If you know anything about me, you know I’m a huge fan of ‘90s alternative music. Having lived through it during my formative years, the sound of that era (oh god, just writing that makes me feel old) will always hold a soft spot in my heart.
Enter Zilch. — a band taking those vibes and giving them new life and purpose. How could this weary nostalgic dude not want to hear more?
So I did.
And I asked them questions.
Here are their answers.
Zilch. is a loud, hook-heavy alt-rock trio from the West Midlands, UK. Blending the grime and grit of early-‘90s grunge with sharp melodic instincts, their sound feels both familiar and freshly volatile. Think groove-driven riffs, fuzz-soaked choruses, and zero tolerance for beige.
SNQLX: Let’s start with the basics — who is Zilch.? Where did this all begin, and how did the three of you come together?
CAL: Me and Thom have known each other since about 2006 when we were in a band. We should have probably started Zilch. in 2008 really.
THOM: I was in a band called Navajo Ace at the time, which was a real departure from the kind of thing I normally do. I had an itch to get back to doing 90’s style stuff and Cal and I had talked about starting something new for a while, so we started writing and rehearsing as Navajo Ace disbanded.
ZACK: I got into Zilch. through joining a band with Cal called Pegging Mitchell!
SNQLX: What was the first song you wrote as a band that made you think, “Yeah, we’ve got something here”? Tell us what made it click.
CAL: Maybe Righteous. It was the first song we wrote from scratch as a band. It’s got a cool groove, which kind of encouraged us to lean in to groove driven stuff a bit more.
THOM: Yeah, I’d agree. We started with a few songs that I had already written, I think the first one was called “Right” which we do actually have recorded, just unreleased. But “Righteous” was the first one we created from scratch together and it’s sleazy as hell. It gets played at every show.
SNQLX: Your sound pulls from a very specific era — but still feels alive and present. What draws you to that early-‘90s grunge energy, and how do you keep it feeling like your own?
CAL: For me the late 80’s early 90’s was a very good blend of dirty riffs and melody. The lyrics were also a bit more self reflective and personal, especially compared to what was going on in the late 80’s with all the hairspray.
ZACK: I can’t speak for the current recordings as I’m not on them, but with coming stuff I’m heavily influenced by hardcore punk and death metal so looking to bring some of that energy into the band going forward and expanding on that 90’s sound.
THOM: I think the fact that we were all brought up on wildly different music when we were kids but were also growing up when nu-metal was at its most popular is probably what keeps it fresh. I think we’ve all taken some influence from that genre subconsciously, and we all listen to different bands currently (with some mutual crossovers).
SNQLX: There’s a lot of melody buried under the fuzz — is that intentional? How do you balance raw distortion with catchy, pop-leaning hooks?
CAL: For me, with a lot of music that’s melodic, the instrumentation is too clean and loses some thwack. We might pull back slightly sometimes when the melody needs room to breathe, but not too much.
THOM: I was brought up on a lot of really melodic stuff growing up, like doo-wop, The Beatles, David Bowie, Kate Bush, Duran Duran, etc. so interesting and catchy melodies have always been my focus. Getting into heavier music at a young age made me realise that you could have something that sounds aggressive but you can still sing along to, and the majority of the time, I find that way more exciting.
SNQLX: When someone hits play on a Zilch. track, what do you hope they feel?
CAL: Something, anything. Even if they don’t like it. There’s enough beige already. Hopefully they dig it and think it’s something a bit different and fresh, and gets them moving in some way.
ZACK: I hope people pull a face like they’re sucking a lemon.
THOM: I guess I want it be freeing for them. If someone comes to watch us play, I want them to let loose and really connect with our music on an emotional and physical level.
SNQLX: What’s your writing process like? Is it messy and jammed out, or structured and refined?
CAL: Sometimes we jam from scratch, sometimes we will demo from an idea and build from there. Sometimes Thom will bring us an almost finished demo and we can tweak it whatever if we need to.
THOM: Like Cal said, it’s a bit of both. Sometimes it’s off the cuff and someone will noodle around and one of us will go “Hey, what is that?” and it becomes the sole focus at that point and we jam it out. Other times, I get ideas at home and will record a full demo and submit it for review. Sometimes they turn into songs, sometimes they don’t.
SNQLX: I read something about you having a “manifesto” — how would you describe your mission as a band?
THOM: I think we all want guitar-driven alternative music to become more of a focus in pop culture again. At least, I do. Not to the point that it becomes so popular that people get sick of it, but just a healthy level of awareness. When that time comes, we’d like to be at the forefront of it. There are so many great independent bands in the UK that are waiting to be discovered and loved by a lot of people, but the costs of putting on shows and touring has been a huge barrier for so many of them – I can’t ever see us being able to afford to tour. That’s why so many bands are utilising TikTok and other platforms to try and push their music out to their audience, but as you can imagine, it’s extremely saturated. We just want to do the things most bands want to do – play shows, write and record music – making a living from it is a huge bonus.
SNQLX: What bands or albums shaped you individually — and which ones bleed into your music as a trio?
CAL: My important three which did a big lasting number on me were “Sex Pistols – Nevermind the Bollocks”, “Alice In Chains – Dirt” and “Gojira – From Mars to Sirius”. They work their way into my writing somehow.
ZACK: For me personally one of my personal favourite albums of all time is The Woods by Sleater Kinney. Big low tuned toms, and lots of energy on the drums. Full on all the time. The Woods is some of my favourite production of all time too. It’s just exquisite.
THOM: The first album that really pulled me in was Slipknot’s self-titled album. That’s still a favourite of mine to this day. Nirvana’s Nevermind was a huge turning point for me after listening to nothing but nu-metal for 2 years straight, it was a breath of fresh air. Alice in Chains’ Facelift was another pivotal album for me but I think Dirt influenced me more. I think there are elements of all of these in our music, even if it’s on a molecular level.
SNQLX: Looking at where you are now, what’s something you’ve learned — about music, about yourselves — since starting Zilch.?
CAL: I think we’ve learned to just do our own thing, and when we play, do it with 100% effort, because it’s always better received than being a little reserved. And in a weird way, not work too hard on a song. Like if it isn’t working, bin it, or at least leave it in the back for a while and go back to it after quite some time.
THOM: Be authentic and don’t worry too much about what “other people want”. At the same time, don’t be overly self-indulgent to the point where the music becomes contrived and hard for an outsider to listen to. Keep it simple and embellish/flourish where it’s needed.
SNQLX: If all went to plan, what would the next year look like for you — releases, shows, moments?
THOM: In an ideal world: record an album, go on tour, play with some cool bands, play Europe and the US and then have a nice cup of tea when we get home.
SNQLX: If Zilch. were a film, what would the tagline be?
CAL: Three dorks with no idea
THOM: They knew absolutely Zilch about rock ‘n’ roll
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