Snakes, in popular mythology, represent fertility or a creative life force. As they shed their skin through sloughing, they are symbols of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing.
Perhaps rebirth, in this instance, applies best to cracking (newish) Chelmsford three-piece, Snakes. Between them, musically, they have covered a lot of ground but they have now found each other again.
Debut LP imminent
Colour Polished Dreams, their debut LP, is the result. It’s obvious on first listen how the years of musical experience clicked to create such a mesmorising debut. It’s chock full of tunes and harmonies, writhing guitar lines, lyrics on point, and masterful musicianship. See for yourself when they play Chelmsford HMV on October 7.
Snakes: in their own words
Andy McKay sheds some light:
Sometimes life puts the right people together at the wrong time. Rewind to the mid-90s. From its view in space, the satellite zooms in on Essex and a talented trio of disparate souls collectively known as Gifthorse, making a beguiling sound that comprises wry social observation, miniature movies but crafted in sound, at once timeless and occasionally challenging. For reasons long forgotten, the band’s burst of energy crackles and fades, a small footnote in the history of Chelmsford’s music scene.
Fast forward to 2021. The post-covid world decides to re-introduce myself (vox, guitar) to Neil Byott (bass) and as beers are drained and friendship re-established, talk swiftly moves to music.
My stint in The White Gospel is nearly over as the group disbands. Neil is itching to play after two years of nothing, having left one of the country’s most successful tribute bands just before the pandemic. The universe kindly brings Matt Savvides (drums) back into the mix to boost our tentative plans and suddenly… Snakes. Genre-defying, melodic writing informed by a vast range of influences, crackling with neurological electrical storms and conflicting emotions.
This has been a busy year for the band… gigs, festivals, and the release of our debut album. Not ones to sit still, our second album is being written.
Check out the band’s Bandcamp page to purchase Colour Polished Dreams.
One reply on “Snakes: the Essex serpents release debut LP”
Just playing the album for the first time , already know I will be looking forward to seeing you live !
I love the intro to ‘Bed of Nails’ and the lyrics to ‘No Turn Unstoned’ including the line “there’s no coming back from a shark attack “