There are many ways to describe Charlie Bramald: but I will give it a go at doing him justice…
A larger than life fun loving personality, dramatic vocals, striking stage presence along with powerful and evocative music writing skills, which are a combination that leaves little doubt that he is a true prog rocker who has the genre running through his veins.
Despite being a much sought after vocalist who has collaborated on various projects such as Shadows on Mercury, Age of Distraction and Zio, to name but a few, it is as lead singer with Ghost of the Machine that he truly burst onto the music scene and into people’s consciousness with their first album Scissorgames in 2022. A release that was not only a commercial success but also had the critics singing its praises, with it being at the top, or close to it, on many best album polls for the subsequent years. Not to mention the awards it won along the way.
But if that wasn’t enough he has been kept busy with so many concerts that it has been little wonder that the follow up album was slow to come. But fear not, that has now been rectified and the stunning new album, Empires Must Fall, is due for release on 7th March, and trust me, you’ll want to add it to your collection.
Darren Walker: Charlie, on behalf of The Progressive Aspect and myself, thank you for your time today.
Charlie Bramald: Thank you very much, Darren. It’s an absolute pleasure to be invited to speak to you and the TPA readers.
Darren: I have heard your new album and was blown away by the sophistication of it, with the anthemic themes and intense stories painted into the songs, but please tell us more about Empires Must Fall, what can listeners expect from it?
Charlie: It’s a second album and it’s easy to overthink that process, when I try and go into it. We’re obviously really pleased with how Scissorgames was received, which you just touched upon, and it did get a really good reviews from critics and audiences. But I won’t pretend that it doesn’t introduce a certain pressure when you start thinking about the follow up. Ultimately, I think we just had to do what we did with the first record and that is trust the process.
I’m lucky to work with five excellent experienced musicians who are full of creativity, full of melodies and were eager to show an evolution in our journey as a band, so we started writing Empires Must Fall before we’d finished recording Scissorgames. Early ideas, such as After the War and Keepers of the Light, were already emerging in late 2021-2022. They were written probably because our heads were already in Scissorgames as well. It kind of naturally became a progression of what we’d written for that album.
I also realised that Scissorgames story hadn’t truly been completed and that’s how it’s ended up as a narrative sequel to that album. The previous album ends with Scissors (Reprise), and in that our character, Hope, who appears on the front cover of both albums, slays her abuser, the tyrannical puppet King. It is an act of liberation and sort of a triumphant ending for the album, but it’s also a terribly violent act.
From a lyrical thematic point of view, I really wanted to explore the great divide between justice and consequences, and that was the narrative bedrock of the story. But we also wanted to evolve. We wanted to respond to the feedback that we’d heard for Scissorgames and we wanted to do things that were a little bit more proggy. Perhaps we play a little bit more with time signatures on this album. We play a lot more with rhythmic structures and smoothing out the arrangements so that we didn’t just join one section onto another. We started writing it in 2021 and we didn’t hit the recording studio until the middle of 2024 which seems a long time but that’s because the songs just weren’t ready yet. We could hear that and we were just going to keep pushing and pulling them until the time was right
Darren: Is it a very democratic process or does one person tend to take the lead? Does someone have a stronger voice in the group than the others and pulls the strings?
Charlie: That’s an interesting one. The bulk of the initial material does come from one member of the group, most of the time a lot of the songs originate with Mark Hagen, our keyboard player. But once he’s presented that idea to the group, we all get a real say in it so it is a very collaborative process. Also I think as we’ve grown in confidence as a band and knowing a bit more about what we sound like, other members of the group have been able to bring ideas as well into the songwriting process to start something off in a new section or new song. Some members of the group are very editorial and really keen that we don’t let any ideas outstay their welcome or, if it just doesn’t sound good, we park it. Maybe it’ll come back later, once it’s had a bit more time to process in our minds; or not. You just don’t know. But I think it’s really important that we do this process as a six piece, all of us in a room together every week working at these songs.
