Nature Kills

Nature Kills  was born out of an idea back in October 2010...  

Former bassist and collaborator for the bands Rise, and The Open Hand, Ricky Humphrey had been cast out into a musical wasteland, and with no direction to speak of was all but lost.  

Ricky had collaborated on several other projects, but there was still something missing...  

A burning desire was there to be creative, but in what form would this take?  Melody was important, as this seems to missing from a lot of today's music and a depth in the musical landscape, but it also needed to have energy, to be edgy, although at times dark, there would still be moments of a light touch.

Living in troubled and turbulent times as we do, Ricky reacted to these ongoing and historic situations, by describing his feelings in an outpouring of anger and disbelief. We had come so far since the cold war, or so we were led to believe, now everything was once again in a state of flux and chaos.  The  future seems less certain than ever, and the threat to our existence still exists, maybe even more so.  Environmental issues were key also, as we continue to poison the air we breath and the water we use, even altering the molecular structure of plants, in order to be resilient to pests and drought, only to eradicate the bees of which we are so reliant on.  Animals hunted to extinction, purely for sport and trophies, others for their ivory, for the use in medicines and trinkets. In addition, focusing on those close to him, and their failing relationships, addictions, hardship and mental illness; all made for interesting insights.

And so, in the best punk tradition, Ricky borrowed a guitar and made some noise, added bass to the onboard studio rhythm unit, some synth and finally vocals. It was a defining moment!  To have total control and be responsible for every aspect, was somewhat enticing and both risky and exciting.  These early attempts were nothing to write home about, but it was sufficient to forge out a new direction and identity. As he became more experienced as a composer, vocalist and lyricist, the songs developed, and once enough material had been written and recorded, Ricky called upon his former band members in order to take the next step: Live rehearsals, then some smaller shows.  

His first point of contact was Paul Barnard.  Ricky and Paul go back a long way and both hold a lot of mutual respect for each other.  Paul is an out-there type guitarist, always pushes himself to the limit and there are times when he is a genius on guitar and consequently, has been a big influence on Ricky's own style of guitar playing.  Next on board was Laurie Hannaford.  Laurie, an exceptional drummer with great attention to detail, style and excellent timing.  Finally, Simon Hannaford joined the fold, a very gifted guitarist and songwriter in his own right, just check out Rainbow Machine, Simon's solo project.  Having to step up as the front man Ricky lacked the technical skills to play bass and take on vocal duties efficiently so Simon agreed to play bass.  Ricky therefor was on vocals and guitar, mainly power chords and solos allowing time to focus on the vocal performance.  The live shows were a success, though lacking the addition of the synth lines, the songs were more stripped back and raucous, which suited the early material. 

Moving forward, Ricky has found his niche, and has carved out a sound that is Nature Kills.  Difficult to define or pigeon hole; it is clear that inspiration comes from bands/artists of the 80s; there is no denying this.