ELEPHANT TREE

How one chance pint (or six) formed one of the stoner scene’s most unique young bands THE WORLD OF

music is full of happy accidents: small decisions that make for huge moments, from James Hetfield answering Lars Ulrich’s ad in a local music shop to a shoeless Ozzy Osbourne being accepted into the band then known as Earth due to no other reason than him owning his own PA system. Now you can add the impromptu drink that drummer Sam Hart and guitarist Jack Townley went for in their local pub to that list – a drink that culminated in the formation of Elephant Tree.

“We just went out for a beer and bumped into Pete [Holland, bassist/vocalist],” Sam tells us. “We were fans of his other bands and we just asked if he fancied coming down and having a jam with us.”

Unfortunately for the guys, however, their future bassist was a few too many sheets to the wind to remember their meeting.

“Yeah, he was that pissed,” laughs Sam. “But he turned up at our rehearsal space one night on the off-chance after he got a ‘random text’ from a bloke called Jack telling him to come down. He didn’t recognise any of us.”

Pete’s memory may have not clicked into place when he got with the other Elephant Tree members to jam, but everything else certainly soon did.

The band quickly concocted an oddly unique blend of huge stoner riffing, progressive rock and subtle, nuanced melody that can be heard on their fantastic new album, Habits.

“I know the other guys are very much into that Desertfest scene, but I don’t listen to much metal”, says Sam. “I like it, but I guess my influences are quite different. I much prefer folk, our other guitarist John is into Irish trad and electronic music, and Pete is an oldschool musician and he holds us all together.”

Despite forming and being embraced by the UK’S stoner community, Elephant Tree really stand out from the pack. Ironically, it seems to be their acceptance of their own limitations that has seen them branch out the furthest.

“Bands like Conan can play heavier than us,” Sam tells us. “We thought we could write half-decent songs, so we forged other areas. There’s no point trying to do something that other people have done better.” The moral of the story: it’s always worth a pop down the pub.

SOUNDS LIKE: Stoner rock for academics – big riffs, Pink Floyd and Radiohead

FOR FANS OF: Pallbearer, Mastodon,

Mogwai

LISTEN TO:

Faceless

HABITS IS OUT NOW VIA HOLY ROAR