Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Damien Cain

Damien Cain, Standarte (Introduction of the project)

“Standarte” [engl.: “banner/flag”] is my latest album and, in many ways, it feels like the most personal one.

Musically, “Standarte” moves between alternative rock, gothic atmosphere, theatrical storytelling and melodic songwriting. It has a dramatic side, but also a very human one. The album is not about trying to sound fashionable or young at any cost; it is about standing in your own history, your own contradictions, your own shadows, and still making something alive.

For me, “Standarte” is kind of a second act: a refusal to disappear, a refusal to be reduced to nostalgia, and a belief that songs can still carry mystery, desire, humour, vulnerability and defiance. So, yes: I’m raising my flag again!

What is your earliest memory connected to music?

I owe my first musical memories to my mother, a huge Elvis Presley fan (which probably planted the rock gene in me), as well as to my great-aunt, who loved listening to operas and operettas (highlight: “The Tsarevich” by Franz Lehár – that may well be where my tendency toward theatrical melancholy comes from.)

How did your passion for creating music begin?

It began with the need to express things I couldn’t easily say in normal conversation. Some people keep diaries; I think songs became that space for me. They allowed me to turn confusion, longing, anger, humour and desire into something with shape.

At first, the passion was very instinctive. I didn’t think too much about genre or strategy. I was simply fascinated by the way a melody could carry a secret, or how a lyric could make something painful feel beautiful. Over time, that instinct became a creative language.

What’s the story behind your current music project?

The current project is about returning to music with all the experience, scars and humour that life gives you. I always had a connection to the gothic and the dramatic (even the name carries a certain shadow), but the newer material also brings in a more personal and emotional perspective.

With songs ranging from “Fascinating Face” to “Caleb”, the project is stepping into a brighter but still slightly dangerous space. There might be even pop energy among the metal and dark rock, but alway melancholy, character and obsession. It feels like taking old ghosts onto a modern dancefloor and seeing what happens.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?

I would describe it as “alternative rock from the dark side of the heart”. It has melody and accessibility, but there is always a shadow behind the curtain. The songs are romantic, dramatic and sometimes a little haunted, but not in a gloomy or nostalgic way.

Imagine classic rock storytelling, 80s/90s alternative atmosphere, pop emotion and a touch of cinematic gothic glamour. It is music for people who like songs with character, guitars with atmosphere, and with love stories that are slightly dangerous.

What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?

I’ve learned that honesty does not always mean being literal. Sometimes the most truthful thing you can do is create a character, a mood or a dramatic scene that expresses the emotion better than a diary-style confession ever could.

That changed a lot for me. It allowed me to stop worrying about whether every line was “factually true” and focus more on whether the song felt emotionally true. A song can wear costume, make-up and theatrical lighting – and still tell the truth.

What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?

My senses, eyes and ears. First of all I am a lyricist and I process real experiences, memories and feelings and “translate” them into lyrics. When that has happened, I allow music to enter the stage. Based on the emotions that made me write the lyrics, a song may become either a fragile ballad or a straight forward metal piece – or something in between.

Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?

Due to my collaboration with Jamie Wiltshire I am following his music and love what he does, his vocal performance is amazing. But honestly, there is so much good music out there, it’s hard to pick the one song, that I call “favourite song of the month”. As long as good music is combined with good lyrics, I am happy.

How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?

Personal experience is at the centre of it, but it often comes through in transformed ways. The music is shaped by love, loss, desire, humour, disappointment, survival and the feeling of being an outsider looking in. Those things don’t always appear as autobiography, but they are always there underneath.

The majority of my lyrics are coming straight from the heart. You know, many colleagues will confirm, that the best songs are written broken hearted. I think, it always works the best, when you’re just honest with what you’re doing and what kind of songs you’re producing.

What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?

I think, I am a storyteller, who shares personal experiences that, I guess, many people can comprehend or rely to. So I’ll like to take the listeners on a journey through my experiences and they might find themselves in one of my songs. When I am down and out, there are always songs, that help me in these moments, or just underlining my mood perfectly. I hope, I can provide this with my music, too.

What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?

Music has taught me that emotion survives almost everything. Trends change, formats change, scenes change, but a song that captures a real feeling can always find its way to someone.

It has also taught me patience. Sometimes you don’t understand what a song means until years later. Sometimes you don’t understand what kind of artist you are until you’ve lived enough life to stop pretending. Music is very good at revealing the truth eventually.

What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?

I have a pretty clear picture of this: This would be an old derelict abbey or monastery, something like “Rock of Cashel” here in Ireland, granting the permission for a night with a couple of 100 visitors, with a cool lightshow, lots of dry ice fog and not just a plain concert, but a true happening with a couple of actors etc. See: I played e.g. at Castle Rock Festival (Germany) and also in musicals back in the days, I would love to combine performances like these in the best artistic way.

If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

I already had the incredible chance to collaborate with my most favoured artist, Christopher Lee. That was an amazing, incredible experience. As I was a boy, I guess, his movies infected me with the gothic vibe. By the way, for me “Dracula” was never a creature in horror movies, but a misunderstood lover that was doomed to never find true love…

Apart from that I really do love collaborations, especially Kirstin, the female voice of “CAIN” or, as mentioned, recently Jamie Wiltshire. If I’d had a chance to collaborate with someone, I’d probably ask Chris de Burgh (yes, him!) to re-record “Spanish Train”. Listen to the song, you’ll might get, why I am picking this particular song.

Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)

Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?

While I am already working on new songs (which, as it seems, will become a little different again), an idea crept in the back of my mind, how to bring “Standarte” live on stage. It would definitely sound different than the album, but I’d love to perform the songs live, that mean so much to me.

What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?

I hope they discover that there is humour inside the darkness, tenderness behind the drama, and truth underneath the theatricality. Damien Cain is not just a “gothic” image or an alternative rock sound. It is a way of turning experience and memories into something vivid and emotionally honest.

I also hope listeners discover me as an artist who never tried to fit into a category. The music is romantic, strange, catchy, wounded, playful and defiant. That combination feels pretty human to me.