Indieterria Meets James Wright (Re:O)

After speaking to Alex Carli and Jay Stevens, now it’s time for the third member of Re:O, the acclaimed Japanese, British and Italian quartet to share some of his secrets. On the hottest week in UK history, ladies and gents, let’s welcome the band’s bassist, James Wright in the hot seat.

We grilled James (pun intended) on his gear, upcoming gigs, his inspirations and his goals. Grab something cool to drink – this interview is hot, hot and hot.

Rhythm section is the backbone of every band. Please introduce yourself to the readers of Indieterria

James Wright: Hi, I’m James. I’m the bassist and sometimes write lyrics for Re:O.

Re:O release a new single “Marionette”. Can you tell us something about the writing session? Were you looking to work with a particular producer or in a particular place?

James Wright: The writing of “Marionette” was interesting, the final song sounds nothing like the original demo! The main riff was completely reworked between me, Rio (our singer) and Jay (our drummer) at the time and then differently tuned again when Alex (our guitarist) joined.There was always this element that we wanted to pursue – more synth/ EDM styled song that kept both the energy and raw feel and the result is “Marionette”. Producer – wise, there wasn’t anyone I personally wanted to work with for this track. The production that Rio and Simon Jackman achieved is in my opinion already dialled into the Re:O sound, so I wouldn’t want that to change a thing.

Many touring musicians study or hold day jobs. If you were asked how to keep a balance between work and the stage, what would you advise?

James Wright: I would advise on planning. Plan as far ahead as possible. I particularly have to balance irregular shift patterns, including nights, and late shifts. So ensuring my appointment diary is accurate and up to date for months or sometimes over a year in advance is a must! Honestly, I end up using a lot of annual leave on shows due to that, but to me it’s worth it and having any opportunity to play live excuses using those days off! Writing songs requires a lot of communication with the other band members, ensuring we all plan around each other`s personal commitments. It’s also so important to have members that will make personal sacrifices when opportunities for the band happen: like using holiday days to play a show or perhaps a quick turn around between a show and an early start at work the following day. I’m super lucky to have that with Re:O.

2026 will see the band play some interesting concerts: the long awaited Hyper Japan in London among others. What can we expect from your live performances?

James Wright: Expect high energy chaos as always! I’m so excited to play all of our shows this year but I’d be lying if I wasn’t stoked to play Hyper Japan and MCM Comicon London. Honestly I never thought I’d ever play at some shows of this magnitude!

Please tell us about the bass guitar you are playing? Do you use any particular brand?

James Wright: Over the last couple of years I’ve been using Spector basses, especially NS Pulse II 5. I love the low end power this bass gives whilst also being able to provide really nice treble to help cut through the mix, honestly I adore these basses since switching to them. I used to be very partial to Traben and still have a few at home, I really love my Traben Array Black Out edition but I don’t gig or record with them anymore. I do also use a Marcus Miller M7 for recording, that bass is probably the most versatile bass I have ever played but I must always end up circling back to Spector for the tone I use for Re:O.

Bass players may not have the same range of pedals as guitarists to choose from, but there are some fantastic ones out there. What is your board set up?

James Wright: Despite Alex, our guitarist, trying to convert me to a digital multi effects board, I still love the sound and feel of my pedal board and can’t part with it yet. Currently I’m using a few simple pedals to help me achieve my tone which is Dark Glass Alpha Omega, Tech 21 Sans Amp and my most recent purchase which I fell in love with immediately is the boss graphic equaliser EQ-200, it’s just incredible.

And could you at least try to resolve the immortal conflict of all bass players everywhere: 4 strings or 5 strings?

James Wright: There’s no right answer! It honestly depends on what you’re playing and what you’re comfortable with. Personally, I love the versatility and the low end aggression of my 5 strings and I must admit without a 5 string a lot of Re:O’s songs would be a lot harder to play and I’d be changing tunings all the time live!

In Re:O, you are responsible for musical and lyrical input, on par with band;s lead singer, Rio Suyama. Is it hard to balance creative ideas with other band members or is the process more democratic?

