“Remember the uncertainty that greeted Avenged Sevenfold being announced as headliners of Download [in 2014]? I thought that was an incredibly brave and important decision by the promoters. Last summer we played some of the biggest stadiums in Europe and we know that our music can work on a big scale.”
Wild Lies frontman Matt Polley pulls no punches when estimating their potential – and the High Wycombe mob’s mix of classic metal song structures with a polished modern sheen has seen them unite both younger fans and the old guard.
Best friends since toddlers, Matt and bassist Dylan Smith had always dreamt of being rock stars and were making steady progress until “it all got too serious” for the drummer and guitarist of their first band. Hooking up three years ago with Zak Muller and Andre Ruffell, a couple of fresh-faced axemen from local rivals Vintage Crow, and drummer Luke Wilson, Wild Lies have since racked up their fair share of pub and club support slots and, at the other end of the spectrum, appeared at Download and Sonisphere.
While Matt and Dylan are still themselves in their 20s, they’re quick to joke that their younger bandmates help to merge the cross-generational potential the band possess. “To those guys, ‘old’ means Alice In Chains… that’s as far back as they go,” Matt chuckles.
To be captured later this year on a full-length debut, the result is an ear-grabbing mix of classic rock riffage and more cutting-edge sounds.
“My own influences are traditional – I love Led Zeppelin, Maiden, Whitesnake and Def Leppard. Choruses are very important,” explains Matt. “But we try to marry the old school with the new school and break a few boundaries.”
WILD LIES LANDS LATER THIS YEAR VIA WILD RECORDINGS
