PHONEY SEA

PHONEY SEA are:
James Barratt – guitar
Chris Dando – vocals
Kevin Hide – bass
Kostas Kyriakidis – drums

Hate turned our hearts into stone
And drowned the songs of summer
Lovers torn apart and lost in yesterday
In our dreams, we’re never gonna know, we’re never gonna have to
hide for our protection

With these lyrics, the song ‘Falling down’, begins and takes us on an exciting journey through aggressive sparks of music, dressed in dreamlike sections and serene colors, based on true events and explores loosely the themes of loss and human conditions.
The newcomer band, which name it’s Phoney Sea, just born and it’s a postmetal band from Birmingham of England.
Phoney Sea team is James Barratt/quitar, Chris Dando/Vocals, KevinHide/Bass and Kostas Kyriakidis/Drums.
It plays between elements of shoegaze and 70’s psychedelia, progressive and rock metal.
The rock band , set out to explore the fusion of conflicting and heterogeneous soundscapes and also discontinuous forms.
Phoney Sea, it΄s another musical miracle of the wellknown Kostas Kyriakidis, another one of his creations, full of light and inspiration as always.
Kostas Kyriakidis, from the time he remembers himself, began to deal with music, composition and his cult, the guitar. In 1984, he was a drummer for Art of Parties and released his first single with Creep Records.
Afterwards he was the drummer and member of Spitfire” and released ‘First Attack’ by E.M.I.
In 1990 he creates Raw Silk, he writes lyrics and music and records the drums for the also classic album ‘Silk Under the Skin’, which also is released by E.M.I.
His career is bright and upward, during his studies, he writes the music for the short animated film Dog (directed by Suzie Templeton) which awarded a BAFTA in 2001.
Ηe also, writes the music and lyrics and records for the second album of Raw Silk ‘The Borders of Light’ with a new line-up, consisting of Englishmen musicians.
In 2018 Raw Silk will perform live at Crow club in Athens, Greece.
Since 2008, Kostas Kyriakidis lives in Great Britain, as a musician and teacher untill now.
The great musician and founder of Phoney Sea, in a super exclusive
interview at Radio Highway Pirates, talked to us, about the band, himself, about Raw Silk, Spitfire and his upcoming plans.
What is the identity of Phoney Sea and what inspired you to give this name to the group?
“Phoney Sea are a new post-metal project from Birmingham UK. Being a new band our identity is still very much in the process of creation. Our music sets out to explore contrasting, atmospheric and dreamlike soundscapes, combining melodic and heavier elements. Our influences range from prog bands of the 70s such as Pink Floyd, Genesis, Rush, Jethro Tull to 20th century industrial and alternative metal, Sludge metal and Doom. The band’s name and its meaning is a kind of a secret that we wouldn’t like to give away that easily. Any guesses?”
Introduce us to the members of Phoney Sea.
“In Phoney Sea, I have the pleasure of collaborating again with Chris Dando (Awaken Eternity, Cloven Hoof) – vocalist and producer – and James Barratt on guitars. I had previously worked with Chris and James during 2017 and 2018 on Raw Silk’s second full length The Borders of Light and we had a great time back then. Kevin Hide of Awaken Eternity did the bass for us and he really nailed it. The recordings took place in Chris’ Vault Studio in Kidderminster between January and March 2023. The track was expertly mastered by Svante Forsbäck (Rammstein, Volbeat, Dragonforce, Sonata Arctica, Apocalyptica).”
What is the story behind ‘Falling Down’ and what kind of messages do you want to give?
“‘Falling Down’s lyrics are about the human condition. It’s written mainly in a stream of consciousness style and is something like a reverie or an internal dialogue on memories, childhood dreams, trauma, longing and hope. I don’t want to overanalyze or give a set explanation about my lyrics but rather let the listener create their own narrative based on their interpretation. I suppose some of the themes are related to the ‘The Borders of Light’ album and especially tracks such as Chimera, The Borders of Light and Solitude of Pain. I think people who like Falling Down will probably like those tracks as well and vice versa.”
How do you feel that the short animated film ‘Dog’, for which you wrote the music, was awarded a Bafta?
“It was a great collaboration. I really enjoyed the process of writing the music and I am really proud of it. There was a lot of creative discussion between me and the director Suzie Templeton and eventually the soundtrack emerged effortlessly and it felt very organic and natural. We had a very similar vision in terms of musical style and that also helped a lot. Again, I am very proud of having written the music for a film that has won such a prestigious prize.”
Tell me a few words about Raw Silk and your history with them?
“Like ‘First Attack’, ‘Silk Under the Skin’, was a breakthrough album for the Greek rock scene. That was owing, to a great extent, to the amazing work of tireless and passionate producer Kostas Kalimeris who recorded and mixed both of them. It is not a coincidence that both albums did so well. Through the years, Kostas has certainly been one of my favorite collaborators. The album also features great performances from many talented musicians. ‘Silk Under the Skin’, seems to have captured the vibe of the era and with the aid of a very youthful and stylish ‘Street Girl’ video clip seemed to have appealed to a global audience. I really enjoyed managing to complete the long-awaited release of Raw Silk’s second album ‘The Borders of Light’. The album was released independently worldwide and was received with enthusiasm by the vast majority of press and fans. It also received excellent reviews. Although Covid hit us hard and disrupted our plans, we are hoping that we will regroup very soon and start writing new material.”
What taste did your experience with Spitfire leaves you?
“Drumming on Spitfire ‘First Attack’ was a great experience and a big learning curve both musically and personally. Really enjoyed my drumming on that album and it is very rewarding when new Greek drummers tell me how it has also influenced their musical journey. There was a lot of passion and enthusiasm in that first line-up and I think this is reflected in the music as well. It’s great that the band is still active and I hope they find lasting success in the future.“
What are the upcoming plans of Phoney Sea?
“As a songwriter Phoney Sea has given me the freedom to experiment with more unconventional soundscapes than ever before. Its fair to say that this style of music reflects accurately where I am at the moment from a musical perspective. This is an independent project and it is for the long term especially after the very encouraging response that Falling Down has received so far. The plan is to release a second track before the end of 2023 and then possibly two or three more in the following year.”
Maria Stella Tsatsi