Interview with State Your Case Bassist Marcus Lewis

"It was our first gig as a start-up band, and it seemed like everything that could go wrong went wrong". Local gigs don't always go the way artists hope they will, but everyone has to start somewhere, and for many that's playing in dingy, dark pub venues. I spoke to Southsea's State Your Case bassist Marcus Lewis to get a new perspective on the inside of the local scene and its artists.

"Strings broke, I was borrowing guitar gear at the time which fed back, forgot my tuner- absolute nightmare" Lewis spoke to me about State Your Case's unfortunate gig in a Southsea pub. As the first gig of the bands career, the pressure was on and a series of unlucky events seemed to unfold for the new band. The glamour of being in the limelight doesn’t always play out the way we see it from the outside, and this is a perfect example.

Many artists may have been put off by this kind of experience, but State Your Case saw it as a learning curve and carried on playing their gigs, with Lewis even telling me “my preferred venue of choice would be small, intimate venues”.

Marcus Lewis pictured on stage

“I often find there is more character in the smaller venues, and being close to the audience is always fun”

I also had the opportunity to talk to Lewis about what inspired him as a musician, and get more of an insight as to why he chose to get into such a competitive field.

“I first got into music through a musical family - My grandma played grade 8 piano, my mum played piano, guitar and clarinet. My brother picked up the guitar at a very young age, and I wanted to get into music”.

“My dad used to play rock vinyl from a young age, and from then I knew I wanted to be a Rockstar, so I picked up bass when I was 8.”

Because of this, Lewis’ inspirations include many figureheads from the genre. “Led Zeppelin, the technicality brought by Muse, the funky bassline of Don Broco and obviously my family”. As well as telling me he believed Queen to be one of the best rock bands ever.

Though, Lewis also said that whilst he enjoys nothing more than playing his music for a crowd, being told to always have a backup plan is some of the best industry advice he’s been given. “It’s a super competitive business, and yes sure you could get your lucky break however the business is full of talented musicians”- which is a fresh, realist outlook on the industry.

When I asked about the music industry, and what Lewis would improve given the opportunity, he told me “It would be to make talented musicians famous instead of limiting it to people who look good. Lots of talent is missed because of the way people look in the business.”.

Of course the industry has its flaws, with appearance being quite a prominent. Popular artists who may not be considered conventionally attractive are few and far between. Although, I’m grateful to see new artists striving to fight this stereotype and change the industry for the better.