Alex Henry Foster – „I’m incredibly blessed as a creator”

Győr Sándor

2025. augusztus 9.

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Multi-instrumentalist Alex Henry Foster returns to the A38 on 26 August with his band The Long Shadows, to take the audience out of reality and take them on a journey of sound with his elemental and transcendental melodies, which are mainly post-rock but mix many different styles. The conversation revealed some extraordinary and even surprising things.

Please tell us about the beginning of your musical career! How did you reach the individual musical expression that we will receive from you in 2025?

I began at a fairly young age when my father introduced me to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and so many others… it was our Friday night ritual. I would pick one vinyl from his massive collection, and we would have a few listens. He would tell me the story of those bands. But more importantly, he taught me about the capital importance of sincerity and consequentiality in everything you involve yourself in. Those moments, which are still my human and creative foundation, would eventually lead me to discovering the music that would move me: The Cure, Swans, The Cramps, The Velvet Underground, all the way up to Sonic Youth, Public Enemy, Glenn Branca… It all guided me in finding my own voice in a way. But I would say that avant-garde and experimental music are intrinsic elements of what I do now… It needs to be heartfelt and communal.

How did you find your bandmates? Who are the members of The Long Shadows?

I’ve been friends with Ben (guitars, drums, vocals), Jeff (bass, keys), and Miss Isabel (winds, keys, vocals) for as long as I can remember. I’ve been in countless bands with them, the most predominant one being called Your Favorite Enemies. Most recently, my friend Oli joined us to take care of drumming duties. The Long Shadows is a living organism… It transforms itself based on what serves best whatever creative project I might be working on at any given time. We’ve been up to 12 on stage in the past. I’m incredibly blessed as a creator to count on so many phenomenal musicians to support my visions.

Do they also contribute to the composition or they only have a role during the performance?

My music evolves from one concert to another… There’s a whole lot of improvisation, so they are a significant part of that transformative movement with me.

I feel your gigs are something like a ritual journey. What kind of feelings belong to you before and after the shows?

Before a concert, I would say that it always depends on what I experience prior to the event. I could be inspired by the people I see or meet as I go for a walk, by the vibe of a district, a conversation I might have, or a message I might receive… It’s never the same. The only thing that matters to me is to be disposed to encounter those life-unfolding moments.

As for how I feel after a concert, there’s always a profound sense of reverence, of gratefulness, and I’m always vibrating at the idea of meeting the people right after I get off stage, which is a sacred moment for me, one that usually lasts until the venue staff nicely tells me that it’s time for people to leave!

Your songs mostly paint moods for me. Do you agree with this or would you put it differently?

It’s a beautiful way to express it, yes. It’s a wide canvas made of human emotions and intangible sensations collectively shared, like waves defining a large body of water through the unicity of everyone present that night. The soundtrack is not only singular, it also becomes a purposeful one.

I’d like to know about what events or who inspire you to create? / The songs have a strong post-rock feel, but I like the raw punk thrash, the Pink Floyd take-off, and the modern Anathema. I’m curious about how your listening habits and favorites have changed over the years?

I’m totally with you on punk trash! I was dancing on my rooftop terrace to the sounds of The Cramps a few nights ago. I bet I’m amongst the very rare persons listening to them in Tangier, if not the only one. I always had a wide range of favorites, never into any specific genres, trends, or anything cool. For me, music is spiritual and has the ability to speak to you in all sorts of ways. Like life creating life, my musical palette has evolved over time. There are a few more soundtrack-like sounds involved now, amongst what I like but that my friends call unlistenable music. My current favorites are usually part of my all-time favorites… I’ve been recently listening to a lot of Cure, Swans, Emma Ruth Rundle, Marissa Nadler, Ishmael Ensemble, Sqürl and Innocent Mission — at least according to my phone.

Watching the concert videos reminded me of artists like the German band The Ocean or even the Hungarian VHK (Vágtázó Halottkémek – Galloping Coroners in English). Do you know these bands?

I always like bands with a rich lyrical approach, and a friend introduced me to The Ocean a few years ago. I didn’t know Vágtázó Halottkémek. I am listening to their latest live record as I’m answering your questions. Very intentional band. I’ll dig into their discography. I’m really surprised, but that’s a great discovery, thank you!

This is not the first time you have come to Hungary in August. How do you remember the last time?

My souvenir is one that is more like a vibe, a mood, a sensation, something like a beautiful Sunday afternoon, when the wind is just warm enough to make you feel at peace and aligned with the moment you have been graced to be in, where passers-by are smiling in the streets, where the perfumes floating in the air are sweet and balanced with people’s benevolence… I’m serene. Alive. Contemplative. That’s my memory… I was deeply moved by my initial passage and promised myself to come back, to visit or contribute to the city’s generosity by adding a little bit of my music to it all.

BUZZ will be the local opening band. Do you know them? Did you choose them? What other Hungarian bands do you know?

Yes, and I’m truly honored they accepted my invitation. I do feel like I know them through their vividly alive sounds. I rarely have another band with me, as it’s already quite a logistical adventure for our team members to manage all of our gear and technical elements, and also because I’m usually playing 2-hour-plus concerts… I’m always sensitive to the fact that people cannot take 3-4 hours of deep emotional engagement. But when I like a band, like I do with BUZZ, I will do everything to have them join me for what I know will be a very significant evening for everyone involved. In America, the term “local band” is usually seen as “less” significant than the main act, but I see things entirely differently. BUZZ are generously offering us the utmost blessing to invite us to commune with the members of their community, one that I’ll be deeply honored to be part of after we would have contributed to the spirit of the evening. It will be special, that I know!!!

I unfortunately don’t know many Hungarian bands, but do know the classics such as Illés and Omega, and I vaguely remember FreshFabrik. A friend recently sent me those bands to discover as well: TÖRZS, Képzelt Város and Thy Catafalque.

The event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1199348738635390