Interview: Talking Gaming with Alex (Rhythm Guitar) of Scratch One Grub
Scratch One Grub emerge from the valleys with their debut album ‘One’, arriving 27 February. Blending progressive ambition, alt-metal grit, and raw emotion, the Welsh six-piece stake their claim as one of the UK’s most exciting new heavy acts. Their new single, ‘#1’, out now, delivers biting rhythms, big hooks, and intricate musicianship — a bold introduction to their sound.
In this interview we talk gaming with rhythm guitarist, Alex.
1. Let’s begin by going way back to the past! Specifically, your childhood and what your earliest memory of playing a video game is?
My earliest memory of my dad introducing me to the PS1 where I became obsessed with Spiderman, Crash Bandicoot and Rayman.
2. At what age and stage of your life did you start to find yourself hooked by gaming and was there any particular thing that bore responsibility for that?
I must have been 3 years old when I was introduced to the PS1 and there aren’t many moment in my life when gaming wasn’t a part of it! Like I said, my dad was the one who introduced me to it along with great movies. However, it wasn’t just his enthusiasm that influenced me, but that was the type of kid that I was when it came to all things nerdy.
3. If you could point at one or two games that defined your childhood, what would they be?
I’m technically going to cheat and include 3 games. Those 3 would be The Sands of Time Trilogy (Prince of Persia) I still play those games to this day on my trusty PS2. There are others, but no one was quite as obsessed with those games as me in my town haha!
4. What about a system? Everyone has one that holds a very special place in their heart. SNES, PS1, N64, Xbox 360, Phillips CD-i? What’s yours and why?
All together I have owned a PS1, PS2, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox Series X and a PS5. If I had to chose one, I would chose the Xbox 360 because this was the time when me and all my friends would hop online together to play a variety of games during our teenage years. You never know what you have until its gone, such as times like those. The good times doe quietly.
5. Do you have a particular game genre that you enjoy more than any other? If so, what is it and why? Also, what’s a game genre you almost always avoid?
I love a solid shooter like any other. Gears of War 3 is my favourite multiplayer of all time but overall, I think I will have to go with action adventure. The Last of Us is my favourite game and The Sands of Time Trilogy as I just mentioned. I typically avoid racing and sports games. Nothing against them, just not my thing.
6. How about multiplayer? Did you have a game that you found yourself sinking untold hours into online or do you just prefer the single player experience?
Gears of War 3, Battlefield, Mortal Kombat are probably my top 3 competitive multiplayer games. These days, I find it hard to sink my time into too much gaming especially if I’m not partying up with a friend to play something online. I don’t particularly have a preference between single and multiplayer, as they both provide special moments in their own rights.
7. What is a game or franchise that you think you’ve sunk the most time into to date and what is a game or franchise that you’ve never quite been able to get into?
Probably the Gears of War franchise. Fun fact, the name of my band – Scratch One Grub – is a Gears of War reference! I have not been a fan of Call of Duty since 2009 and I could write a full essay on why. I will however state my potentially triggering opinion on it though: It’s one of the worst things to happen to the video game industry. Again, I would need to write a full on essay to elaborate haha!
8. Over the past couple of decades, what development within the video game industry has been revolutionary?
It’s hard one to think of! I could provide some obvious answers but I’m going to give an answer that somewhat dodges the question: I am excited to see how AI can be used in games!
9. Likewise, what development within the video game industry has been mostly negative for gamers overall?
I would say microtransactions but there are pros and cons to them so I won’t objectively label them as bad. Some games require full online access even for single player experiences is ridiculous and having to have everything be installed and updated which can take a long time. Why can’t I just insert a CD into the console and have everything become available immediately anymore?!
10. What is one aspect of gaming (all parts) that you consistently find yourself getting nostalgic over?
Thinking about the PS1 and 2 days of course, but mainly the experiences that me and my friends would share online during our teenage years on the Xbox 360. It was a totally different life back then.
11. Likewise, what is one aspect of gaming (all parts) that you’d happily never experience again?
Lazy writing and uninspired gameplay. I just want games to be unique to one another again. I suppose a lot of indie games are but I unfortunately don’t get into that area.
12. Focusing on the now, what are you currently playing and what is enjoyable about it?
Currently I am playing Battlefield 6. It feels great to finally have a solid Battlefield game again that me and my mates can hop onto! Don’t get me wring, it’s not a perfect game and some patches/updates are needed but I am very happy with it. That and I still play Gears of War 3 and Ultimate edition quite a lot while jumping on Mortal Kombat 11!
