Introducing :: Dead Belles

Words: Ellie Ward

Dead Belles have just released their latest single 'Happiness' - on June 1 - which you can hear below.

This is the latest of four releases from the south-London (Eltham, Erith and Rochester) three-piece, following 'Witch Hunt', 'Oh Shit' and 'Chime Hours', all put online between last autumn and the present.



Inspired by garage rock/punk bands such as The White Stripes, Pixies, Nirvana, Dead Belles got together last September 2014, after vocalist Zakk Dodd and drummer Dave Cowell formed the band from an old project that they left in late 2013. Initially writing a small handful of songs in July/August of last year, they considered keeping the band as a two-piece guitar/drum outfit. However, on deciding against this route (believing that any music written would benefit from a bass player, not to mention that the two piece dynamic is becoming increasingly common and did not want to be seen as jumping on a recent trend for the sake of it), Tony Zemaitis came in in September.

With Dead Belles ready, the three went into the studio a few weeks three weeks later to record their first track. 'Witch Hunt'.



Since that time they have been heard on BBC Introducing Kent, played an assortment of live gigs around London and Medway, and been back in the studio working on a total of eight tracks. "The four songs up on the band's Soundcloud are the ones that Dead Belles feel represent them and their sound best out of their currently recorded tracks," Zakk tells us. "'Oh Shit' was released a short time after out debut in November, while 'Chime Hours' was released in February as the band's first real single. 'Chime Hours' is a track about the almost obsessive need to create, whereby all other aspects of life are occasionally neglected in the drive to make music and art."



We asked Zakk how the band came up with their 'Dead Belles' name? "Dead Belles comes from 'dead bells', an old folklore that suggests that a dying person is able to hear church bells before their death. Also, back when everyone used to live in small villages, when some one would pass away there would be a member of the village who's job it would be to ring the 'Dead Bell' to signify there had been a death. The name is a play on this, with 'Bells' changed to 'Belles', as in the French word for women. It's ironic, I suppose? Haha!"

The band are currently in the process of writing for their debut EP which should be out later this year.

Dead Belles play Medway's Homespun festival on July 25.

Dead Belles are: Zakk Dodd - vocals / guitar, David Cowell - drums, Tony Zemaitis - bass.

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