Darren: What’s your favourite song from the album and why?
Charlie: I don’t know. It’s changed throughout recording. It’s really hard, because. We’re really proud of the work and I think different things pop out at you at different times depending on how you feeling along with how much distance you’ve had from that song before you hear it again.
Darren: I know, you’ve played Panopticon live, quite a few times. I’ve heard you play it and I’ve always loved the idea and the concept of a Panopticon. Your song seems to tell a very multi-layered story. Please tell us more about the thoughts process and the story behind that.
Charlie: Panopticon was one of the earliest songs to be written for the album. I’d stumbled upon the word and I too was fascinated by the concept of it. In the story of Empires Must Fall, at the beginning, our protagonist is welcomed into the Empire. It seems like this beautiful place of glittering spires and golden halls. But, lurking beneath it is a true darkness and that is the Panopticon. All of the citizens of the empire are, in fact, prisoners and our protagonist, we’ll call him The Prisoner, becomes aware of the truth that this Empire is not what it seems. He sees the Chamber of this almighty prison with the watch towers at its centre. That hulking tower that you see on the album artwork, which represents the Watchman. And it’s this realisation that the Empire is built on false foundations that causes The Prisoner to want to break free, expose the truth and bringing the Empire down. And that’s where Empires Must Fall comes from.
Darren: Moving away briefly from the album itself, you seem to have collaborated in so many projects that take too long to list here. But which has you been your favourite and have any delivered any unexpected results in the experience?
Charlie: They all have delivered something unexpected in some capacity where every musical collaboration is an adventure. It’s so nice to be asked to do these things with people that I love and respect all great musicians. I am so lucky to get to work with so many of them but I would struggle to choose a favourite. Again it’s probably gonna seem like I’m being overly diplomatic but, on the whole, they’ve all delivered something different. For example, when I worked with Zio, that was my first tour, as in a real tour of consecutive dates and my first time going overseas to play music, you can’t beat that kind of experience, especially working and sharing a stage with such experienced and talented musicians.
All of the side projects allowed me to grow as a writer, singer or performer. They also allowed me to connect with people all across the community. The musicians themselves, of course, but also reach new fans as well. So it’s been an important part of my fairly brief journey on the prog scene, so far.
Darren: Who were your musical inspiration, and influences, that made you want to be a man at the front of the stage with a microphone.
Charlie: Ah, it’s got to be Genesis. I was listening to them as a child. A 3-4 years old in my brother’s bedroom, listening to his tapes. I remember it because it was my old house, before we moved, so I date it around then. It was like magic, I remember hearing The Fountain of Salmacis with that intro and been blown away by it, but also things like Domino. I was a kid so I didn’t care whether it was early Genesis or Phil Collins, 80s or 90s Genesis, I just loved it all. I wanted to be Phil Collins. I was walking around my house pretending that I was bald, just like Phil. But there was also Peter Gabriel, his solo career is one of my absolute favourite catalogues of music – such artistry. The theatre and presentation that he brings to his live shows, as well as the music itself, is a huge influence on me.
Darren: Have you ever met any members of Genesis? And, if so, did you manage to tell them the about influence they’ve had on you?
Charlie: I really wish I had, I’ve never met any of them. The closest is John Hackett, Steve’s brother. But I have been to quite a few of Steve Hackett’s shows, but I’ve never had the opportunity to bow and his feet and tell him how amazing he is. But the shows I’ve been to have just been truly wonderful.
Darren: I presume you wish you could have duetted with either Phil, Pete or Steve.
Charlie: That is the stuff of dreams isn’t it, but I’m just happy to have grown up with that music as they are a huge, huge, part of my life in in so many ways.
Darren: Right, now to the series stuff, you seem to have a very public rivalry with another prog rock band, Spriggan Mist. How did that come about?
