A glimpse into who Dead Freedom is:
Tristan Bjorn Wrather AKA: Dead Freedom, is a Singer songwriter from the UK, known best for his gruff vocals and unique guitar playing style. Mixing the heart of country, the soul of the blues and the body of rock with his own folk metal twist. From a young age Tristan struggled with neurodivergence, abuse and neglect which has transferred into his writing style, leading to heartfelt and thought provoking lyrics.
Due to his troubled past, Dead Freedom has become a voice for those struggling in the dark, finding it hard to put into their own words how they feel “I write and play my songs as an outlet, to help me work through my issues. In a lot of my darkest moments it's been music that has pulled me back, and I kind of just want to return that favour” (Tristan Wrather, Talk about it radio 2024).
Musical inspirations include: Shawn James, Gravedancer, The White Buffalo, Colter Wall, Jamie n Commons, 3 Milehigh, Eddie Vedda, Tom Waits, The Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Daughtry, Life House, Tito & The Tarantulas and a great many more…
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Where it all began
Tristan was addicted to music from an early age, trying to be just like his big brother Ainsley, who has always played the drums. He realised very early on that he didn't have the hand/foot coordination to play the drums like his brother and his uncle Jon (The Shakes), so instead Tristan took to the guitar, getting his first at just six years old. Although it was hard for Tristan to focus on learning how to play due to his at the time undiagnosed ADHD. But the seed was planted, the interest was sparked.
Having a hard time in his home life from an abusive grandmother, uncle and an absent father, Tristan grew up very quiet and unsure of how to interact with others, making school almost impossible. This led to him hiding out in the woods for most of his young life and developing a fondness for lyrics and the simplicity of nature.
When the authorities pushed him back into the system, most of his tutors felt he wouldn't be able to catch up and so cut him from their classes as to not disrupt the other students. But the head of music insisted that he would be an assistant in the music department to learn new skills and help the younger years. He also found support from his tutors in Philosophy and Design Tech which led to his love of carpentry, alternative living and the ability to question the world around him!
At age fifteen he picked up his old childhood guitar and wrote his first ever instrumental piece called
“Day in The Rain” which he wrote to deal with his feelings of being cut off from other people and the safety he felt in the trees.
You can hear that track below!
As Tristan was nearing the end of his School life, he had no clear direction of what he was going to do, until his brother Ainsley took him to see a friends band play in Leeds. The Band was 3 Milehigh a local outfit who played pop rock/new metal. Watching them put their heart and soul into what they were playing made Tristan realise what he wanted to do with his life… he was gonna be a musician no matter what it took!
He began helping the band load in and out of shows in exchange for their guidance, free tickets and lifts to their gigs, he essentially became an unofficial roadie.
Inspired by this Tristan decided to form his first band “State 51” with childhood friend Andy Tyson on bass, his big brother Ainsley on drums and just a couple of guitarists (Scott Pearson, Rachel Sutton, Matt Whittaker, Jamie Grimshaw and Nathan Parkinson). State 51 generally was a teething ground for jamming with other musicians which ultimately led to Tristan striking out solo and thus the birth of Dead Freedom. He began playing open mics and Busking in the streets wherever and whenever he could