Interview: Innerpartysystem

With a bottle of Jack Daniel’s in hand, electronica trio from Pennsylvania, Innerpartysystem, set up a spectacular light display for their set supporting 3OH!3 at The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth. I caught up with two thirds of the band before the show and sparked a small disagreement about the degree at which their sound has changed…

This is the first date of the UK leg of the 3OH!3 tour, are you excited for the next couple of weeks?

Jared Piccone (drums): Definitely. It’s kind of like a home away from home for us so it’s nice to be in familiar places. And the shows are definitely gonna be bigger because I think we do better in the UK than the rest of the continent.

Kris Barman (programming, guitar, synthesizer): Yea we don’t draw much anywhere other than the UK.

Jared: We’re still like a new band. A lot of those places we hit for the first time on this past tour. Like Paris, Amsterdam, Marseille. There was definitely a handful of places we’ve never been so it’s nice to come to places where we definitely have some fans.

What can the UK expect from your live shows?

Kris: Well I think this is probably the best set we’ve ever put together. It’s super energetic. It just punches you in the face right after every song. It just flows into each other. And we have a really cool light set up this time

Jared: Yea we kind of spent all the money we had running these video tubes but it’s worth it. They look pretty cool.

What do you guys need to survive on tour?

Jared: Wi-Fi. I’m addicted to the internet.

Kris: Toothbrush, floss,

Jared: New socks and underwear because we just throw them out. We don’t wash them or anything. So a pretty steady supply of that stuff. And anything that when I lose it, it’s huge. Headphones are definitely one of those. If I don’t have headphones, I freak out. I’m so snobby about the sound too. It needs to have a lot of low end. Even certain headphones won’t do. I’ll have headphones but I’d rather just not listen to music if they’re not loud enough.

You played at Madame JoJo’s in London a little while ago, how was that?

Jared: It was perfect because we did a smaller venue than we should have, on purpose. So it was really full and hot.

Is the reaction you get from UK fans noticeably different to the reaction in America?

Kris: Honestly, it varies from city to city. It’s so hard to say ‘America vs UK’. I mean UK people do seem to be crazy in every city, but people are really crazy in certain cities of America too.

A few people have been saying that the new EP, Never Be Content, has more of an electronic dance music sound compared to your previous punk-rock sound. Would you agree with that?

Jared: Yes.

Kris: I honestly disagree a little bit. I don’t think it’s that much different. But I can see how some people think that.

Jared: It’s different. It’s definitely different.

Kris: It’s not a 180⁰.

Jared: I wasn’t gonna say it’s a 180⁰. Don’t be so defensive dude.

Kris: I’m just sayin’.

Jared: I think he was prepared for it, because we get that a lot.

Kris: It’s more of a 45⁰.

Jared: Yea, well put.

You are now working with Red Bull Records, do you think a lot will change?

Jared: A lot has changed already. It’s a more laid back atmosphere. It’s not major label syndrome where because nobody is buying records anymore, every major label is looking for quick ways to make money. It’s nice because Red Bull has another form of revenue than music so they’re not totally worried about us grossing millions of dollars immediately. It’s great not having that pressure on you because it gives you time to make great music.

You’re coming back to the UK to play Sonisphere festival this summer. What are your festival essentials?

Kris: At festivals they kind of give you everything you could possibly need.

Jared: The hospitality at festivals always rules. I love playing festivals.

Kris: They’re just throwing stuff at you. You get all the free stuff you could possibly imagine. And the food is always awesome. It’s the best thing ever.

Jared: And its summer so the weather is usually great. And you never have to worry about the venue not being adequate because it’s this massive outdoor thing. And there are a lot of bands that you usually want to see. So it’s awesome.

Better than tour?

Kris: Yea, that’s why some bands just do festivals!

What are your other plans for the rest of the year?

Kris: To finish off the new record and keep touring.

Jared: And a new light set-up. The light set-up we rented here kind of sparked us to build a whole new deal. We’re probably gonna axe the lights that we have been using and do something new. Probably more video oriented. I’m not sure how we’re gonna set-up yet but it’s definitely gonna be the Innerpartysystem style, D.I.Y., crazy scattered looking something or other. But we haven’t figured it out yet.

Interview: Rocking In The Name Of Rage Against The Machine

Tribute acts have become so much more than the classic Elvis impersonator. These days many have a fan base of their own with the likes of The Bootleg Beatles and ABBA tribute Bjorn Again proving hugely popular. If you can overlook the cheesy names – Fred Zeppelin, AC/DShe and No Way Sis are just a few that spring to mind – then the tribute act fulfils a purpose for those who are not fortunate enough to be able to see their favourite performers live.

Know Your Enemy, Bournemouth’s local Rage Against The Machine tribute act, do just that. With the increasingly popular RATM’s gigs becoming few and far between, the band - made up of Jim Larcombe on vocals, Grant Stevens on bass, Steve Mowbray on guitar and Ian Shuff on drums – were simply responding to demand when they formed three years ago. ‘We used to be a general covers band but we played a lot of Rage tracks. Everyone used to tell to us we should start a Rage tribute act so we went for it,’ explains Steve.

The guys haven’t always played the music of other artists. Starting out in ‘a crappy little band’ when they were kids, the guys began writing songs for fun but decided covering other people’s music was the way forward. ‘Obviously the main advantage of being in a tribute band is that you don’t have to sit down and right a load of material because it’s already written for you,’ says Steve.

Another benefit for this group of mates is that the band allows them to leave their day-jobs of construction worker, garage owner, full-time dad and mature student for a night and become their idols. It is very much a case of ‘builder by day, rock star by night’. Nevertheless, this advanced production of Stars In Their Eyes also comes with some added pressure, as Steve adds, ‘Obviously people expect you to be exactly like that band, so if you’re not then they leave disappointed.’

