Live Review: Tiger Please @ iBar, Bournemouth, 22/07/2011

We all know that Wales has produced some of the UK’s greatest musical talent over the years, and South Wales five-piece Tiger Please are not about to break the tradition. A crowd of bright young things have eagerly arrived at Bournemouth’s iBar, ready to kick off the summer holidays with a night to remember.

Mightily impressive local support comes from Basingstoke outfit The Fortunate. The four fresh faced youngsters are fronted by Natalie Woodward. She may be small but her voice most certainly is not. Natalie and the band perform a catalogue of infectious pop/rock tunes that deserve to be classics. They also give a stunning rendition of U2’s With Or Without You. The Fortunate are definitely ones to watch.

Let’s Go Safari don’t leave quite the same impression this evening. The electro-pop duo from Poole consists of Clive Robert Coats – a.k.a. The Panda - and Ryan Daniel Wood – a.k.a. The Tiger. They come across as a not-quite-as-talented and not-quite-as-funny, Tenacious D, and their very quiet backing track doesn’t do them any favours. Nevertheless, they appear to have a solid fanbase and as the set progresses, a few potential hits emerge. The catchy sing-a-long in ‘Mister Masochist’ proves to be a memorable highlight.

It’s then time for tonight’s Welsh visitors to showcase their talent. Cardiff five-piece Cuba Cuba build a wonderful wall of sound with their angular pop. Combining the catchiness of Canterbury and the ambiance of Bloc Party, Cuba Cuba are onto a winner. What they lack in energy they make up for in dry wit and stage banter with tonight’s headline act.

Soon enough, it’s Tiger Please’s turn to show us how the Welsh do it. Frontman Leon Stanford’s powerful voice inspires powerful sing-a-longs on tracks from the EP and debut album. But it’s the new material that steals the show. It’s clear that Tiger Please are supurb storytellers, so it’s just as well that their second album is a compilation of songs inspired by stories emailed to the band by their devoted fans. Leon is clearly a little disappointed when crowd attendance appears to dwindle towards the middle of the set, so brings out some old tracks inspired by the presence of the boys from Cuba Cuba – two of whom are ex-Tiger Please members – to pick things up again. Despite Tiger Please ending their set with a song about suicide, the crowd still leave iBar with beaming smiles. Now that is quite an achievement. 

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.

Introducing: Asp - Bournemouth's Live And Unsigned 2011 hopeful

Bournemouth based band Asp, have made it through to the area semi finals of Live And Unsigned 2011, one of the largest national music competitions for unsigned bands.

Describing their sound as ‘kind of AC/DC meets Kiss’, Asp are a four piece classic rock band who formed back in 2007.

Front man Adam "The Yeti" Phillips met guitarist Paul "Brains" Gow at college through a friend. “We didn't know each other but after playing music together we became really close friends” said Adam. The band then grew, with Bassist Rob "Guns" Boivin joining in 2008 and drummer "Demon" Stephen Warr – who Adam says ‘was just too good looking to turn down’ – joined in 2009.

Complete with their rock ‘n’ roll nicknames, the band released their debut self-titled three track EP last year which they followed up with a mini tour of the south of England. They also, quite literally, reached new heights last summer when they became the first band ever to play 500ft in the air inside the Bournemouth balloon. Adam said “It was terrifying and yet an unforgettable experience.”

Since then, Asp have been busy recording their brand new six track mini album "Let's Get This Show On The Road" which is due to be released next year. The album was recorded at the 896 Coffee Bar in Boscombe, Bournemouth, and was produced by Nick Bryson (of Fearne) and Russ Gannicott (of Nemesis). “Every track is different, with elements of 80's metal, blues and funk” said Adam; “It’s a ballsy, high energy, classic rock party album and should always be joined by a cold beer.”

Asp are heavily involved in the Bournemouth music scene and list The Winchester as one of their favourite Bournemouth venues. “The Bournemouth music scene does its best for all bands, there are some great people to work with and gig along side in the town” said Adam.

