Opia Bloom, previously known as Youth, is a band based in Brighton (UK). With two guitarists, these guys aim to bring a stadium-like sound to the stage. This sound is influenced by the likes of Arctic Monkeys and Pink Floyd. However, what’s more intriguing is the fact that they pull influences from everything around them. “If you’re not absorbing everything around you, you’re not doing it right,” they tell me.

For years, the guys in Opia Bloom were in bands for a number of years that eventually split or grew apart from each other. Hungry for more solid ground to build their musical creation from, they decided to form Youth. Over the years up to the name change, the OB fan base is largely varied from an older crowd that loves to go to their shows and to a family crowd who come to their festivals. They are thrilled that a big majority of their friends enjoy listening to their music, “your friends aren’t necessarily your target audience but when they pay to come to all the gigs and know all the words, it’s a nice reassurance you’re doing it right”.

“There was mutual ground across the board about the type of music we wanted to make, both at the start and as we’ve developed together. Make a lot of noise and make it interesting.”

OPIA BLOOM 
(12/11/2018 INTERVIEW)

So why the name change?… “Try searching ‘Youth‘ (on) Spotify, you’ll see exactly why – it’s a nightmare to find anything”, and it’s true because I’ve yet to find that artist profile… They find Opia Bloom as a cooler alternative to Youth, and now they’re even easier to find on all platforms. They tell me that “it fits us much better as a band”. The name isn’t the only change for the band, they’ve also taken in John Bergin as their new bassist as well.

“I’m still feeling pretty smug, to be honest, I walked in and they had a batch of quality songs together, great image, and a great video all ready to go. We all went for a drink and it clicked straight away – we wrote two new songs in the first practice. The boys had been looking for a bassist for a few months and I’d also messaged some terrible bands about joining so I guess it was about time something slotted into place for both of us.” 

John Bergin
(12/11/2018)

Their first release under OB was released on April 18th of 2018 called Fire. These singles set the stage for who Opia Bloom is perfectly, and that is unique. With three guitarists, a new bassist, and a wide variety of influences all around; Opia is a little different than the normal alternative rock band you find both in the UMB community and the music industry. Figure It Out was my favorite jam, it had that edge the guys seem to want. Their most recent release, Side By Side, was released on November 29th of 2018 and once again the guys delivered quality two songs to their collection.
Fun fact the title track highlights the idea of needing someone by your side, but it also depicts some sort of negativity towards dependency in a relationship. “Great question. It does… It’s got a lot of ups and downs that tune, and that reflects those feelings in a relationship, however new or long term. The song peaks and troughs with passionate and emotive sections, angry bits… I’m sure we’ve all related to that at some point” they say. While Side By Side is definitely good, Sun & Moon should not be overlooked as a good feature in the two-song single. The “massive sound” is definitely achieved in the album once again, however, in an arena rock sense.

“We just want to sound massive. We’ve got 4 capable singers and 3 guitarists and we’re experimenting with a lot of different sonics recently, using lots of weird guitar sounds, e-bows, and different keyboard techniques.”

Opia Bloom will have a very busy 2019, with their next single, called ‘Like You Never’, coming out. This will be followed with another single in early March, with ‘Secret Lover’ following in a few months after.

I would like to thank Terri-Sian Fairs from Beating Hearts Agency (Twitter and Instagram) who sent me Opia Bloom‘s information and press release. The boys are truly something, so please follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you’re in the UK, I’m sure they’d be thrilled to see you at one of their shows (click here for upcoming shows)!

Overview:★★★★★

Side By Side: ★★★★★

Fire: ★★★★★

Top Song: Side By Side (2018)

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