Needless to say, the guys are pleased about Rage Against The Machine’s Christmas Number 1. Jim remembers hearing Rage for the first time when he was 12 years old ‘I’d never heard anything like it, but when I played it to other people they didn’t like it. Now, 20 years on it’s taken off. It’s brilliant.’ Before adding, somewhat sarcastically, ‘But I do think Simon Cowell is really cool. Everything he touches turns to gold. If I could dance in front of him I would’. The chart success of ‘Killing In The Name’ has also had other benefits for the band ‘I’d say most of our shows coming up are a result of it. People are definitely more interested,’ adds Ian.

Being huge Rage fans, the guys have seen their idols perform live on several occasions. But, unless you count Grant’s insistence that Rage front man Zack de la Rocha rode past them on a push bike in Portugal, they have never had the chance to meet them face to face. ‘We’re probably not allowed to meet them, it would cause some sort of quantum flux disruption or something - a little black hole would open up,’ jokes Steve. When asked if there is any other band they would like to be a tribute act for Jim grins ‘Probably Kylie Minogue, the Wombles or Rick Astley’ before launching into an impressive rendition of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’.

Before beginning their pre-show ritual of beer and Jack Daniels, the band, who list ‘No Shelter’ and ‘Bullet In The Head’ amongst their favourite Rage tracks to play, remember the last time they rocked The Old Fire Station. ‘It was exactly one year ago to the day,’ says Ian ‘But tonight’s sound is much better. I seem to remember the sound check went on for nearly an hour and a half last year’.

When the band take to the stage it’s evident that the audience don’t quite know how to react to a tribute act and many look a little embarrassed to be there. But a few songs in, the music starts to take over and the band bring The Old Fire Station to life with energy by the bucket load. Front man Jim, a fan of audience participation, regularly hands the microphone over to the front row giving Rage fans the rare chance to scream their favourite bands politically opinionated lyrics through the speakers. An experience which would be near impossible at a RATM gig these days.

By the end of the show the mosh pit is in full swing and a supercharged version of Killing In The Name leaves the crowd cheering for an encore. In true rock star style Jim ends the set by crowd surfing to the bar and the audience are left with no doubt that Know Your Enemy are the next best thing to their Californian heroes.

Interview: Gallows

Gallows have had one hell of a year and it’s beginning to take its toll on bassist Stuart Gili-Ross. The release of their second album, Grey Britain, in May of this year has meant their feet have barely touched the ground. Stuart is looking forward to Christmas for the simple fact that it means he gets a break. Sitting in a small room above Bournemouth’s Old Fire Station, where the band will be playing later that evening, he says “We are on the home stretch now and looking forward to just wrapping up the tour. I know that doesn’t sound very enthusiastic but as soon as the first note gets played tonight it will be business as usual. In the build up to going on stage all you’re thinking is ‘I want to go to bed’.”

It is perhaps for this reason that the punk rock group from Watford recently announced that they will be pulling out of next year’s Canadian tour with Billy Talent. Pouring himself a glass of JD and Coke, Stuart says “It was gonna be a long tour so we decided to just go to the West Coast of the States and do a short headline tour of our own instead. Then we will come home and write new material”.

Gallows, who broke the Guinness World Record for World’s Loudest Band back in 2007, have been touring non-stop since March. For ten weeks this summer they travelled around America with the Vans Warped Tour. “It was wicked fun but it all just blurs into one, you don’t really get to see much of America because you just wake up in a car park of some big amphitheatre, you play a show and then you drive over night to the next one.”

Nevertheless, Stuart’s New Year’s resolution for 2010 is to work even harder and the band already has plans to play festivals in Europe and Japan next summer. “We will be talking to all the big festivals you can think of. I’m not sure about Reading and Leeds yet though. We’ve done it three years in a row now so it might be time to give someone else a chance”.

In February, Gallows will be visiting Australia to play the Soundwave Festival and despite not looking forward to the flight, Stuart is excited to play with ‘tonnes of good bands’ such as My Chemical Romance, Faith No More and Brand New. Never afraid to speak his mind, he adds “There will also be some shit bands too. Like Escape the Fate, they are absolute dog shit”. Gallows, who are known for their aggressive and emotionally charged live shows, also ‘fell out’ with American crunkcore band Brokencyde on Warped Tour. “Basically we think that they are a joke, so we told them. Simple as that”.

Bands that Stuart does rate at the moment include his own side-project Spycatcher, hardcore group TRC, and Sharks and Trash Talk, the support acts for the UK tour. He also recommends Blackhole, the band of Gallows’ Frank and Stephan Carter’s little brother. When asked what it’s like to be in a band with two brothers, Stuart answers ‘annoying’. “They’ve always got each other’s back so if anything ever goes to a vote, their one will count as two. But it’s fine really. They get on really well so it means there aren’t usually any awkward rows. They are more like mates than siblings.”

Stuart’s most memorable moment with the band was signing a one million pound record deal, which was the ‘last traditional big record deal in the world’. “We have been told by the label and some lawyers that it’s going to be put into text books, so we are quite proud of that”. He also feels lucky that the band got to play the London Astoria before it was torn down this year and lists it as one of his dream venues, along with The 100 Club on Oxford Street.

The bass player graduated from the University of Surrey with a degree in Sexology and Criminology. “I went to a traditional grammar school where everyone was expected to go to university, but I didn’t really want to go. I didn’t know what to study so I thought ‘what am I in to?’ Sex and crime seemed like a good way to go.” He remembers his student days as ‘one long party’. Graduating with a 2:1 despite doing ‘absolutely no work’, he says “It just goes to show that you don’t have to do your homework.”