Music is clearly a massive part of the boys’ lives as when they are not making music as part of Asp, Adam and Rob volunteer as youth workers at The Lighthouse in Christchurch, providing tuition for guitar, bass and ukulele. “Asp grew up at The Lighthouse” said Adam; “We practiced there and learnt there and when we became too old to attend we were so attached to The Lighthouse that we decided to stay as volunteers. We wanted to give back to them what they gave to us and pass on our experiences to new musicians”

And the boys all have day jobs too; Adam is a carer and teaches music at an after school club at Christchurch Junior School, Paul studies physics at Southampton University, Rob works at Langdons Electric Music and Southern Ukulele Store and Stephen works for Apple Conservatories.

Now Asp are through to the semi finals of Live and Unsigned 2011 and if they get through, they will get to play live at the final which will be held at The O2 in London. “To think we're in the semi's and one step away from London's O2 is completely surreal” says Adam; “but we are excited about the opportunities this competition can provide for us.”

To get to the final, Asp must put together a 3 minute 30 second mash up of two songs for which they have chosen a brand new Asp track ‘Bad To The Bone’ and a cover of  Led Zeppelin's ‘Whole Lotta Love’.

If they are eventually crowned the winners of this year’s competition then they will win a comprehensive music management package which includes; festival slots (including representing the UK at the biggest festival in Asia I rock), a UK tour exposing their music to over 40,000 people and a recording contract with Future Music, with up to £50,000 investment.

However, if they don’t win, the boys are determined to push forward and will be gigging around the south of England as much as possible. This will include a big show at Christchurch Music Festival on Saturday 2nd July. “Apart from that we’ll just be saving our money and writing new songs, putting it all towards what shall be our next album!” says Adam.

The Live and Unsigned 2011 semi finals will take place at Portsmouth Guildhall on May 21^st. Tickets are £7.50.

Interview: Twin Atlantic

‘This is all a big blag’, not my words, but the words of Twin Atlantic front man Sam McTrusty. Following the release of their first full length album ‘Free’, the ‘blatantly Scottish’ band – again, not my words – have just completed their biggest UK tour to date. I caught up with them at Southampton Joiners to discuss such rock ‘n’ roll topics as Tom DeLonge’s shoes, cats and their ultimate goal; to show that real music still exists…

The UK tour is nearly over, how has it been?

Sam McTrusty (vocals & guitar): Outstandingly brilliant. Full stop. It’s been such a milestone for our band. We released an album and people started coming to watch us. We put music out there and people listen to it. We’ve done UK headline tours before and, not to take any merit away from them because they were as important, it’s just that this one has made us feel a bit more gratified. We’re getting something out of doing this now because more people are coming and were enjoying ourselves more.

You’re pretty far from home right now, what do you miss most when you’re on tour?

Ross McNae (bass, piano & vocals): My cats. They’ve all got rock names. Brody Dalle, Jesse James, Sid Vicious and then Lucky, she’s not named after anyone.

You have some pretty dedicated fans, does the reaction you get still surprise you?

Sam: Yes. I’ve always read about my favourites bands saying that they’re in this little bubble when they record an album and then when it gets released they don’t really realise it all blah blah blah. But that’s actually how I felt. We were so concentrated on making something and perfecting our art that now to be back in front of people and getting that immediate response, it’s amazing.

Ross: Yea because you can record a record and put it out and you only read what a magazine says or what someone says about you on the internet. But when they’re right in front of you, people can’t lie. You can see it on their faces if they enjoy it.

Sam: Yea and it’s the first time we’ve had any sold out shows in England, which doesn’t really happen to us. I’m just waiting for our van to explode or something like that.

How was the recording process for the new album, ‘Free’?

