How did the band form?
Withyouathome started as my home recording project in the summer of 2011. Once a few songs were recorded and uploaded online, I recruited band members through a social networking site to perform live shows. Soon Wit (drums), Job (bass) and Adam (guitar) got in touch and the four of us started rehearsing. Thankfully, we clicked.
How would you describe your sound?
Post-rock, a subgenre of rock music that uses typical rock music instruments (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, etc.), but is focused on the art of soundscaping rather than writing great riffs. It’s often entirely instrumental but we have vocals on most tracks.
What are your inspirations?
The universe, humanity and all the small things that happen in our everyday lives. We focus on both the world inside our body, and outside.
What do you think of the Bangkok live music scene right now?
I spent over 10 years in the UK before here, and in comparison, Bangkok’s scene is still tiny. There is enormous potential though! Especially in the past year or so, we’ve seen some highly-motivated people take matters into their own hands, which is exactly what we need for a lively scene. Labels, venue owners, promoters, bands and music lovers are all ensuring there’s a steady stream of live shows that keeps the scene active. But bands need to work for the scene, and not only for themselves. I still see too many bands who turn up to shows, play a half-assed set and go back home straight way. They have no interest whatsoever in supporting the people who have organised the event. We are all in it together: venues have to pay rent, promoters have to pay for equipment hire, and bands need money like everyone else.
Favorite live venue in Bangkok?
Harmonica. The owner Put is a great musician himself and he’s been in bands. He knows what we’ve gone through. With that understanding, he opened Harmonica, where bands can play for free, with great equipment and in a nice atmosphere—not to mention a convenient location! It has given so many bands their first shows and provides a home for many promoters. There is no other venue in Bangkok that can deliver the quality Harmonica does at such a low cost.
What can you tell us about the Neighborhood garden party?
It’s organized by a very enthusiastic young group called Neighborhood. It’s a rare opportunity for us bands to make some noise at a library and we are very excited to be a part of it. It’s great to see young people taking the initiative to organize something themselves and we’re happy to have been invited! All the bands sound very different from each other but are awesome all the same. This is a unique chance to see some of the best music the Bangkok indie scene has to offer right now.
What are your future plans?
We released our debut album last year [Our Lives Are All Very Forgettable Events In The Universe] and we’ll mainly be promoting that this year with regular live shows. But we’re constantly writing, so whenever there is enough new music we’ll be releasing it. We are also really hoping to play abroad this year—maybe Malaysia, maybe Japan... not sure yet!
