Interview: Rubylux
7 min read
We first met Brighton-based rockers Rubylux back in 2010 on a roof top in Central London when the band was preparing for the release of their debut album, Fake Control.
Since then the four-piece have been busy touring the world and penning new hits to add to their growing catalogue. Time really does fly when you’re having fun, as the saying goes, as Rubylux, consisting of members Rob Humphreys (Vocals/Guitar), Clark Coslett-Hughes (Bass Guitar), Adam Harris (Keyboard) and Mike Hall (Drums), are now gearing up for the release of their sophomore release, The World Goes Quiet.
The first single has already found its way out of the bag and offers us a teaser ahead of the parent records unveiling on June 17th. The pop hooks and meaty melodies have once again taken up residence in the bands new material, showcasing a unit on the cusp of mainstream success with their first major label release.
In the busy promotional period prior to any new record, we managed to steal some time from Rubylux to talk about the bands latest offering. Here’s what they had to tell us:
Brendon Veevers: How is the band doing today?
Rubylux: Hi! We’re very well thanks… Well… ¾’s of us are! Clark’s struck down with the dreaded Flu, but it’s not stopping him coming to the studio every day to prepare for our big album preview show we’ve got coming up next week!
BV: We last caught up with you guys back in 2010 when you were preparing for the release of your debut album, Fake Control. What has the band been up to since?
Rubylux: Well we toured that album around the world for the best part of 2 years… and then decided it was time to get the new record together. Rob didn’t stop writing, right from the minute we finished Fake Control so he’d built up such a wealth of material we felt it was time to get recording it!
BV: For those who may not have heard of Rubylux yet, what 5 words do you think would best describe the band?
Rubylux: Rob, Mike, Clark, Ad, Lux
BV: Where does the name Rubylux originate from?
Rubylux: Adam used to live next door to a psychic lady who offered him her “visions” of the band for the future. Amongst an outstanding amount of detailed information she offered him, was the idea that the word ‘Ruby’ would be some sort of luck omen for the band, so we didn’t feel we could tempt fate and not use it. The ‘Lux’ is Latin for light, which we just thought worked well with it!
BV: You are about to release your sophomore album which is going to be called The World Goes Quiet. Can you tell us a little about what we can expect from the new record?
Rubylux: It’s a really dynamic album with a good mix of up-tempo, big productions right down to a few more striped back songs. We produced a large part of the album ourselves and spent a long time on the production, writing string arrangements and layering up synths, etc…
BV: Is the record complete or is there still work to do on the album before it is released?
Rubylux: The World Goes Quiet is mixed, mastered and ‘Ear ready’!
BV: Is the style of the new record similar to your debut?
Rubylux: It’s undeniably ‘Rubylux’ and certainly has a lot of the elements that we worked hard to create in our early recordings when we were trying to find our own sound etc… but we were much more lead by the individual songs with this album as opposed to trying to make an album of all one style. We let each song be it’s own entity, and whether the song wanted full strings and orchestral arrangements or spacey synths and production, we let it be what best represented that song!
BV: What is the meaning behind the title of the record?
Rubylux: ‘Rock and Roll suicide’ is the way Rob summarizes his inspiration for that title and indeed, the song. He was in a band with his best friend at school who went on to have great success with his own music… but he couldn’t handle the comedown he experienced when he came offstage. The World Goes Quiet is about that time you come off stage having experienced a huge rush of being in front of an adoring crowd and then you ‘close the door’ and all that’s left is the silence to hear your own thoughts.
BV: What would happen if the world really DID go quiet and you weren’t able to make music anymore? What would each of you do for a living?
Rubylux: Well we’d probably still find something we could all do together… we drive each other mad obviously, but it’s been so long now, we’ve just got used to being around each other! What would be a good industry to go in to in a world of silence? Maybe develop some sort of music you can taste?!
BV: The lead single from the album, also called The World Goes Quiet, is fronting the new collection. Would you say the style of the track is indicative to the style of the rest of the forthcoming album?
Rubylux: It’s probably one of the more obvious “singles” on the album… but as you delve further in to the record things become a bit more orchestral and even a bit heavier at points. There’s also some more acoustic type ballads in there… a real mix!
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BV: How do you celebrate the release of a new album?
Rubylux: Well our manager has a theory that if you are celebrating ANYTHING there must be Champagne involved to set the tone of things to come. So no doubt she’ll be treating us to some bubbly!
BV: Looking at recent promo photos of the band it looks like Rubylux has had a bit of a makeover, fronting some new hair styles and we don’t see Clark’s signature headwear. Whose idea was that?
Rubylux: Well it’s great that that’s the impression, because it’s certainly not the reality! We have been recording for a long time and we hadn’t had our photo taken for an even longer time… so I guess we just collectively made a bit more effort on that particular day! No doubt Clark’s hat will make an appearance again at some point… Ad is holding down the hat position in the band for the time being!
BV: What is the most rewarding thing for each of you about being a part of Rubylux?
Rubylux: Well, we always say that our main aim when making music is to just make something that the 4 of us would want to listen to… and just hope people share our tastes. So the most rewarding thing for us is I guess getting to listen to that album…
BV: In your time together you have performed for fans all around the world. What is the craziest thing that has happened while being on tour? Any wild stories you can share with us?
Rubylux: Unfortunately telling any of the good stories would probably break the “On Tour” Code… but I think we would still cite our tiny taste of “Ruby-mania” of a crowd greeting us at the airport on our arrival in Vietnam as a particular highlight though! As one of the first Western bands to go to Vietnam again, it was pretty special for us!
BV: You are famous for your outdoor busking gigs throughout Brighton and seeing as festival season is just around the corner; will you be joining the line-up at any of this year’s festivals?
Rubylux: We’ve got plenty in the pipeline but aren’t able to announce just yet. We can tell you that we are playing with Russian Punk Megastars ‘Mumiy Troll’ at the prestigious Shepherds Bush Empire on the 25th of May though… which is another dream for us to tick off the list! We have also been invited to open the Brighton Music Awards on Friday June 21st – as previous winners of the Best Band award – so we’re looking forward to that too.
BV: Have you got any plans to tour the new record?
Rubylux: Plenty of plans! We WILL be in a town near you, this year!!!
BV: What else is on the 2013 Rubylux calendar? Any other projects in the pipeline?
Rubylux: Lot’s of exciting things that we’re not allowed to announce just yet, but we’ll let you guys know as soon as we can! Check out the website too – as new tour dates will be posted there in the near future – www.rubylux.net.
BV: Thanks guys
Rubylux’s new album, The World Goes Quiet will be released on 17th June. The lead single, The World Goes Quiet, is released on 12th May.
::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.