Sam: Beautiful. Simple. It was just so easy. And I think that’s because we had such an experienced producer (Gil Norton - Foo Fighters, Jimmy Eat World, Pixies, The Distillers). We just had this focused drive towards what we wanted. We’d made an EP, then a mini-album. We practiced making an album in that sense, so we knew what we didn’t want to do. And when we got into those situations we glided right through them, whereas before, we would not know which direction to go in. Say we had a completely different opinion, we’d usually argue about it for honestly two days and it would just get in the way of the whole process but this time it was just obvious which route we needed to take. And with Gil being there, he just gave us this sense of self belief that we didn’t have before. I think part of it was because we had a mini-album called ‘Vivarium’, and that was essentially our band up until that point and the songs we thought were good enough to let people here. Where as with ‘Free’, we actually set a goal. This is what we want this album to represent. And we want it to fill this gap and be what music fans aren’t getting from British bands right now.

Do you have a favourite track on the new album?

Sam: Well I think there are songs that I’ve made big statements in with the lyrics so I’m proud of making them work in a song. But there are songs that I prefer the music to. So I can’t choose between ‘Free’ and ‘Edit Me’, or ‘The Ghost of Eddie’. I like playing ‘The Ghost of Eddie’, it’s fun, but those other ones are total mission statements for me. But we’ve all got different answers probably. Ross said ‘The Ghost of Eddie’ yesterday but it changes from day to day.

Ross: Yea and then today we played a song called ‘Yes, I Was Drunk’ at sound check and that’s now my favourite.

What songs have been getting the best reaction when you play live?

Sam: The song ‘It’s Time For You To Stand Up’, which is probably one of the most immediate songs on the record. It’s pretty rocking but it’s also really upbeat. It’s got everything. It’s like a short pop song but it’s still rock music if you know what I mean?

What’s the story behind the name of the album?

Sam: Any idea we have always starts as a joke. And we thought free was the cheesiest name we could give the record. But we also thought the song, ‘Free’, on the record was a real focal point. We didn’t really think about it much we just thought that’s a pretty obvious name so we’ll just go for the obvious name and see what happens. And then all those things came up about ‘what if people think they can get it for free? Wont that be confusing?’ But we were just like, well they can get it for free if they want. More people will get it for free than go and pay for it. So our response to that was to just make fun of it.

How do you think ‘Free’ differs from your mini-album, ‘Vivarium’?

Sam: Well, personally I think it’s better. Better songs, I mean. The song writing definitely took big steps forward, probably because we’d experienced a lot more and we were a bit more grounded as individuals. We’d broadened our horizons by travelling a lot and meeting new people every day.

Ross: Something as easy as being a little bit older, and having done music for a little bit longer. Just being two years further down the line of trying to be a professional song writer, they’re gonna be better. So we’re almost winning before we’ve started. Hopefully we’re all better musicians.

Sam: We also just tried less hard. We just chilled and had fun rather than trying to impress people. We just thought lets fucking make ourselves happy and then if people like it then cool. If not then at least we’ll be able to look back at it when were 40 and not be embarrassed.

You were originally planning to record a concept album, what made you decide to scrap it and record ‘Free’ instead?

Sam: It wasn’t really a concept record, it was more like a theme to a record. Because we’d never written an album before so it was like, lets write an album about something. Then I realised that that wasn’t going to work because I’d not actually experienced much death and stuff. That’s what it was about, the theme of being scared of dying. A pretty fucking grim topic, but I don’t actually have much experience of death in my family or anything like that where as I’ve got loads of experience of being 23 and loving music and getting to mess about with my friends and travel. So I just decided to write a record about that instead. It was a pretty straight forward decision. I think it would have been a pretty morbid album

You’ve done quite a few shows oversees, how was that?

Sam: We did more last year. I keep exaggerating this but I think it was about 20 countries. That’s new countries, because we’ve definitely been around the block once. Hopefully we get to go round the blobk a million times.

Ross: But sometimes you’re only there for a day.

Sam: Yea we’d drive through Switzerland or somewhere like that and say, yea that counts. But we also did a full North American tour and went to Canada which was fucking crazy. It felt like we were in one of those documentary films I watched when I was 14, like The Blood Money 2. We were with American bands which was so weird, playing venues that you’d see on drive through DVDs and shit like that. So it was pretty cool, but a weird experience.

