With an album under their belt and support slot for the forthcoming Stolen Order revival looming, it was about time we caught up with the classic rockers that are Thousand Mile Stare.
Who are you?
The band is made up of Innis on guitar, Chris on drums, Andy on vocals, and Murray on bass.
Murray: It all started a number of years back when both Innis & I answered a Gumtree ad that was looking for people to put a band together to do original material. Unfortunately, that project kind of fell apart, as the guy who put it together had to relocate for work. Having “hit it off” through a mutual love of Rush, Innis and I decided to give it another go, so spent a bit of time putting some songs together, then went out to find some other people to get involved in the project.
A drummer was found, and rehearsals started, then a singer answered an ad, and away we went. Not long after this though, the singer had to relocate, but the band kept going & found another singer, Marie. We did a few gigs and a 4 song EP with this line up, but then the drummer had to leave because of work commitments.
At this point, Innis had heard about Chris through a mutual friend, and decided to ask if he was interested in coming along for a jam. The drum seat was filled, and some more gigs followed. Then COVID struck, and unfortunately, Marie decided to leave, we needed to find another singer in the middle of a lockdown! Thankfully, when restrictions were lifted, Andy answered our ad, but then we went back into another lockdown.
With restrictions lifted again, thankfully, Andy was still interested in giving it a go, so we went back into the rehearsal room to make things happen. We recorded our debut album “Black Hole Heart”, which was released in early April 2023, and we’ve played gigs at The Tooth & Claw, Mad Hatters, The Market Bar and The Bandstand in Nairn.
What do you do?
Murray: When Innis & I decided to get together to write and try to get another band up and running, we had many discussions about which direction to go in, and what we wanted from the music. Both being big fans Classic Rock/Hard Rock in general, and Rush in particular, we put our heads together and started to write some songs.
For Fans of…..?
Murray: How long have you got? We’re all big Rock & Metal fans, as well as other genres, so we try and throw everything into the melting pot, and come up with something that sounds like Thousand Mile Stare.
Bands like Rush, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Foo Fighters, Tool, Biffy Clyro are big influences, along with a whole host of other bands.
Of your current material, which song represents you best and why?
Murray: For me, it’s “When We Were Young” is a bit of a defining song. Not only is it a great rock song, lyrically, it’s about getting older, and it’s just great to play.
What are your ambitions for 2023?
Murray: Write more songs, play more gigs, try to spread the word about Thousand Mile Stare. Maybe even get a slot on Monsterfest and some other festivals.
Which new or local acts inspire you at the moment?
Murray: Obviously, Greater Than Fear are great, The Broken Ravens are just killing it, The Idiotix show loads of promise. There are loads of great local bands around just now, some we’ve played with, like Lucid Liars and Russian Dollz, some we haven’t, like The Iodynes, & Space Van.
Anything else?
We’re playing with Stolen Order and Wild Fire at the Tooth & Claw on Sat 22nd July.
Be sure to check us out and like us on Facebook, the album “Black Hole Heart” is on Spotify and iTunes, be sure to give it a listen. Look forward to seeing you all at a gig soon!
