Black Peaks had it all figured out. After an initial stop as a three-piece instrumental band, Joe Gosney, Liam Kearley and Andrew Gosden teamed up with Will Gardner, changed their name from Shrine and set to work writing a debut album.
Their aims were simple. They wanted to make music like their favourite bands. They wanted to hit the road like their favourite bands. If they dared to dream, it would be to one day share stages with their favourite bands.
Black Peaks were still a secret when Zane Lowe heard ‘Glass Built Castles’, fell in love and played it on Radio 1 as his Hottest Record. Savage, sincere and sparkling, the track instantly caused a fuss.
Interesting but accessible, it shoulders a darkness but makes room for light. It felt exciting, dangerous, and fresh all at the same time. From that moment on, plans quickly fell apart, and the group felt their way forward. “Everything was a guess,” starts Joe.
In the years that followed, Black Peaks didn’t stop. ‘Statues’ was released, a hulking, brooding fairytale of a debut record, and the band toured relentlessly. They played Wembley Arena with Deftones, toured Europe with System Of A Down and turned heads at festivals all over. It was everything they ever wanted.
“But it left us in a weird place,” admits Joe. “Instead of winding it down, it got more and more intense until it just finished. A couple of us went home ready to write. A couple of us went home maybe not wanting to do the band anymore.”
“It was to do with pressures, things going on at home and having not stopped properly for a very long time,” continues Will, unafraid to admit things got too much. “I was exhausted. There was so much going on; I couldn’t sleep.
“Mentally I was in a very bad way at the end of it. All of us weren’t in the strongest position financially, individually or mentally. There was so much going on behind the scenes; I don’t know if I’d be able to describe it to people in a million years.
“It was such a battle the last two or three weeks of that European tour. We were doing the most amazing things, supporting [childhood heroes and constant sources of inspiration] System of a Down and Mastodon, but some of those days I just couldn’t handle it.