What was the reaction like from the fans abroad?

Sam: It’s been more immediate than the UK. I think being so blatantly Scottish, people immediately pay attention because they’re not used to that. So we kind of stood out I suppose. And especially in Germany, we’ve supported bands over there, and they just love rock music so as soon as you play anything with distortion they get excited. And Americans are just so over the top, they’ll come and chat to you for ages and want to buy you drinks and all that. They’re like the cheesy stereotypical music fan in America. 

You supported Blink 182 for their Scottish shows last year, were you surprised to get the gig?

Ross: Yea because it’s one of our favourite bands when we were younger. It’s weird because it was obviously a massive surprise but for some reason Tom DeLonge decided to give us some shoes from his company, I don’t know why, but he did. So I think it wasn’t as much of a shock because we knew that he knew who we were.

Sam: There were a lot of steps on the way to it.

Ross: It wasn’t like one day my mobile rang and it was Tom DeLonge, but it was a really good opportunity to get.

Sam: It was crazy! 30,000 people over 3 days got to hear us play all because Tom DeLonge asked us to.

What has been the highlight of the past year?

Sam: I want to say this tour. And I’m not even joking. It’s maybe been the biggest highlight of the band. Because we’re standing on our own two feet, people are taking us seriously, people are responding to our music as passionately as we did the first time we wrote a song. But also, the people that are coming to the gigs are music fans.

Ross: It’s not like all 14 year old girls and it’s not all really trendy people. There are some 50 year old men out there too.

Sam: And that’s the real indication that they just love music and want to hear honest songs. That’s why this is the highlight for me. We’ve finally reached a point that we talked about during our first couple of days as a band. This is what we want to achieve.

Ross: Also I think it’s because, not that we haven’t written any songs about relationships, but a lot of the songs have covered more universal things so there’s something for different types of people to relate to. It’s not just the one thing.

Sam: It’s not all ex-girlfriend songs and all that shit.

You all had opportunities to persue different careers when you were younger - Ross played hockey for Scotland in school, Sam passed up a golf scholarship to an American university and dropped out of a prestigious art degree at Glasgow University, Dummer Craig Kneale was doing a degree in graphic design and guitarist and cellist Barry McKenna played cello for the Scottish National Youth Orchestra, - do you ever wonder what life might have been like if Twin Atlantic didn’t exist?

Sam: Nah, we’ve kind of always just winged everything.

Ross: We’ve just taken every opportunity and not thought about the consequences.

Sam: That’s the way we’ve been living since we left school. We had pretty mediocre grades at school so we’ve just tried a bit of everything. So we don’t know any different really.

Ross: I think it was drummed into us by load of people. My dad in particular has always said just do what you’re gonna do. There’s never any pressure to do anything or make money and have a career.

You’ve been involved with the band’s artwork in the past, where do you get your inspiration?

Sam: Well for the artwork it’s usually the songs. Whatever mood listening to the record puts me in. And then I’ll get a picture in my head of something. Because things like that usually come to me really quickly and I don’t really think them through, which is probably why we’ve stopped using my stuff. I think we just make it up as we go along. This is all a big blag.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

Sam: Just playing as many gigs as we can and getting the record into as many new ears as we can. Just letting people know that we exist and there are still honest rock bands out there that sing something worthwhile. Basically to show that real music still exists, that’s out mission this year.

Introducing: Dom Remi

Rising like a phoenix from the ashes of local heroes The Metropolise, Dom Remi are a new Bournemouth band on a mission.

Determined to start afresh, the alternative indie rock four-piece feel they have moved on from their previous outfit – which managed to sell out several south coast venues, including the esteemed Southampton Joiners. Guitarist Michael-James Dent said; “The Metropolise was that band you’re in when you first get into music. Once you pick up a guitar after hearing some Interpol record, you form that band”.

