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Official music video for Resolute, from Soma Dark’s debut album ‘Begin’. Produced by Mycho Productions. 2012.

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Source: Youtube

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

“Awake” Written by jesus in india Dan Moores and RobDerbyshire. All rights reserved 2011.

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Source: Youtube

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

We thought we would delve into the world of Driven Overboard. A 3 piece from Southport who describe themselves as Hardcore Rock. These guys have played for ROP a few times now and they always give us lots of energy.

Hey Guys,
Thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions and letting us get a sneak peak into the lives of Driven Overboard.

ROP: 1st of all, who are Driven Overboard and who does what in the band?
Driven Overboard: Well… DriveN OverboarD are Lewis (drums/lead vocals),Tom (Guitars/vocals) and Sponge (Bass/vocals)a set of 3 sexy,hardcore,beasts

ROP: Tell us about your past, how did you guys get started and how long have you been going?
Driven Overboard: DriveN OverboarD started out as jamming sessions really as mates, we’d all just split from other bands and just thought it’d be cool to meet up and make some noise. We started playing some covers like, all my life Foo Fighters, animal I have become Three days Grace and Thirty Seconds to Mars Battle of one. We thought they sounded good …. at the time, and we just kept having ‘Jams’, we still didn’t call ourselves a band but soon after came on to us writing ‘Leave Behind’ our first song. Then after deciding it was going well we made it official we’d commited to being the new band on the block. The name DriveN OverboarD we don’t even no why we are called it not gonna lie.. we just wanted a name that people could chant to but yeah sounded cool to us and our shows are now always followed by a lot of beer and babes but also the OVERBOARD OVERBOARD OVERBOARD chants! The band now has been together about a year and a half ? yeah something like that.

ROP: Have any of you been in other bands before Driven Overboard?
Lewis: I was in a band called ‘Dominant Specie’s for about 4 years good times playing shows and stuff but other commitments ended that , but i wasn’t up for playing Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand, my cock was ready to get wet with some Hardcore Sounding tunage.
Tom: I was in a couple of bands my longest lasting was ‘Radio Transplant’, same as Lew really Basketcase and Wipeout were not gonna make me the big bucks or bring in the ladies so i moved onto another band with some close mates called the Equilibrium didn’t last long like.. played a couple of gigs , but i was feeling something heavier , and heavy was not what the rest of the band had in mind.
Sponge: I played in a cover band called alien audio we did a few gigs and it was more a bit of high school fun but I decided to put down my high school musical passion and rock out with these hot babes.

ROP: I remember when you played for us at The Ship in Preston. You guys were very much a punk-rock band. When we re-booked you to play Rampage Preston in September you had completely changed and were much heavier, what happened and why did you guys change… or did you always have a darkside?
Driven Overboard: We for sure have gone heavier , back then the songs were lighter and we like things HEAVY , but because we hadn’t been around for long we were still trying to find our true sound and after a lot of determination and a helping hand from a lot of French Biere we headed down the hardcore road, which can be hard making your band orignal in that style of music , but we try to keep our songs catchy with a mix of hardcore and clean vocals , a modern sound mixed with an old school feel, we don’t know who we sound like but when told by people who we do they can only say bands that have slight similarities of us, which is good because that gap in the market is screaming out DriveN OverboarD we’ve been waiting for you!

ROP: It must be said Lewis, you are a great frontman (especially since you are a rare drummer who is the main singer) what came 1st, Drumming or Singing and at what point did you end up combining them?
Lewis: Why Spank you , yeah the band are pretty different in that way as well its cool hearing the compliments off fans when i sometimes get them after shows, some people don’t like the idea but its only because they don’t get to touch me like you do when just a singer and wish they could..haha. Yeah I have been gigging as a singer in the shower since I can remember but when I was in year 6 I got my first kit and started then never had a lesson.. never will. After a year of hitting drums i joined a band and gave vocals a go and  somehow I got them both working nicely together, and its just gone on from their really.

ROP: We have also noticed you bring a few fans with you to your gigs, especially what appears to be 2 super fans who are always at the front jumping around or starting a 2 man pit. Who are they and how much do you pay them?
Driven Overboard: yeah we have a crazy fan base all legends and happy that its growing all the time , we’ve been on road trips all over the country and certain people have become super fans as you put it , the two that always seem to pop up at the preston shows are the one and only TOM JONES! .. Its not unusual and JT both legends that travel with us  and are never needed to be be asked to go mental , all they need is a bottle of vodka and some hardcore and they get their groove on! 

