October 2014

After 84 consecutive days at work – working two jobs at the same time – I came home for two weeks to quietly collapse in the arms of the East Strand.  During this time at home, I was required to sift through the remains of my immediate past in Newcastle, since much of it was still in boxes in various rooms in my parents’ house.  There was welcome respite from this in the form of another session with Future Loss in Belfast.

The band had evolved once more.  The last time Brian and I had been in Future Loss land, it had been a place of lusciously recorded guitars, and multi-layered synthesisers, which acted as the icing on the cake to hypnotic rhythm sections that were muscular and mighty in their presence. 

Now we had Michael on board, who was significant in being a friend and fan of our music long before he sat in the drum stool.  It was also significant because he was still learning to play, though his natural talent had been evident right from the first time I’m heard him behind a kit at Ex Fest back in 2006.  His style was stripped back and fast.  I remember thinking that if he developed steady rhythm-keeping, he’d be dangerous.  It only took him a couple of sessions in Belfast to get up to speed.  Brian and I have always been blessed when it comes to drummer talent.

During the October session, we cranked out scuzzy, white noise punk in a disused bank in Belfast.  Things were a bit ropey in places, but I don’t think that mattered.  It wasn’t the point.  The point was finally having like-minded individuals who all wanted to be there as much as each other, together in a room, letting off steam.  

So much of the band history up to this point had involved sharing musicians from other projects, who had commitments and priorities other than Loss. 

Now we had a gang, a shared starting point of listening to Idlewild b-sides back in 1999, in student flats off the Ormeau Road and dreaming of guitar tone so white it made your teeth rattle.