James, and bass player Richard, are both first year Popular Music students at Bournemouth University. “We’re still young but we’ve learnt a lot more, and we know how to write songs that can affect people without being just another carbon-copy. I wouldn’t say we’ve matured though, just learnt how to channel our influences in different ways” said James.

Among these influences, Dom Remi list everything from The Stone Roses and My Bloody Valentine to hip-hop and 90s dance music, with a bit of Doves and Animal Collective thrown in. This helps to shape the group’s ‘unique sound’. James adds; “With some bands, it’s so easy to just group them into a particular genre or group of people, but with us, we try to vary what we do. We have catchy, poppier tracks, but we’ve got tracks that build on soundscapes and use our skills in sonic techniques.”

Named after Joan of Arc’s birthplace - as a result of James’ and front man Ben’s love of history as kids – Dom Remi are planning to relaunch themselves with a free download of their single ‘Midnight’ which will be available on 8^th May. The track is full of soaring hooks and teenage angst layered on top of an atmospheric soundscape that can be legitimately described as ‘groovy’. That may sound odd, but it works.

A launch show at Champions, Bournemouth on 14^th May with Kinnie The Explorer will be followed by the release of the band’s debut self-titled EP on 6^th June via This Scene Isn’t Dead. When asked to describe the EP in three words, James’ responded “nice and loud”.

“We’ve got a load of shows booked in June, including stops in London and Southampton” said James, “and we’re recording more singles this year, so over the summer and winter you can expect to see a lot more releases from us.”

Interview: The Blackout

Merthyr Tydfil’s finest, The Blackout, have been touring the UK and stopped off in Bournemouth – apparently their favourite of the ‘mouths’ so far – to play a sell out show at The Old Fire Station. I spoke to co-front man Gavin about their busy year, the role McFly played in the creation of their new album ‘Hope’ and his love of pop music. Just don’t mention Justin Bieber!

How has the UK tour been going?

It’s flown by. It’s been one of the best tours we’ve ever done. We’ve never done a headline tour with so many sold out shows before. The kids have been crazy as well on this tour. Manchester and London might have been my favourite shows we’ve ever done.

Do you still get surprised when you see the fans queuing outside from 9am?

It’s crazy! I was talking to someone outside saying they’d been here since 5am! We didn’t leave London ‘til 4am! They said they just wanted to see us. You’ll see us; just don’t turn up at five in the morning because we’re not even here! But I love the fact that they’re that excited about the show. In Manchester the other day we had so many people waiting outside all day in the sunshine and then they came in and we had eight people pass out. They were so dehydrated and they hadn’t been eating or sleeping. So I fear for some of them, especially when they say they’re camping out that night. Please don’t sleep on the streets guys!

What do you need to survive on tour these days?

I just need a toilet bag and a fresh pair of pants. That’s all you need. Although you don’t even need pants because you can always buy pants. Anything to keep yourself clean, that’s all you need. A laptop is always useful too actually. I was going to say to wile away the days, but everyday we’ve been doing interviews so that’s been keeping us sane. Otherwise we’re just sat in the dressing room on a laptop refreshing Twitter.

How has it been touring with Hyro Da Hero and The Swellers?

Really good. We were fans of Hyro and The Swellers anyway. Sean introduced us to Hyro, he said we needed to check out his mix tapes. And Bob caught The Swellers with Young Guns and said we needed to check them out. So when it came to asking people over, they were in the pot. And the tour has been amazing; it’s so laid back for some reason. There’s no egos involved, no competition. It’s just one big gay friend party. I was saying to the bassist from The Swellers last night that it’s mad how well we’ve just managed to click with everyone. It’s one of those tours where everyone has got the same sense of humour, we watch the same movies, listen to the same music so it’s just all clicked and it’ll be sad to see them go.

What made you decide to collaborate with Hyro on ‘Higher & Higher’?

