Q&A: CHIG

Getting to know Bournemouth-based nu-gaze band CHIG

CHIG are a five-piece band from Bournemouth, known for their dark, emotionally-charged sound, as well as their electric live shows. Their music brings together. At the heart of it all is Orla Mount, whose voice can shift from soft and fragile to fierce and commanding, making every song feel personal and intense.

So far, they have released three tracks — “JOY”, “Bleeding” and “Doll”. Each one showcases a different side of their style. These songs also show their ability to balance heaviness with emotion and melody with noise.

On stage, CHIG’s chemistry really comes alive, their sound is layered, intense and captivating. They throw themselves fully into each performance, creating an atmosphere that grips the audience and doesn’t let go

DNü: How did you all first meet and decide to start making music together?

CHIG: Orla, our lead singer and I (Jamie, Drummer) met in college and have been in other bands previously, but having met Caleb on a music production course, Morgan whilst clubbing, and Max whilst buying a plant off Facebook marketplace, I knew we were ‘the line-up’ with the way it felt like a little family. We formed the band in early 2023, bonding over our shared love for metal and quickly becoming best friends. We desired to create something fresh and new with our music that people would truly resonate with.

DNü: Who are some of your biggest influences when it comes to your sound?

CHIG: There’s a shared love for Radiohead, The Cure and Deftones that shines through the most; however, there’s a wide range within the band from blues to prog metal. With the CHIG stuff that’s on its way – there’s more experimentation within a ‘rock song’ structure like those bands that try to push the boundaries a bit further.

DNü: Describe your sound in your own words?

CHIG: I feel we have a more organic and raw take on the ‘Nu-gaze’ sound that’s very popular right now. I’d describe the upcoming project we’ve been working on for a whole year now as ‘Melancholic Alt-Metal’ that gets under your skin – some haunting instrumentation going on. But we love writing rock ‘anthems’ and there’s lots of that to come too.

DNü: If someone made a film about your band, who would play each of you?

CHIG: If you ever get the chance to meet our bassist Max, he’s a spitting image lovechild of Jude Law and Billy Idol so definitely one of them. As for the rest of the band, let’s get some undiscovered actors and actresses in for the shout (But Pedro Pascal could play us all really well with our different hair cuts)

DNü: Bournemouth isn’t usually the first place people think of for alternative music, how has the local scene (or lack of one) shaped your sound and ambitions?

CHIG: There is definitely an ‘alt scene’ of sorts, but hard to define, The University societies were a massive help and sense of community to start getting shows, but not many heavier bands around. It was always about being something interesting – being a young and loud basement band shaped how raw our sound is. We were fueled to branch out to bigger towns and cities like Brighton and London to find our fans because there’s no ‘middle sized’ venues that you can ‘climb’ up to locally which stunts the growth of so many great local bands, but we can’t wait to keep branching out to tour and meet new people very soon!