The musical group, These Reigning Days, is not only marking a territory with its eclectic music but has also shared stage with some of the best musicians in the world. On their maiden trip here, the band’s lead vocalist Dan Steer tells Shrabasti Mallik that he plans to explore different genres of indigenous music
These Reigning Days sounds like an unusual title for a music band. But this group of highly passionate boys decided it as a name of their band as they say “they are here to rule the world of music.”
“The members knew each other even before forming the band. When we jammed for the first time, we put our instruments down, looked at each other and just knew that we were meant to play together. I remember saying, ‘These are our reigning days,’ and that is how we came up with a name for the band,” said Dan Steer, lead vocalist and lyricist of the band.
Their music is an eclectic mix and blurs the line between classical, rock and roll, jazz and blues. In their words, the music is “anthemic, epic stadium rock.” It fuses layers of strong but understated guitar lines with a twisting, indie-pop sound that drives compositions. What is unique about Dan’s compositions is that he draws from a great range of influences which are memorable and danceable. He said, “Most of the songs that I write are about my emotions and what I am going through — my love, my life, the relationship that I share with other people. Sometimes it also depends on what I am listening to.”
Along with drummer Joe Sansome and bassist Jonny Finnis, Dan had released their debut album Opera of love last year. As the title suggests the album is all about love and Dan shared, “love has many emotions attached to it, on very different levels. I have had the privilege to experience all of them. The idea of every emotion is very clear to me and it has helped me in penning down the songs. That is why we decided to call it an opera.” And they take a particular interest in their recording sessions as well.
For them, just going into the studio and experiencing an environment of intense creativity is unparalleled, especially if the producer is someone they get along with. “We have been working with Yoad Nevo who has worked with some of the best musicians and bands like Duran Duran, Pet Shop Boys and Goldfrapp. Yoad was looking for a change and wanted to work with a full on rock band and that's where we stepped in. The fact that we loved the vibe of the 80s was what made him perfect for us,” he added.
They are probably one of those rare bands who are undisturbed by the changing musical trends. For them “good music is good music and it is not affected by changing times.” According to Dan, “One has to be honest to yourself and to your music. You do not have to follow trends to keep up with times; neither do you have to adapt yourself to their demands.”
The band is one album old and they consider themselves lucky to have shared the stage with Bon Jovi in the San Siro stadium in Milan and play at The Polish Woodstock, the biggest music festival in Poland. “It is humbling to have come so far in such short time,” Dan said.
In their maiden trip to India, they plan to explore all the places that they have only “seen on the Internet or in books.” Dan plans to catch up with Indian music as much as he can and mentioned that their Indian fans would be the first ones to hear a song from their forthcoming album, which they plan to release later this year. “That will be like a gift to the country we have heard so much about. The song does not have a title and has not even been officially recorded yet,” he ended.