A three-piece hard rock band from Coventry, Pelugion have been making waves around the Midlands and beyond with their powerful metal anthems reminiscent of Black Label Society, Metallica and Sabbath. They introduced themselves to a wider audience with the well-received ‘Serpent’s Mistress’ EP and have played numerous festivals including Wildfire Festival (2016) and Mosh Against Cancer (2016 & 17). They also played a slot at the Hard Rock Hell Metal Event in Birmingham and so we took the opportunity to catch up with the band and find out more about their formation and development.
So, to get a bit of background on Pelugion, you all met at college? When did you first think about doing something original?
Just jamming covers mainly. We used to jam on Metallica and Sabbath and it eventually led to our own stuff and it was pretty cool.
From that you did the first EP in 2015 – how did you approach the song-writing for that?
With those first few songs on that EP, they all started back in college, so all three of us jamming on ideas together and then, sooner or later, bits of songs came about. Then, over time, we thought ‘we’ll record it!’
What about the recording process in the studio?
For that one we did separate and every recording since we’ve done live – I think we prefer it that way because you just get that live feel and we think it’s a lot better.
So, you’re not so keen on Pro Tools and all that stuff?
No, we don’t like click tracks, they’re no good! It’s much easier to get into it, for us at least, when we play free and don’t have to listen for beats and stuff like that.
You did that EP – what followed that?
In 2016 we did ‘monster’ and then we did ‘bury me’… was that this year?
Basically, we’re in the process of putting out another EP so we’re recording one or two tracks every few months and then we’re going to put it all together, probably in the next couple of months or so?
Is there a plan at some point to work on an album or are you going to do it like this and build up bits and pieces over time?
Um, whatever comes first really. At the moment, the plan is the EP, but maybe an album in the future. We want to do an album, really, but it’s just having the time, getting the songs together, all that sort of stuff… time, money, material… it’s a lot.
Eps are just a lot easier really – go in and record four or five tracks, it’s just done quicker, easier, cheaper… that’s what we like.
Given there’s so much competition in the Midlands alone, let alone across the UK, you’ve done a great job of getting your name out there – how do you approach spreading the word of Pelugion?
It has a lot to do with our management – FATangel Management – they do a lot to promote us and get our name out there, so we’re thankful for that. We don’t have to do it on our own, emailing promoters and venues asking them to put us on the bill. The management have a lot of contacts so that’s always a plus. We also try to keep the social media pages active, we try to pst new stuff on Facebook at least once a week so there’s something to keep people interested. Wearing our own merch really helps as well… because no one else will…
How did you end up with FATangel?
They approached us really. We did a Godiva calling, which is a festival, and they were really impressed with us and set up a chat with us. They pushed us towards being with them and it’s been a good decision really because we’ve got bigger shows, better shows, and it’s helped us get that little bit further.
So, festivals like HRH and Mosh Against Cancer are really good opportunities…
Yeah, playing the competitions we’ve made good friends with a lot of bands and, as it happens, we share contacts, so if we get a gig in Coventry then we’ll get them a gig and then they’ll return the favour in Wolverhampton or Burton or wherever. It’s stuff like that – the whole community of bands help each other out.
You mentioned merch – you have a very strong visual identity – who’s involved in creating the artwork for the band?
VeryMetalArt – Andy Pilkington described the single cover for us. Who else is there? A few independent ones who have disappeared off the radar a bit.
Was it very important to you to have that visual identity from the start?
You’ve got to capture people’s attention and get it from the start. Good merch, good artwork, that’s what does it. It draws us into bands. If you’re looking at a poster, you might not have a proper look at every single band, but it’s good if your logo stands out and looks a little different – that’s what gets people looking.
Was the logo VerymetalArt as well?
No, it was a random guy… I think his name was Smokey Joe and I don’t know where he’s gone. We came up with the idea for the animals and he went with it and made it what it is. It looks amazing.
How difficult is it to balance the needs of the band with life?
It’s very sporadic our practices. Sometimes we’ll practice every week in a month and sometimes we’ll just practice once a month because we’ve got gigs on or family stuff. It’s hard to balance it, but you can’t really complain!
What’s the highlight of Pelugion so far?
Wildfire Festival – we went up to Scotland last year for that and it was a good experience. Sort of like a little band bonding thing – going on a nice trip together… sharing a tent. This (HRH) has the potential to be up there as well – it’s gone really well so far and we’re really excited for it. We’re in the Bloodstock competition, so if we win that, we’ll get to play Bloodstock, so I’m pretty sure that’ll be amazing… if it happens.
Where are you with Metal 2 the Masses at the moment?
We won the first heat and we’re into the semi-final which is on the 19th March (event page here) at the Arches in Coventry. So, if you live nearby, come down and get some merch!
There seems to be a very strong scene in Coventry?
It’s getting a lot better. It was kinda slow at the start, but as we’ve progressed, the whole scene has as well so we’ve benefitted from that. There’s also Mosh Against Cancer. It was packed out last year, it’s always a really good vibe, it’s a FATangel show, everyone likes each other, everyone gets on and you know it’s always well-organised as well. The Arches is our favourite venue in Coventry and, probably, our favourite venue that we’ve played. Everything – sound, atmosphere, general ease of putting on an event there is ideal really.
Any final words?
Listen to Pelugion! Fuck Donald Trump
Do you have to do both at the same time?
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