TEST PLAN - Dark Grooves For Uncertain Times... (England - Noise-Rock/Post-Punk - Interview with Max, Rory & Mihalis).
Hello ! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music?
Hey! We are Max, Rory and Mihalis, collectively we’re test plan.
Rory: I was always interested in music but it really hit me as I was becoming a teenager. I started listening to metal and punk and heavier music when I started secondary school, owing to many hours watching music videos on Kerrang! and Scuzz on TV and I began hanging out with the metal kids at school. Hearing bands like Slipknot, Nirvana and Iron Maiden at that age completely blew my head off and I suddenly became corrupted! I guess like every angsty teenager, metal spoke to me as an outcast and gave me something I could fully immerse myself into. I started learning guitar, moved on to bass pretty quickly and joined my first proper band playing prog-metal when I was about 13. My first ever gig was playing a Trivium cover with them at my school’s Battle of the Bands. The teachers yelled at us after instigating a mosh pit. We played local shows and that led me to exploring the local music scene through bands we’d make friends with or play with. I got into a lot of post-hardcore and more experimental/noise and punk and it was exciting seeing bands not much older than me touring all over the country and playing small venues or in the back of pubs. By the time I was 18 I’d been in 3 or 4 bands, was putting on shows, and still digging for new music, although by this point I’d kind of moved away from metal and found myself more into post-punk, noise-rock, shoegaze, psychedelic bands. I always love heavy and loud music, whatever genre and I’m still a metalhead at heart!
Max: Listening to music was always thrilling, I remember being glued to whatever mp3 player I had my hands on at the time and chasing the tingly feeling down my spine. I would repeat specific sections of songs over and over to feel that sensation (I believe it is called frisson). The first music I felt drawn to that wasn’t just what my parents would play was finding a linkin park song on a random YouTube video. All roads from there led naturally into every kind of angsty and heavy music. The aesthetics and the darkness of metal bands and what they stood for really appealed to me and how isolated and evil it felt. Gnarly black metal bands and abrasive power violence really scratched a deep itch in my brain. As time went on, I listened more to my friend’s music and really opened up to dance music with the aid of mind expanding tools (which I no longer use, as a proud teetotaller). Nowadays I listen to everything but the core of test plan feels really rested in an exploration of scratching that dark itch in the brain and working with grooves and structures that make you want to move your body and get a bit sweaty.
Mihalis: Back in Greece when I was still young internet or media players where still a bit behind so I started off with my moms records of Pink Floyd, Scorpions and Bon Jovi and then got hold of my first copied DVDs of Nightwish, Linkin Park and Slipknot concerts and only went down from there. By high school I was a drummer in a Metalcore/Deathcore band. Later, during uni I met new people who introduced me to the psych and garage world of Sonic Youth, The Oh Sees, Ty Segal etc and formed a rock n roll punk band called The Buchannons that went on for a few years resulting in one album named Sluggish. I was listening to some post-punk, mostly because of my girlfriend at the time with, whom we moved together in London and then the music here just made so much sense. With the help of Covid lockdown I spent some more time playing guitar and started looking for a band again. Noise post-punk. And voila. After many attempts, Rory popped in my inbox and changed my life :D
What if I told you that you have to leave for a desert island in 5 minutes—you have no choice… except to take three albums with you… which ones, and why? Would you say that these were game-changers at some point in your life?
Max:
All albums I adore and can come back to endlessly.
Brian Eno is calm, inquisitive and a place of serenity
Xiu Xiu is squirmish, fragile, beautiful, queer and chaotic
Deafheaven is euphoric, passionate and pummelling
Rory:
Nirvana - In Utero - I used to be a massive Nirvana fan and this was one of the first CDs I ever owned just as I was getting into heavy music. I remember being so excited hearing it for the first time and I couldn’t tell you how many times I listened to it over and over again. I just love everything about it and this album definitely shaped the music I ended up getting into afterwards. It’s always been one of my all time favourites.
A Place To Bury Strangers - Exploding Head - When I was 16 my friend showed me a video of them playing ‘Ocean’ on KEXP and I hadn’t heard anything like them before. They made such an impact and became hugely influential for me, shaped my musical tastes and seeing all the cool stuff they were doing with their attitude towards DIY music and their old venue made me ambitious. They became my favourite band and still are, and they’re my most seen live band too. Something happened in my life when I was 15 and their music gave me a huge boost of positivity. It played a huge part in helping me pull myself out of that dark time, so I have a large sentimental attachment to this album.
