We always are on the lookout for promising artists and bands who are meant for something bigger and to keep the heavy music scene strong. And the band Ankor is exactly what we were looking for. They’ve been doing everything independently for ages, building their fan base and releasing exciting music that really captivates the notion of “modern metal”. And we’re clearly not the only ones who have picked up on that, since they recently got signed by the Australian label UNFD and were booked for a large amount of Europe’s largest festivals. So when they dropped by at Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland, we thought it to be the perfect moment to meet up with them for a quick chat!
We met up with Jessie Williams (vocals) and Eleni Nota (drums) backstage, finding a windy seat between some of the dressing room containers to talk. They basically had one of the craziest weekends ever, doing 3 shows in 3 days in 3 different countries, traveling over 6000 km. They kicked off the adventure at Ressurection Fest in Spain, dropping by Hellfest in France where they got to take over the mainstage, and eventually ending up in Finland to play at Tuska. And they were very happy that despite the quite early time slot they had to play at most events, there was every time a really nice turnout, making it even better for them. And that’s only the beginning really, because throughout the whole summer they got booked to some amazing festivals in Europe like Summerbreeze, Alcatraz, Wacken,… What a year for Ankor! It really feels like 2024 is THE year for Ankor, like they predicted in a social media post back in 2023 and they still believe it will be so.
Over the recent half a year or so, they’ve been releasing new music song by song spread over time, calling them chapters, giving it a feeling like you’re following a story or series they’re building up to. For Jessie and Eleni, that is the preferred way of working, because they are able to really focus on every song and give them all the love they deserve, including a captivating video and all the visuals possible. About half a decade ago, they released a great cover version of the Billie Eilish pop classic ‘Bad Guy’ and when asked if there are any artists or songs on their mind they might want to take a crack at, Jessie brings up Sabrina Carpenter because she loves how well-written and fun her songs are.
They recently announced an extensive European tour in 2025 that will take them to most of the continent and a mini album that will be collecting their already released “chapters” and more! Ankor really is a band you should check out and keep your eyes on, they’re heaps of fun!
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