Doomed Confessionary: Nils (Silverships)
Hamburg, Germany based psychedelic rockers Silverships are gearing up to release their new EP »Kingdom Of Decay« on November 22nd, 2024 via Tonzonen Records.
Silverships fly through the entire universe of psychedelic rock music. The trio fuses early 2000s desert rock with 60s space rock, 70s hard rock and 90s stoner rock. The band loves songs with catchy melodies and complex arrangements. Alongside riff orgies, surprising pop parts and the occasional silent moment. Somewhere between Queens Of The Stone Age, Pink Floyd, Grand Funk Railroad and Tame Impala.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are Silverships from Hamburg, Germany. A desert rock trio, also venturing into psych, space rock, hard rock and stoner. Nils on vocals and guitar, Jan on bass, Tim on drums. We take a lot of inspiration by Queens Of The Stone Age and Pink Floyd.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
So far, it’s been a very smooth magic carpet ride. We’ve only played our first show in March 2023. One and a half year later and we’re about to release our first vinyl on Tonzonen Records, makes it hard to complain. Booking is rough as a small band. You send out 10,000 emails and get 1.5 answers. But what are you gonna do.
What can you be most proud of so far?
We’re all super excited to release our 10 inch vinyl. None of us have ever released a record on vinyl. I’ve been recording things for over 20 years and it’s the first time I’m 100 percent happy about how the record’s turned out. And I have to say I’ve never been more proud of anything in my life than this band. Playing with Jan and Tim has been such a pleasure and privilege. We’re handling everything as a team, everyone chips in, everyone is making stuff happen, we’re kind to each other and listen to each other. And people really respond, the crowds have been so appreciative at our shows. I couldn’t be happier about what we’ve created in such a short period of time.
What was your biggest regret?
Trying to get an irrestorable Ampeg VT-40 restored. What a sad sad journey. What a waste of time and money.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
So far, pretty much every show has been better than the one before. We’ve only been playing together since 2022, and with every show we’re becoming a stronger unit. We played support for this one band and the crowd cheered way louder for us than for the main act. That was surreal.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Slomosa carry their cables themselves!
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Slomosa is the best thing that’s happened to me since Queens Of The Stone Age. The inventive guitar lines, the super-catchy mini melodies. We went to see them live a couple of weeks ago, wooooow they’re such an amazing live band! Best concert experience in a long long time. I also listen to Yeast Machine a lot these days. What a band. Such great songs, such powerful guitars, such a great singer, I absolutely love it.
And I’ve recently discovered Black Mountain. Hope I get to see them live one day. Tim loves the latest Green Leaf and Lowrider records. Jan is more of a doom kinda guy, he’s been into Atomic Mold and Kosmodrom lately.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Taking singing lessons has been transformational. I’m self-taught in pretty much everything I do, never had guitar lessons or anything. But I’ve started seeing a vocal coach last year. It’s absolutely amazing how you have to use your whole body to make it work. I still have unlimited ground to cover, but I’m already so much more comfortable with my voice now. Thank you so much, Vera!
What are your guilty pleasures?
I’m a big ol’ dad rocker! I mean, I don’t have kids and probably never will. But Dire Straits has been my first love, went to see them live when I was 9 years old, and I still love them. The songs are so beautiful, his fingerstyle playing is absolutely unique and so emotional.
And his way of shaping and phrasing solos has been the biggest influence on my guitar playing besides Josh Homme, I think. Knopfler hardly ever goes for that “I don’t care what notes, as long as it’s a whole lot of’em and they come fast” noodle thingy. It’s mostly little melodies that could easily be vocal lines. My other favorite guitar player is David Gilmour. There’s so much soul and intent in every note, I love it. Fleetwood Mac?
You bet! CCR? Why yes of course! Neil Young? Any time! David Bowie? Greatest singer ever! Beatles? Crazy inventive songwriting! Rolling Stones? Well I never understood what’s great about them, actually.
Can you say something more about current music scene in Hamburg?
We’re from Hamburg in northern Germany. It’s been rough here, a lot of small clubs were closed for different reasons. Bar 227 is the main hub for psych and stoner stuff here, we love it there. And there’s a thing called Desert Hazard every couple of months, bringing in all kinds of cool heavy bands from Germany and also from bordering countries.
The scene for this kind of music is rather small-ish compared to the city’s size though, Hamburg’s more into garage and indie stuff, I think. Dunya is amazing, they do garage/psych stuff with Turkish influences. Their singer is absolutely mind-blowing.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We’re playing the release show for our record at Markthalle in Hamburg with our friends Giant Crow on 11 December. They have also just released their first record, it’s absolutely beautiful. There probably will be some smaller tours in 2025, and hopefully a lot of festivals. But, like I hinted to earlier, it’s not that easy. Post-pandemic booking is pretty much the most frustrating thing imaginable.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Play live as much as we can, make beautiful records. We’ll probably release a full-length album in early 2026. The songs are already there, we can’t wait!
How can people best support your band?
Come to our shows! That’s the biggest thing. And follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Spotify. Yeah, it’s cheesy asking for that. But these are the times we live in, it’s just the way it is. Nobody checks out bands they see on posters or flyers or whatever if they don’t know them. And you can already pre-order our vinyl, that would be super sweet of course!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thank you so much for your time and attention! We’re so grateful there’s people discovering and enjoying our music and coming to our shows. Thaaanks!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well