It’s hard to pick between Portishead - Third or Broadcast - Tender Buttons. It’s always nice to have something a bit more chill on this island too!
Mihalis: Anything will do in a desert island. I’m not picky :P
Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
Rory: We came together in 2022 after I’d left my previous bands. I’d had a short bout of insomnia and this led to a couple of late night/early morning song ideas I’d started to write. I tried singing for the first time in my life on these demos too and originally I was gonna be the lead singer for whatever this was gonna be. I’d tried for a couple of years in London to find band members, posting on forums and Reddit and every corner of the internet but never quite what I was looking for. My friends that play music were already in bands and I jammed with loads of people but nothing worked out. Mihalis replied to an advert and was looking to play guitar in a noisy band. I already knew and had played with Max once but he was always busy with his other bands. For whatever coincidence we managed to jam with each other when me and Mihalis first met in person, and we just kept at it week after week until we decided to make it a band. Max had some great songs and became the lead singer (and left his other bands!) but the lineup has always been the three of us. We all became really close friends and share loads of influences, attitudes and ambitions. We love touring and we love making music and art. Initially, I formed the band because I was frustrated with not being in one and I wanted to play shows again. But over time it became something much bigger. We get to make whatever we want, go on adventures together and get to build this together. We’re all just massively into it and I think that’s really why we’ve pursued it.
Max: I knew Rory through playing in loads of bands since living in London. A friend of a friend and we’d done a jam one time. I was a bit lost with everything at the time, my last serious band had imploded and life was generally a bit weird. I wanted so badly to be playing music and make something work and was trying everything. By some beautiful serendipity, I ran into Rory in the corridor of this mega shared industrial rehearsal space in North London as I was leaving a practice (I think I was in 3 other bands at the time). He had just met Mihalis and they were doing their first ever jam together. Rory invited me to hop on some drums and I thought why not. We made a racket and thought we might as well do it again sometime. From there, a really profound and beautiful musical collaboration and friendship started to grow. Amazing, emotionally intelligent people with a genuine desire to make art as a team and play some shows.
Mihalis: The others told the story already, so I will just describe the band as people. We all three seem to have similar ethos and views of life and people which helps massively when you want to spend soooo much time together doing so exhausting things haha. Kindness and care are core values that we all feel important so it makes it easy when we deal with each other or deal with others and want to make decisions. 
Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
Mihalis: noisy, dancy, post-punk-ish. I guess someone would benefit if they are looking for music to relate with difficult feelings and how we can use them as a driving force instead of weight above us. I think we communicate that a lot both through lyrics and through the sounds itself.
Max: We play loud noise rock and post-punk propelled by rhythms informed by dance music and songs about uncomfortable feelings. Listen if you like, if it connects then that’s great.
Rory: I always just tell people we’re loud and fast. And to bring earplugs.
Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ?
Max: Inspired by literature and films, words that feel immediate and take you someplace. Lyrics are crucial and are often directly dealing with some kind of psychological problem I’m processing at a given time, whether I’m aware of it or not. Think a lot about compulsivity, sexuality and shame it seems.
About the band's discography... Imagine someone who doesn't know your band at all and wants to get interested in.. Which release would you recommend to start with, and why?
Max: Listen to Walking in a Vacuum if you like dance music. Listen to So Bored at Your Squat Rave if you like punk music. Listen to Gone if you like experimental music. Listen to It’s Not Enough if you like shoegaze. Listen to My Teeth if you hate your teeth.
About your latest release ?
Max: We made a live session at the beginning of the year when we had access to a huge rehearsal room for a week. We did everything ourselves and had some friends help on the cameras and made‘ ‘Live in Darkness One’ which we released a couple weeks ago. The full video is on our Youtube and on all the usual music sites. We also recently put our first four singles together on a vinyl called “Four Songs” and you can order this on Bandcamp. A new single very soon and more around the corner. Lots of plans for the start of 2027. 
Future plans ?
Max: We have two shows in Georgia and Armenia, we’ve never been there before and super looking forward to our next tour in France (Please, tell me when you know about the dates & venues ! Ed.), Belgium and Netherlands where we've always had the best time with the best people. This one will end in Portugal where we have also never played before!
Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
Mihalis: We get people coming to us excited after gigs to tell us what an amazing time they had or how much they were touched and this is pretty crazy already. Or when I see people singing along to our songs. This is mind blowing. Never thought I would do that in my life. What else? Maybe get to see people making covers of our songs on youtube?
Rory: I guess the ultimate dream would be to be able to do this as our full time careers and be able to live from our music. Alas, we can only dream! For touring, I’d love to play in Japan or South America. Even places that bands don’t play very often like South East Asia would be cool. Playing on a big stage at a festival or Glastonbury would be insane too.
Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ?
Rory: We’ve had so many amazing shows that it really is hard to pick the best. The first time we played in Paris, Rotterdam and Berlin were incredible, but we also went to New York for The New Colossus Festival which was the most surreal experience. It’s rare we have a bad show but sometimes it can feel a bit of a challenge if we’re not totally in the right headspace or fully in the zone. Sometimes we might feel a bit awkward if there’s not many people or maybe they don’t really want to move much but we always try to play every show with gusto. I threw my bass on stage one time and it hit Mihalis straight in the shin and left a nasty bruise. so that was probably a pretty bad ending for him. Perhaps too much gusto.
Mihalis: It would be very difficult to name one. The last day of the first time we were in Left of The Dial in Rotterdam in a room with 400 people sold out was mind blowing with half of them jumping up and down the whole time. When we opened for A Place To Bury Strangers, that was the first gig it felt like we had achieved something difficult. And then it would be worth mentioning a very small last minute Sunday gig we did in Kassel, a town in Germany where there were less than 15 people in the audience. The atmosphere was very nice though and there was a shift in my perspective. Small crowds are always the most difficult for me but that night I realised we are not playing in a small crowd. We play in a big group of friends. By the end of our set, all 12 people in the room were dancing. It felt so warm. It was amazing.
I think the worst moments for me are when I cannot stop my brain thinking what should have been better at the time I am on stage. It took me a long time to be able to do that and focus on our music only. There was one gig along this process where I started crying right after getting off stage. Funny enough, my girlfriend at the time was like ‘wow this is the best gig I've seen you playing so far’. Who knows…
Next live-appearance(s) ?
Mihalis: We will play in London at Old Blue Last supporting Shaemless on 18th October and then in November we head over to Georgia, Armenia and have some shows in Europe! We’ll be playing some more tours next year too.
Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ?
Max: French Toast are incredible performers and an amazing part of the scene in London. Peer Pleasure are the best band in Ireland and basically locals at this point.
Mihalis: Body Horror blow my mind every time I see them playing. I think Bo Gritz are from another world. Shtepi we've played with a couple of times are amazing! And our friends Burden Limbs. Insane music if you can take it so hard!
Rory: Rammpressure, House Arrest, Drum Tower, and mentions to the non-Londoners Ceremony East Coast, Library Card, AK/DK, Texoprint, Youff, Joe and The Shitboys, Pop Music Fever Dream.
What’s the question you’ve always dreamed of answering but have never been asked? Just a heads-up: I’m also waiting for the answer that goes with it...
Mihalis: One thing I believe it is very important to discuss more with each other is the stage fright and how to manage it. Because many musicians, including myself for a long time, end up just playing their songs anticipating the time set is over so they can run off stage or try to calculate what’s the right number of drinks they need to have before playing. You need to enjoy it to be able to do it for a long time. The turning point for me was when I realised I do not actually need to manage my stress before playing. It was something that is just normal to be there and cannot make it disappear. I just needed to go play while having it. Trying to hide it will kill you. Just need to focus on being present regardless. That’s why I find warming up right before our set very helpful. Physical movement, even intense one if you feel like, to take some of the body tension that builds up with the anticipation and maybe play your instrument or do a drum circle clapping whatever. It is like practising to play music when stressed. And when you go on stage, it’s already the second time of the night you are doing it so it's a little bit easier.
Well, the interview is coming to an end… Is there anything else you’d like to add? Anything I didn’t think of? Something important, funny, silly… It doesn’t matter!
Mihalis: if you are touring and travel loads with little sleep, don’t forget to eat your fruits and do your stretches!
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