- Act Profile:
Opinaut
- Genre:
- Rock
Opinaut are London based quartet setting out a heavy hitting new agenda with their fusion of electronic rock and drum n bass.
Opinaut up close
Gigs
-
Opinaut live at 100 Club
- 0
- 0
-
Opinaut @ The Water Rats
- 0
- 0
Kings Cross
WC1X 8BZ- DATE:
- 25 October 2012
- TIME:
- 19:00:00
- VENUE:
- The Water Rats
- #ATTENDED:
- 4
-
ABSENT KELLY PRESENTS: ORBITAL OFFICIAL AFTERSHOW PARTY
- 0
- 0
261 Brixton Road, London
SW9 6LH- DATE:
- 14 December 2012
- TIME:
- 22:00:00
- VENUE:
- Brixton Jamm
- #ATTENDED:
- 2
-
Opinaut live at The Underbelly
- 0
- 0
Hoxton Square
N1 6NU- DATE:
- 17 May 2013
- TIME:
- 19:30:00
- VENUE:
- The Underbelly
- #ATTENDED:
- 0
Introduction
Opinaut are London based quartet setting out a heavy hitting new agenda with their fusion of electronic rock and drum n bass.
Bio
Opinaut are London based quartet setting out a heavy hitting new agenda with their fusion of electronic rock and drum n bass. They formed in early 2011 around a group of four musicians working at the Sutton Music Centre. All four are talented multi-instrumentalists who work in music full time as session players, tutors and, wait for it, beatboxing for a choir. Opinaut's debut EP titled Oxygen got airplay on Spark, Burst & Forge FM, reviews in blogs and magazines and support slots with Orbital and Gin Wigmore - whose single is famous for being in Heineken's TV ads. The band recently played sold out gigs at 100 Club and Brixton Jamm. They are releasing a string of singles in 2013. Produced by The Animal Farm, the singles are a statement of intent from a young, progressive band eager to make their mark. Surrender is out now to buy at iTunes, Amazon and www.opinaut.com/store.
Video
![Surrender [Teaser]](http://img.youtube.com/vi/xaQkc9hT7eg/default.jpg)
Photos
Q. How did you first get into playing music?
It's different for us all individually, but for Opinaut we stepped into Sutton Music Centre rehearsal studio and decided straight away not to do the typical thing and just jam and find our sound. We decided to pick 3 bands as our influences: Pendulum, Muse & Hans Zimmer (music from the film inception particularly) and build from there. We didn't play any songs by these bands; we merely emulated their riffs, chord sequences, song structures etc to find our sound. Over time the darkness, upbeat and fresh sound then quickly developed into something original. With that we always up for beers and curry after every rehearsal to catch up - this has been fundamental in our development!
Q. How long have you been performing?
Our first gig was in April 2011 at The Bedford, Balham. We started off as the Jon Hart Band playing rock-pop tunes. We rapidly moved to a new sound and started gigging as Opinaut within a few months. We have also started up our covers band 'Retrograde' to fund Opinaut!
Q. How would you describe your sound in one sentence?
Experimental electronic rock with hints of drum n bass and beatboxing. We did get deemed as 'Prog-Step' (Progressive Rock & Dub Step) by one of ours fans that was quite cool!
Q. What makes your music unique?
mixing rock and drum n bass has been the excited element...our EP represents strong influences from Muse, Pendulum & Hans Zimmer but our newer material is starting to become our sound!
Q. What inspires you to write songs?
We all come from different backgrounds. John's (drums) background is Drum n Bass and Trance (plays this stuff live), Rich (keys/guitar) Rich's background is Progressive Rock (his band Haken are superb and have supported the likes of Dream Theatre and lots of awesome Prog Rock bands), Jon (vocals/guitar) has been deemed the hooks master, his background of Rock/Pop and Fingerstyle Guitar have allowed him to write catchy hooks and metaphoric lyrics that can get a crowd bellowing along. And Sam’s (bass) background is bluesirock…his bridge riffs stand out, his influence really grounds the band so they don't fly off course into dance prog world too much.
