An Interview With: Set The Sun

Set The Sun are a Post Hardcore band from Dallas Texas who, although only having formed in 2010, have a remarkable following! I was lucky enough to have an interview with Alex Summers, drummer and co-founder of the band. Here he talks about the band; how it all started, new music, what’s to come as well as about a kid named Wolfie who can do ninja tricks. Enjoy!

Starting off with a little history about the band. When and how did the band form? And how did the name Set The Sun come about? Is there a story there?
David and I (Alex) started the band in Senior year of high school. We had played in a cover band before we decided to write any originals. After we had some songs, we wanted to play a show, but still didn’t have a name. “Set The Sun” was actually a twist off “Swim The Sun”, which was from a list of band names that one of our friends had made. We wanted something that was simple and could stick with people.

If you had to describe the bands overall sound in 3 imaginative words, what would they be?
Agressive, Energetic, Bouncy.

Who would you say that as a band your main influences are? Who would you compare yourselves to?
Right now, my personal inspiration is Bring Me The Horizon’s “Shadow Moses”. As a band, our favorite artists include Architects, Of Mice & Men, Memphis May Fire, Pierce The Veil, Sleeping With Sirens, and even bands such as the Gorillaz and Say Anything.

Is there one song in particular, by any existing band or artist, that as a band you wish you’d written and why?
“Shadow Moses” by Bring Me The Horizon. It’s perfectly structured, perfectly heavy, and has incredible meaning.

I’ve heard some pretty horrific stories from bands about their first live shows, what was your first ever live show like?

Our bassist played in his pajamas. It was pretty bad.

You guys have played some pretty exciting festivals! What’s been the best show you’ve ever played and why?
It wasn’t our biggest, but our first time through Amarillo, TX was pretty gnarly. It was on our first tour with another Dallas band, and the crowd had so much energy despite the freezing weather outside. It was a lot of fun.

Any funny band/live show stories you wouldn’t mind sharing?
One time we met this kid on tour named “Wolfie”. He could do ninja tricks with a samurai sword. It was scary, but awesome.

Is there anything that inspires you when you are writing the music and lyrics to your songs?
We try to put ourselves in different peoples’ shoes. When we write songs, we want to represent what it’s like to be at the lowest low, and inspire fans to rise out of that.

What was it like recording for your debut music video? It’s a really good music video might I add! What’s the basic story behind it?
Thanks! It was a lot of fun! We knew we had wanted to do something that showcased our live performance, but we also wanted to have a theme along with it. The story is about being used and lied to in a relationship and how it can make people feel worthless and unimportant.

If you could choose any bands to go on tour with, i.e. a dream line up/dream team; who would they be and why?
ARCHITECTS, OF MICE & MEN, BRING ME THE HORIZON. Why not?

I hear you’re due to record with Kellen Mcgregor from Memphis May Fire. Are you guys looking forward to it? What exactly do you have in store for your fans?

Yes, we are planning on going to him in April to release an EP with all new songs that we’ve written with our new lineup. However, we’ve got a couple singles that we’ve self-produced that are coming out soon (they’re almost done!) to show fans our new sound. Expect music that is darker, faster, even creepy at times.

And finally, seeing as we gave America One Direction, can the UK have you guys?
Me and Shawn were talking about this yesterday. UK bands are the best! We’d love to tour there.