Band's popularity grows as single release looms (From Thurrock Gazette)

Band's popularity grows as single release looms

8:00am Sunday 2nd September 2012 in News

WITH their trademark style and sound, Trash Monroe have been gathering fans over recent years.

The band, which has two members from Thurrock, are due to release a new single and reckon they’re at their strongest point ever.

Since forming ten years ago, there have been several line-up changes, but frontwoman Melany Dantes thinks they’ve found a line-up that clicks into place perfectly.

She said: “The line-up we’ve got now personally is the strongest we’ve had. “We’ve been going for about three years now. We’re happy and settled and I think this is going to be for the long-term.

“We choose people based on their passion for music really, that’s why we’ve got such an eclectic bunch now – people are always based on how passionate they are, not how good they are – although obviously they have to be good too.

“But that can always be improved on, you can’t make someone be passionate.”

Playing their part in the passionate line-up is Brad Hurr, from South Ockendon, on guitar, and David Pankhurst, from East Tilbury, on drums.

The band are due to release their single SOB soon before embarking on gigs around the county and further afield. They have also made it through to the final 100 in the Band Crusade competition.

The contest sees bands in with the chance to record a track, with the aim of pitting it against more commercial releases for Christmas number one.

“We’d done battle of the band kind of things before a long time ago,” explained Melany.

“We decided way back that’s not something we wanted to do. So many competitions are about how many friends vote for you on Facebook.

“But they’re not doing that – they’re doing it for the right reasons and that’s why we got involved. “Even if we don’t win we don’t mind, we just want someone to win and get somewhere with it.

“It’s not about who’s the best band or who wins, but about getting real music back into the charts.”

Melany said the band’s success and sound is largely due to it’s make-up, with different tastes and influences coming through in their music.

“The music is not what you expect from what you see when you look at the image,” she said. “But I think it’s unique because we’re not trying to be like any other band.

“We are all one way or another into rock music, so guitar-based music, but also individually we’re influenced by so many different genres – we like a bit of pop, punk and some of us are into metal. “It’s hard to say who exactly we’re all influenced by, as it’s such a broad range.

“The people we’ve got in the band now are all very honest, real people and they express themselves in that way without trying to be fashionable or anything.”

Her own position fronting the band is also something she sees as an advantage, adding: “We never use that as a gimmick. We are a band, not a female-fronted band.”

Visit www.facebook.com/Trashmonroe