Another in a series of interviews with bands who played at HRH Prog XV. The lovely Erin Bennett joins me to answer the questions nobody usually asks…
DB: Please introduce your band and band members (as performed at HRH PROG 15)
EBB are: Erin Bennett (Guitars, Lead Vocals), Bad Dog (Bass), Anna Fraser (Drums), Nikki Francis (Keys, Sax, Flute), Suna Dasi (Backing Vocals, Synths) and Kitty Biscuits (Backing Vocals, Spoken Word.) I don’t want to tarnish the mystique of our stage performer whom everyone has wound up calling Jenny, but her name is Bunnie.
DB: Did you enjoy the festival? Any highlights/ mishaps/ disasters?
We had a great time! Its always really nice playing at prog festivals in UK. Prog fans here have created this real sense of community – family, really…and many of them have become dear friends of ours. These shows mean the world to us because of them! Our visit to HRH this year was a fly-by one, as we had to jump up and leave early the next morning for a show in Liverpool with the John Hackett Band (who are phenomenal!) But we got to see Hawklords and Headspace who were both excellent! The thing I particularly love about HRH is the late night jam session the Hat’s Off chaps put on, even though I didn’t get to take part this year, we really enjoyed it at HRH XIV!
DB: If you had to change your band name what would it be?
Oh gosh…I’m really not sure. Some years ago, Anna, Dog, Suna, Nikki and Kitty were my backing band. We played various styles of music over the years, but kept ruining it with our prog leanings. Now, as a band band, the guys have a lot more say in where the music goes and that has resulted in what we do now.
So we have ‘ebbed’ away from one musical life into another…as well as a million other high-falutin metaphors we could throw around, I’m sure. Prizes for best one sent to our facebook page. Haha
If we changed the name again now, I’d want it to be something really silly but equally, something that isn’t so easy to get wrong, as apparently ‘EBB’ is…haha
DB: What is your favourite item of clothing? (Doesn’t have to be a stage outfit)
Oh god…to pick one…
My pair of black Doc Marten boots. I live in them. And I have gone through at least 3 pairs in the last 7 or 8 years. If I could have them grafted onto my feet, I’m sure I would do it. As long as it were covered on the NHS.
Dog is very into colour. He really got sick of wearing black so much and now is always covered in brightly coloured and floral designs.
Kitty has a floor-length green leather coat which she loves…I think we all are always fascinated to see what she is going to wear from day to day, though.
Nikki has a favourite poncho.
Basically, we are a commune which was built around music many years ago. We all hail from different countries and ‘classes’, different upbringings and educations…each of us with a different perspective on life, the universe and everything. As a result, you can see varied styles of dress throughout which reflects the eclecticism of us as a group of people.
DB: What is your favourite trash TV programme? (Can be Netflix etc)
Well, my favourite TV program full stop is Star Trek TNG. Can’t be classified as ‘trash’ though…so I’ll say the closest thing I come to trashy tv is my addiction to true crime documentaries. There was one ‘doco series’ on the BBC called Murder 24/7 that had 3 seasons…and I’m antsy as hell for them to release another. In the meantime I’m very much into the Mr. Ballen’s Strange, Dark and Mysterious podcast which is true crime, true mysteries and truly strange stories. And he tells them really well.
DB: Books or computer games? And which ones?
Both really. Typically in books, I’m far more non-fiction than fiction. Or at least stories based on true events. I adore anything historical. I’ve been very interested in the 15 years of of scientific research books to come out, such as ‘Sapiens’ by Yuval Noah Harari, ‘Why We Sleep’ by Matthew Walker and the latest book by Professor David Nutt ‘Psychedelics’ which delves into the use of psilocybin to treat various mental health conditions. I also like reading biographies.
However, currently I’ve been reading Neil Stephenson’s ‘Reamde’ which is all about a computer virus which has infected a particular massive multiplayer online role-playing game, similar to World of Warcraft…the virus harvests and holds for ransom player data in order to gain crypto currency … which leads nicely into my LOVE of video games. All video games from Atari, NES, N64 (which was a favourite console), and Playstation. I was recently converted into the world of Xbox, which I’m finally getting used to. Up there among the best, for me, are any of the original Super Mario Bros, Legend of Zelda and the Goldeneye 64 (which was just ground breaking!) PC game-wise, I have played Warcraft pretty much since it came out a billion years ago. And then when I fancy a change, I zombie out building houses on SIMS like some wanna-be architect. I’m also guilty of playing all the Star Trek MMORPG’s.
DB: If you had to be an animal which one would you be and why?
A goat, for sure. Because essentially, I already am one. I leap about like a hyperactive pygmy goat and tend to ‘faint’ when something scares the hell out of me. But I’m also incredibly driven and stubborn in achieving my goals so…a goat butting its head. I expect my friends to tell me if I start growing a beard, though.
DB: Pick one superpower
Time travel – I would want to see all of the eras that really interest me…and possibly, if I’m feeling mischievous, make some changes. (I guess that would break the Temporal Prime Directive though…hmmm…)
I’d also find it useful to rewind time ever so slightly to give me a few extra hours a day to get stuff done. And maybe go forward a bit and learn lottery numbers…oh I don’t know. Just sounds like fun!
DB: Describe your music to an alien who has just landed on Earth
Bloody hell….
A lyrical description of the human condition set to a sound track that toys with the biological function of emotions and eventually leaves you sitting there wondering what species you even are…. IF you’re listening to the album…
If you’re watching a live show, I’d simply say, ‘Don’t worry…not all humans are like this.’
DB: What is the most annoying thing in life?
Loud chewers.
DB: What’s on the cards for the band over the next year?
Having just finished our latest album, we expect to play around the UK some more to promote it, with a view of crossing the pond and reaching our European friends.
We in EBB, also have another musical project, KROW, who we are gearing up for recording the first album for. That’s very much at the front of our thinking in the coming months.
DB: Anything else you want to share or plug with the HRH readers
‘The Mirror’, our latest album, is out November 30th on CD and Digital download. It can be purchased from our Bandcamp page (ebbband.bandcamp.com) and if you want to get all the latest updates on where we will be performing, please consider subscribing to our mailing list, or even better, become a Patron on our Patreon page!
GET EBB’s NEW ALBUM ‘THE MIRROR’ HERE: ebbband.bandcamp.com
WEBSITE: https://www.ebbband.com/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/EbbBandUK
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