So I've been watching this band's rise for the past year, and when their recent EP dropped, the urge to write about them and share them with the world solidified. 

Life Below is a Durban based 'pissed-off, up-tempo hardcore, played with a mouth of full of anger and a heart full of hate' kind of band.

For those of you who don't know what that means, think of words like;

POWERVIOLENCE

HARDCORE PUNK and METAL!

I had a chance to ask band member Steve some questions:

When did you guys form Life Below? 

As a unit, we've been jamming together since 2014. We played our first show at the beginning of 2015 and have since hit the ground running. 

Was it one of those epic movie moments where you all look at each other and say the same thing, or was there more of a process to the band forming? 

I'd say it was a bit of both. My first band ever was with Mitchell and Brendan. Fifteen-year-olds playing crappy death metal from a wendy house. We had the cops called on us almost every weekend, and things ended up fizzling out after a year's worth of practices and no shows. I went on to play in various local hardcore and metal bands, and Brendan went on to form We Were Archers with James. After three or four years of waving the Durban hardcore flag things with We Were Archers began to wind down, and myself and Brendan decided that after knowing each other for over twenty years it was time we tried jamming together again. Brendan suggested bringing James onboard, considering the two of them had developed a shared mind when it came to writing music in We Were Archers. A little later Mitch came on board, I won't lie, it was a risk considering he hadn't done anything vocal wise since those wendy house days. But it definitely paid off. We knew we wanted to play something darker and more honest then any of us had done before, and from the first practice, it was clear that that's exactly what this was. 

'Who' is Life Below?

Life Below is Mitchell Harper (vocals), James Strachan (guitar), Brendan Meintjes (drums) and myself, Steven Ilbury (bass). 

How would you describe your music?

Pissed-off, up-tempo hardcore, played with a mouth of full of anger and a heart full of hate.

Where is your favourite hang out spot in Durban? 

As a band we tend to hit up food spots more then anything. El Hombre on Florida Road is our spot of choice. Who doesn't love a bit of Mexican? As far as nightlife is concerned, it's The Winston Pub. It's the only live music venue in Durban that matters, and the guys have really given us a home over the last year. Huge shout out to Matt and the crew for everything they've done for us. 

Where can people watch you guys perform? 

We'll be playing at The Winston on September 19th for the official launch of new EP "I". Joining us will be some killer acts: fellow hardcore outfit Brain Freeze, noise-makers The Sisters, one of my personal favourite bands Scrapyard Bones, and my live electronic duo Otyruru. It's going to be a fucking party. 

Can people download or purchase your music? 

We've just dropped our debut EP, which can be downloaded for free over atlifebelow.bandcamp.com. We've also recently dropped a new music video for our track "Cold Front". It was completely DIY, filmed and edited by ourselves, and is something we're really proud of. You can check it out on YouTube. 

Contact deets? Facebook page?

For those looking to get in touch, you can find us on, Facebook, BandCamp, Twitter & Instagram

Be sure to check them out and support your local acts!

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