Born in Estonia in 2007, the now West-London based indie-rock trio Plastic Barricades are dedicated to making music with a meaning. With songs that balance powerful lyricism with simmering guitar, they blend the melodic and the melancholic for an unquestionably special sound. Their newest single, ‘Needles In Haystacks’, has been making waves and catching airplay on over 300 stations worldwide, while an upcoming tour is on the horizon.
They’ve certainly had a busy year so far; playing festivals including Solarsphere with more to come in the near future, plus recording their upcoming debut album. In between all of this, The Edge got a chance to chat to frontman – not to mention guitarist, keyboard and vocalist – Dan Kert about everywhere the band’s been, and everywhere it’s going.
To someone who’s never heard it before, how would you describe your music?
Shimmering bass and ringing guitars
Meaningful lyrics healing your scars
Heart-breaking beat put on repeat
Mystical keyboards make us complete
Curious, happy, honest and sad
Future of mankind makes us gloomy and mad
Don’t try to run, nowhere to hide
There is no escape from our little Plastic Tribe!
How has your early history – in Estonia, gigging throughout the Baltics, and shifting to London – influenced the sound of the band?
Our sound is constantly changing – mainly because we tend to get bored very quickly. For me music is a winding road, which has to keep taking me to new yet to be explored places. London has phenomenal concentration of passion, talent and ambition. And the competition makes you reach higher than you would ever expect.
I’ve met ridiculously talented Dani and Frazer here, they’ve brought their special spark into Plastic Barricades and shaped the sound of the upcoming album. We all come from quite different musical backgrounds and listen to different genres – and that is what makes us strong and versatile as a band.
What about the variety of personalities that Plastic Barricades has had? Has everyone had a hand in where you are now?
Absolutely! Every single “ex-Barricade” has left his signature mark in the history of the band – you can actually hear the transitions and growth throughout our releases, the whole discography is available on our official website. At the same time we’ve always stayed a three-piece, maintaining this dynamic of a compact unit. Changes in line-up also taught me to be more patient and open-minded as a band leader. I would love for us all to get together someday and have a jam! It would require five drumkits though…
What’s been your favourite place to play so far?
We’ve toured UK for the first time last August and September – and it was an absolutely stunning experience, “living the dream” as they say! But we’ve especially enjoyed playing HUB Festival in Cardiff (beautiful crowd) and Dingwalls club in London (beautiful sound). We’ve also recently visited Wales and played Solarsphere Astronomy and Music festival. It was their first year – and it was a huge success! It is refreshing when a festival is not just about getting drunk and moshing in front of the stage. There is still hope for humanity!
Looking forward to the album release, we’ve heard a few tracks already, but what can we expect overall?
We are all very excited about the upcoming album – this will be our debut one, everything we’ve released before were EPs and singles. No one know this yet, but the album is going to be called “Mechanics of Life”! There will be a fair share of soaring guitars and effected vocals, filtered and distorted bass lines, intricate and captivating drums, sonic stereo landscapes, though-provoking lyrics and sudden changes of mood. All those things that make the crowd on the gigs go: “Whoaa, what was THAT?”
It is going to be our take on documenting the world of the XXI century, the world we live in today. Asking questions and trying to find answers, predicting the future and reflecting on the past. The album will also include our singles “Shine!”, “Masterminds” and “Needles in Haystacks” and have some real treats for true
fans, like album version of “9Lives” and love-letter “Half of Your Soul”. In anticipation of the release we
will be touring UK in October and November. Dates and venues are going to be announced very soon!
And, finally; what do you want people to take away from your music?
I’ve always believed that if you want to change this world for the better, you need to start with yourself. Become a better person, find passion within and go pursuing your dreams! No one can tell you what you can and cannot do! Kindness, optimism and passion are highly contagious. Enough ripples can change the tide!
(When asked about the origin of the band name – because, with one like that, how could I not!? – Dan politely declined to answer, and suggested we might find out the answer to that closely guarded secret in the future. All the more reason to keep listening!)
Like or follow Plastic Barricades to keep up with everything they do; their newest release, ‘Needles In Haystacks,’ is available to stream and buy now.