Charlie: It was February 2024 and went on the Power of Three mini tour and one of the other touring bands was indeed Spriggan Mist. And, in the lead up to those dates, I became increasingly aware of the utter debauchery and disrepute that Spriggan Mist were bringing up on the prog rock scene by encouraging the cardinal sin of dancing at Prog rock gigs 😉 Now I think we all know that with the odd time signatures and intelligent, thoughtful music, the absolute most we want to be seeing from our audience is maybe a little bit of head nodding in time to the music, or toe tapping, but not both together because that runs the at risk of turning into dancing! I think it’s the shamelessness with which Spriggan Mist just don’t care what they’re doing. So, we have pledged that on the 6th of July this year, in Southampton, we will bring an end to this and we’ll defeat them once and for all in a musical battle royale.
Darren: So it’s not just a case of Baz being jealous of your youth and talent.
Charlie: I think it could be. I don’t know what motivates a monster like that, quite honestly. The man’s just pure evil. Look at him the way he dresses, the way he presents himself. The things he says, the things he does. He just a wannabe bond villain or something, a henchman!
Darren: The people reading this might recognize the friendly humour in it? They’ll be thinking, Oh my God. They’ll be killing each other.
Charlie: Humour? There is no place for humour in Prog, that leads to dancing! 😉
Darren: Have you any advice to anyone who might be thinking of picking up an instrument or raising a microphone and wants to be a musician?
Charlie: Yeah, I don’t know if I’m the best person to give advice because I feel like I’m still at the start of my journey, but the most important thing I can say is just do it. If those opportunities present themselves don’t be afraid because it has been a wonderful ride for me and I’m so glad that I’ve done it, and I’ve been able to prove to myself that I can do it. I think that self-doubt is what stops a lot of people.
The “Oh, I could never do that. I could never do those things that the people I admire do.” When you start anything, are you’re not any good at it, right? Just hope you can keep getting better, and learning from the people who give the advice. I do that, picking up what I can from watching the people I admire and working hard at it. Just put the time in if it’s something you enjoy, do the work and just do it.
Darren: Very wise. Touring and performing can have its ups and downs. Are there any memorable experiences that stick in your mind?
Charlie: Yes, I’ve got a few. The old tour stories are the part of the fun, aren’t they? And the first one that sprang to mind was the first European date with Zio. We were driving down to Lyon in France and we’d stopped off at a truck stop so Jimmy could have a little nap. He got out of the car to use the bathroom and so did I. But as I was leaving the gents, I see the car pulling out of the car park without me in it. They’d left me at this truck stop by the motorway in France, on the first day of the tour! Not checking the back of the car to see if I was in it, off they go. Luckily, I had my phone in my pocket and I was like “guys, you’re missing a passenger!” But because it was the motorway, it took them a long time to be able to turn round, loop back, turn round again, come all the way back up the motorway, find the right truck stop, where they’d left me, because it wasn’t clearly signposted or anything like that. I think that highlights one of the difficulties of touring – you’re just so tired with all the travel, the long journeys that mistakes are going to happen. If I’d not had my phone on me I have no idea how long they’d have taken to notice my absence and then find me again.
There is another story. The Ghost of the Machine played a set at Winter’s end, in 2023, which was really well received. We had an amazing audience giving us all that energy. It was one of the best shows we’ve played up to that point and we celebrated well into the evening, before I went back to my hostel to get a good night’s sleep which was deserved after a busy day of gigging and revelling. However, in the middle of the night, I get up to use the bathrooms, which is in a separate room, along a corridor, so I end up locking myself out of my room. I’m only wearing my underpants at this point, my phone’s in the room, the keycard’s in the room, and crucially, there’s no one else in the hostel. No staff, no other guests, nobody. So I’m just locked out in the corridor in my underpants. 😳
Darren: How did you rectify that situation?
