From their latest tour with Within Destruction to the new single Lilac, the band has been busy climbing the scene and flexing their muscles in the UK and Europe. Monasteries recently got back from a UK tour with Within Destruction, with Davies describing the run as “A dream come true.” He’s visibly stoked when looking back at the tour, saying “It surpassed all expectations and we honestly couldn’t pick favourite dates from them all!” It looked it too, those who kept an eye on the band’s socials would have seen the packed shows and hectic moshpits.
Josh reckons a lot of the hype at live shows is because fans are more keen and grateful to be seeing live music since the pandemic. “People came up and would say it was their first show in 2 years which is insane, it’s cool to see people finally coming out of their shell and its humbling to be the first band some people see live”. Josh’s first tour with Monasteries was straight out of lockdown in September 2021, and he has been thrown into the deep end with life on the road. As such, he’s had to keep careful to make sure his voice stays in the best condition it can. “On my first tour I got ill on like the third day…i had to push through it. So coming to the Within Destruction tour I knew I couldn’t afford to be ill again”. Because of this, Josh has made sure to take on advice he’s learned and his own tips to keep vocally healthy. “I try to let my voice settle after shows, plus I always have tea on me too. Ben Mason from Bound In Fear and Kyle Medina from Bodysnatcher, and loads of other homies all give me tons of tips…Before playing I don’t eat for three hours and keep away from cheese, dairy products and stay hydrated”.
““I cant put Monasteries into a box or categorise it"”
Monasteries work with a crazy variety of elements and experiments – which Josh thinks gives them a cutting edge. “I can’t put Monasteries into a box or categorise it…some of it is technical and in your face and other bits are more structured”. Their latest single Lilac mashes together the best of Monasteries in a track that has already surpassed 40 thousand Spotify streams, and rightly so. When asked about how he helped create Lilac, Josh explained “We worked with Erik from Loathe and got a lot of advice… and personally I worked on my vocals solo and went in a personal direction…I think my pronunciation and vocals are ten times better on this than before.” To close off, Josh was asked the simple question – ‘Do you think the world is ready for Lilac to wake up?’. “No. No, absolutely not.”