Q&A: Nü Cros
This week, we caught up with Kevin and Dylan from Glasgow punk band Nü Cros to discuss the bands latest release - For me, Before. We get stuck into the bands origins, breakout festival and support slots, as well as what’s next for the band?
Check out our Q&A below:
1. Nü Cros has made quite an impact on Glasgow’s underground scene. Can you tell us how the band came together and what inspired you to form this noise-driven punk outfit?
Kevin: Me and Jude met whilst in school and were friends for a few years before we picked any instruments up. Jude began playing drums and I thought, I guess I’ll play guitar and it started from that. Lots of jamming up Jude’s room and lots of experimenting took us here. We met Dylan and David through some friends of ours in the music scene and really clicked with them in the studio, really once Dylan came in that was when we pursued our sound and energy we have now.
2. Glasgow’s underground scene is known for its raw energy and tight-knit community. How did coming up in that environment help shape Nü Cros, both in terms of your sound and your attitude as a band?
Kevin: Yeah, Glasgow has a quite a tight knit community, almost a bit too tight knit if you get me. We found ourselves not really feeling any belonging at times and I think that really drove us to keep improving our sound and makes us have a good attitude about what we are doing since we have to believe in our selves due to feeling alienated at times. Don’t get me wrong though, there are great bands in Glasgow and a lot of them are our friends. The scene we came up in as well back in 2019 has pretty much vanished and now hopefully a better and more inclusive one will take its place.
3. Your EP, For Me, Before, has just dropped—how has the reception been so far? What does this release mean to you, both musically and personally?
Kevin: It’s been great so far, a lot of much appreciated feedback and praise from our fans and friends alike. Personally it was a hard one for myself, since I had a lot of loss happen during the recording process and I fell away from the songs at times, I’m just glad they are out now and people can find their own meanings and connections with the songs.
4. Tracks like ‘DIRT’ and ‘FALLING’ bring intense energy but also a melancholic feel. Can you walk us through the creative process behind these songs and what you were trying to capture with them?
Dylan: With songs like Dirt and Falling; we take a lot of inspiration from emotions that come to us naturally and it expresses itself through our music. With the heavy guitars combined with Kev’s lyricism it really makes a song feel heavy without necessarily being “heavy music.”
5. In songs like ‘DLAW,’ you confront serious issues like exploitation in the music industry. What do you think bands and the wider community can do to help create safer spaces in the scene?
Dylan: Bands can help by speaking out on issues such as these considering how prominent it is in the local music industry whether you’re involved or just watching local shows.
6. You’ve supported acts like Lip Critic, DITZ, and Bandit Country, and played alongside big names like Gilla Band at Core Festival. How have these experiences shaped the band’s growth?
Dylan: Playing Core was a mental thing for us all. Being on the same bill as bands like Gilla band, Show Me The Body, Glitterer etc really sort of instilled that feeling of knowing we’re doing something right. This year’s been an amazing year in terms of the shows we’ve been blessed to play, that includes Supersonic in Paris which was a fairytale in its own right. We’ve come a huge way as a band through it all.
7. Now that the EP is out and your reputation is growing, what do you want people to feel or experience when they listen to your music or see you live?
Dylan: Of course we want people to enjoy it - we certainly did while making it. As for songs like DLAW, we just want people to heed the message and be vigilant about violence happening around them. That includes at our live shows. The crowd needs to look out for each other, and most importantly just have fun.
8. What's coming up for Nü Cros in the near future?
Dylan: Back to writing and getting more songs out there for everyone. I think we’re all still learning as we go along and we’re excited to see what comes out of this band for us all.