Indie Psyche-Punk Rock are not often words you read in the same sentence very often, but they’re going to become more customary as Prayers Electric continue their assault on the music industry. Born from the same fertile soil as The Fall, Dub Sex, and Magazine, its to Prayers Electric credit that they sound like no one but themselves and have formulated a sound all their very own. Therefore we decided it was time we caught up with Jem Evans (guitar) to get the latest scoop. (The band is completed by drummer Greg “Farris” Batley-Moss)

Can you tell us about the band’s origins. Where did you meet etc.

I’m Jem, and I play guitar and sing. Farris plays drums and sings too! We met in a different band, a four-piece alt-goth outfit.

When the other members moved on, Farris and I kept playing together because we enjoyed it. I split my guitar signal into guitar and octave-down bass, and we started working out what the two of us could do and finding a direction we both enjoyed.

Farris suggested the name Electric Prayers, inspired by neon church signs. I swapped the words round and we both loved it. That became Prayers Electric.

We still have that “let’s see what happens” energy. We like keeping an open mind about what the band can be!

What are the musical influences of each band member and how do you forge them into a cohesive whole?

My background takes in everything from rock to electronic music, and lately I’ve been drawing inspiration from The Beatles and Wings for chords and harmonies. Farris loves Mastodon, Deftones and Queens of the Stone Age. He’s talked about how listening to more Queens of the Stone Age has been feeding into our energy and the way we play.

Usually I’ll bring in an idea for chords, a melody or lyrics, and Farris will help shape the rhythm, structure and harmonies. We also love just jamming out ideas. Once we’re both playing, the idea evolves and we find the new shape of it together.

We both like big riffs and catchy melodies. There’s plenty of common ground to work with.

Can you tell us about your local music scene. Is it supportive? Are there many places to play?

Manchester is great. I moved here for the music scene and it hasn’t disappointed. I go to loads of gigs, and there are always good new bands to discover. There are plenty of little festivals and events bringing interesting acts together, so you can see a lot of good things on one bill.

I love hanging around The Peer Hat and the Northern Quarter, and you can find pretty much any kind of music here. Band on the Wall has a lovely community around it. There are still plenty of places I’d love us to play. Night & Day is next on my list.

What’s the best and worst thing about your local scene?

The best thing is how much inspiration there is. You can go out and hear something that makes you want to get straight back into the rehearsal room.

The other side of that is that it’s incredibly busy, so standing out can be difficult. There’s a lot competing for people’s attention. But we’re getting there, and getting out of Manchester and playing elsewhere is helping too.

Can you tell us about the band’s discography (demos, singles, albums).

We’ve released two EPs, No Hope or Cause and Going Round Again. The newer one came out in August, and “Eyeballs” is a good place to start if you haven’t heard us. It’s fun, energetic and catchy, and there’s a video to go with it.

I hear us finding our feet as a pair across those records. We’re very proud of both of them. They’re also available together on CD and pink cassette, which makes a nice little capsule of our work so far.

How do you feel you’ve evolved musically throughout your career?

Our last band had more of a new wave sound, with some goth influences. When it became just Farris and me, we had to work out what suited the two of us. What came out had a lot of punk energy, big riffs and catchy vocal melodies, so we followed that.

I think we’ve become much more comfortable playing together and knowing what we can do with that setup. We’ve already improved so much, and I’m excited to hear things getting more polished as we keep going.

We’re trying new things with the songwriting too. I don’t want us to stop being fun or loud, but there’s plenty of room to get better at what we do.

Can you tell us about tours you’ve completed. Any war stories you’d like to share?

Nothing we’d call a proper tour yet. We both still have day jobs, but we’ve done little runs of gigs close together, mostly around the North West. Over the August bank holiday we played three festivals in two days, which was tiring but really good fun.

Before the first show, I managed to whack my head on a metal cable hook on the wall while picking up my amp. It was missing its protective rubber cap, so I caught the exposed end and cut my head. I then did the whole run with a cut on my head, including two gigs the following day!

Will we see you on the road anytime soon?

We’ve just done a busy run of gigs and would love to do more, but we’re also taking some time over the winter to work on and record new material.

We want to get further around the North West and the rest of the UK. I’d love to put a proper UK tour together, but that isn’t booked yet. We keep the confirmed dates on our website, prayerselectric.co.uk.

What’s next for the band? How do you plan to reach the next level?

We’re trying a lot of things out with the new songs. Some of those songs will start popping up in our live sets while we work out what belongs on the next release. It’ll be good to hear how they feel outside the rehearsal room.

Beyond that, I want us to keep playing, get into places we haven’t played before and keep improving. A UK tour and bigger festivals are things I’d love to work towards.

Farris has said his priority is to make music we love and for people to enjoy it, and anything beyond that is a bonus. I think that’s a good starting point. We’ve come a long way already, and I’m excited to see what happens if we keep going.

Finally, what’s the one question (and answer) interviewers never ask but you wish they would?

“What would you like people to feel at a Prayers Electric gig?”

I’d like them to enjoy themselves and feel part of it. Have a dance, sing along if they know the words, or leave with something stuck in their head if they don’t.

We take the music seriously, but we like having fun with it too. That’s something I hope comes across when people watch us. I go to loads of gigs myself, and I love coming away feeling glad I went out. I’d be very happy if we could give someone else that feeling.

Connect with Prayers Electric: Official Website