The Cardiff rockers chat about their new single, Rush and the influence of Led Zeppelin
Band Members:
Michael Bush - Vocals/Rhythm Guitar
Sean Spiteri - Lead Guitar
Aaron Busby - Bass
Francis James - Drums
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR US WHO ARE NOT FAMILIAR WITH YOU AND YOUR MUSIC AND TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
MB: We are Versify, a four-piece rock band based in Cardiff. We like our guitars loud and our song’s long.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE?
AB: Our Debut single “Fun For Fire” came out on the 20th of March. It’s an eclectic track that blends together the songwriting of our frontman Michael and the strong rhythm playing of myself, Sean and Francis.
WHAT INSPIRED THE ALBUM OR SINGLE?
MB: A friend of mine pulled the words “fun for fire” from a news article, I thought it sounded cool, and built the theme and wrote the words around a character who becomes disenfranchised with his world and acts out accordingly.
CAN YOU SUM UP THE SINGLE IN A FEW WORDS?
SS: Melodic, loud and captivating from start to finish!
FJ: Meaningful
AB: Badass
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
FJ: The Permanent Wave album by Rush, a fantastic blend of bass and guitar, along with experimental synth. The prime years of Rush.
SS: ‘Communication Breakdown’ by Led zeppelin. The moment I heard the guitar solo I realised that that’s what I wanted to do.
AB: I would usually say something like ‘Paranoid’ Black Sabbath or ‘In Utero’ by Nirvana, but the album that my life was probably Led Zeppelin II. Just a great bunch of songs in there, and really made me think about composition.
MB: Bob Dylan’s ‘It’s All Over Now Baby Blue’. The word play, rhyming schemes and song structure was like nothing I had ever heard before, having grown up listening to 90s music.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED BY YOUR BAND OR ANOTHER ARTIST?
MB: I prefer to listen to music.
AB: I usually listen to stuff on my phone or from a record, so my music video knowledge is pretty lacking. ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is pretty cool though. Especially during the solo when there is a lot of reflected images.
SS: My Favourite music video is ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ by The Verve. Always loved the way in walked in that video.
WHAT WOULD WE FIND YOU DOING WHEN YOU'RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?
AB: Probably drinking a coffee or down the local pub when it was open. Music is a big chunk of my life so I’m probably little boring to some.
SS: Watch films, play games, cook chicken: a pretty fulfilling life, really….
MB: Playing COD and Pro Evolution Soccer. I’m a loser.
FJ: When I’m not making music I’m either exercising or sleeping…
DO YOU GET NERVOUS PERFORMING LIVE, IF SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
MB: Yes. All the time. I find that drinking alcohol helps me deal with it. A nice whiskey, or a few fat jugs of Red Stripe will usually do the trick.
AB: I used to get nervous when I first started performing about 6 years ago. I know a few fellow musicians who have a pre show ritual or whatever, just to get in the headspace. I’ll usually just have a drink before, during and after.
SS: Live performances always used to be a problem for me. I really struggled with getting up in front of people. I often would find my hands just wouldn’t work out of fear, but I’m fine now. I enjoy it more than anything now, there are times when I feel uncomfortable but I’m pretty relaxed with Versify because we’re so well practiced.
FJ: I don’t usually get nervous before performing, I usually have a drink of water before the set to stay hydrated.
HOW DID YOU FORM THE BAND?
MB: Aaron, Francis and I met at uni, and had been playing music together for a year or two, then we found Sean and his god-like guitar skills. I knew we were onto something within 10 minutes of rehearsing with Sean.
HOW DO YOU WRITE? - DO YOU HAVE A KEY SONGWRITER, OR DO YOU ALL WORK TOGETHER?
AB: Michael is the principal songwriter, especially for a dew of our older tracks, we just made them electric at the start, but now they are like brand new songs, because they’re so different. We’re starting to work together more when it comes to songwriting, so we’ll see what the future holds.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
SS: A lot of things. Guitarists I like such as Jack white, Jimmy Page and more recently John Mayer. I also find that different guitars inspire me in different ways. Pretty stuck on PRS guitars at the moment though, they bring out the best of my playing. I’m mainly inspired by the band though, I can’t wait until we can practice again.
FJ: My main drumming inspiration is Neil Peart. I also like to create stuff so I can feel satisfied and contribute to the music.
AB: I listen to a lot of different musical styles, but I still get inspired by the stuff I was brought up on. There’s a reason it’s stood the test of time, I suppose.
MB: Great music. When I hear something great (whether it be from established artists or artists local to us), it excites me, and it makes me want to try and create something great too.
WHAT IS NEXT?
AB: Well at the moment we’re in the planning stage for our next single, but we’re keeping it under wraps for the time being. Right now, we’re just itching to get back to gigging.
PLEASE TELL US ANY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS SO WE CAN SHARE.
MB: You can find us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/VersifyBand/?modal=admin_todo_tour
On instagram: @versifyband, and of course you can listen to our single “Fun For Fire” at
as well as all other streaming platforms.
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