Being a heavy band can often be a disadvantage to four or five young musicians trying to make it in an increasingly volatile business. You’re not likely to get much mainstream or even community radio play and much of society writes off your music as a niche.
This could be the reason why the metal world is such a surprisingly tight-knit and supportive community. Bands once thought relegated to punchlines or footnotes in music history still have viable careers thanks to the support of fans whose backs never turned.
One band who can attest to the support and love that heavy music fans give their favourite bands is Thy Art Is Murder. The blacktown deathcore outfit have certainly seen their share of controversy, from incidents at festivals, to controversial album art, but their fans’ support has never wavered.
To find out why heavy bands have the best fans, we spoke to Thy Art Is Murder guitarist Andy Marsh, who recounted some of his favourite experiences with fans and explained how the undying support the band receive from their fans have allowed them to keep doing what they love.
Best Fan Experience
“There’s just too many,” Marsh remarks when asked to name their favourite fan experience. “We’ve stayed with countless fans while on tour, many of whom have grown to become great, lifelong friends. We try to grant as many requests from our friends and fans as is reasonably possible.”
“Last year, we were lucky enough to meet one super tough girl from Victoria who had gone through some recent hardship and we got her and her friends into the show to hang out and chat and get photos with us and the other bands on the tour.”
“Seeing how we can touch other peoples lives just by hanging out with them is a truly humbling experience and one of the best fringe benefits of touring and playing music.”
Growth
Growing a fan base is arguably the hardest part of being a musician today. While resources like the internet have given bands the tools to better market themselves, it’s also had a crowding effect on the market place, which can work against bands. The Thy Art boys reckon the best way to get fans is hitting the road.
“We’ve been lucky to have a great fan base over the years and I think the best way to grow one is to go out on tour, put on the best show you can and have fun. We try to make every show a great, interactive live experience and we always make sure to hang out with fans after the show,” Marsh explains.
Loyalty
“We have an insanely loyal fan base,” the boys brag, “the only thing we’ve noticed is we are getting a lot more older fans now in other continents, where metal isn’t just for young kids. People continue to go to shows after their teens, whereas in Australia we see mostly people in their early twenties and teens.”
“I think our fans are so loyal because we try to minimise the barrier and distance between us and them. At the end of the day we are just a couple of guys that love metal just as much as they do and we don’t take ourselves to seriously. We think they see that and appreciate it.”
Keeping In Touch
While the internet may have made it harder to single yourself out amongst the pack, resources like social media have made it easier than ever to stay in touch with the fans you do have, and this is something Thy Art Is Murder definitely take advantage of.
“We have very interactive social media where rather than have a label or manager run the platforms, we do,” they explain. “It’s important for our fans to know that they are seen and heard by us and its important for us that they know its really us they’re communicating to.”
Support
Marsh even credits Thy Art Is Murder’s fans with helping the band grow and develop. The way he tells it, they owe everything to the support of their fans, who’ve stuck with them regardless of whatever news stories are spiralling around them or what moves they make.
“By being the raddest and most supportive bunch of people [our fans help us grow]. They come to shows, buy and listen to our music and support us through buying and wearing out merch. Without them we wouldn’t be able to do what we do,” Marsh says.
“Early on we were lucky enough to have a great fan base in Australia that allowed us to tour a lot, hone our craft and make some money that would eventually allow us to go overseas to tour and record. Most of those fans are still with us.”
Thy Art Is Murder’s latest studio album, ‘Holy War’, is out now. Get it now via the Thy Art Is Murder website here.
