ROAD TRIPPIN’ TESSERACT
As the tech metallers prepare for bloodstock, singer dan promises his side-projects will never get in the way of progress
At what point does one man have too many bands on the go? daniel Tompkins (vocals): “seven years ago! i’ve started to trim things back; it still looks a bit excessive but tesseract is the main thing and the only live project, so the rest are studio projects that revolve around it. i’ve released 15 records in the last seven to eight years. i’m very proficient at engineering my own voice, so collaborating and creating happens quickly.”
what’s with the crazy outfits for your solo venture’s debut album, Castles?
“i’ve been sitting on this album for four years! i didn’t feel comfortable enough to release it then but now i’m a lot more confident in myself doing something very different. i don’t do make-up and weird headdresses normally, but it’s making me very vulnerable and creating an intense excitement i’ve been missing from music. it’s not only challenged myself but it’s also challenging other people, i’m a heterosexual male in my 30s and i’m almost in drag. it’s created rather awkward conversations with people and that can only be a good thing. i’d do it live if tesseract would let me get away with it!”
Tesseract are hitting bloodstock in August. After 16 years together, what keeps you guys going?
“there’s been a consistent trend with every tesseract album – the first year is a lot of mixed feelings, then 12 months later people say it’s one of their favourite albums. tesseract is a slow-grower and the problem with that is every record is different because we want to keep things fresh, which keeps the fans on their toes. We keep joking about when the almighty descent begins, when we start seeing fewer people at shows and start playing smaller clubs again, but we’re just enjoying the moment and taking it as far as we can.”
what’s the most unusual thing that’s happened at a Tesseract gig?
“i never expected to be thrown out of my own gig. a bouncer dragged me from the stage, through the crowd and threw me out. When we got to the front door, i looked at him and said, ‘oK, i’ve gotta go back now… i’m the singer of the band!’ i was dangling upside-down from the rigging, so he probably thought i was some random holding the singer’s mic!”