Life is short – far too short not to take a gamble on your creative dreams. Fourmarks know that better than most.
The London-based four piece band came together eighteen months ago, sharing a wild vision of progressive, omni-faceted noise loaded with invective, satire and ideas. They sketched out plans to blow the lid off the hyper-normal world with live shows shattering the boundaries between concert and experience, turning performance into an event. Their music – a genre-splicing molotov cocktail of whipsmart electronics, razor-sharp rock dynamics, lysergic pop savvy and provocative lyrical substance– is big enough to carry their complex ideas, and accessible enough to sell them. And the musicians behind the project – Marc Singh-Jones and Sean Douglas – possess the drive and hunger to make their visions a reality.
Life is short. That much became clear to Singh-Jones a little while back when fate served him one of its occasional time-checks, as he weathered the deaths of his grandparents, and then the passing of a friend his own age. Marc had a comfortable career, a solid income, a predetermined future. But he also had a passion for music, a taste for fine British satire, a need to express the ideas cooking in his head, and recent events had spelled out for him that time isn’t limitless, that you should get started on your dreams today, not tomorrow. He quit his job. He dug out his music gear. He started laying his concepts down on paper, his sketches on tape. Today had come. It was time to get to work. He put out feelers for a creative partner who could help realise the nascent tracks he was building, who could massage these genre-clashes into something that made sense, that cut to the quick.
Synchronicity, timing, honest good luck are all crucial quantities in life. Marc must have been flush with all three when he crossed paths with Sean Douglas. “It was just meant to be, babe,” grins Sean, a producer and engineer who’d previously worked with Wire, Laura Mvula and Django Django, describing how he hooked up with Marc. Sean was the first outside collaborator Marc had sought, and their connection was instant, and solid. “He could sing and rap,” marvels Sean, of Marc. “He was the full package.”
Over the course of a few months working together, they’d already smashed out the first couple of Fourmarks anthems – the incendiary riot-rumble of TruAnon and the catchy dystopian grenade that is 2120– and began sketching out the parameters of the project. “Our direction was alternative, progressive, electronic music,” says Marc. “Drum machines, live drums, electronics and live instruments.”
Lyrically, Marc’s taste for fine British satire and the paranoid (or is he?) masterpieces of documentary maker Adam Curtis influence his stories, often taking the voice of his characters in the songs, like the misinformation pushing dealer of TruAnon. “It’s like writing a film script,” he says. “It’s a hyper-normal world we’re living in, and nobody’s in control. And to me, that’s fascinating.”
The duo quickly linked up with Tal Janes on guitar, a jazz trained axeman with an acute feel for unique sounds, placement and phrasing, using his instrument to create new textures and dimensions in the space afforded. Known for his sensitive approach and eclectic taste in music, his playing has led him to perform, tour & record with some of London’s most exciting artists such as; Jordan Rakei, Alfa Mist, Waaju, Qwalia, Joni, Nubiyan Twist as well as working as a Producer.
The final piece of the puzzle quickly fell into place with drumming veteran Pete Baker, a long time collaborator of Sean Douglas, having played in previous outfits together. Pete has had an extensive professional music career having led the skins for Mohair who were signed to Q Prime Management (Metallica, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Muse) and completed numerous tours of America, Canada, Europe in stadiums, arenas and clubs. His career has seen him support and play with Razorlight, Depeche Mode, Muse, Gabrage, The Bluetones and play some of the worlds biggest festivals such as Glastonbury, T in the Park, V, Reading and Leeds, SXSW and Montreux Jazz Festival.
Fourmarks have played numerous shows in the clubs of London working on their vision for their experiential live experience. “We want to blend contemporary theatre, projection and music, we’re in early stages but that’s where we want to go” Marc says, “an experience the user can engage with, that overwhelms them, that they won’t forget. We want to make an impact. We’re going to make an impact.” They’re currently working on their live schedule for the second half of 2024 to support the release of their debut album “This Ain’t Art”.
https://www.facebook.com/FourMarksMusic
High Violet PR