I’m gonna blame Will Smith. We were doing vocals for ‘Higher & Higher’ in London and it was just going to be that riff in the middle eight. Then for a laugh, Sean rapped ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ over it. Jason Perry, our producer, was like ‘Do that!’ and we said ‘We can’t do that Jase, that’s the rap from Fresh Prince of Bel Air’. And he said ‘We’ll give Will Smith some PR, it’ll be fine!’ But, nah, we couldn’t do that. So then he said that we should come up with a rap. But we’re not good at that, we wouldn’t know where to start. But Hyro was already booked for the tour and Sean was pretty friendly with his manager and Hyro himself so we thought, well why don’t we just ask him? On Hyro’s mixtapes, because he didn’t have a big budget or anything, he’d just take rock songs and cut them up and rap over them. He did things to ‘New Noise’ by Refused and stuff by Weezer and Killswitch Engage so he loves rock and metal anyway. So it seemed like the perfect fit for that middle eight. He sent over his first draft we loved it. Some people at first were like ‘I don’t know about this’ because they’re just closed minded idiots. But if you listen to it a bit more you’ll realise that its genius. Not our bits, Hyro’s bits. And everyone has been saying we’ve only done this now because Hayley Williams did the B.O.B. track and You Me At Six did their track with Chiddy. But I just said, ‘Have you ever listened to Run DMC’s ‘Walk This Way’ with Aerosmith? Have you listened to ‘Bring The Noise’?’ It’s been going on for ages, that rap metal mash up. I think it works well. 2001 proved that with Limp Bizkit and other bands of that type that are just huge. People like a bouncy riff and fast lyrics.

How did the recording process go for ‘Hope’?

It took about a month. We started November 1^st and ended on November 26^th. It was three days in AIR Studios in London to do drums, a week in Banbury in Angelic Studios which is owned by the ex-keyboardist of Jamiroquai. That’s an awesome studio, its where they recorded Band Aid and stuff. Then we did vocals in a little box in the ground in Highbury Corner with no windows for about a week and a half. But it was cool because when we do vocals it’s just me, Jason and Sean. And when we get together it doesn’t seem like work, it doesn’t seem like were recording. I think that’s what Jason does best, he makes you think that you’re not recording an album and you’re just sitting there singing. He relaxes you into an amazing place where he can get the best out of you.

Was it a bit daunting recording the fourth album then?

We didn’t feel any pressure at all actually. I don’t think that was through arrogance, it was more through ignorance. We were all sat in my garage, which I’ve done up a bit so we could all jam in there, so we were in our own little world really. Just writing songs for us. It was only when we came to release it that we thought, what if people don’t like it? But we think it’s the best that we’ve ever done, Jason Perry thought it was the best stuff we’ve ever done too. All the people around us, obviously it’s their job to tell us it’s the best thing we’ve done, but Jason will tell us if something is not quite strong enough. He was pleased with the album so we had a bit of confidence going into the release, but we’ve had an amazing response. You always get the hardcore fans who were there from day one who say it’s not as good as your split EP you released with Sevendust on the back of a pigeon that only five people own. But with this record, people that have been with us forever, as well as people who have never really been into us, are digging the new record. So we must have done something right, or paid the right people.

You and Sean both do vocals on your songs, are there ever any fights over who gets to sing which bit?

It’s usually quite straight-forward. We both come into the process with our own lyrics and then we put that into the melting pot. Sean may have an entire song done and then I’ll just change a few bits, and vice versa. But I think we’re at the point now where we can critique each other’s work. And the same with Jason. One of the songs on the new record, I think it was The Last Goodbye, he said that the lyrics were a bit cheesy. So I reworked them and after listening back to it I realised he was right on that one. So you’ve got to take all these criticisms as opposed to thinking ‘No, I’m right’. Which I think is the cool thing about our band, because everyone comes in with ideas and we all take it on board.

You’ve done quite a few covers in the past and there are some on the deluxe version of ‘Hope’, but are there any songs that you would never consider covering?