Charlie: Well, I was sincerely hoping that a member of staff would turn up by the morning to be able to let me in. Mark from the band was going to be waiting to pick me up at 9am and drive back to the north. But I’m watching the clock and there’s still no staff here, so I go out into the car park, determined to find someone with a phone so I can contact the hostel staff. And, luckily, I find someone. But, of course, he’s wearing a Ghost of the Machine T-shirt, isn’t he, so he’d seen me the night before playing on stage, and now he’s seeing me in a car park in Chepstow, freezing cold, in my underpants. He lent me a phone and saved me further embarrassment, thank goodness. But to add to the shame, when I turned up at HRH Prog, a few weeks later, half the audience members there knew about the story because the guy had told them all about it. There’s no secrets, man. And the moral of the story is, don’t use hostel bathrooms. At least he didn’t use the phone on his camera to capture the moment.
Darren: Thanks for that mental image, which I hope will soon completely fade. You already have yet another national tour planned for this year, including a few festivals, which frequently means that you’re in front of an audience who might not familiar with your music. Do you ever get stage fright or do you just relish the challenge of winning them over?
Charlie: I suppose I get that adrenaline. I don’t know if I’d call it stage fright. I’m really excited to go up on the stage and perform. It’s what I love and I’ve always enjoyed being out there. I used to do a lot of amateur and semi-pro acting before I discovered that I liked singing instead. It feels like a comfortable place for me and I like the challenge of winning a new audience over. Luckily I think a lot of the festivals we have played have been a nice mix of old and new faces and every time we play there always seems to be a few more new faces as well as returning ones.
Darren: Nobody could ever accuse you of recording short songs. Epic seems to be your trademark but the first song you released from the album, The One, despite having a blazing synth solo from Mark Hagen, at just under 5 minutes, is your shortest song to date. Was the detour to near Napalm Death length shorter songs a deliberate course of action, for airplay, or did it just happen?
Charlie: It just happened, it’s really interesting. We had five songs for Empires Must Fall for a really long time, in various stages of completion. We even demoed the album in February, last year, as just five songs. I think we were listening back to it and thinking that something’s missing. It’s just not quite right, the flow is not there. It wasn’t too long after we’d had those discussions that we were missing a song. Then Scott Owens, from the band, sent me a demo of him and Mark playing what was pretty much the verse and chorus of The One. I think I received that while I was on a train, near Rotherham, and by the time I got back to Sheffield, a few minutes later, I already had the verse and chorus I wanted to sing. The rest of the song fell together just as quickly. Within a few weeks of rehearsing, we realised we were ready to go into the studio with it. The length of it just kind of felt right although we did experiment with an extended version of The One but, with a few extra sections it, it just wasn’t working so we realised it was good as it was.
Then, next, we released Panopticon which was back to a proper length for a Prog song. That’s a lot longer one.
Darren: Although Empires Must Fall stands tall and proud on its own merits, as you’ve already said, it’s a kind of linear sequel to Scissorgames, with questions left unanswered in the previous albums finally addressed. Is the intention to take the story even further into a third album or do you think you’ve reachd a conclusion and you’re going to just go down a different avenue, with new stories?
Charlie: Like with After the War, the final song on Empires Must Fall, I feel like I’ve reached a conclusion and said everything I wanted to say with this story. I think it wraps everything up really nicely, with an act of forgiveness, which is a lovely thought, isn’t it?
Darren: In this day and age, yes.
Charlie: So, I don’t want the cycle of tyranny to repeat itself any further. I’d like to explore new pastures when we start working on the third album.
Darren: Thank you for your time and, on behalf of The Progressive Aspect and myself, once again, many thanks for your time and it’s been fantastic.
Charlie: A genuine pleasure, it’s been great and I hope we get to do it again in the future.
[You can read Darren Walker’s review of Empires Must Fall HERE | TPA also attended the Empires Must Fall Album Launch at Sheffield’s Corporation and you can read Darren Walker’s review along with some photos taken by Chris Simmons HERE]
LINKS
Ghost Of The Machine – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X | Instagram
