Talk about the band that got away! I first discovered Machiner around the time of the lockdown while I was still writing the SHAPE Magazine. Shortly after we were released, I bumped in to Bass player, Eddie Rees in our local and we chatted about getting them in the magazine, which in the old mag, I managed to do a small piece on them but since the beginning of NE Guitars Magazine, I have pushed to really get into the bones of the band. The release of their new album, ‘Motion Waves’, released on 7th August, gave me that opportunity.
So who and what are Machiner? To begin with, and in their basic form, they are three Hartlepool lads with a very unique sound. The band consists of Paul McCarte on vocals, guitars, keyboard, rhythm programming, orchestration, and field recordings, Nick Crozier on
Guitar and Eddie Rees on Bass and backing vocals .
It’s not easy pinning down a specific genre for their music but elements and certain feels lend their way to electronic tones reminiscent of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, maybe even Ultravox with hints of Pink Floyd. The result is a powerful atmospheric sound with dark, but mellow rock undertones. Actually, this is just up my street.
I met up with Paul, Nick and Eddie in a local watering hole during July for a long awaited chat and a chance to really find out who they are outside of what I have heard on the digital platforms. It was also a great opportunity to give their new album, ‘Motion Waves’, a bit of a plug.
I was a little surprised to learn that the lads consisted of just two guitar and a bass. Oh yea of little faith, Paul. When you listen to their tracks, you get immersed in a deep atmospheric sound complimented by the electronic vibes from the 80’s which I love which is meticulously hand-crafted by Paul McCarte’s Rhythm programming and Orchestration which is actually stunning and paves the way for their unmistakable sound. In fact the sound they have developed is delicate but epic.
So the origins of Machiner began some years ago with Paul and Nick and then the three of them.
Paul: Well we were all in a previous band, a band called Demon Summer together. And without putting too much into the past before that, there was a band called Precession that me and Nick were in for a long time.
And then this is Machiner, this incarnation. We didn’t want to continue as Demon Summer. Time passed while we were doing other things, we were raising children and stuff.
And when we decided to get back together and start on something new, it felt new.
NEG: How about influences in forming Machiner?
Paul: I think it’s in a sort of tradition of probably Joy Division, New Order. It’s an obvious sort of electronic element to the music. Almost retro in some ways, but still predominantly we’re a guitar band.
But we get classed as a dark wave band, which is the nearest coat hanger that people can put us on. So we get interested in the goth scene, the industrial scene. And the dark wave folds into that.
Post-punk joins into that as well. Everything sort of post-pistols into Joy Division and the Fall. And bands like Suzie and the Banshees and stuff like that.
Nick brings a different flavour entirely into what we do. Because his influences are Pink Floyd, Marillion and Radiohead.