Oooh I don’t know. Which songs do I really despise? The thing is, you could take something by Justin Bieber and probably make it a good song. They probably are good songs; it’s just that Justin Bieber’s head is obnoxious. I just want to smack him. What a little brat. But there are probably some songs we could never do. I would never want to cover a Queen song for example, because I don’t think we could do it justice. So I think it’s more for that reason than that I don’t like the song. I have too much respect for some songs to go anywhere near them, even on karaoke.

And are there any songs that you would secretly love to cover?

I quite like a lot of pop. Most of the big pop acts like P!nk, Katy Perry and McFly, I listen to and love. But I listen to Metallica and Every Time I Die as well. And I love taking pop songs and making them a lot heavier. A lot of bands these days, if you strip them down, are really poppy. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But a lot of people think that just because they don’t have a guitar that it’s not a good song, some people are a bit close minded that way. Like McFly for example, their album Radio:Active kind of sold Jason Perry to us. He worked on that and I thought the production was amazing. Then I listened to it more and realised there were some really good songs on there. They could be chucked in a bag with All Time Low or Green Day or any of those bands. It’s just because of where they’ve come from that people think differently about them. But they’re there making music and having a good time so that’s all that matters.

You supported My Chemical Romance on their UK tour earlier this year, how was it to play such massive shows?

It was the first UK arena tour we’ve ever done and we were so excited to do it. We were on top of a mountain in Guilford having press shots done, don’t ask why we were up there, we were freezing our arses off. But that was five days before the tour and we got the phone call asking if we wanted to do it. We were like ‘Duh! Yes! Why are you even asking that question!?’ It was amazing to play those venues and the My Chem fans were so welcoming as well. Obviously not all of them knew who we were, otherwise we’d be the ones playing arenas, but there were a couple of kids who knew us. And we had a blast every night.

Have you now got the urge to do a concept album for the next record after touring with MCR?

It’s a tough one, the concept album. You can either get it brilliantly right or it’s just a bit mediocre. So I think we’re just going to stick to writing big riffs, choruses and catchy lyrics. Stick to what we know. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

You also went to Australia for Soundwave Festival in February, do you have many Aussie fans?

We went there in April last year with Lostprophets, we did a couple of their shows, but I was surprised by how many people turned up to our shows. You’d get anything from 500 to 1000 kids turning up for these festival shows. I blew my mind because we’d only been down there once. But I think the last record, ‘Best In Town’, got pushed quite well down there. It was an amazing tour to do, I can remember talking to Lags from Gallows and he said ‘If you ever get the chance to do Soundwave, just do it, because it’s just one big party for about a month.’ I think there are 660 people on that tour, band and crew. And each one of those people had to be flown from city to city. So you’d get on a plane and it would be full of tattoos and maybe one woman and a baby looking nervous. After every show there would be an after show party with a free bar and you can’t say no to a free bar can you? It’s rude. Plus we got to make some new friends and see friends we hadn’t seen for ages. That tour seemed to be full of people we toured with in 2006 and hadn’t seen since.

What else have you got planned for 2011?

I get a day off after this tour to go home and wash all my clothes. Then me and Sean go off to London to do radio, then we do a video. The we leave for Groezrock Festival in Belgium and do Monster Bash in Germany and we go out for a month with Funeral For A Friend in Europe. That’s my diary right there. And we’ve just released tickets for our October/November tour, which should be fun. It’s a bit of a step up, we’ll be doing some of the biggest venues we’ve ever done.

You’ve also climbed up the bill on main stage at Reading and Leads Festivals this summer.

Yea we were first on in 2008 so it’s taken us three years to get to second. So maybe in 2050 we’ll be headlining. But it’s just awesome to be asked back really. I’ve been going to Reading since I was 17. We’ve all been massive festival goers so it’ll be nice to go back and play main stage again. Especially that day as well. There are so many good bands on the main stage that day; I think I’m just going to sit by the side of the stage with a beer cooler all day.

Interview: Rise To Remain

When you have the son of Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickenson in your band, you’re bound to draw in the crowds. But metalcore five-piece Rise To Remain have still managed to hold their own.

