One unbreakable bond.
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One number one album. One sold out launch show. One spring tour of top tier cities which is already shifting plenty of tickets.
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One more time nice and loud for the people at the back… one unbreakable bond.
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United as musicians, as sisters and as souls who are beautiful inside and out, Alt Blk Era - Nyrobi and Chaya Beckett-Messam - have faced illness and adversity with courage and power.
And they’ve faced it together.
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When she was in her teens, Nyrobi (now 21) became so poorly she was sleeping for 22 hours a day. Instead of giving up, Nyrobi fought, with her little sister Chaya (now 17) right beside her. By making music and mustering strength, a situation that could’ve kept them down couldn’t contain these inspirational women. Like phoenixes from flames they rose. And Alt Blk Era will continue to rise. They will soar.
Jo Wright was lucky enough to chat with Nyrobi and Chaya at Nottingham's Saltbox before the release show of their stellar, rave/dance/drum and bass/rock/alt (phew!) rager of a debut album ‘Rave Immortal’. Is this a fair description of Alt Blk Era’s sound? ‘We can’t use another band to describe us because our sound changes from song to song,’ says Nyrobi. ‘One song sounds like Billie Eilish for example, but then one might sound like The Prodigy. We’re very, very experimental.’
Certainly the band’s sound has altered. From Alt Blk Era’s rawer back catalogue to the polished ten tracks of ‘Rave Immortal’, the unstoppable, unapologetic attitude and vibe continues, while the delivery has evolved. ‘As we’re getting older, we’ve matured in a personal and musical sense, and found our style,’ Nyrobi says. ‘2022 was our experimental era. ‘Rave Immortal’ is a more mature version of the ‘Freak Show' EP.'
Fronted by the anthemic ‘I’m Normally Like This’, Alt Blk Era’s 2023 five track release does indeed send up a warning flare of what’s to come. It’s fifteen minutes of unafraid, unique music which cannot be ignored - because it’s so addictive and imaginative that it’s impossible to turn off. But also because Nyrobi and Chaya’s voices and musicianship bring this record to life, and you kinda get the feeling ‘Freak Show’ will grow legs and chase you if you dare to run away…
Vox wise across their songs old and new, Alt Blk Era leave no noise unexplored. Does being sisters make it easier to let their lungs loose? ‘We’ve been experimenting with our voices since we were young,’ says Chaya. ‘There’s no feelings of shame in experimenting with them with each other.’
‘Rave Immortal’ is an essential album. Not just for the music, but for the journey it takes the listener on. Opening with ethereal dance track to tear on the heartstrings ‘Straight To Heart’, this sad, scared song is about Nyrobi’s feelings of abandonment and loneliness brought about by illness. It’s followed by real tears in eyes ‘Come On Outside’, as Chaya gently guides her big sister into recovery. ‘Rave Immortal’ strides on with its shoulders back and head held high, with clever, classy lyrics about defiance, focus and fearlessness, with tunes as exhilarating as the tales they tell.
Chaya has previously described Nyrobi as her ‘ride or die’. It must have been beyond heartbreaking for Chaya to see her big sister struck down with an illness which made her suffer so. ‘It was really tough,’ Chaya says. ‘I was only 13 when Nyrobi first got ill, and I was helping her to overcome her disability.’
Nyrobi suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. ‘I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,’ she tells us. ‘It consists of chronic pain, tiredness and brain fog which is almost like a blindness. I’m lucky to have Chaya and a really good team around me.’
How does her hidden disability affect Alt Blk Era’s touring schedule? Nyrobi explains, ‘We make sure we have breaks. So we have a break tomorrow because tonight’s a full show. It makes it so much better just knowing we get to rest tomorrow!’
Some days Nyrobi can walk up a flight of stairs, but other days she’s not able to due to her hidden disability, for example. If she is hugged too tightly it can cause her pain for days after. But Nyrobi’s made of tough stuff, and rather than let Chronic Fatigue Syndrome define her, she’s letting it teach her – and is helping others learn. At tonight’s show this includes creating a roped off area where fans can feel safe. ‘I wanted to make sure people couldn’t get injured if someone starts jumping around and bumps into them, for example,’ Nyrobi says. She adds, ‘We were in Bristol yesterday and there were so many people there with chronic illnesses. Knowing how I was in the worst of my illness, the fact they came out to see us and are spending their time with us, it means so much.’ Nyrobi explains these fans may have rested for days or carefully planned which of their meds they’d need to take so they could come and see the girls – something which many of us don’t need to think about because we are blessed with good health. Nyrobi’s candour in sharing her hidden disability and its challenges is educating others as well as bringing up potential problems that, unless you’d actually faced them, you would be unaware of.
Nyrobi gives the example of a ramp which is designed to improve access for those unable to use steps, but is actually still too steep for someone struggling with their mobility. ‘Because I wasn’t disabled before, I wasn’t aware of these issues.’ Says Nyrobi. ‘But now I see them.’
‘Rave Immortal’ was released on January 24, landing at number one in the Official Rock and Metal Albums Chart in its first week!!! It’s a pressure chamber of spiritual, incendiary, rock riffing wreckage, angelic, kick ass vocals and bonkers button pushing, all shaken up like a snow globe and exploding like a glitter bomb. Available in gorgeous coloured vinyl as well as CD, how does it feel to actually hold your own record in your hands? ‘It feels so weird,’ says Chaya. ‘I had a stage of collecting vinyl, so it felt really strange to have our own.’
‘We’ve had some really good feedback,’ Nyrobi adds. ‘Some people told us they’ve already listened to it about seven times!’ Bearing in mind ‘Rave Immortal’ was released on January 24 - the day before Alt Blk Era spoke with Goth Girl Writing – that’s pretty good going.
How about a favourite track from the album? ‘I think mine is ‘Run Rabbit’,’ says Chaya. Nyrobi? ‘My favourite song is ‘Rave Immortal’. Even in sound check today, I had so much fun singing it. Usually I’m trying to concentrate on the sound and things, but today I was having a whale of a time!’
Alt Blk Era are touring in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, Southampton and London in April and have a couple of festival dates scheduled so far too (click here to be directed to dates and tickets). Trust us – these are shows you don’t want to miss. Tonight Saltbox comes alive with Chaya and Nyrobi’s music, stage presence, fierce image and glowing personalities. It’s truly beautiful and unforgettable to see how an illness which could be so life-limiting has met its match with these sisters, and will not only fuel their fire and desire to become the very best musicians, its presence in their lives will be used to educate others about hidden disabilities. Chaya and Nyrobi are making the music world – and the big wide world – a much better place.
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