We've had our eye on Reliqa since their early days and 2020 was supposed to be the year they broke out bigger than ever before... And to be honest with you, the band's slow but steady pace during the pandemic is preparing them to dominate in this year, especially following the release of their single 'Mr Magic' and their addition to the Full Tilt Festival lineup!
BIG THINGS are coming for our fav Central Coasters but before that all comes to fruition, suss out shredmaster Brandon Lloyd's thoughts on the best of 2020 below...
TOP 5 RELEASES OF 2020?
5 - Like Moths To Flames - No Eternity In Gold
4 - Tallah - Matriphagy
3 - Unleash the Archers - Abyss
2 - Bring Me The Horizon - POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR
1 - Ocean Grove - Flip Phone Fantasy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krxkm0LlGIM
TOP 5 SONGS OF 2020?
5 - Spiritbox - ‘Constance’
4 - Bring Me The Horizon - ‘Kingslayer (feat. BABYMETAL)’
3 - Brand of Sacrifice - ‘Demon King’
2 - Cane Hill - ‘Power of the High’
1 - Silent Planet - ‘Trilogy’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=928l9OH9DW4
BEST MUSIC VIDEO OF 2020?
Alpha Wolf - ‘Akudama’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ENMe1rlA0M
LAST GIG YOU PLAYED BEFORE COVID?
The last gig we played together was the Good Things Festival 2019 competition, alongside Infinite Illusion, Teeth and Stone Lions at Crowbar Sydney on November 30th. Although we didn’t take the win, I believe it was still the greatest show we’ve played so far, finishing off the set with an impromptu encore to a roaring response.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5Uf_c2gPTx/
HOW DID COVID AFFECT YOU/YOUR BAND?
As a band, we still kept up with our regular compositional process of writing new material, as this wasn’t too heavily impacted by our lockdowns. The main area that was impacted was our touring schedule, as we had the intention of playing a set of shows alongside our latest single, ‘Mr Magic’.
I’ve personally welcomed the time spent at home with family, as our lockdowns were nowhere near as severe as other states - although mental health during this time has been top priority. Being able to write songs all whilst participating in online classes from home has given me significantly more time to get new material ready to go for when we take the stage again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHSNHHCFapA
BIGGEST THING YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF IN 2020?
It’s definitely been a significant task to adapt to the current climate, as live entertainment was a huge part of my pre-COVID life. The biggest thing that I learned was how to adjust my lifestyle to fit these conditions, all whilst staying both physically and mentally healthy. The mental aspect was initially tough, since I wasn’t able to see those that I’d regularly hang out with at shows or events.
It was apparent that having gigs to look forward to throughout the year assisted in keeping some form of a social routine within my life, so I had to find new ideas and projects to keep me consistently motivated for the time being - furthering my compositional skills has definitely been a major improvement.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAUhsQygB4t/
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2021?
Other than hoping to see some form of return to normality, I can’t wait to show off all the new material that we’ve been working on. It’s been a fairly active year for us behind the scenes, given we haven’t been able to play any shows, so it’s very exciting to picture a future where we can showcase our efforts and ideas in person for everyone to see, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Words by Brandon Lloyd. Insta: @brandymetal
