Reptile rockers slinking onto the scene | Lady Lizard

How did Lady Lizard first get together, and what were your aims as a band?

Lady Lizard has been coming a long way. Kurt [Pace] had been experimenting with the genre for some time and had a collection of riffs and song ideas. He then got together with Malcolm [Alden] to start working on the songs. They are both fond of the stoner/sludge/doom genre and wanted to start a project in that vein. Looking for a drummer and a bassist was the hardest part, it must have taken months! Justin ‘Bazaz’ Borg and Max Vassallo eventually joined on bass guitar and drums respectively. We all kind of knew each other from before so there was instant chemistry.

What kind of sound did you aim to put together, and how is that process going so far? 

The focus has mainly been around the stoner rock/doom spectrum, incorporating the bluesy groove of stoner rock. The style of the band is still evolving but with time we are moving closer to where we want to be. 

You’ve all played in bands previously – what is it about the Lady Lizard experience that makes it so especially satisfying and fun for you?

In our other projects we have always tried to be as fast and as heavy as possible. With Lady Lizard it turned out to be quite different as the genre is more mellow and laid back however we still fuse our heavier influences. We feel that, with this band, we can delve into areas that we could not before due to genre restrictions. There is a kind of musical freedom that allows you to experiment with different sounds and playing styles. It’s a breath of fresh air.

Carrying on from that, given how this is a side-project for most of you, would you say it’s easier to be in a band now than has been in the case in recent years? If not, what are some of the challenges local bands continue to face?

We don’t really consider this as a side project. We work as hard for Lady Lizard as we do for our other projects. However, today it’s harder to meet up as a full band as we are older and have more responsibilities than we did when we were teens. In the local music scene itself, perhaps bands from different genres face different problems but it would be hard to pinpoint exactly what problems there could be. You have the usual issues like practice spaces, venues that understand your music and access to equipment however bands have been getting by just fine. It’s all relative.

 Are you looking forward to your upcoming gig on October 13? What do you make of the fellow bands you will be performing with? 

We can’t wait to show our music to the world. We have been working on this material for almost two years now and hopefully the people will appreciate what it is we’re trying to bring to the table. We’re huge fans of Krishna and we just checked out Double Standard’s EP and it’s great! We tried to mix up the styles of the bands a bit to kind of get people from all genres to try and appreciate what each band has to offer. Who knows, maybe it will help increase the fan base for the respective bands.

What’s next for you?

At the moment we’re just focusing on getting our music out there. We’re planning some gigs for early 2018 and hopefully start working on our demo! Until then, we hope to see you all at The Garage in Zebbug  on October 13 for our debut gig!

Lady Lizard will be performing at The Garage, Zebbug, on 13 October, alongside Krishna and Double Standard. Doors open at 8pm and entrance is at €7.