REGRESS: LONDON, UK
With their debut EP on the legendary Rucktion Records, London hardcore mob Regress perfectly capture not only the energy of their home city but also the harshness. This dichotomy unfolds over the five explosive tracks that make up their EP that came out this past January. In Effect’s Gavin Brown had the pleasure of catching up with Regress guitarist Loz who told us all about the EP, Regress as a band, working with Rucktion and just how London has shaped their sound and outlook. Graphics: Jeff Snapshot. Regress band members: Marcy-vocals, Loz- guitar, Eddie-drums, Raina-bass, Lucas-guitar.
IE: Your self-titled debut EP came out at the start of the year. Have you been pleased with the reaction it has had so far?
Loz: The reaction was massive… we couldn’t be happier. Getting to release it on Rucktion Records was basically a dream come true for us… massive respect for all those guys that paved the way. It’s an honour to have their backing on our debut release.
IE: What have been the biggest influences on the sound and outlook of it?
Loz: We are all just massively influenced by the London scene in general… everything from Rucktion and the LBU guys would be our biggest influences for sure musically. Lyrically speaking and visually, Regress is about the depravity of London living, personal struggles and is very politically driven.
ALL REGRESS LIVE PHOTOS BY: @TJFN
IE: Joe Affray, Closed Hands and Agency all appear on the EP. What was that like having such close friends on there?
Loz: Myself and Marcy have known both Mel and Joe for years now… we wanted to keep any features to people we were close with for this release. Joe actually was originally the second vocalist and wrote the lyrics for “Soaked In Betrayal”, and Mel did that part as a guestie at our first show so naturally it only made sense to have them on the final release also.
IE: How did you hook up with Rucktion in the first place?
Loz: The Agency boys got there first, so we just tried our luck really. A few of us have known the guys behind Ruckton for some time now so we already had a good relationship through the scene already. A couple of us are promoters who have put on Rucktion bands and we have played with a bunch too… plus our guitarist Lucas is also in Agency, so it just made sense to reach out. Genuinely couldn’t be happier to carry the Rucktion flag.
ALL REGRESS LIVE PHOTOS BY: @TJFN
IE: Are you working on any new music at the minute that you can tell us about and when that might be expected?
Loz: We are working on it. There’s one new song in the set list already so if you catch us live you can get a taste for what’s to come. Unfortunately, our boy Lucas is having to move back to the States so we have a new guitarist getting acclimated to us at the moment but we will be writing more, whether it’s for another EP or a split… only time will tell.
IE: Can you talk us through the members of Regress?
Loz: Standard hardcore fans, we do it for the love of the game.
CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO REGRESS’ DEBUT ON BANDCAMP 
IE: What led to the band getting together as Regress?
Loz: Myself and Marcy (vocals) are both a part of Cut & Run Collective putting on shows in London and one day Marcy put in our chat that they wanted to do a two vocals beatdown band in the vein of Prowler, Bun Dem Out etc. I jumped at the opportunity. Marcy then put a call out on Instagram and it all came together pretty quick. We wrote “Reapers Grip” in our first session together and knew we had something.
IE: Who are the biggest influences on the sound of Regress?
Loz: UKHC greats as I mentioned before. Bands like Bun Dem Out, Prowler and then bands like Splitknuckle, Ironed Out, Special Move, Proven, Hellbent Diehard, Kartel, Nine Bar, Diction to name a few.
IE: How much of an influence is London on your outlook and the music you make?
Loz: Massively… the London lifestyle and cultures have a big play on the hardcore scene here. We just so happen to be in pretty dire times living in the capital so that just amplifies the quality and popularity of hardcore in general here. We’re just one of many coming up right now with that connection to the city.
IE: What bands exemplify London hardcore for you?
Loz: If we are talking of all time then Nine Bar and Knuckledust, hands down, but right now, King Street and Low Life are killing it. The homies in Headstone, Agency, Bullet, Mashaal and Dynamite are all doing bits right now repping London.
IE: How did your show at the Reality Unfolds Festival go earlier in the year?
Loz: It was a shaky start. Eddie our drummer was running late so we started setting up the kit as we were supposed to go on but we got that done as quickly as possible and just ran with it. We were still able to play our full set despite the minor setback. Thanks Theo X… All in all it was a great set, and mint weekend.
IE: What have been some of the most memorable shows that you have played so far?
Loz: Our first show was something special… Cut & Run put it on so it was just a big family thing for the King Street album release. As well as that, supporting Bulldoze as our second show was mental. Supporting Torture was up there too, as well as the first “Presented By LBU” show was amazing to be a part of.
IE: Which newer hardcore bands are out there right now that you feel are pushing the scene forward?
Loz: Make Way, Mashaal, Agency, Headstone, Impemanent, Empty Threat Lets Av It, Held In Contempt, Bullet.
IE: What else have Regress got planned for the rest of the year that you can tell us about?
Loz: Right now our main focus is on getting physicals sorted for this EP. We will have CD’s and tapes available soon via Rucktion Records plus a new t-shirt design to go alongside the EP. Other than that, more of the same. We aren’t slowing down any time soon.
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