It’s been said on these pages before, but the joy of working on a site is the discovery of a new band who have all the power and passion of an established act, but have yet to find their way in a difficult industry. Kovanta, hailing from Ireland, are one such band. Be My Queen is a fantastic debut single, and suggests the band have a bright future if they can stay the course. With a great hook, gritty riffs that hark back to the mid-90s grunge boom and strong production, it’s an impressive start and I look forward to hearing more down the line. Read on and meet Kovanta:
Be My Queen
Be My Queen the debut release from Kovanta, is fast paced and packed to the brim with raw energy. Sure, to tickle the taste buds of any nostalgia seeking music fan. From the melting pot of inspiration came ’Be My Queen’, the band’s very own anthem.
The song came together quite quick and easy for the band, once that big riff at the start was heard it set the tone for what was to follow. The first vocal line to enter the arena of ideas was the anthemic chorus line:
“Be my queen, you know you’re gonna be my queen.”
It was quite grunge, simple and repetitive but backed by the guitar harmonies it just worked. It felt familiar yet fresh to the ears. This line had laid down the groundwork for the context of the song. Being young men they were bound to encounter people who aren’t as they seem, who lead them along in life with false promises and this was the inspiration behind the verses. The song unveils a vulnerability that compliments the contrasting musical ideas and if anything can be taken away from the song it is that it is impossible to go through life without getting used up and tossed to the wayside. “You took my heart and spat it back out”.
Once they found themselves sitting on a few songs the next obvious process was to record them. Finding someone to work with that can capture their vision was essential and through Kildare’s tight knit music scene there were quite a few options but only one they’d trust with their vision. Paul “Rubber” Keogh, a veteran on the scene and a beautiful musician in his own right was the guy who sat at the helm and with over a week of recording late into the night, utilizing the space of a live venue in Newbridge to their advantage, the job was done.
They did it, what seemed like a fledgling of an idea blossomed into reality. It was a surreal experience and not without its hardships. The vision going into the mix was simple, make it loud, make it huge, make it impactful. Rubber wanted to hit home on those three points and he put in some long hours to achieve the sound and the band thinks he nailed it. ‘Be My Queen’ is out on the 18th of November so be sure to get it into your eardrums.
About Kovanta
Kovanta formed in 2019 out of a desperate hunger to make great music, they are a 5-piece grunge/rock band with their roots loosely plunged in punk tinged soil.
The band comprises of original members Zak Lennon, their very own Duracell bunny on lead vocals backed by Jude Herbert and Billy Moylan on lead and rhythm guitars. Interweaving hard hitting riffs and melodies into a cacophony of anthemic ear worms. Alex Ponisi holds it down on the bass, bringing a technical level of lower frequencies so tight and flavoursome that combined with the foundation of the band on drums, Cillian McDonnell, they have built a home fit to house their energetic creativity.
The formation of the band was a happy coincidence, while attending a summer band camp the two guitarists had met and struck up a tight musical bond almost instantly. Once they had decided to set up an original band the rest of the members came easy, each one talented and known on their instrument in the local scene.
Originally ‘Kovanta’ were going to be a classic rock band, heavily influenced by Guns and Roses, Eddie Van Halen and other shredders of the late 80’s and early 90’s but all preconceived notions kind of slid off the table when the lads began to write. Other influences like the Foo Fighters, Green Day and Nirvana taught the band the discipline in just writing a good song and serving it to get the best results. The sound they ended up with is raw yet refined. It is fast and catchy. It’s somewhat of an oxymoron at times but it feels right.
Since their birth they’ve played multiple theatres and venues in the Kildare area while using many a frustrating lockdown to write and record their debut releases. Put seatbelts on your ears people because we’re going for a ride.
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