Wheel: The Wheel Keeps On Spinning

Being in a band is hard work, and there is literally no two ways about it. There is so much more that goes into making a band than just having a collection of songs, as the image, the message, the accompanying artwork alongside the music, and a whole lot more need to be considered at some point or another, especially if said band want to make it anywhere off the ground. Every so often you get bands that emerge from corners of the world that from the word go seem to be well formed and primed to take on the big leagues. WHEEL are one such band, and despite having barely 13 songs to show off their chops, the Finnish newcomers are more formed and ready to take flight than most bands are after five years of touring and recording. It takes one listen to the opening track of their Moving Backwards album, Vulture, to hear this. And it’s even more prevalent if you get the chance to see this watertight unit perform live.

It’s impossible to avoid the correlations and similarities between WHEEL and TOOL, and when asked that the immediate response from drummer Santeri is not one of surprise. “Is that a serious question?” He asks before responding with confirmation that the band do indeed enjoy the work of Maynard Keenan and his troupe of travelling oddballs, but that is where the similarity stops. Whilst the sort of rhythmic prog WHEEL peddle was made big by TOOL, WHEEL take things to a different and entirely unique level.

“The core idea when we started was to write music we like, the music we love, and see where it leads. In that way it’s about art, just doing what you like and hoping someone else likes too,” is how Santeri describes the sound of WHEEL, and as well as their impressively captivating music, Santari confirms that mastermind James Lascelle has a lot to say and is willing to say it in any way he can.

The whole message the band has to say at the moment is one of vitriol towards the current social landscape we currently live on. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the whole thing is how disconnected Santeri and the rest of the band seems to be from the lyrical message of the band, as he openly admits not seeing the lyrics or even understanding them thanks to English being his second language. Whilst this offers an interesting view into the dynamic of the band, it offers insight into why the band are so damn tight as well. The band members manage the exact things that influence their role in the band, perfecting it to a point where when they bring it to the band everything gels perfectly. There is a huge DIY element within the band as well, with Santeri taking up mantle as tour manager as well as sticks man for this debut UK headline run.

Santeri is incredibly excited for the first headline run of the band. “It’s so exciting, to get back to the music.” This is likely referring to the fact the band have been working hard on this headline run for a long time now, and the crazy lightshow accompanying a full 90 minute set (again, this band have about 13 songs in total) prove that WHEEL are as confident as they come. But when you sound as good as they do why wouldn’t you be. Santeri explains how the band “want to take this as far as we can, both artistically and with the size of the audiences we play to,” and later follows up with the dangling carrot of even bigger and better things to come in 2020 alone. The overall sense of WHEEL is that everything they do is done to perfection or not at all, and given the fact the band have been working meticulously on their material for the past five years since forming, it further deepens the excitement that emanates both from the band themselves and from the potential WHEEL show.

Very few bands are as genuinely captivating and enthralling as WHEEL are, and when you add in the fact that the band are just getting started then you have the recipe for a band worth following over the next decade. If you caught their stellar Damnation or Bloodstock performances last year you’ll have a taste, but WHEEL are evolving daily, so the next time you see them expect bigger and better things.

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