ROP: Your sets seems to be very energy driven, do you choreograph your shows at all?
Driven Overboard: Not at all.. we don’t want backing dancers or confetti.. well ok maybe confetti when playing Download fest in the future.. we just go to every show thinking lets rip this place apart and show this crowd what were about, the lively , topless ,stage diving antics are just as important as the music itself its what makes a band worth watching and paying to see as well as the songs

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

We Stand Victorious – What’s So Great About It (Music Video) from Fox County Media on Vimeo.

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Source: Vimeo

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Sa-da-kO - Forced Evolutionary Virus

Well well.. what can we say about our good friends Sa-da-kO. ROP has been closely involved with the guys for a while now. They played GET IN THE RING 2010 in Preston, where they came 2nd which was great to see an out of town band get so close to snatching the crown. Going forward Sa-da-kO joined ROP Records as one of our 1st  signing’s where the guys released their debut album ‘Zer01′…. in fact… now looking back, they were our 1st.

Sa-da-kO decided to stay with ROP Records when they joined forces with Subservience to create a joint EP ‘Sa-da-kO vs Subservience’ which was released on 18th March 2011 when both bands played Hammerfest that weekend.

Its great to see this long awaited video from the guys and it was great to see so much support for this video from everyone at ROP. A well deserving Video Of The Month.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Richard Adam Maclachlan is well known as the voice behind Population Four, a 5 piece Rock band based in Preston, Lancashire. Known more commonly as pop4, these guys enjoyed 4 years of gigging some of the best venues in the Northwest, winning several Battle of The Bands and Supporting some big named bands. Unfortunately the guys recently decided to call it a day after 4 years of gigging. We thought it about time we caught up with Rick and got to know a bit more about him and his time with pop4 (and a few other odd bits).

Hi Rick, thanks for letting us get this little insight into your life and agreeing to be part of ROP’s 1st interview

ROP: Lets start off with finding out more about Rick. Obviously everyone knows you as the voice of Population Four. When did you start singing and when did you know you wanted to be in a band?
Rick: I started singing in my Primary school choir, and carried on all the way through high school. Not very cool, but you would be surprised how many guys I know in bands who got their start that way.

ROP: Can you turn your talents to anything else musically?
Rick: A long time ago I used to play clarinet. I’ve played bass in another band. But singing is really the only thing I’m any good at.

ROP: What was the 1st band you were ever in? Were they any good?
Rick: The first band I was in was called Drop In The Ocean, Back when I was a kid I thought we were great, but that was a long time ago.

ROP: Apart from shouting down a microphone a lot, what else does Rick Maclachlan get up to when he’s not jumping around a stage?
Rick: I do a lot of running, does that count? To be honest I’m mostly just working haha! I’m not doing much with myself now Pop four has split; it’s really just nice to have some free time for a change.

ROP: Do you have a PS3/Xbox – What’s your ID so we can all find you and beat you online?
Rick: Yeah I’m Sporygog on Xbox Live, if you want to play Battlefield then send me friend request.

ROP: Ok, quick fire round….
Tea or Coffee: Depends how I’m feeling
Beer or Cider: Beer, Cider is an abomination.
Righty or Lefty:  I’m right handed, but I play golf and Hockey (any kind of stick related sports really) Left handed.
PS3 or Xbox 360:  360
PC or Mac: PC
Cup half full or half empty:  Half Full
Deal or No Deal:  Deal?
John or Edward:  They’re pretty interchangeable.

ROP: Let’s get back on track. How did Pop4 get together, Who started the band and when did you come in?
Rick: Pop Four started a little before I joined. Dave Cooko and Si started the band with another singer, and Dave was playing bass. Then the other singer died in a land slide so they got me in to replace him. Ceres started playing bass a little before that.

ROP: Who is your idol or who do you inspire to be like musically?
Rick: I’m a massive fan of Alexisonfire, It’s a damn shame they’ve split. I never really aspired to be like anyone in particular musically. But there are a lot of bands and musicians that I think are pretty great. Enter Shikari is an amazing example of a band that have really successfully done their own thing; they should be an inspiration to anyone starting a band. I could ramble on and on about the music I like, but recently I’ve been listening to a lot of the aforementioned Enter Shikari, Johnny Cash, and quite a lot of Underoath.

ROP: What was the motivation behind pop4? Did you want to be famous, make money or just have some fans?
Rick: I guess it’s hard to say, Ideally we would have liked to have made it and made money, but we were always very happy that anyone at all liked our stuff. It was real pleasures to get to play music and have other people enjoy it as much as we did.

