Orange Spotlight: Acid Throne
Who are Acid Throne ?
Band members:
We are Chris Kemp, Chris Farrar and Matt Stembrowicz
How did you meet?
Chris K actually joined a hardcore band that Chris F & Matt were already in to do vocals. That band ran its course and from it Acid Throne was born.
Why are you called Acid Throne?
We basically wanted a band name that encapsulates the type of music we play but also something that wasn’t already taken by loads of others. So after approximately 10,000 whatsapp messages, we landed on Acid Throne.
How/when did the band start?
We officially started late August of 2021 and started writing heavy riffs straight away!
Where are you based?
We’re from Norwich, UK
How would you describe the music you produce?
Heavy and miserable with groove!
What inspires Acid Throne?
What’s your favourite band?
There are so many from each of us. I suppose our top bands would be Monolord, Dark Throne, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats and Thou.
Is there a reason music is important to you?
Music is a cathartic outlet for all of us. Something that keeps us sane, whether that’s spinning a record at home, getting together in our practice space or playing shows. Music has helped each of us in so many ways.
Do you take inspiration from things other than music?
Musically and lyrically, our Debut album ‘KINGDOM’S DEATH’ is inspired by the overwhelming feelings of anger and despair that result from living in the 21st century.
Is there something you’re trying to achieve or convey in your music?
We never set out to convey any sort of rhetoric or achieve anything but make heavy music that we relate to. It’s just definitely an added bonus if other people are into it!
What Orange gear is important to Acid Throne?
What Orange gear do you have?
Chris K has Dual Dark 50w as his main amp, a Supercrush 100h as his back up and an Orange crush series 4×12 and Matt has a Rockerverb 50w MKII and a Fur Coat distortion pedal.
Why do you like it?
Because it’s generally awesome, there’s no other tone like it!
How do you use it?
Chris uses his Dual Dark as his main source of distortion. His main guitar sound is just channel A dimed, with the bass rolled back a touch. And he uses channel B as his ‘clean tone’! Matt runs his Rockerverb on the clean channel as the clean headroom of the amp is perfect for using pedals with, mainly his Orange Fur Coat. Matt went for the MKII as it has the mid controls on it.
What was your first orange amp and when did you start using it?
Chris’s first tube amp, in an old band of his, was the Tiny Terror. Since then, it’s been a search for tone! We started using the Supercrush heads in Acid Throne as the clean headroom is an amazing pedal platform. But hard to come by tube amps are what we desire, so when Chris found the Dual Dark, there was no looking back!
Future Orange amps?
Is there Orange gear that you know you want in the future?
Are we allowed to say full backline?? four 4×12’s and an 8×10 please!
Is there existing Orange gear that you want to try?
Definitely an 8×10 for Matt’s bass sound!
Are you saving up for a specific Orange product
Next on the list is definitely a PPC4x12 – in black.
What does Orange mean to you?
When did you first see or hear Orange amps?
First time actually realising a band was using an Orange amp might have been TSOL back in the late 90s/early 00’s! But looking back now on the bands we all heard growing up, SO many used Orange (we’re big fans of ‘The Mac’)!
When you see Orange on a stage how do you feel?
I love seeing other bands using similar gear! It makes you curious as to how the get THEIR sound from the gear we all share.
Do you associate the brand with anything?
Loud, heavy music. And heritage!
Is there a reason that made you want to play Orange in particular?
Sleep & Boris. Is that a good enough reason?
Are there other bands you saw playing Orange that inspired you to try Orange gear?
Along with the above, there are so many bands that use Orange and bands that inspire us. Be that Monolord or our friends Old Horn Tooth & Red Eyed Cult!
Is there something positive you associate Orange with?
Actual talent. The Orange roster is stacked with killer killer artists.
What do you like most about Orange as a brand?
It’s aesthetically pleasing, it sounds great and it should never change.
What’s the most memorable Acid Throne moment?
So far, our band highlight is probably that time (August 2022) we played the Jaeger Stage at Bloodstock Festival. Which was our ninth show, ever! We owe Simon Hall and the Bloodstock crew a lot for giving us that opportunity and platform.
What’s on the horizon for Acid Throne?
Are you touring now?
We have just had a 9 day run with the Cancer Bats alter ego BAT SABBATH, a handful of shows coming up and we’re planning a small run in May too!
When’s your next gig?
That’d be February 3rd at Helgi’s Bar in Hackney, then we have March 18th in Norwich with Conan then DESERTFEST!
Where do you want to be in the future?
We just wanna play shows, record album 2 and have fun… all with the help of Orange amps!
Are there projects the band is working on now or want to do in the future?
At the moment, we’re just focusing on spreading the word of Acid Throne, and trying to play as many shows as we can and get ‘KINGDOM’S DEATH’ into as many ears as possible! Oh and writing album number 2!
