Since their last ‘usual’ record, 2010’s ‘We Were Exploding Anyway’, 65daysofstatic have been busy with touring, soundtracking, remixing and collaborating with artists, scientists, computer game makers and dancers. 2012 and 2013, however, sees them heading back to doing what they do best - writing a new studio record that they can take back out on the road.
65’s early years marked them as a band impossible to define. In a certain light, sure, they were a ‘postrock’ band, sharing stages and a mastery of dynamics with stalwarts like Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. If observers only got as far as their multi-syllabled name and never listened to 65 on record or saw one of their hectic live shows though, they’ve been missing out. 65daysofstatic are walking a very different path.
Their first live shows were a confusion of bootlegs, drum machines and dance beats. Early tours found them playing drum’n’bass clubs as often as headlining rock venues.
Developing their sound over their first three albums saw flitting between disciplines at will. 2007 brought a back-of-the-van tour of America with post-hardcore bands. A year later they returned as an ‘arena band’, opening up for The Cure for months, playing to hundreds of thousands of people. They carved themselves out an unclassifiable brand of noise that appealed on a fundamental level across the board, allowing them to conduct punk-rock stage-invasions at festivals like Dour, mould abrasive noise into unlikely anthems on a huge scale at mega-festivals like Summersonic, and create tents full of glitchy, angular dancing at Glade festival with equal success.
We Were Exploding Anyway saw them up their game significantly. They focussed on bringing dance beats and soaring guitar noise to the forefront of their sound and lifting their fearsome live show to the next level. Their uniqueness let them transcend the usual festival circuit and embark on new adventures. Warehouse raves in deepest, darkest Russia? Check. Waking up thousands of Japanese dance-festival-goers by walking onstage at 6am as the sun rises above a forest outside Tokyo? Check. Winning over Metal-fans with a brain-meltingly loud Sonisphere set before heading off to Edinburgh Festival for a five night residency live-soundtracking interpretive dance in the same week? Check.
The 18 months of touring WWEA finished in spring 2011 with two sold-out, back-to-back shows in Singapore. The rest of that year was taken up with the unexpected success of their Silent Running Project. Originally conceived as a two- nights-only performance for Glasgow Film Festival, the exceptional response to what
65daysofstatic managed to achieve (90 minutes of brand new material, performed precisely in sync to the film) meant more and more Silent Running performances got booked. Their fans clamored for a soundtrack album.
In November, 65daysofstatic released their Silent Running re-score on their own Dustpunk Records label. The vinyl sold out before it had even been pressed. Despite the band intending it to be an underground, fans-only release, press that did manage to get hold of copies shouted loudly that it might be 65’s best work yet.
Towards the end of 2011 65daysofstatic finished work for a German computer game soundtrack and started writing their new record in Sheffield.
The first half of 2012 saw the band continue to write and take to the road again with a return trip to Greece and Europe whilst also traveling to previously unexplored territories such as Turkey and Finland.
The summer was taken over by more writing and national and international festivals with the band climbing up festival bills to main stage and headlining slots.
In October, following a well deserved nomination, 65daysofstatic walked away with the ‘Hardest Working Band’ award at the 2012 Aim awards. They finished off the year with a triumphant spot at the Uncaged Monkeys End of the World show, at special request from Brian Cox and Robin Ince and flew out to Australia to begin 2013 oversees.
2013 started with an Asia/Australia tour. Playing in China and Malaysia for the first time. 65daysofstatic are now set to release the follow-up to 2010’s studio album We Were Exploding Anyway later this year. Summer will see the band make festival appearances at Glastonbury, Y Not, ArcTanGent and an extensive European tour will follow, beginning in September.
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