Tuesday 11th August 2015

Dig Lazarus

We feature the work of Leicester band Dig Lazarus.

A band that started in late 2011 and which has three members who come from the Midlands –

Ash Tustain, guitar and vocals,

Jack Cotterill, drums and percussion,

Atticus Hall-McNair, bass and backing vocals.

Things that stand out

about Dig Lazarus include

They won the Original Bands Showcase in 2015

They played on the main stage of the De Montfort Hall, at the Simon Says… festival

The band has, as its influences: Queens of the Stone Age, The Subways, Eagles of Death Metal, Muse, Biffy Clyro, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers etc…

Interview

Trevor Locke asks Dig Lazarus

Trevor: How come the strange name?

DL: Dig Lazarus comes from the Nick Cave song and album Dig, Lazarus, Dig! Whilst his music doesn’t play much of a part in our influences his glorious moustache is something that can’t be ignored.

Trevor: When was your first gig and how did it go?

DL: Our first gig was actually a birthday do. A fairly drunken affair but it was a good opportunity for us to dust off the cobwebs and see how well we all worked together on and off the stage. As far as I can remember it went pretty well. It couldn’t have been too bad else we might not still be here.

Trevor: If I were to describe your style of music to someone who had never heard you before, what would I say?

DL: We like to describe our music as ‘balls out rock and roll’. Energetic and powerful with some killer riffs.

Trevor: How did the three of you get together in the first place?

DL: Well, me (Jack, Drummer) and Ash (Vocals/Guitar) were already together in the band but required a bassist after the previous one had left to go to uni. Ash had known Atticus for a while and they had been in bands together when they were younger. Ash gave him a text, and after a quick practice in the garage the rest is history.

Trevor: Is your music based on the influences of any other band?

DL: We have a multitude of influences. Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal, pretty much anything Josh Homme is involved in actually. And then bands going back to Led Zep and DC all the way up to modern bands such as Monster Truck, Virgin Mary’s and Crobot.

Biog

Dig Lazarus started in late 2011. I first saw them at the OBS; they won the finals in May of this year (2015) 

It was the tenth time the OBS had been held and the band’s name was added to the roll-call of previous winners 

Writing about their performance that night I said

With two strong vocalists and an energetic stage presence, Dig Lazarus connected their had something to connect the band to the music.- songs that had plenty of pulse and punch that energised the room, giving the audience to bounce to. They delivered the kind of set that rock fans crave.

That win got them on to the stage at the Riverside festival in June

I noted:

The winners of this year’s OBS for bands – Dig Lazarus – provided some robustly energetic sounds, delivered with lashings of stage activity. The band beat over 40 other acts to take the top prize in this year’s showcase. It was a fizzing set that delighted rock fans and gave some music-goers an introduction to something new that they would not have seen before. [Music in Leicester]

When I saw Dig Lazarus at The Shed in September 2014, I said:

Have you ever walked into a venue and found a band playing you had never seen before? When I walked into The Shed tonight a band was playing its last song and it instantly grabbed me. That band was Dig Lazarus. The song had fine, driving rhythms, simple, immediate beats; it was a tune you could not ignore. OK I did not see the first part of their set but if this last song was anything to go by, seeing them again would be very worthwhile [Music in Leicester]

Dig Lazarus is a band that most people would not easily for get; even if they came upon them by chance, not having seen them before. Fans of rock music response to bands that have a strong presence on the stage and a set of songs that fire people with enthusiasm. With this band, those are things that are not in short supply.

Follow Dig Lazarus on Facebook

See also:

Our round-up of live music in July

Chasing Cadence in Leicester

The Fanklys in Leicester