Society of Beggars, new single “Well of Wishes”
Society of Beggars are an alternative rock band from Naarm/Melbourne, Australia, formed by brothers Yianni and Dimitrios Michalopoulos (vocals and guitar) and Tom ‘Dibi’ Di Biase (drums) with Zoë Alexa (Bass). Although we have been aware of them for a while, this is the first time we have reviewed them here. This song is full of really strong riffs, one in particular drives the song and gets hooked in your head. It has a modern take on an older Sabbath, Dio era sound and is capable of reaching out and grabbing you by the throat. I sat in my car and blasted the sound as I drove, immediately in danger of blowing the speed limit and didn’t give a damn. Great stuff, have a listen and take yourself to “The Well of Wishes.”
Download the single here
We were pleased to get some extra information on the single, and all things Society of Beggars from their guitarist, Dimitrios Michalopoulos.
Do you feel “Well of Wishes” is a sister song to “Dance the Evil”? (We liked that one!) And, as “Dance” came out maybe a year ago, how is the band developing musically at the moment (who wrote Well of Wishes?)?
Dimitrios- Firstly, thank you for the compliment. “Dance the Evil” and “Well of Wishes” are connected, both songs are big riff-based rock songs on the surface, but one deals with the idea of romantic love between two people and how that love can protect you from outside forces, and the other is more of a banshee cry towards the sky about being an outsider and finding your people. So, in a way, they’re both about surrounding yourself with people who can allow you to be yourself. But with 10,000 tracks of distorted guitars recorded on top. We had the riff for “Well of Wishes” for some time, and if something musically sticks around and is interesting enough, we usually get together in a small room with small amps and run our instruments clean and work on the structure of the song. We progress because we truly work together. Society of Beggars is a living, growing organism, where each member is equally important to what makes it work.
Has bringing in Zoe on bass (she recently replaced Nocoli Foulstone on bass) helped bring a new musical angle to your sound?
Dimitrios- Absolutely, not just with her knowledge of the instrument and ability to be thrown into the deep end of writing and composing, but also with her voice. It’s nice to have a different voice for us to play with in the sonic palette because male voices have pretty much dominated rock music for some time.
You often do interesting videos, we are thinking “Lick.” Do you have any plans for a video for “Well of Wishes?”
Dimitrios- The video for Well of Wishes came out the same day as the single, July 13. We filmed up at Montsalvat in Victoria, which is this great gothic looking garden with almost castle-like structures. It really, really suited the tone and darkness of the song and we’re extremely proud of the work we’ve done on this video.
Society of Beggars 2023
And are there any plans you can share with us for the upcoming year? What can fans look forward to, apart from the single, of course?
Dimitrios- The album ‘Levitator, which will contain all previously released songs plus more, is our number one priority. We’re very, very close to finishing something we’ve spent an immense amount of time on and are excited to make sure that our music reaches as many different people from different places as humanly possible.
The bands website is here
The 2017 EP called Night can be downloaded here
By Stevie Ritson
&
Benny (the ball) Benson
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