Mallory Knox | Full Interview

We just went in with the mentality of trying to be our favourite band.

So album number two is upon us, what did you really want from this one sound-wise?

We never really went into the album with a specific sound in mind, we just went in with the mentality of trying to be our favourite band, like we did on ‘Signals’, whatever that sounded like. Much like any band we just wanted to write songs we love and it could have been anything. It was exciting for us because we didn’t know how it was going to turn out.

You’ve said before that it sounds more ‘grown up’?

I think it’s more to the point this time. Once we started writing the first couple of songs that we were happy with we started to understand what we were going for. We were nailing it in terms of how we wanted to do it, we went in with a blank sheet and once we started filling that up a little bit it was clearer where we were heading. If we wanted to do a heavy song, it was really heavy. If we wanted to do a catchy song it was really catchy. With ‘Signals’ we were still trying to find our feet a little bit, but with this one, we just went with it.

Obviously you’re older and hopefully wiser than when you made the debut?

Yeah, I think that’s a lot to do with the song topics and the album name as well. Not that we’re different people as such but we’re definitely under different circumstances in terms of the fact that we’re signed to a major label. Not just with the band but personally as well, being away from family, friends and whatever; it affects relationships. That’s essentially what the album is about, I think we’ve worked out the name ‘Asymmetry’ really well.

You were recording it down the road from us at Moles, then you had to stop because of the fire…

Yeah it was such a strange one. We really got accustomed to it and learned to love the place, we learned to love the fact that if Dave was doing his drums at 11.00 at night, we could pop downstairs to the club and have a beer. All of a sudden we went home for the weekend, left all of our gear there and the next thing we know we’re getting tweets and messages saying the studios on fire asking if we’re still alive. It was like, great, my bass and my cab are gone then. We went back to pick up our gear and it was proper heartbreaking, it was horrible to see it like that. I hope it will be back on track soon.

Playing the O2 Academy is mental compared to where we were four years ago — I don’t understand how we’re doing it, but we are.

You’ve done a few big festivals this year but there’s been a lack of headline shows, I bet you can’t wait to get back on the road this month…

Absolutely man, we can’t wait. Reading & Leeds were amazing, that was the one thing we had in our diaries that we were looking forward to after being stuck inside the studio for so long. We obviously did the A Day To Remember tour which was really cool but nothing beats your own shows. Since we did our own tour last November, I couldn’t wait to go back out on another headline tour. The fact that we’re going to be able to play these new songs for the first time as well, it’s just a special one. I’m literally itching to get out there. We might put a few acoustic numbers in there too, to keep it exciting from night to night.

Looks like you’re again climbing the venue hierarchy of Bristol…

Yeah one of the first places that we broke out of our town too was Bristol. We came down to play The Croft to about five people, one of our first out-of-town shows. It’s been pretty cool since then, the last time we sold out The Fleece. It seems like we’ve done Bristol the old fashioned way, you know, keep coming back and people tell their friends and stuff. So to be playing the O2 Academy is mental compared to where we were four years ago — I don’t understand how we’re doing it, but we are.

Mallory Knox play Bristol Academy on 20th November, with ‘Asymmetry’ out now.

Check out ‘Shout At The Moon’ right here: