Doomed Confessionary: Andrew Darwood (Church Of Lies)

Church Of Lies is a four-piece stoner/doom/sludge band from Grimsby on the east coast of England. Formed in late 2014, Church Of Lies was on hiatus between 2020 and 2023.
The band’s line-up consists of Andrew Darwood on vocals, Jason Gostelow on guitar, James Steer on bass, and Dan Hutchinson on drums.
Church Of Lies are back with their new four-track EP, »Crack Is Sold Here«, which was just released on January 19th, 2025.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We’re four middle aged dudes who’ve been doing this particular band for 10 years. We do it for the pure love of getting in a room together every week and seeing what happens.
We started as a doomy/stonery band but never let boundaries get in our way and our songs have evolved into something more aggressive and primal (which is what the new EP displays).
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Our biggest challenge is us all having full time day jobs that get in the way of us doing this as much as we want to
What can you be most proud of so far?
I think we stand out as one of the best live bands in our geographic area when it comes to being hard hitters.
What was your biggest regret?
Not dedicating more time to our band.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
A really good one recently was at at BMX jam. It was summer, outdoors, great crowd and great atmosphere. We love a summertime festival.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The sheer amount of brilliant underground bands. If you’re struggling to find new music you like, you need to search the underground scene (Bandcamp etc).
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Elder, Lamb Of God, Russian Circles, Pelican.
We all love a local band to us called Mastiff who are doing awesome shit at the minute.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Don’t let norms and genres set boundaries for you. Just write what ever comes naturally.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Wouldnt say guilty but I love a lot of singer/songwriter stuff (James Taylor, Carole King, Dallas Green etc) it’s something I used to dabble in.
Can you say something more about current music scene in Grimsby / UK?
In the UK in general we’re spoilt for great underground music, you’ve just got to get out and listen to the band’s you’ve never heard of those small clubs and pubs.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Hopefully make our was to the north east of England and Scotland which we’ve not been to before so any promoters who wanna get in touch are welcome.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Just to keep on doing it and enjoying it. As soon as that buzz from playing shows disappears, that’s when we’ll stop.
How can people best support your band?
Purchase the new EP on Bandcamp (free or name-your-price) and listen on Spotify from 25th January. Also come see us play and say hi.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thank you it means a hell of a lot that you do listen even better if you enjoy the noises we make. We don’t do this to take over the world. We’re just 4 old men who still love music.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well