Paws, Pets & Metal is Metal Insider’s ongoing column on bands with pets, discovering who watches them on the road, and more. Get to know more about these metal furbabies. We caught up with Telling Lies as the artist reflects on his dog Sam, who passed away last year.
Tell us more about your pet(s) and their names?
I wanted to write this piece about Sam, my dog who unfortunately moved on last year, but was a huge part of my life and my music. We used to go on huge walks in the local forests during which time I always picked a new album or listened to discover weekly on Spotify to find new music. I found the band Nothing More on a walk with him and they’ve become one of my favorite bands. I wrote my song Lullaby about him.
Have you ever taken your pet on tour?
Never! He would have been too big because he was a Labrador Retriever and I’m not sure he would have fit on the bus!
Who looked after your pet while on the road?
My mum did, and I know that when I was away he was going on more super long walks in the forests!
What was your pet’s favorite song or album?
I have a feeling it may have been Dying Is Your Latest Fashion by Escape The Fate purely because I feel like Sam heard it no less than 1,000 times in the car on the way to or back home from walks.
How did you introduce your pet to metal?
I think the very first instance would have been when I was making YouTube guitar covers or recording my songs in the shed in the garden.. He’d always try to follow me in and lay down on the floor by the radiator and I would let him when it wasn’t super muddy. I think Secret Lies, Casting Stones, The Fall and Fragile were partially recorded in his presence!
What animal charity means most to you?
Dogs Trust. Dogs are my favorite creatures in the world because the bond that they can form with humans is second to none and they mainly focus on Dogs.
