OFF THE GRID WITH MODERN RUIN

INTERVIEW | MODERN RUIN by Anne Kelly

This week, Glasgow‘s most exciting new music spectacle is set to take the city by storm as B12 Entertainment presents Off The Grid. A live series which brings 50 rising bands from across Scotland to some of Glasgow’s most iconic grassroots venues.

One of the first of 12 unique Off The Grid line-ups to take place across the city will be on Friday 28th August at Ivory Blacks, hosting One Nine Eight, In Reflection, Klozer and Glasgow’s own Modern Ruin. Recently headlining Summer Nights at King Tuts last month, we caught back up with Modern Ruin to chat about that bucket list moment, the challenges of starting out, their gloomy debut single ‘The Bloodletter’ and ask when we can hear new music.

For anyone encountering Modern Ruin for the first time, how would you describe your sound?

I’d like to say that our sound doesn’t fit into just one specific category; we try and incorporate inspiration from many different genres that are personal to each member, with an overall darker, more gothic alternative rock feel to it.

It hasn’t been long since your King Tut’s Summer Nights headline show. Now that the dust has settled, how did the night feel from the stage, and what was your standout memory from the set?

Honestly, it felt amazing to have such a great turnout for our headline and such a positive response afterwards; we felt like we definitely were doing our job in getting where we need to be with our career.

I don’t think we could choose just one moment that was a standout when the whole show we had such a fun time, and the crowd was full of energy.

Shows like King Tut’s Summer Nights and now Off The Grid are crucial for the grassroots ecosystem. From your perspective, what are the biggest challenges of putting these shows together that the average gig-goer might not see?

Definitely all the time and money that goes into it. We personally pay our own way with weekly rehearsals, which puts us around £24 out of pocket a month, plus any travel expenses on top of our personal lives and bills. We try and keep our band fund for things like saving up to record and promo, so we also pay out of pocket for any photographers or videographers, and although it seems like a small expense, it adds up in the long run. We’re putting time and money into shows that aren’t guaranteed to have an audience every time, there are highs and lows during gig seasons for sure, but regardless, we always put the same amount of effort whether we’re headlining King Tuts or playing a more local set like Ivory blacks.

Going from Tut’s to Ivory Blacks is a great run of Glasgow stages. Looking further down the line, what iconic venues are at the top of your bucket list?

Personally, St Luke’s or Cottiers Theatre is top of the list for me, both very historic venues with beautiful architecture and sound, and I think that they perfectly represent our overall aesthetic.

‘The Bloodletter’ is genuinely one of my favourite new Scottish releases this year so far. Where did that track originate, and is that dark, driving energy a roadmap for where Modern Ruin’s sound is heading?

(lead vocalist(Jasmin))

‘The Bloodletter’ was originally an acoustic song written by me (Jasmin – lead vocalist) slightly before I joined Modern Ruin, and I brought it to the band because I thought it was the exact thing that we had been looking for. I wrote it about dealing with abusive situations and constantly giving away pieces of yourself to someone when you feel as if you have nothing left to give, and then staying because ultimately you feel they are all you have left. 

I think a lot of people feel this way in relationships and it’s become somewhat normalised. I wanted people to know that they weren’t alone with those feelings and that, looking back now, it’s more than possible to get out and stand on your own two feet.

As for the path it took us down, I definitely think it’s steered us closer to that energy; everything we’ve wrote since has been bigger and better, and it’s exciting to see.

It’s been a few months since ‘The Bloodletter’, Can fans expect anything new before the end of the year?

We are definitely in the studio before the year is out, so you can expect to hear from us in early 2027.

Looking across the rest of the Off The Grid lineup, if you could only buy one ticket to one of the shows (apart from your own), who would you invest in?

I think it would have to be between going to see Zebra Lane and D-CNTR, they’re both really amazing bands who have very distinct sounds that are unique within the scene at the moment. Definitely worth getting to see if you haven’t already.

Klozer will perform at Ivory Blacks on Friday 28th August alongside Modern Ruin, One Nine Eight and In Reflection. Tickets are on sale now for a mere £12 (+ £1 booking fee) from B12 Entertainment.