Interview: Winter Hotel

Since forming in 2017, Manchester’s Winter Hotel have built a reputation for their emotionally intense, genre-blurring take on hardcore – one that doesn’t just hit hard sonically, but unfolds through deeply narrative, story-driven worlds. In this interview, the band dives into how that storytelling evolved from individual tracks into fully realised concepts, and how they balance brutality, sensitivity and the shared weight of the human experience…

Your music feels very narrative-driven. When did you decide to tell stories rather than just standalone songs?

That is a juicy question, thank you for asking! We began experimenting with narrative fairly early on. Poetry and literature in general have always been integral columns of our lyrical approach to the expression of our internal sensitivity conjoined and juxtaposed with the serrations of our collective external worlds. What began as cohesive narratives insulated within singular tracks earlier in our career with songs such as “Lovers at Bay” and “The Exorcist’s Daughter” gradually expanded beyond the parameters of single imaginative encapsulations into full story-driven EPs as we came into a clearer realisation of our capacity for storytelling.

If someone listens to you for the first time, what should they feel?

Understood. Despite the narrative elements of our music, our themes are representative of all too frequently shared feelings of depression, self-hatred, suicidal ideation and the damnation of hope. The best we could ask for is the audience to begin their listening of our music in curiosity, but come out of it and return with feelings of, or at least approximating, solidarity in the enjoyment of heavy music, married with the recognition of togetherness in the weight of what it is to be human. But that being said, the inauguration of any artistic experience is personal. We neither have nor would even like to have agency over how people should feel; we more so aspire for them to experience the feelings which naturally arise when sitting with our art.

How do you balance heaviness with emotional or melodic elements?

Composition. We have a vague scope of sounds and genre-based influences we strive to capture in our music, which often naturally coincide rather harmoniously when we can structure the songs accordingly. In our earlier chapters, we at times would try to do too much in too tight of a space, so over the last few years we have focused on the key elements we value from artistic brutality and sensitivity and finely tune them to the extremities which best suit the song, its context and content.

When you are writing, does the theme/story come first or the music?

The two frequently are conceived simultaneously. We often have a particular atmosphere or sensation set as the goal, then craft both the theme and music to orient themselves in accordance with our aspirations. For example, our latest singles, “Six Nails Closer” and “A Grave for Hope,” as well as what we are working on currently, have the thematic and musical blueprint of being ‘cinematic, sorrowful, unyielding and brutal’. The music, lyrical content and narrative, as well as the overall imagery, is constructed to convey those established cornerstones.

Can you talk about the concept behind “To Burn Beneath the Spotlight”?

Of course! To Burn Beneath the Spotlight was our first attempt at creating an EP-spanning narrative which follows a singular soul in attendance of a stage production performing the entirety of that individual’s life and all of its failures, before the soul itself walks on stage in the third act of the trilogy to take its own life. We aimed for this particular EP to be a more immersive experience than we have done previously. To achieve this, we began to perform live in suits and an overall sharper style of clothing, to not only mirror the mourning depicted in the lyrics and visual media, but to bring a more definitive image and performance to the live audience.

Your music is very intense—how do you translate that into a live performance?

Aww dang, thank you! Each show is so different; we aim to translate the intensity by being as present with the audience as we can. We are never on autopilot; we try our best to read the room and figure out in what manner we can reach and relate to them to ensure they can be themselves, have fun and get in the pit. If that means starting the mosh pits ourselves by jumping into the crowd, giving hugs to people in attendance or even talking some shit on stage, we’ll do it. Our priority is to put on the best show we can and create a space where people can truly express themselves without judgment or fear of ostracisation.

What has been your most memorable moment in your journey so far?

That is a lovely yet tricky question. We have had so many incredible moments, it is hard to narrow them down. It is less of a moment and more of a phenomenon, but meeting so many loving and interesting people has been one of the most outstanding privileges of our journey so far. From fans to fellow bands, promoters, venue staff members, sound engineers—the list goes on and on—we have had the honour of befriending people of immeasurable delight. One other thing I will mention as a memorable aspect of our journey is the depth of love and friendship experienced internally as a band. We have known each other a long time and having the opportunity to deepen, strengthen and reinforce those bonds so frequently by proxy of the necessary teamwork and in-person interactions required as a band is utterly irreplaceable.

Who in the band has the heaviest music taste vs the softest?

Our frontman Warren is most certainly the girth-guzzling slam hound of the band. Not a day goes by where he doesn’t mention slam or ask the sound engineer to max out the bass drops during soundcheck. The happiest and most giddy we have ever seen him was when our bass drops literally shook the stage and rattled Charlie’s cymbal stands around during a recent show at the Rebellion in Manchester. Our lovely bassist Liam definitely occupies the softer side of our musical spectrum. His influences of midwest emo and post-hardcore largely constitute the key factors in creating the more atmospheric and beautiful side of our sound and imagery. The balance and coexistence of heavy and soft musical styles in metal have always been at the foundation of our creative exploration as a band.

What is the weirdest influence that has made it into your music?

Probably “W.A.P” from Cardi B. In her lyric “macaroni in a pot, that’s some wet-ass pussy,” it sounds as though there is a vocal snare bomb on “pot” which goes absolutely wild. In the studio our sound lord, Matt, has been trying to recreate that effect with some of our vocal takes. We have achieved similar effects in our recent releases, but the hunt for the perfect “W.A.P” “pot” guttural continues.

Which up-and-coming bands should people be paying attention to?

Gee whizz, let me tell ya, Demeanour from the North West UK is one of the raddest bands we have ever played with. They are unrelentingly heavy, infectiously energetic and, on top of that, fabulous people. I cannot wait to see what they do next. Firstwake played their debut show at ALT // FEST in Cardiff last November and the whole crowd was utterly bewitched by their performance; it was an absolute treat to witness the undeniable emergence of a beautifully affluent new band. Disgracing from Manchester have recently unleashed their debut EP, Descension into Despair, and the brutality of it is impenetrable. They are everything you could crave from brutal death metal. They have disgusting gutturals, slams, blast beats and hench-ass riffs.

I’m known as ‘Sunshine Weezy’ as I’m all about spreading the sunshine, the love and positive vibes—what would your sunshine be?

More people love and have love for you than you could ever imagine: family, friends, acquaintances and even strangers to whom you demonstrated simple acts or gestures of kindness. Cherish yourself the way you treasure those you love and hold most dear. One factor I myself often overlook while in the midst of depression is the fact that people actively want to help. To those who truly love you, it is a privilege for them to assist in the weathering of the storm. Asking for help is never a burden, no matter how much it may feel like it when facing the seemingly impregnable chambers of your individual abyss. No depth of darkness is unconquerable; love is one of the only faces of undeniable reality, and that is because it is more powerful than any pain, no matter how torturous.

Winter Hotel’s latest single, “A Grave For Hope,” is out now