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● First, I’d like to salute you guys for such original punk rock vibes. Well done! Tell me, how did you guys meet up?

Well, it all started when I (frontman Mathias Haut) was looking for new bandmates in 2019 after I decided to focus on my own music project. A studio called Sgt. Peppers, where I rehearsed with my previous band, allowed me to meet my drummer Markton B. After some sessions together, we asked Numb Fingers bassist Albert P. into the band who is a friend of Markton B… From the very beginning, we felt the chemistry and love for hard rock and punk rock music. After a couple of rehearsals and gigs, we decided to have another guitar to complete our sound for Numb Fingers. That’s when Haidriel B. joined the band. We are consistently working on our sound and songs to get better and give our fans the best we can.

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● I can see that your music is characterized by a mix of classic and modern elements, is this one of the things that you focus on while songwriting?
We don’t really focus on that particularly. We grew up with punk rock and grunge from the 90s. I remember as a teenager I just loved to skate or snowboard to Green Day, Nirvana or Soundgarden. The ideas are coming naturally from our hearts when we are working on our songs. Whenever feels right for us, we go for it.

 

● Mathias Haut – you said that ‘Ready To Fight’ is about encouraging people to express their feelings and needs. Can you please elaborate more?
That song is very personal for us. Since the pandemic, I realised that a lot of people don’t have the strength and power to address issues and problems they felt politically and socially. Especially in Manila, people have a strong tolerance for accepting things. With ‚Ready To Fight‘, we wanted to give the people a wake-up call. People should not be afraid of saying out loud what they think and feel. We have rights within our communities and states and we should take advantage of that.

● Also, ‘Out Of My Bed’ has been acclaimed by critics and fans alike. Does your upcoming EP follow a specific lyrical concept?
It’s all about Rock’n’Roll 🙂 … we have the feeling that punk rock or rock, in general, has been hidden from the radio too long and needs to be back. Punk rock is a feeling of freedom and authenticity for us. You can be totally yourself and rock the stage without any dogmas or conventions. The upcoming EP should remind people that Rock’n’Roll is not lost and is fun to listen to mainly for the younger generation today.

● To work with Rick Barker is a big move for your career, how did you manage to reach him especially when you’re living in a different region?
It is indeed. Rick Barker is a fantastic mentor for us. He opened his world to indie artists and teaches strategies on how to be successful in the new music industry. He really helps us to grow our fan base and make the best out of our music.

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● A band that comes from the US or UK struggles enough to reach more fans and go live, how is it going in Manila? Tell me more about the live music scene over there.
The Philippines loves music. People love to sing, starting with Karaoke in households and small communities, to live band performances in bars. However, since the pandemic, and hit us very hard, playing live is not been an option since March 2020. Even band rehearsals are difficult because of the ongoing lockdowns and a lot of restrictions. It is really sad for the whole music scene. We try to make the best out of it and focus more on working on our songs and get our EP done.

● ‘It Is What It Is’ music video was very touching and powerful really. Are you planning to release any music videos soon?
Thank you so much. Yes, we felt it was the right thing to do. Drug addiction is still a huge problem in The Philippines. Yes, we are planning to release more. We just recently talked to our previous videographer to have an MV for our song Ready ‘To Fight’. But again, it all comes down to the timetable, with the pandemic restrictions. as to when staying tuned!!

● Finally, tell your fans your promotional plans in 2022, especially since we’re not sure how they live scene is gonna be.
The year 2022 will be a very interesting year for us. We will release our first EP and hopefully Album at the end of the year as well. We also want to give our fans an
opportunity to buy merch like T-shirts, hoodies and caps and more importantly to go on stage and Rock’n’Roll for our fans with our new songs 🙂

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Numb Fingers on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTubeSoundCloud, and Spotify.

 

Mena Ezzat

“A talented rock band that eruptively brings back the sound of the punk and grunge rock era ” – these words by the formal manager of Taylor Swift, Rick Barker. Manila-based rock band  NUMB FINGERS were able in a very short time to be highly acclaimed by critics and fans alike, locally and globally. I was lucky to have a chat with Mathias Haut talking about the band current upcoming plans. Let’s find out!