ROP: You guys made a couple of music videos. How did you decide which tracks you were going to make videos for, was there many arguments involved?
Rick: No really, we always just picked the tracks we liked. We never worried too much about how they would be received, We just did what we wanted to do, and chose the songs we liked best.

ROP: You also have a good history with Battle of The Bands competitions, how many did you guys enter and how did you get on with them.
Rick: I forget how many we entered exactly, I think it was 5, and we won all but one of them.

ROP: Ok, time to find out the things everyone really wants to know
Are you single?
Rick:  Perpetually

ROP: Only kidding, What was the best/worst gig you have done and why?
Rick: Best Show might have been our last gig, Had a really great time. Couldn’t say what was the worst one.

ROP: What is your best/worst pop4 track and why?
Rick: I think Atlas was our best song, pitty you’ll never hear it haha! (although ROP did manage to get a Live video of the track, which you can see below) Not sure what Our worst song was, I can’t say I actually disliked any of the top of my head.

ROP: Who is your fave unsigned and fave signed band at the moment?
Rick: Really in to the new Enter Shikari Album at the moment, so they’re my favourite signed band. And I guess Failsafe are my favourite unsigned band.

ROP: What car do you wish you had.
Rick: Something stupid like a muscle car. Or a fiat 500 I quite like the look of them. Maybe a new Mini?

ROP: What was the 1st CD you ever bought?
Rick: The Offspring – Americana

ROP: What was the 1st gig you ever went to?
Rick: Probably The Offspring in Manchester for a signed band, and Lets Not Loose Mars to The Commies in Chorley for an unsigned one.

ROP:  Ok, how’s about this 1… you drank too much and end up stranded on a desert island.. you awake drowsy and blurry eyed and realise there is another pop4 member stranded with you but you can’t quite make them out just yet…. who are you hoping it is?
Rick: Ceres, because he could probably build us a boat to get the hell off that island. But if that’s not an option then Dave, because I’ve killed so much time chatting shit with him in my car driving to and from shows and practices with him that I’m pretty sure we could keep ourselves entertained for ever.

ROP: In 4 years, do you know how many gigs pop4 has done?
Rick: Couldn’t tell you exactly, but it’s in the hundreds.

ROP: Is there anything you regret with pop4?
Rick: I’m a little gutted we didn’t get the last album finished. I think some of the new tracks were great. It would have been nice to have people hear them. I honestly think you regret the things you didn’t do not the things you did.

ROP: So, we know the band decided to call it a day as Si has decided to try his hand as a session drummer and try and make a living out of what he loves. If he changed his mind, would pop4 reform or is it more complicated?
Rick: It’s not really a complicated situation. We did consider carrying on with a new drummer, but I think that if we had done that it wouldn’t have been the same for any of us. Being in a band isn’t just about music it’s about hanging out with your mates. I know a bunch of bands who have gone through tonnes of different member, but that’s not something we ever would have been comfortable with.

ROP: It may be too early for this one, but do you think there’s a chance of a reunion gig at some point in the future?
Rick: It would be fun, but very unlikely; it also seems a bit indulgent.

ROP: So looking back on your 4 years with the Si, Daff, Ceres and Cooko. Is there anything you would have done differently?
Rick: Nope I had the time of my life.

ROP: Let’s stop talking about pop4 for a sec and talk more about you. What’s next for you, will we see you again soon or is it too early for that question?
Rick: I keep feeling tempted to joining another band, but so far I haven’t. Maybe one day I will, but if I did I think I would rather play bass than sing. Not sure if it’s something I’m really going to peruse though. Dave and Cooko are working on some new stuff, and obviously Si is doing really well, so keep your eyes on things they’re up to.

I’ve got some vague ideas on what I want to do with myself in the future, but right now it’s all up in the air.

ROP: What Family Guy Character would you be?
Rick: Brian, when he’s acting like a self-involved liberal.

ROP: Finally…now that everyone has a big pop4 shaped hole in their lives, what other local unsigned bands should people be checking out to plug the gap?
Rick: Honestly I’m out of the loop. But go check out leopards, they’re ace. Better Left Alone are also doing really well, keep an eye on them.

Well Rick, we will stop pestering you now and let you get back to whatever it is you like to do at this time of day. Thank you so much for giving us some of your time to answer some questions I just know everyone was dying to know. Now that we are all Richard Maclachlan experts, maybe we will see some fan pages popping up about you…. or maybe not

On a serious note Rick, Thanks for everything you and Population Four have done for Preston and Rock On Promotions. I am sure you already know that you guys will be missed by many many people and we all look forward to seeing you all again in whatever you all go on to do.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.