James Wright: It can be hard. The nature of being a performer is everyone has an ego to some extent and wants massive input. Sometimes we have to accept that our input on certain songs may be minimal because the song doesn’t warrant it. It’s always hard to have a conversation with other members if we don’t like their idea or if they think what I’ve written is too much for a song but I’m lucky to be in a band like Re:O where we are able to put our egos aside, listen to the material and have a clear direction we want to take our music in. As a result we will find interesting ways to add to our own flare without compromising what we’re trying to achieve in that particular song.

You started out in a very promising band called AORTA, with whom you performed on stage and appeared in a video to “Tempest” dressed as a pirate. You looked more Adam Ant than a new recruit to One Piece’s The Straw Hats! Tell us more about AORTA and your time with them?

James Wright: AORTA was a super fun project to be a part of which is still going! I got to write with some incredibly talented people at the time being Luke Archer, Dan Harris, Ted Claxton and Alfie Wolstenholme. We wrote some really interesting and intricate metal which were released and as you saw we had some fun and low budget music videos where on a super rainy day we dressed as pirates and recorded the video for “Tempest”!

Everyone has their musical heroes. Who inspires you?

James Wright: Band wise I’d have to say, Eyes Set to Kill, Breaking Benjamin, Tool and Linkin Park. They all encapsulate a different aspect of my music taste from aggressive heavy chaos with a groove to complex layering of poly-rhythms and effects. Speaking of bass players – my biggest influence is Mark Klepaski, Breaking Benjamin’s original bass player. He’s a very clever musician, who utilises his instrument in such a way that it cuts through the mix, it’s in your face, it’s heavy but also has some of the most beautiful fills and lines that are perfect for a more emotional occasion. He’s one of the reasons my bass playing and approach to writing bass lines has developed the way it has.

What sound are you after and how would you describe your style?

James Wright: That’s such a good question! I’m constantly fine tuning my bass sound and tone. I’m really happy where it is now but I think it can be improved further. I’m trying to keep a really low punch tone with a really nice attack clang that isn’t too over bearing. But to an extent, I want listeners to feel the power of the low end, I want the sound to cut through and support the guitar, whilst simultaneously not losing the mids and highs. It’s honestly a difficult task to get from a Spector guitar as they are very low end centric but I think I’ve achieved it. I’m not sure how I’d describe the style of the tone. I guess it’s between a really clangy thrash metal tone and a heavy low alt rock tone that you wouldn’t necessarily notice in a mix but you would feel it. Although I must admit I do make an effort to have my tone cut through the mix.

Imagine for a second that you can have a custom bass built for you. What constitutes an ideal bass guitar?

James Wright: I actually haven’t thought about this too much but at a very basic level I would have 5 strings, fanned frets, 3 band EQ, EMG pickups and a fixed bridge. Some people may think that last choice is an odd one but my current Spector bass doesn’t have a fixed bridge, so every time I restring it the entire bridge comes apart. It drives me insane but it is still an incredible sounding bass!

Outside of music you are also an avid gamer with your own Twitch channel. If you could name the top three best games of all time, what titles would you choose?

James Wright: Now this is a controversial question and I’m about to upset a lot of people! Okay so: Dark Souls 2. I can already hear people screaming and yelling at me: “That’s the worst one”. It’s not, you’re wrong, it’s incredible! Star Wars Battlefront II – the 2005 version, not the newer one. I spent so much time playing that game as a kid and I never got over the first time experiencing that chaos and incredible graphics for the time. Finally, I’ll have to say The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt for the incredible story and quality RPG experience it offers.

Last question: RE:O as a project combines two worlds: western rock and Japanese metal. Do you see yourself as trespassing into another country`s cultural heritage or do you feel like you have an equal right to shape it?

James Wright: That’s difficult to answer, because who knows what the future brings. The whole focus of Re:O is based more on leaning into the Japanese world with the way Rio writes her synths and with the Japanese influences and language that we are using. The Western rock and metal we throw into the mix is just that: it’s Western, not British or American or any one country exclusively. It’s the Western style. Sometimes we pull influences from bands like Rammstein, other times Linkin Park, it really depends on what the particular song we’re working on is. But who knows, after working with Red Sky on “Kanashimu Toki Wa – Reloaded” we may add some other languages into the mix. but I think At the moment I think we will be concentrating on Japan as Rio’s rich cultural heritage is more important. Keep the ingredients minimal and simple and that way we’re able to explore more of Japan’s culture as opposed to slamming too many things together.