Square Wild is a difficult band to describe. Pinpointing their eclectic and diverse sound is a daunting task, even for them.
“we idea We’re progressive rock, to be precise,” lead singer Lucy Shevchuk told MM.
“We definitely anchor ourselves in heavy rock, but we just play what comes out. Ska, funk, metal, manouche jazz. No problem!”
Bursting onto the scene in 2022 with a self-promoted festival and impressive debut EP, Square Wild have garnered a lot of attention with their progressive style hodgepodge and electric live shows.
They were named Prog Magazine’s Best Unsigned Band of 2022, and Shevchuk was named in the magazine’s Top 10 Female Vocalist list.
It’s a dizzying ascent to see the group go from strength to strength, and they can hardly take it upon themselves.
The band have now won the Manchester Metal 2 The Masses Competition and will be playing at the prestigious Bloodstock Festival.
“It’s pretty unbelievable. Not because we’re confident in ourselves, but because a lot of people said we weren’t metal enough. It just shows how diverse Bloodstock really is. Finals.” We got some insane comments from the judges during the fight, and it’s still not well understood that we’re playing this game.”
Asked about the importance of contests like Metal2TheMasses, Shevchuk said the band was initially cautious about playing in contests.
“At first, we were wary. Battle of the Band contests are always subject to heavy scrutiny, but this one felt completely different,” she said.
“It’s been very useful for us in terms of getting us into the heavier scene and putting us in front of a whole new set of people.”
Shevchuk also emphasized the contest’s sense of community.
“I didn’t mind actually going to Bradstock, the community spirit alone was worth it. Apart from the stress and pressure of finishing a round, it was also literally the most enjoyable few months of my life. And very important for metal lovers!”
Bradstock is a diverse festival, but it’s primarily known for die-hard metalheads fans. Square Wild certainly has some metal influences, but they don’t have the usual sound of a Bloodstock band.
This certainly wasn’t a problem in Manchester. The band were praised for their performance in the competition by organizers 0161 Manchester Underground Metal Community, saying they were “shocked” by the group.
They have earned accolades across the underground music scene, including metalheads, and M2TM’s triumph is the latest jewel in their ever-growing crown.
Nonetheless, we told Lucy how the band expected to perform in front of a Bradstock audience that may have expected something different than what the band had to offer. I asked him how he felt.
“We try not to think about it. We’re going to go out there and do what we do, and people can take it or leave it. I hope our performance helped draw them in, even if it wasn’t what they expected to go to Bradstock.
“I think some people will love that we’re a little different, some people might hate it, and that’s perfectly fine. We’re playing Bloodstock!”
They are currently preparing to perform at Bradstock, so I asked Lucy about her personal memories of the festival.
“I have attended several times both as a journalist and as a guest. You’ve seen Ste of playing guitar for him.
“I had my eyes wide open watching the crowd sing along to that powerful and dramatic music.”
And how is your next debut album progressing?
“It’s going well, but not fast. Doing it ourselves was devastating as we had to write all the drum tracks in such a short period of time while our practice room was being demolished.”
“We really want to do more mainstream festivals next year, and we’ve got a lot of smaller rock circuits coming up, so we’d like to expand further. I think we’re going to struggle with just one EP because it doesn’t represent , and I think the promoters will have a better understanding of what we can really do once the album is out.
“The new songs seem to be heavier and more prog, except for another new song that sounds like a Disney villain song. So who knows what will happen next?” .”
You can buy Bloodstock tickets here and catch a square wild in the New Blood stage.
Metal2TheMasses Manchester final gig photo used with permission from Rich Price Photography.
