MARTY VENUS – AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNE ESTELLA

At just 27, British Rock guitarist Marty Venus has embarked on a solo career that will see the release of a debut album within the coming weeks. The former Wicked Jackals axeman (and self-confessed nerd!) has brought together a slew of talented musicians to work on his record, You Destroy You, whilst plans for live shows and festival appearances are underway. I caught up with Marty in the run up to his album launch, which has come to fruition thanks to his dedication, passion, and a very successful fundraising campaign.

[Anne] You were previously the guitarist in the Hertfordshire-based band The Wicked Jackals – how long were you with the Jackals and what made you decide to leave to pursue a solo career?

[Marty] I was! I had been with the band since 2013 when we were originally called ‘Guns of Anarchy’, right up to the end of 2021. I ended up leaving in the end just down to personal and creative differences. Having spent time towards the end and during lockdown creating and writing stuff that just wasn’t really
their fit was a bit of an indicator as to where I wanted to go with music a bit more.

[Anne] What were your biggest considerations and challenges in terms of moving forward as a solo artist?

[Marty] Moving forward as a solo artist was like having a second chance at a first impression on the scene again, which is a very rare opportunity, so with that came the big challenge of how I could make the most of that and really exceed expectations! Another has been managing everything solo – no one to
delegate or assign a particular task or thing to, so keeping on top of that has been a bit mental!

[Anne] What can you tell us about your upcoming debut album and Kickstarter campaign?

[Marty] The Kickstarter campaign was a huge success! It really blew me away that so many people were invested in me and the music I’m creating – it even went over target! I think in the end it was 109% total – truly amazing! The album is a real passion project for me, I’d always wanted to do an album like
this ever since I heard Slash’s self-titled 2010 album with all the different musicians on the tracks, so it’s been a long time coming! I like to think of this album as varying parts of my musical influences and ability as well as a collaborative effort within the community. There’s something for everyone on this one. It’ll be released on 7th October.

[Anne] What is the meaning behind the album title, ‘You Destroy You’?

[Marty] I’d intended it to be open to interpretation. To me, it’s reflective of the responsibility and accountability one has to oneself and the mental/emotional healing process. You can choose to do something good or bad, to heal or to hurt, so ‘You Destroy You’ to me, is that. But on the flip side, you also have the power to fix yourself too. Break yourself down then build yourself back up. It did feel like an appropriate title on a personal reflective level.

[Anne] What themes do the songs explore and how did you decide which vocalists would best represent each track?

[Marty] Thematically, I didn’t do much there! I gave each vocalist I chose total free reign to write the lyrics based on the song I’d given them. Musically, when writing the songs, I’d come up with something and let it flow out then work it out a bit more until I was happy with it. I did have some thoughts as to what
they could be about if they were to have lyrics, however lyric writing is something I’m working on improving, but never really been good at.

When it came to choosing singers, I’d thought about who I’d seen or gigged with previously, whether their voice would suit the music, or in some cases had people recommended to me and would sieve through their previous work and then approach them, or in some cases, they approached me with interest! A
long process, but with the level of musicianship and passion everyone put into the tracks, it really shows that they were the best people for it!

[Anne] Which singers have lent their vocals to the tracks on your album and
who else is playing on it?

[Marty] Well, there have been a lot of people involved here! Starting with singers, there’s Adam Chambers, Richie Hevanz (Misery’s Smile, Heaven’s Basement), Maria Verhelst (Touch the Fist, Doctor & The Medics), Atashi Tada (Elysian Divide), Leandro Bastos, Daniel Lawrence (Spyder Byte), Flash Sawyer (Trophies of Man, King Lizard), Aman Virdi and Shona Ferguson, some names
are totally fresh, others more familiar.

I also had the guitar talents of Ben Skingley (Skyward) and Bass mastery of Jack Cox (Assimilate). Drummers I worked with were Jason Moser, Fabio Tucci, Accy Yeats (Hamilton Musical Band), Matt Bown (Assimilate, All Aboard Gloria), Matt Davies and someone who goes by the name BlueBirdSound. All of them have been awesome to work with, every single one of them has really helped in making these tracks
sound incredible!

[Anne] Do you have a permanent band to tour with?

[Marty] I do indeed! So, on vocals and rhythm guitar I’ve got Lily Cooze; Bass, Jack Cox and on Drum duty is Alex Hamilton. All are incredibly talented and really are great people to work with.

[Anne] You’ve got your album launch show at O’Neil’s, Watford, on 8th October – tell us who is supporting you and what we can expect on the night. How can people get tickets?

[Marty] Yes! I’ve got support from two good friends of mine, being Callaine and Hus Hodja – both are incredible instrumentalists and musicians! The sound is going to be pretty diverse, as we’re not all entirely Rock based, but variations thereof, so it’ll make for a night of big talents and amazing music! Tickets are
available on the door on the night, or you can drop my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/martyvenusguitarist) a message and you can pre-purchase one from me!

[Anne] What are your plans for the rest of the year and into 2023 in terms of gigs, tours and festivals?

[Marty] After the launch show, I will be accepting gigs and events up to the end of the year. In 2023 I’ve got a couple of gigs and festivals booked in and hopefully many more to come! Gotta get back out there once again!

[Anne] How do you spend your time when you’re not playing guitar or writing music?

[Marty] Well, I tutor guitar and bass and love it! Teaching has been truly wonderful, always happy taking on new students too! Besides that, I am a huge nerd practically, I play a fair amount of video games, card games and the occasional tabletop! I do fancy myself as a bit of a film buff and a book worm – can’t be rock ‘n’ roll 24/7, right?!

[Anne] What are your hopes and dreams for the immediate and distant future?

[Marty] I do hope this album does well. From the initial response, it seems like it may do really well! Distant future, I would like to be playing a lot more, bigger festivals, even overseas! Go big or go home, eh?! Let’s see where this takes us!

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