The band formed in 2008 after two different acts merged. “Pat (Lundy, drums) and I we’re in a band called 12 Ton Method and Will (Homer, rhythm guitar), Austin (Dickinson, lead vocals) and Ben (Tovey, lead guitar) used to play in Halide. They were the two bands that collided and quite a few Halide songs are on the ‘Bridges Will Burn’ EP” said bassist Joe Copcutt.

Pat feels that this has helped to shape Rise To Remain’s sound. “I think everyone in the band came from separate musical backgrounds and had different upbringings as well. We definitely have a mix of everyone’s best bits. There’s always something new and fresh on the table. It does take a bit of consolidation but it’s good for the writing process.”

Rise To Remain’s debut gig was a somewhat daunting set at 2008’s Download Festival.  “I’ve never been so nervous before a show. We were all pooing it” said Joe. It took a whole month of rehearsals to make sure the band were ready for their opening slot on the third stage. “We had about 4 weeks to get tight. I was only 17 at the time so we really had to get our act together and step up a bit” said Pat. “It also taught us a lot because we saw all of our favourite bands that weekend and we were like “shit, so this is how it goes down”. So it made us just knuckle down all through 2009 and 2010 and its made for a pretty good 2011 hopefully, fingers crossed.”

Since their debut gig, the band have supported some pretty big names including Whitechapel, Hatebreed, Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium and, of course, Iron Maiden on the Indonesian leg of their world tour. “It’s funny because loads of the bands that we’ve had the privilege to tour with were our favourite bands when we were growing up. They were all a massive influence and it’s great because we get to learn a lot from touring with them” said Joe. But it was the band’s support slot for Korn on their UK tour last year that really sticks out for Pat. “Korn got us in the biggest rooms that we’ve ever played in the UK so that was a bit of an eye opener”

Rise To Remain have recently finished recording their debut full length album which is due to come out at the end of the summer. “We got to record with Colin Richardson (who has worked with Machine Head, Bullet For My Valentine and Slipknot amongst others) which was a dream come true” said Joe; “We also recorded it in Chesterfield which was really peaceful. We’re all from London and it’s a bit hectic there, so it was nice just to get in the middle of nowhere and zone out for a couple of months. We’re really proud of the outcome and we think it sounds great. We just hope everyone else does, but we’ll find out soon enough.”

Some of the new material has been aired during their stint supporting Funeral For A Friend on their UK tour, with new single ‘The Serpent’ – currently available as a free download – being used to open their set. “It’s been nice to play some of the new stuff and we’re really looking forward to playing a whole set of the new album” said Joe. Pat adds; “It’s nice to change it up a bit. We’ve been touring the EP for a long time so when we do our headline tour, getting to play the majority of the new material is gonna be great for us.”

A busy summer awaits for Rise To Remain as they will be playing various European festivals, including Download and Sonisphere in the UK, where the band are becoming regulars on the line-up. “I love festival season” said Joe; “every time it comes around we always get really excited because the weather is always nice and you get to meet up with loads of mates from different bands and stuff which is always a good laugh”. The boys are now festival experts and have some top tips for the festival going public. “Bring baby wipes, its gets messy” said Joe, while Pat believes the best advice is to pace yourself. “Just stay hydrated. If you’re at a festival and you start to feel a little woozy, it can make for a pretty shit evening. Just take an hour off drinking and have a water. You’ll blow out at about 2:30pm if there’s a heat wave at any English festival. You’ll be stuffed”

Festival season will be followed by the band’s next headline tour for which the dates are yet to be announced. Or course, the lads are pretty used to travelling the world now and list ‘company, music and a positive attitude’ amongst their tour bus essentials. “We just listen to music and Pat chugs barrels of Lucozade” said Joe.

So with a high-powered set of brutal metalcore anthems – and the DNA of a metal legend – Rise To Remain are sure to continue to climb the festival bills in 2012.