Q. What have been your best and worst gig experiences?
Best gig so far: 100 Club, Oxford Street. The sound engineer loved us for our minimal setup and fat sound, the promoter loved us for bringing lots of peeps and playing well and the crowd were literally bouncing, sticking our stickers to there foreheads in praise, screaming at us for more etc etc....it was awesome! Worst gig: Native Tongue, Epsom. We didn't go on to 1am...yes 1am! Drunken people kept jumping up on stage spilling their beers!
Q. If you had to listen to one album for the rest of your life what would it be?
As a collective it's got to be: Hans Zimmer - Inception Soundtrack - Epic!
Q. What do you get up to when you’re not making music?
As most of us are fulltime musicians we teach guitar, play at weddings, parties, session work etc.
Q. What are your goals at the moment?
To build a decent fanbase....if we reach 5000 fans that spend there good money, we can look at doing Opinaut full time and earn a good wage. Creating quality music is the key....the momentum is building so we need to keep our music fresh at all times. Once we have raised enough funds...we will look at releasing our debut album....probably a couple of years down the line yet!
Q. What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or gigs lined up?
We are recording a single soon...then shooting a video. We are looking releasing a new single every 3 months to keep the momentum flowing. Next gig: 25/10/12: The Water Rats, Kings Cross - Profile gig with industry folk popping down!
Q. What do you think of Unsigned Band Review?
It's a very useful website....a breath of fresh air having websites working so hard for unsigned bands!
Q. What is the name of the last track that you wrote and what is it about?
Greyhounds - written about the Olympics/Paralympics. Got everyone pumped up at our 100 Club gig!
Q. What was the music scene like where you grew up?
John, Rich and Sam grew up around South London (Carshalton, Sutton & Banstead). As these places are so close to London there has always been a growing scene or great venues/festivals to attend. Jon grew up on the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight Festival and Bestival have really helped the local scene to build rapidly with lots of exciting bands such as: Goodbye Stereo and The Operators making their mark on and off the Island. Playing one these festival is his goal for Opinaut!
Reviews
-
With a powerful and catchy riff, this is a song that refuses to be ignored. From the pulsating synths to the angular guitar sound, the track clearly draws from the influences mentioned by Opinaut and you can see this song being strong enough to win the band many new fans from listeners of bands like Muse and Pendulum.
Reviewed by
Forge Radio
02 November 2012 -
Airy, electro synth mastery from Opinaut. Would definitely like to hear more from these guys.
Reviewed by
Pete Donaldson
02 October 2012 -
After a dreamy electro start about 30 seconds in there is an ambush of fizzing synths and tub-thumping whacks which screams to me Pendulum, and of course, as a hardcore Pendulum fan, this is no way a bad thing. The track is layered thick with some tasty drum and bass beats and will keep your pulse racing from start to finish...
Reviewed by
Polly James
22 September 2012 -
Well here's something you don't get a huge amount of at UBR or in demos in general. A Rock/Electronic hybrid like Pendulum and Muse had an food blender liaison. I like. Lots of energy and some out of the ordinary chords and sounds. Great bass sound - live drums - good dynamics. There's lots to like here AND it's forward looking. My only minor reservation is the section at 02:27 sounds a little overdone - a bit digitally distortiony - like it's been overmastered perhaps ? Overall I'm impressed so far ... A band like this need to get the mixture of new technology and "standard" instruments right for live - otherwise they come off as yet another hormonal rock band. I hope they can do it ...
Reviewed by
Simon Li
20 September 2012
Buzz
-
Another fantastic offering from the Opinaut lads. Can't wait for the video as the teaser looks mighty impressive!
-
Great sound from a very talented and hardworking band....if it's that deserves more recognition it's Jon and the guys!
-
sound great!
-
Fab band - sound ace. really original.
-
The Kind of Sound that puts a spring you step and a smile on your face. Keep it Up!
-
Great Sound! Bags of talent! Looking forward to more material!
-
Yeah, the drive and commitment are obvious, as is the talent - pretty much destined for success. Looking forward to hearing about them in the future.
-
Absolutely awesome band destined for Jools Holland show and imminent superstardom! A live act that rocks and rocks with amazing energy and passion!
-
Amazing Sound, certainly bringing something new to the music scene. Watch this space!! opinaut are on their way to great things xxx
-
Love you vince!!!! and the rest of the band of course ;) x
-
Love this sound! Really original and enthusiastic! Great work!
