Interview: Guiltless
Turnouts have been good for a first tour and we are feeling a great connection to the audience, which is awesome.
Guiltless have recently embarked on their first ever UK/EU tour where the band brought their debut full length Teeth To Sky and their apocalyptic post-metal/sludge/doom/noise rock to venues in these shores. Gavin Brown caught up with Guiltless vocalist/guitarist Josh Graham whilst the band were on the road to get the lowdown on how the tour has been going, their upcoming tour with Primitive Man and the reaction to Teeth To Sky.
E&D: You’ve been on the road on your very first UK/European tour as Guiltless, where are you at this moment in time?
Josh: Right now we are driving from Calais to Desertfest in Antwerp. We played London last night and drove straight to Calais, so we’re all a bit fried but in good spirits.
E&D: How is the tour going and what have been some of the highlights of this run?
Josh: It has been great. Turnouts have been good for a first tour and we are feeling a great connection to the audience, which is awesome.
E&D: You’re touring with Wren, have you been getting on great with those guys?
Josh: Touring with Wren has been fantastic, both musically and personally. We’re a solid collective team, helping each other out in every way to make sure we all have the best experience. It’s awesome when you can immediately make that kind of connection with another band.
E&D: What are some of your favourite places to play in the UK and in Europe?
Josh: Historically, my favorited UK places to play are (in no particular order), London, Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Manchester, Belfast and more. In Europe and Republic of Ireland – Dublin, Lille, Prague, Oslo, Bern, Barcelona, Ghent, Tilburg, Berlin, Zagreb and so on. There are so many great places and people it’s hard not to list a paragraph of places.
E&D: What are your touring essentials that you can’t leave home without?
Noah: I am personally pretty nomadic as far as tour – definitely a different mind set than vacation! Necessities include – a good book or two, music, clean socks and boxers, and if tours are long enough, some Yucateco hot sauce to liven up meals.
E&D: How has touring changed over the years for you?
Josh: Over the last twenty years of touring, there have been a lot of constants in the day to day tour life. Everyone you work with for the most part, is in it for the love of music. There’s a a camaraderie between the bands, promoters, venue staff and the audience. As far as what has changed, tours are typically shorter now than they used to be – 7-8 week tours are now 10-15 days or so. Balancing our personal and business lives with our music lives is more important as we get older.
E&D: What are you listening to on the road?
Josh: We ended up with a weird van “upgrade” where we have these oversized captain’s chairs and very little actual storage space (we had to offload our speaker cabinets ). The van is split up between 3 people in the front and 6 people in the back. Audio is only audible in the front. So in the back of the van, Guiltless and half of Wren have basically just been “shooting the shit” and telling stories. It has been cool – very different from most van tours where music is a central part of the travel experience, but there is also a lot more time to get to know each other which has been awesome.
E&D: Are you looking forward to hitting the road with Primitive Man, Today Is The Day and otay:onii in the US when this tour finishes?
Josh: Absolutely looking forward to the tour. It’s a huge opportunity for us to start getting the band out there in the world. This will be the most shows we have played so far – as we are still only at 12 shows. We’re grateful to Ethan and Primitive Man for taking us out, and looking forward to playing with Otay:onii and Today is the Day.
E&D: Have you got more live dates planned for 2026?
Josh: Not right now but we are working on it. Actually another reference to how touring has changed – post-pandemic touring has to be booked essentially 6 month out in the US and even up to 12 months in advance in Europe – that makes booking headlining shows for a new band a massive challenge. We do have some potential / specific ideas happening for next year, but it’s all a bit up in the air the moment.
E&D: What have been some of your favourite Guiltless live shows to date?
Josh: We’ve been extremely lucky for so few shows. Essentially every single show has been amazing. Our first three shows were with Coalesce and Kowloon Walled City in the US, 3rd show was Prepare the Ground festival in Toronto, 4th show was Soulcrusher festival in NL, 6 amazing shows with Wren, and tonight is Desertfest Antwerp.
E&D: What have been some of the greatest tours you have ever been on?
Josh: The first European Red Sparowes tour was amazing. A Storm of Light tours with Neurosis, Sleep, Converge and Corrosion of Conformity. A Storm of Light at ATP in London with Yob, Slayer, Wolves in the Throneroom was a truly mind blowing experience. Our current tour is up there as well, just starting to spread the name of the band and really connecting with everyone who comes out.
E&D: What have been some of the greatest tours you have ever seen as a fan?
Josh: Where to begin! Melvins and Helmet 97, Neurosis and Crash Worship 95, the very first Lollapalooza in Tempe (NIN melting keyboards and all), Grinderman, Sunn O))) Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Swans – Brooklyn 2014 with Thor!, Roadburn 2014, Jesus Lizard 2025 – that’s what is popping into my head at the moment anyway.
E&D: Who would Guiltless love to tour with?
Josh: That would be a very long list! Godflesh, Cave In, Mutoid Man, Yob, Author and Punisher, Portrayal of Guilt, Mastodon, KEN mode,
E&D: Have you been pleased with how your debut album Teeth To Sky has been received since it was released in March?
Josh: Yes, absolutely. We all feel lucky to be making music together and are beyond appreciative for the reception so far. We’re starting work on another album and hopefully we can keep some of this momentum going.
E&D: How has the new material been going down at your live shows?
Josh: Really well! There’s definitely a connection with the audience in this band that feels unique to me.
E&D: Have you had any potential thoughts about new material at all?
Josh: Yes! We have started working on new material – it is in the very early stages but we should be diving further in soon.
Photo by @dissociative_geography
