The Songs Behind: The Nightmares
Discover the songs that shaped the The Nightmares on the day of their album release show at Clwb Ifor Bach, celebrating new record 'Fire In Heaven'
Photo Credit: Tom Damsell
This week is undoubtedly the biggest in the history of The Nightmares so far, with the release of new single 'Letting It All Go', their second album 'Fire In Heaven', and tonight they cap it all off with a huge headline show at the iconic Clwb Ifor Bach.
The Newport five-piece have fast gained a following for being one of the most creative minded groups in the alt scene, and the launch of this new album has epitomised that. Not only is this record a sensational example of how sonic boundaries can be pushed, it is also fine proof of how crucial the overlap between visual and audio media is. Each single released in the build up to the new album has been paired with a music video that completes the next instalment of a continuous narrative spanning them all, all focused around the emotional journey of main character 'Blue'
This album is undoubtedly one of the best of the year so far, spanning alt-genres and a variety of creative approaches to create The Nightmare's most intricate body of work to date. The songs are sensational on record, and with even more live shows on the way, I am convinced these songs will go off on stage too
To celebrate this huge week in the history of The Nightmares I am joined by Vocalist & Guitarist Adam Parslow (A) to hear more about the new projects, before discovering the songs that shaped Bassist Benjamin T. Mainwaring (B) through my 'Songs Behind' feature
How have you found the process of writing the second album compared to the first?
A: "The process for this record was very different from our first album which we wrote remotely, during lockdown, over email exchanges. This time round we got to do everything together in the rehearsal room. We also became a 5 piece at the end of 2023, so that really elevated our sound with Craig joining on lead guitar."
What was the motivation behind creating this larger narrative concept for the music videos?
A: "We just wanted to create a world around the songs and came up with the main character “Blue”, whose story plays out across the 4 music videos. We hope people can connect with her.'"
How excited are you, and how important is it, to be returning to such an iconic venue in Clwb Ifor Bach for the album release show?
A: "We are so excited to be returning to Clwb Ifor Bach. Last time we played there was a while ago with Salem and Bad Nerves, so to get to headline such a legendary Welsh music venue is really an honour."
Favourite Song to Play Live:
'Murder Season - The Nightmares ft. Will Gould'
B: "'Murder Season’ is usually my personal favourite… but I’m excited to play ‘Letting It All Go’ off our new record too!"
Song That Reminds You of Your Childhood:
'Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones' & 'Pride (In The Name Of Love) - U2'
B: "I’d probably say either ‘Gimme Shelter’ by The Rolling Stones or ‘Pride’ by U2. I have very strong memories of being in the back of my parents’ car listening to those songs."
First Album You Brought:
'Americana - The Offspring'
B: "Technically, my dad bought it, but I’d say it was a joint effort… so ‘Americana’ by The Offspring."
Song That Made You Want to Be a Musician:
'With Or Without You - U2'
B: "I have very early memories of listening to my dad’s U2 tapes… I don’t really think I understood what it was that moved me so much about listening to a song like 'With Or Without You', but I have lots of memories of having a cd / cassette player with me and listening to that song in different parts of my home as a child.
As I grew older, I realised that the atmosphere / mood was created by the driving bass line in the song and that bass - as an instrument - was such an integral part of the U2 sound. Although the bass line in the song is very simple - there’s something so beautiful & haunting about it that really captured my imagination. So, although I probably didn’t realise it at the time, I’ll say ‘With Or Without You’ by U2 is the song that made me want to pick up a bass."
Song That Gets You Through Hard Times:
'The American Scream - Alkaline Trio'
B: "There are SO MANY I could choose here… but I’ll go with ‘The American Scream’ by Alkaline Trio (The acoustic version from 'Damnesia', to be specific)."
A Song You Would Have Loved to Write:
'Love You to Death - Type O Negative'
B: "Last time I did one of these I think I said ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ by Simple Minds, so this time I’m going to change it up and say ‘Love You To Death’ by Type O Negative."
Song You'd Put On at a Party:
B: 'Your Silent Face - New Order'
Favourite Song of all Time:
'Down - blink-182'
B: "That’s such a difficult one to answer. I can’t say I have one definitive song… but I do have one definitive band. So, I’ll go with ‘Down’ by my all time favourite band, blink-182. "
Song You are Most Proud Of:
'Letting It All Go - The Nightmares', 'Siren Song - The Nightmares' & 'Melancholy Waltz - The Nightmares'
B: "We really pushed ourselves on our new album (‘Fire In Heaven’) so I’d probably say ‘Letting It All Go’, ‘Siren Song’ or 'Melancholy Waltz’ from that record."
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