An Update From The Lysergic Suite
Interview With Gren Spencer
November 3rd 2011

We first spoke to The Lysergic Suite's Gren Spencer back in January, just as they were about to come on board as our very first Future Zeitgeist-ers. A fair bit of time has passed since then, and on the surface of it, other than perhaps a few gigs dotted around the country, the visible output from the band hasn't been tremendously high.

In May we featured a fantastic documentary that teased us with an album release date that has now been on gone, but nothing in the life of an emerging band is ever simple. For every gig, never mind every single or album release, there are so many constant battles. There's the rather obvious battle of trying to earn a living, pay the rent and the bills, all while finding time for the band. Then there's the pressure to create and progress as musicians, while at the same time being your own in-house press and media machine. As an emerging band member you're also your own roadie, sound technician and driver, which leaves you having to constantly battle with over zealous traffic wardens - especially in London.

With progress being completely unpredictable it's no wonder that time spent in this environment will take it's toll. Here Gren speaks to us candidly about events over the past 10 months, and you'll see it's been far from easy. But has it deterred him? Not in the slightest.

Hi Gren. It's been a while since we last spoke, what have you and The Lysergic Suite been up to the past few months?
A bit of everything, its been a bit of a mad time for us.. some changes, some tidying up, lots of recording, some time away, lots of solitary time for me to finish writing, and a few really good gigs.

Changes?
We've had some changes to the band as far as the live line-up goes. Liam (Houchen) has left so we've been adjusting to that, but the band has always been just me and (Adem) Custic, we play live with different people. Everything's sounding amazing though, there's a real vibe in the room when we're rehearsing so we're buzzing about it at the minute.

We understand you've been hard at work on an album. What's the latest on that?
We haven't stopped! We had some offers on the table in the run up to self releasing, so with that and the changes going on in the band we decided to hold everything back. It was a difficult decision because we had been working on this album for four years on and off, and the prospect of finally releasing it was amazing.

So is there a finished album in place or is it still a work in progress now that you're taking this extra time to release it?
We've changed a few things because of everything that's been happening, but the album is essentially finished. There's a few new tracks emerging too so we're deciding what's going where. It's been a strange time recording this album as it's been done in four or five studios, some of which we have built ourselves, and there's been a real mix of places, times and people which I think makes the whole thing stronger. I'm looking forward to playing some of the new stuff live, it's going to translate really well.

So we can expect plenty of live dates where you'll be testing out the new songs as well as the new line-up?
Yeah, we're trying to put something really big together, as you guys from Zeitgeist well know. I cant seem to stop at the moment, I need something new to get my teeth into right after finishing the last thing or I'd get lost and go mad doing nothing. I cant stop and watch the TV because its depressing. You can watch the world falling apart on one channel and then on another there's someone deciding whether or not to move to Australia or the fucking X factor or whatever.

Really big it is indeed... Go on, tell our readers a little about what they can expect to see.
I'm not going to say too much as we're in the middle of putting it together. I'll just say that when the call goes out and the sirens sound get yourselves to London and book three days off to recover.

Do you think what you've been going through over the last few months is something typical that bands go through? And do you think from the point of view of the fans a lot of the work goes unseen?
Yeah definitely. We've been quite lucky when it comes to this sort of shit though, there's not a lot of major drama going on. The guys are like my brothers so obviously we argue, but it's never that bad. But yeah, I'd say 90% of it goes unseen, especially with us because we just come out of the darkness every now and then, play a gig somewhere and then retreat back until the next time.

Ok last question before we let you get on with things. 2011 has been an obviously testing year, how do you feel about the music industry and the life of musicians now? Are you still as determined as ever to stick with it?
I wont lie, its been really difficult, but i wouldn't swap it for the world. Making an album was always going to be stressful because of the time it takes, but we knew this right from the start. It's a shame that we all didn't make it through to the other side, but everyone concerned feels better about where we are now. The funny thing is that no matter how hard it's been we're all really looking forward to making the next one.

You can find out more about The Lysergic Suite by visiting their Future Zeitgeist page here

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Twitter: www.twitter.com/lysergicsuite

Words by Sean Williams
Images © Ben Peter Catchpole