-
Really original, unique, enjoyable sound, with the elements of beatboxing and drum and bass really adding some great variety to their live shows, which're full of energy, enthusiasm and an obvious passion for their music. Keep up the great work!
-
This is an AWESOME band! They bring so much energy and are amazing to watch live!! Highly recommend if you have never seen these guys!!!!!!
-
Keep it coming guys. loving the sound. Davey
-
Fantastic new sound. Saw these guys at the 100 club and was blown away. I seriously recommend seeing Opinaut live. Great live act, lots of energy on stage and huge rocky break downs. Not to be missed. xx
-
I stumbled across this band in a pub in Sutton a while ago, and have followed them ever since. With a catchy individual sound, bundles of stage presence and an absorbing narrative to their music, I am always excited to hear what they will bring to every stage on which they perform, no matter how big or small. The group is kept in line by the very talented John Vince on percussion, who ensures that there's never a dull moment, whilst the group is led by the charismatic Jon Hart, providing the perfect balance between the expectations of a frontman and an adventurous and creative musician. CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT'S NEXT.
-
I stumbled across this band in a pub in Sutton a while ago, and have followed them ever since. With a catchy individual sound, bundles of stage presence and an absorbing narrative to their music, I am always excited to hear what they will bring to every stage on which they perform, no matter how big or small. The group is kept in line by the very talented John Vince on percussion, who e
-
Seen this band twice now - great set of musicians - very professional studio work and they can certainly play live - brilliant stage show - range of influences blended so effectively. Awesome show at The 100 club a week ago - strong crowd reaction - lot of energy generated in a venue when Opinaut play. Check out their EP and get to see them live. Next show at the at The Water Rats - Kings Cross.
-
I have been following this band from the beginning and watch them grow since they formed. Each member of the band brings something different to their music. This makes it really interesting and enjoyable to listen too. I also makes for a very impressive live experience as they have a very full, rich sound . Yes they are influenced by Muse, Pendulum and Hans Zimmer. However, what they produce is definitely Opinaut! Last couple of gigs have been really impressive especially The 100 Club on the 14th Sept. Very much looking forward to the next gig and to hearing the new single .
Superfans
- Jessica Barrett Following 2 others
- Alan Perschky Following 2 others
- Bruce Edwards Following 1 others
- James Fleury Following 1 others
- Jo Hart Following 1 others
- Carmel Gummett-Kemp Following 1 others
- Cristiana Atherton Following 1 others
- Ed Croome Following 1 others
- Jess Barrett Following 1 others
- Jess Barrett Following 1 others
- J Barrett Following 1 others
- Joshua Carter Following 1 others
- Jimi Reed Following 1 others
- Jason Carter Following 1 others
- Katrina McDonald Following 1 others
- Andy Hart Following 1 others
- daniel wellington Following 1 others
- Joe Head Following 1 others
- Dan Brown Following 1 others
- Emily Mould Following 1 others
- nathan ariss Following 1 others
- Olly Self Following 1 others
- Elliot George Following 1 others
- Rachael Wheeler Following 1 others
- sharon speed Following 1 others
- Charlie Kemp Following 1 others
- Peter Henchman Following 0 others
- Jo Driver Following 0 others
- Liz Rowland Following 0 others
- Thomas Hand Following 0 others
- Richard Harris Following 0 others
- kris legray Following 0 others
- kim mayhew Following 0 others
- Samuel Vince Following 0 others
- Louise Foster Following 0 others
- David Billhurst Following 0 others
- Robyn Feldwork Following 0 others
- Henry Bushell Following 0 others
- John Sandam Following 0 others
- Sammy Minse Following 0 others
- Kelly West Following 0 others
- Mark Alice Following 0 others
- Katie McFall Following 0 others
- Rachel Ward Following 0 others
- Rachel Ward Following 0 others
- Jake Martin Following 0 others
- kelly chapman Following 0 others
- richard fentiman Following 0 others
- Emma Littledike Following 0 others
- Jenny Haiste Following 0 others
- Joseph Nett Following 0 others
- Ryan Pope Following 0 others
- chris harris Following 0 others
- curt medder Following 0 others
- hailey farrows Following 0 others
- Michael Donnellan Following 0 others
- Matt Donnellan Following 0 others
- jonathan liang Following 0 others