PIT TALK

introducing
Open Shores
Words: Chloe Painter Photo: Brian James Nicholson
Formed in January of this year, Open Shores are already
making an impression within the hardcore community.
Whilst stemming from Newcastle, the band assure us it has
nothing to do with reality series Geordie Shore… Bassist
Ollie Petrie notes that during the early days of formation,
the five-piece, “had been stuck on a name for like two
weeks and were at the point where we needed to agree on
one.” Frontman Mark Watt put forward Open Shores during
practice where they “all instantly liked it.”
Their debut single Day By Day, along with it’s intense video
was released on 16 March, receiving positive reviews, as
well as gaining over a thousand Youtube hits in its first 24
hours of upload. Talking about the single’s release, Petrie
recalls how it was the first song the band wrote after vocalist
Mark joined the band and the impact he made on their
sound, “we had the basics of the track down but his vocals
and really powerful lyrics made the song what it is now. So it
was fitting to make this our debut to say ‘this is us’.”
Pulling influence from bands such as Devil Sold His Soul
and Architects, Petrie reveals his inspirations have come
from the, “pioneers of the metalcore genre like Parkway
Drive and August Burns Red.” As for their sound, Petrie
explains, “we love to write heavy music but making it sound
big, melodic and powerful is what we are going for. Think of
contrast from melodic and mature clean sections, technical
riffs and anthemic choruses.”
The positive reception from their debut single has left Petrie
and the lads eager to put more music out there, revealing,
“we want to release an 8-track mini album of which we
currently have 5 songs written.” As for their immediate future,
the Geordie boys are planning to finish their album plus,
“possibly film another music video and get merch designed
and printed”, with the hopes of touring the debut album
extensively and securing some festival slots next year. With
an expanding fanbase opening their ears to Open Shores,
the quintet has immense potential to ensure a promising and
fulfilling next chapter.
08 PIT TALK