THE PERICS: No Longer A Mystery
STRADDLING the cultural metropolis of Maastricht and England’s leafy town of Nantwich, The Perics were formed in 2020 by Cheshire-based singer songwriter Matt Warren and Dutch musicians Gee Nelson and Gwen James, who are also members of the rock band, Animal Revolt.
And the trio are all set to release their latest single, ‘I’m A Mystery’ on Friday November 19th.
“It’s a pop song about someone who isn’t successful in life but makes the best of it,” said Gee. “There also will be an animated music video created by Marijke Schouten.
“I think you could best describe our sound as pop rock with grungy, punk influences We try to explore all the boundaries of the genres.”
The ongoing global pandemic has touched us all but for The Perics there has certainly been a positive side.
“During the worldwide lockdown I met Matt on Instagram,” added Gee. “After a couple of chats about Eels – the band – we decided to collaborate on a song. We heard ‘Paradise by the Dashboard Light,’ [Meat Loaf] and I came up with the idea of a song about a man and woman whose relationship is at the end of the road. I asked Matt to be the male part. For the female vocals I had Gwen in mind. She’s also the co-composer and vocalist in my ‘other’ rock band, Animal Revolt.
“The result was ‘Do You Really Care?’ After the recording sessions we all decided to work on more songs together which is how The Perics were formed.”
And it’s on ‘Do You Really Care’ – or at least the intro – that the group’s rockier influences are evident with an opening ever so slightly reminiscent of the Cult’s, ‘She Sells Sanctuary.’
“Wow, I didn’t realise that, but yes it’s the same sound indeed. Luckily the notes are different I think unintentionally every musician is inspired by the music surrounding him,” explains Gee.
Although separated by the North Sea the trio write their songs and lyrics together, ensuring everyone remains engaged in the creative process. Following Zoom meetings, the various parts of each song are recorded with Gee putting the individual pieces in order.
As many genres as possible are experimented with as everyone has a different background, which clearly is one of the groups strengths. Matt has a background in pop and rock music, Gwen plays in musicals and sings professionally while Gee is influenced by Nirvana, Green Day, and Offspring with his roots firmly in the punk rock scene
“With those different backgrounds it’s very interesting to write songs together,” continued Gee. “Most of the time Matt or I will come up with a tune and send it to each other.
“Then I’ll produce a demo with the drums and some guitar tracks, Matt adds the bass and guitar tracks, the vocals, and extra tracks or instruments are added before it’s all put together.”
One of the groups most popular Spotify songs is ‘Modern Love,’ the perfect track for love at a distance in a locked down world. For the song ‘The End’ they collaborated with Australia’s ‘Reckless Velvet,’ and are currently preparing for a busy 2022.
“We have a theatre show planned for next year, but we hope Covid will not be a problem as a lot of countries are going back to restrictions again.
“We’re writing a story and songs and the show will be played in the Dutch theatres. Apart from that, we have written a lot of songs, some already recorded and we’re planning to do a show together in the Netherlands. It will be the first time we’re going to play live together.”
The Perics:
Matt Warren – vocals, guitar, bass, keys, songwriter
Gee Nelson* – vocals, guitar, drums, songwriter
Gwen James** – vocals, keys, songwriter
* Giedeau Nelissen
** Gwen van Genderen
Listen to THE PERICS: The Perics – YouTube
