Doomed Confessionary: Tom Clements (Orme)
Photos by Joe Medforce
Orme is a drone doom metal band from Hertfordshire, UK. They released their self-titled debut double disc album on Trepanation Recordings in April 2023. The album contains just two songs (one per disc), with each track running over 45 minutes in length!
The album was very well received from critics, and the band will be playing Desertfest London this year.
Orme is Tom Clements on vocals and guitar, Jimmy Long on bass and Luke Thelin on drums.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are Orme. The slowest power trio to ever come out of Hertfordshire. We set tones to lush and write riffs to crush.
What was the biggest challenge for the band last year?
As a band we are constantly looking ahead so sometimes containing our excitement can be a challenge but hopefully that remains the main challenge we have to endure.
What can you be most proud of last year?
We are proud that we got our debut album released last year and on an excellent underground label to boot with Trepanation Recordings. It took us a long time to get it made, having to navigate around lockdowns and personal stuff. However, we finally got it done and we couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out.
What is your biggest regret?
That we are not sponsored by any drumstick, amp or pedal companies yet despite being worshippers of volume and tone, and our drummer Luke [Thelin] being a bit of a brute with sticks.
What was the best concert/tour last year and why?
That is a tough one. We can’t really pick one but the definite highlights would be playing in Fell Foot Woods with Dawn Terry from Bong joining us on stage. The gig with Goblinsmoker at Moor Beer Vaults was great and without a doubt the show we did at the Black Heart in London with Morag Tong and Everest Queen.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The support we have been given and how we have been received – especially playing drone – has been a huge surprise to us. It is obviously quite an extreme form of music in terms of song length to riff ratio.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
As of the date of this interview we have been announced to play Masters Of The Riff festival and Desertfest London both in 2024 – which are both massive deals for us, having attended both festivals as punters previously. Both sets will be unique and completely different from each other, each one carefully tailored for the specific show. There will be some more shows announced soon. We are open to playing as far afield as we can so if any promoters or bands reading this outside of the UK want to tour with us or have us play, please get in contact.
What are your plans for this year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
The plan will be to release new material this year. We’ve already got two things ready to release. One still on the drone side of things, and another moving into more riff laden territory. We would definitely like to showcase Orme on a live level as far and wide as we can. It would also be great to one day have the debut pressed to vinyl, but at just shy of 1 hour and 45 minutes, we understand it is a big ask!
How can people best support you?
By going to our Bandcamp store and checking us out and also coming to shows. It’s always great to meet new people at gigs. Our Bandcamp is: ormedroneuk.bandcamp.com.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all the support you have given us and for the opportunities your support has created for us, it really means the world to us. New music is coming sooner than you may expect and we sincerely hope that you will join us on these upcoming journeys.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well