Doomed Confessionary: Maria Rico (Luna Marble)

Photos by Liam Maxwell

Formed in 2020, Manchester, UK based Luna Marble likes to describe themselves as a contemporary classic rock band inspired by the blues and psychedelia from the 70s. With supercharged stadium-ready tunes the band marries their anthemic choruses with ethereal textures and enchanting melodies taking this well-loved genre to their own territory. The band has been compared to acts like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Rival Sons and Soundgarden.

Inspired by the live raw energy of the 70s, the band is not afraid to showcase their talent and musicianship on stage through their performances often described as ‘mesmerising and electrifying’ that will have you banging your head from the beginning of their set. Through stage outfits and starry stage decorations, the band has well established their own cosmic like ethos, immersing the audience into an audiovisual experience that makes the band stand out from the rest of the music scene.

With their debut album coming out at the end of the year, another sold out headline and a busy gigging calendar for the rest of 2024, it’s no secret that the band is making a lot of noise worth checking out in 2024.

Luna Marble consists of Maria on vocals and guitar, Dragos on guitar, David on bass and Sean on drums.

Can you say a few words about your band?
I would like to describe Luna Marble as your classic rock inspired contemporary rock band. However we like to be creative with our dense production style, our starry aesthetic or our electric live performances. I feel we make this well-know genre our own whilst pushing its boundaries. We formed in 2021 and we have been gigging extensively and slowly releasing singles anticipating for our debut album!

What was the biggest challenge for the band last year?
Last year was a big learning curve for us. We spent the last year recording and slowly crafting 4 singles that are being released this year as part of our album. As a still fully independent D.I.Y band we still face a lot of limitations when it comes to recording and releasing music, hence why we only get around to release once per year, but we focus on quality over quantity over here! Another aspect was trying to figure out how and where to pitch our music as a fairly new band in the scene. We don’t have a network established yet and sometimes it feels like we are shooting in the dark, but sometimes someone answers and we are very grateful for that!

What can you be most proud of so far?
We are very proud of the band identity we have developed over the past years. From the beginning we knew that our music was very stadium like and we wanted to convey that “larger than life” feeling through our music, performances and online presence. The best showcase of this has been through our self-run series of headline shows called “The Rock & Roll Circus” where we feel truly ourselves. From theatrical performances, starry stage props giving a immersive experience, an extended band and hand-picking our favourite bands from the scene as supporting acts, I feel like these events truly encapsulate our essence.

What was your biggest regret?
I don’t think we regret anything over here, we of course sometimes have to miss on good gigging opportunities because of unavailability, but hey, that’s just life. We take everything as a learning opportunity and every year we are more confident in navigating the industry and releasing music independently to the best of our abilities.

What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Going back to our “Rock & Roll Circus” series, I feel like these events are truly special as they are an opportunity for our most dedicated fan base to come together and we are able to really craft the show how we want. The last one, on the 21st of March, was a step up for us, we had a very tight set with an enlarged band and it felt really good to play live. On top of that, the audience was very engaged, singing our songs and taking part in our crazy ideas like running from the back of the venue to the front and culminating in a mosh pit. We felt like it was a really special night. Another special mention goes to playing in Denmark last year, it was our first concert abroad and we were so blown away by the wonderful response of the audience over there!

What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
I am always taking away when I discover new music or a new artist that blows my mind. When you think you have seen it al, something new always comes along and thats what keeps this business so vibrant for me, you are always learning and I find it so inspiring to see what other people are currently doing and learn new avenues to explore!

What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Speaking for myself (Maria) lately I have been trying to be more open minded and listen to more new artists rather than being so stuck in the 70s! Some new releases that have felt very special for me have been from artists like The Last Dinner Party, Lauren Ruth Ward and Lizzy McAlpine. I have also found myself going back to other bands that were very influential in my early years as listener like Foo Fighters, Stevie Nicks and The Eagles but this changes every week aha!

Can you say something more about the music scene in Manchester?
Manchester from my point of view is at a point of constant growth kinda of becoming the new London. Maybe the big record labels, PRs etc are not here yet but the city is very alive. There are a lot of bands from all different genres coming up from here, live music every night and a lot of development in new arenas like the CO-OP. Despite being a bit overwhelming seeing this once small music scene expanding every year, I think it’s a good time to be here at the moment and see how this development turns out.

Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
All of our tour listings are on our website, check them out!

What are your plans for the future as a band?
I think we are getting closer and closer to release all the music we have been sitting on these past years with our debut album scheduled for the end of this year. It’s been quite a journey figuring out what’s the best way to go about it but we seriously can’t wait for people to finally hear how these songs sound!

How can people best support your band?
Unfortunately we live in a era that is all social media based, where decisions for festivals and good support slots is primely being done by following count. So if you like what we do a follow on our social media platforms and engaging with our content is a great way to help us, plus its also a great way to stay update with concerts, merch, and new releases too! Other ways that you can support us is by buying or music or merch on Bandcamp, it brings some revenue to keep the wheels going in the band and release more music out to you!

Do you have any message for your listeners?
You have great taste aha!

Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well