Interview: Getting to Know L.O.C

Groove metallers, L.O.C, recently released their new single, ‘Dragging Me Down’ and in this interview, we get to know them a little better.

1. Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

I’m Adam, vocalist and guitarist with groove metal band, L.O.C. I formed the concept for L.O.C in early 2025. A couple of years before this I had a booking for a painting and decorating job working for metal production legend, Colin Richardson. As a musician I was very excited to work for someone who had produced some of my favourite heavy metal records and was lucky enough to spend some time while working there chatting to Colin and getting to know him. As a result we actually became very good friends. Colin suggested to me that after speaking to me about my passion for playing heavy metal music he felt I had unfinished business and that I should consider forming a band again. Shorty after this I sadly lost my father which meant that is was some time before I revisited the idea. Then on New Years Day 2025 I finally bit the bullet and set up my home studio again to start work on the project. This would prove to be the birth of the beast known as L.O.C.

2. Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

We play groove filled, riff laden, heavy metal music. No bullshit, straight to the point metal.

3. What’s currently keeping you busy? A new album/EP/single release? A new video? Playing live, or planning ahead?

We have just finished mixing and mastering our latest single, Dragging Me Down. The single is out 11/09/26 and is an absolute sledgehammer of a track so we can’t wait for you to hear it! As well as working hard on promoting the single we have a few live shows before the end of the year. We are also planning to release a limited edition CD featuring our releases so far for those of you who like to have a physical copy of your favourite records. We are hoping to have this ready for release this year. Around all this we are writing and recording new material. As you can tell we have a crazy busy schedule. Not to mention planning tour dates for 2027!

4. What is about this current period that is particularly exciting for you?

Every day brings something new to be excited about, the bands profile and following is growing far quicker than we anticipated so the excitement is never ending. Creating new music that people love is exciting in itself and the opportunities this has given us are amazing. We’ve already had press from some huge magazines and have had radio play all over the world. The most exciting thing is the anticipation for what comes next!

5. Tell me about the work that has gone into making it a reality and what it means to you.

The work that has gone into getting the L.O.C name out there has been never ending. We are working at it all day every day. With social media being such a big part of it now, you have to constantly be ahead of the game. It has just become a part of everyday life now. I think people underestimate just how much work is involved. You won’t meet anyone harder working than us though!

6. Making music and being creative can be a very positive experience and can be very good for the mind. In what way has making music had a positive impact on your mental health?

Let’s be honest, metal music in general is great for mental health. It’s the perfect outlet for emotion as it is based on raw emotion. For me personally it helps my mental health greatly as no matter how bad your day, week or year has been, you soon feel better after screaming some lyrics at the top of your voice and bashing the hell out of your guitar for a couple of hours.

7. It can also be incredibly challenging, more so in the modern times. What have been some challenging aspects of making music and how have you overcome them?

The most challenging aspect for me is time management. The hours that go into making, promoting and playing the music to a high level are endless. We all work day jobs around this and have families to support. Its not for the faint hearted. That said its also very rewarding. We have huge belief in L.O.C so we dig in and get it done as the work we put in now will determine our future.

8. How do you handle the online aspects of being in a band? Having to put out content constantly, promoting across several different social media platforms, and having your success measured in likes and follows?

The online aspect is both a positive and a negative. The positive aspects are that it’s so much easier now to get a huge reach with your music. It still blows my mind that we get messages every day from people all over the world who love our music. Years ago this would have been impossible without major label backing. It also means you can promote your music without even having to step out of your front door.

The negatives are that everyone has access to this so you have to work so much harder to stand out from the crowd. You constantly have to find ways to keep people engaged which is time consuming and mentally taxing.

9. How do you make this part of things enjoyable, and fulfilling, for yourself?

I love the challenge of keeping the bands online presence growing. It’s very rewarding seeing it expand on a daily basis. I love hearing from new people who discover L.O.C and its never too much trouble for me to reply to them as we are so grateful for their support. Hearing that people enjoy and appreciate what we do is incredibly fulfilling.

10. Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support you?

Just keep listening to us and spreading our name and music far and wide. We do this for you and we appreciate every bit of support you give us.

11. Outside of music, what do you like to do to relax?

Well personally I love spending time with my family and my other passion is weight training and strength sports. Dave, our bass player, builds and collects model trains and railways. Will, our guitarist, is a complete guitar fanatic so spends every waking hour doing something guitar related. Mark is our drummer and spends his time doing drummer stuff which normally involves getting injured in some way or other. He recently nearly severed his finger on a chainsaw blade just before a show, he then proceeded to use superglue and electrical tape to reattach it to play the show. You don’t get much more hardcore than that!

12. Where can people find you?

You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and our music is available on all major streaming platforms. You can find all of these here: https://linktr.ee/locbanduk.