Make Them Suffer's Alex Reade: 'I Have So Much Respect For Them'

Alex Reade made a name for herself with her soaring vocals with Melbourne metal band Drown This City - who recently made a short and sweet breakup announcement - and now shines in Make Them Suffer. Still, she's just like you and me: she has a regular 9 to 5 corporate day job - not that she likes sharing that fact, but it only makes her cooler, if we're being honest.

"I was wearing a suit this morning, fresh off a weekend of shows, and now I'm straight back into the office," Reade laughs. For this interview, though, she wanted to look a bit more musical. She's thrown on a Nike shirt, and once we're done, she's going straight back to the ordinary world.

Make Them Suffer announced the inclusion of Alex Reade to their lineup and released a blistering new single, Doomswitch, last week. Between the light and dark dynamic with frontman Sean Harmanis and Reade's vocals and the jagged riffs, the Perth metalcore group sound reinvigorated. And yes, Reade really is playing the keytar; it's not just for the music video.

"When I joined, I was having conversations with Nick [McLernon], the guitarist. Once we established that I would join, we were like, 'alright, what gear will I get? I'm gonna go and get it. I want to do this myself and really earn my way into this band,'" she says. So, the research for keyboards began. "I sent him a couple, and he goes, 'I've got a better idea.' He sends me back this Roland AX-Edge Keytar!"

She was apprehensive about the keytar at first. "But then I watched a few YouTube videos of guys jamming out. And I was like, 'you know what, let's do it.' I didn't even give it a second thought. But then, when I went to hear the song, which was mostly done at this stage, it already had the keytar parts in there. So this was part of Nick's vision all along," she shares. 

Doomswitch is packed with electronics, including a sample to be played through the AX-Edge. "It was part of his idea to do something awesome to change Make Them Suffer. And I'm all about it, honestly. But I wasn't expecting everyone to think it was so cool! I thought there might be mixed reviews or people going, 'What is that thing? It's so weird!' But everyone's like, 'that is the sickest thing ever.'" 

The enormity of Reade coming into an established band that's featured two incredible keyboard players and vocalists before her and a dedicated fanbase isn't lost on her. "There's a lot of love for the women that came before me. So it's like, how do I step into this without completely trying to copy or replace any previous members?"

Reade is a longtime fan of Make Them Suffer - her joining the band is a dream come true. "When we're on stage and hearing the songs, part of me feels like I'm in the audience. And I'm so happy to hear them, and then I go, 'wait, no, you're on stage, you're playing this shit,'" she smiles. "So it's quite an honour to play songs that I've listened to and loved for years, that I have to pinch myself and say you are part of this now. The band was very accepting of me straight away, which is an incredible feeling.

"I did not tell anyone I was joining the band for months," Reade says. Maybe only two of her friends knew - she didn't even tell family members. "I just put my head down, started learning the songs, and picked up skills I have not utilised in years. I haven't played the piano for the better half of 15 years. But I knew I could do it; it was just hard work. I'm over the moon, and I'm trying to enjoy each moment."

"Sean is so funny because he's so quirky and funny in person, and then you get on stage, and he's an absolute beast of a vocalist," Reade laughs about her new co-vocalist. They get along well, and she's pleasantly surprised by how well their voices sync up. "He's a great songwriter. I can sit back and trust his vision."

Sean was the one who suggested Reade sing harsh vocals on Doomswitch. "We hadn't talked about it before. I went into the studio with vocals that I was going to record, and then he made some notes going 'scream this bit.' I hadn't prepared for it," she laughs. Despite her lack of practice before the recording sessions, she still said, "fuck it. Let's go. I'm just gonna do it. Sean is one of my favourite vocalists. To be on stage and look over and he's there screaming, and I'm singing along, playing the piano; it's like, what is happening? Is this real? It's awesome."

Reade already feels a family dynamic with Make Them Suffer - a chaotic environment she loves and knows she will grow as a vocalist and instrumentalist. "Being on stage with them, I feel like the shittiest member, and I have to work hard to live up to how good they are. And that's a great place to be." 

There are big plans for Make Them Suffer moving forward, but Reade can't give away too much: "New music is on the horizon. I just can't say when."

Lightly touching on Drown This City breaking up, Reade doesn't want to speak on behalf of anyone. "From my perspective, the combination of being in a band and COVID was just brutal," she says. "People grow apart, and things happen. Ultimately, many things go wrong when you're not together, making sure things are alright. It got to a point where we came together and went, 'is it working? I don't know if it is.' It was that simple. It's not working, so let's part ways."

MAKE THEM SUFFER 'DOOMSWITCH' TOUR DATES 

Friday 21 October - Stay Gold, Melbourne

Saturday 22 October - Jive Bar, Adelaide 

Sunday 23 October - Amplifier, Perth