Page 22 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 114

BV114 pg 20-23 Defences Interview.qxp_BV114 pg 22 11/06/2026 17:02 Page 3

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Cherry says. “And so, that’s been really cool, be- It is a struggle,” she laughs.
cause he’s been able to connect Defences with a On the subject of initial fears, ‘Metamorphosis’
few people that we otherwise wouldn’t have known. sees Cherry sing, ‘Nothing will change now, unless
He also has a lot of experience in the industry as I face it. Terrified, but we know what’s right’. The
he’s worked in ticketing for most of his career. He song is for everyone who is scared to change, but
has a lot of experience with a lot of the logistical does it anyway. They’ve also given it the moniker
side of things when it comes to running a band. So, ‘self-acceptance core’.
yeah, everyone has their own areas which they re- Cherry says that she was scared to believe in
ally excel in and have been able to keep us going.” herself. “Like I said, there has been a lot of ‘fake it
till you make it’ in my career, right up until the tour
n the opening song on ‘Shadowlight’, ‘The that we did last year supporting RØRY. And there
ICurse’, Cherry sings, ‘We got something to has been a lot of having to get over the fear that
prove’. We ask what they have had to prove, as a I’m not good enough, or get over the fear that it’s
band. not going to happen to me. These things that we
“That we’re worth giving a shit about, to be say to ourselves in our heads, just learning to ig-
honest,” Cherry replies. “Especially when we nore that and get over that and to do it anyway.
started, and in those first few years, you didn’t see Just try anyway, that’s been a really, really big thing
any other people of colour in these kinds of bands, for me in my life, and a lot of the inspiration for this
in alternative, song definitely
metalcore, kind of “There has been a lot of having to get over the came from that.”
bands. There’s a Many people
very, very small fear that I’m not good enough, or get over the fear are terrified to
representation for that it’s not going to happen to me. These things that make changes in
people of colour. we say to ourselves in our head, just learning to ig- their life, to begin
Also, especially nore that and get over that and to do it anyway.” - again, whether
for women, as it’s the decision
well. There are Cherry Duesbury, Defences to leave a rela-
obviously more tionship that isn’t
now, but there working, to move
were a few metal bands with female members in to a new town, to leave a job and start a new one.
them, but there were no metal bands with black fe- Most life changes are a big deal and taking the first
males in them. And so, yeah, I think we did have step can be daunting. Cherry has done all of the
to fight a little bit harder to just be taken seriously, above, and she has learned that beginning again
to even get people to take a listen to the music. It’s can happen many more times than once. “We are
been a case of people not knowing who we are, constantly doing that. And we are constantly start-
and then, either somehow finding us and just lis- ing new chapters and reinventing ourselves, and
tening and then being, ‘Oh, this is great,’ or going deciding who we want to be and, then, being that,
to a show to see whatever band they were going and that being something different to who we were
to see, and then seeing us on the stage and being, before. One of my biggest influences for that, ac-
‘Wow, this is great. Let me go and check them out,’ tually, thinking from a musical and lyrical perspec-
kind of thing. But, yeah, we definitely struggled in tive, is Hayley Williams. I grew up with Paramore.
those earlier days to just have people who were ex- I grew up with that band right from their very first
cited enough about us to shout about us and help album. I grew up with her. And I’ve seen a lot of my
build that profile. So, yeah, that’s kind of where that life experiences reflected in her lyrics. And it’s been
was driven from.” interesting to watch how her lyrical journey has de-
veloped, because there’s been a lot of that too.
herry has described herself as an ‘introvert New versions of yourself, iterations of yourself,
CAuDHD emo’. Being introverted ourselves, saying goodbye and starting anew. And there have
we’re intrigued by what made Cherry want to get been a few other artists that have written about
on stage. that, as well. Seeing that in other people’s music
“It’s one of the longest internal battles that I’ve has helped me realise that it is a global experience.
had to deal with, is that I want to do this and it is Everyone is kind of having this… I don’t know what
the only thing I want to do, but I am who I am,” she the word is, but there are cycles to life, right? A
explains. “But yeah, basically, it’s always been in cycle ends and then a new cycle begins, and I think
my blood since I was a young girl. One of my ear- that’s how life goes.”
lier memories is dancing around in my mum’s bed- Cherry has said that ‘As evolutionary beings,
room to Mariah Carey and Destiny’s Child and we’re constantly growing and adapting to the dif-
what have you. I’ve always been singing and I’ve ferent paths that life takes us down. Constantly
always been performing and I’ve always loved it. saying goodbye to old versions of ourselves’. We
And I think it’s because it’s one of the most cathar- ask if there are any versions of herself that she’s
tic things in the world to me – to sing your heart out. glad she’s said goodbye to?
And so, because my love for music stems from “Oh, that’s a good question. Are there any ver-
such an early age, it’s just always been in my mind sions of myself that I’m glad I said goodbye to?”
as something I’ve always wanted to do. For exam- she ponders. “I mean, yes! It’s difficult to talk about
ple, when I was at school, I would be in the shows because I guess it’s kind of still a bit raw for me,
that the school would put on. I would try and get in- but, even the person I was just a few years ago,
volved in all that, but I also have a very early mem- now, is gone. She is gone. I’ve had to become an
ory of being in school, lining up outside to go into entirely new person and start an entirely new chap-
assembly to do some performance on the stage, ter of my life. And the version of me that is gone
and literally not being able to go through the doors now is the version of me that settled for less than I
because of stage fright. And I don’t know how I got know I deserved, in various ways. And there be-
over the stage fright. I guess I just forced myself. came a point where I decided I wasn’t going to do
There’s been a lot of ‘fake it till you make it’ in my that anymore. I’ve said goodbye to a version of me
journey. And, even still now, to be honest, with who would let the fear cripple her and talk her out
some of the bigger shows that we have, I have to of doing things, which meant that she didn’t get to
just ignore it and switch it off, that part of me that is have experiences that, actually, she wanted to
like, ‘Oh my God, what are you doing? Go and hide have. So, yeah, letting go of those versions, I think,
in the corner,’ because I know once I get past that well, no, I know, were the right decisions to make.”
initial fear, and I get on the stage, and get to start Not settling for less than we deserve is some-
doing the thing that I love, there’s no better feeling. thing that a lot of us have to learn. Many of us also
DEFENCES