics of the song; they’re very dear to me. Liu Cain never released it and I didn’t want for this song to go to waste. So we made an experiment (sober, this time) and Piotr completely rearranged it. The new shape and form really put a life into this tune. We really liked the result. Next we recorded Mysterons (Portishead cover), and the rest followed quickly. We are currently working on a bunch of new songs, so stay tuned!

And how would you describe the music to those unfamiliar with your style?
Martyna: Tough question. It’s so hard to classify your own music – it’s like trying to describe your own child. You simply cannot be objective. I’d say our music is dark and heavy yet melodic, with a few progressive bits here and there. The final judgement is, of course, up to the listeners. If they say we play folk, then we probably do ;)

Where was the EP recorded and what was the studio experience like?
Martyna: We recorded everything at home. As there is only the two of us, the recording experience is very fast and hassle-free – Piotr prepares the music and final mixes, and I write the lyrics and add my vocals. We would like to record the upcoming LP in a proper studio, though.

And has there been any media reaction to the EP so far?
Martyna: As we are a newcomer and the name Lady Maggot has not have much exposure yet, the reaction has been limited. We are self-released and try to promote ourselves, so obviously we haven’t been able to reach many listeners. So far the overall reaction has been positive.

UMBRA...Can you explain its meaning?
Martyna: Umbra means shadow; the dark side of the moon if you will. In the song, it’s a safe place to hide, an escape from reality. We all face days when everything around seems dull and rotten, and we want to leave everything behind and run away. To me, art and music offer such an escape to a better world, ‘where we don’t crawl like maggots’…
I also impersonate Umbra with a Lady – an inhuman entity that we summon when we feel the need to escape.

And the name LADY MAGGOT, would you like to fill me in, even though I think the last question starts to put me in the picture?
Martyna: Yay, as already partly explained above – the Lady of the Maggots is this entity which I made up, the person saving us from the dullness, offering an escape into art. Umbra could be one of her names. Think of her as an ancient goddess. Maggots are people – parasites of the Earth… The name Lady Maggot is of dualistic nature – to me ‘Lady’ implies purity, light and dignity, while ‘Maggot’ is something rotten, dirty and dark. A bit like our music I think. And of course the name could be seen as a pun referring to Lady Gaga.

Ireland tends to have this Celtic tradition, so what is the Rock and Metal scene actually like in Ireland at present
Martyna: Rock music seems to have a very strong following here. This is probably due to the success of U2 which resulted in dozens of cover bands and sound-alikes. It is very strange how often you come across very good musicians who would not be interested in making their own music, and how often you find people who really enjoy cover bands. They work well as a soundtrack for your pint I suppose. The metal scene is almost non-existent when you compare it to the Polish metal scene. It’s pretty much the niche market here. If you go to a random metal gig in Dublin, I guarantee you that at least 75% of the audience will be ‘continental’. Probably this is why a lot of bands would skip Ireland while doing their world tour. Having said that, I can see this trend is changing slowly and more and more big metal bands are announcing shows in Ireland, like Dimmu Borgir recently.

Musically, who or what are your musical inspirations, and what/who do you listen to when you are chilling out or relaxing?
Martyna: My personal gurus are Anneke van Giersbergen, who I hope will reunite with The Gathering one day, and the Edvardsen sisters who used to sing in the Norwegian bands The Third And The Mortal and Atrox. Otherwise I listen to plenty of different stuff depending on my mood. Recently: good old Black Sabbath.

Piotr: The most influential to me as a musician would be: Nevermore, Morbid Angel, Death, Pestilence, Gorguts... and many, many more.

And do any of you have any hobbies when not making music?
Martyna: I enjoy an occasional hunt for craft/specialty beers and I’ve been considering brewing my own beer! I often visit concerts and music festivals. I like good photography, which I would like to see more often as a medium illustrating music.

Piotr: Basically my whole life revolves around music - if I don’t play myself then I listen to other music and see other bands’ gigs.

What band/artist would you just love to tour with and hang out with if given the chance?
Martyna: I think Devin Townsend would be so much fun to tour with!

Piotr: Hmmm, maybe Kreator?

Do you have any future musical ambitions and are there any plans to do any gigs or record a full length album?
Martyna: We are currently working on a few new songs which will end up on our full length album. Possibly a few gigs soon in a full band setting. There are plans for a video as well. We definitely aim high with this project!

Well, thank you for your time and good luck in all your future endeavours. We wish you all the very best for the future, and if you are Birmingham (UK) way, please come and find us. Finally is there anything that you would like to say to anybody across the world via this website?
Martyna: Thank you for your time! We would like to encourage everybody to download our EP for free from here, find us on Facebook, and to all metal and rock chicks out there: keep rocking!