Collateral
Recently I sat down to chat with the members of Kent based rock band poolside after their opening performance at Ibiza Hard Rock Hell, here's what they had to say...
So you’ve come all the way from
Kent to party town Ibiza, what’s it been like? What have been the highlights?
ANGELO (Lead Vocals): Can’t tell ya man! (all laugh) just the experience really, being together and being here, this is the first gig with this line up that we’ve taken abroad ya know, and this is also the first experience of sitting by a pool and getting interviewed after a show which is fucking cool!
So ya know, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, n shit
TODD (Guitar): I’m really enjoying the people, like minded rock fans, every ones down to earth and wants to come say hello or buy us a beer and we wanna meet everyone ya know, we don’t wanna be some aresholes that just go on stage then bugger off.
In the set last night you played some classic Bon Jovi and ZZ Top covers and I reckon it’s a good guess to say they’re big influences to the band, are there any songs you’d like to put into the set that maybe wouldn’t be expected? Guilty pleasure songs?
TODD: Ohhh, good question dude
LOUIE (Bass): I’ll give you mine right away, Give Me The Night by George Benson
BEN (Drums): Lay It Down, RATT
TODD: Surfing With The Alien
LOUIE: Of oh course you fucking would… but we’d smash that tho
ANGELO: I dunno man, I literally don’t know, I’m so in love with Bon Jovi it would almost be expected of me haha, something like Diamond Ring.
Looking at your touring schedule and what you’ve been up to and it looks like you’ve cracked nearly 100 gigs in the last year you’ve been pretty thorough on the road, what’s that been like on the band?
ANGELO: Well ya know, especially in this day and age now not making loads of money in sales and shit you have to keep up your appearance, I think of course in a few years we wanna be regarded as one of the best live bands around because of course if you’re gonna be in a band and you wanna make it then you don’t wanna do it half arsed and just fall by the wayside. We wanna play as much as possible infront of as many people as possible. We’ve got great management as well
TODD: big up to roulette media!
ANGELO: we love them to bits and they clearly love us to bits
VIVANNE (Manager): strike that we love them to bits coz we bloody don’t!
ANGELO: We barely rehearse as well really, when we write a new song or whatnot then we get together and practise but like the real test if playing it first at a show and of course the first show you play a new song at is the biggest rehearsal but we just let it develop naturally, we rehearse so we know what we’re doing but then just let the live shows do there thing ya know. We’re a very rough around the edges band.
TODD: I think we’re at quite a testing point really, we’re still showcasing everything we’re by no means a big band yet really well maybe in Kent but outside of that it’s difficult so we’re traveling all over the place for bugger all money
ANGELO: Don’t get us wrong the name is getting round and its humbling to hear when we travel 400 miles across the country and meet people who know or recognise us, so of course somethings happening. There are still some songs from the album we’re yet to learn.
Ah, the album, leads me on really, of course you’ve got an EP out and just release a new single Lullaby a few days ago, getting some great press and reviews around…
ANGELO: Yeah featured on Planet Rock today and we also know today if we’ve made the top 5 on the Bon Jovi cruise which we’re waiting for too,
Wow exciting stuff but of course that means you’ve got an album on the go then yeah? What can we be expecting from that?
BEN: What to expect from it really hey… Angelo and Jack wrote most of the songs and it’s certainly more edgier than the EP, in terms of its got more attitude the sound is raw so it really captures what we do live as well. I think its killer and I am buzzing about it, can’t wait for it to come out.
So do we have a date for that or a time period at all?
ANGELO: It’s gonna be mid-September if we get going (MANAGER: We’ve pencilled in a date for September 13th) my birthdays September 14th.
Ah mines the 15th!
ANGELO: Woo, we’ll have a really big party!
So going back to touring slightly since you’ve been going so fast recently can you see yourself slowing down at all? Or is it only getting faster?
EVERYONE: Nooooo, no way
ANGELO: It’s only going to get faster man, if the rolling stones can do it now ya know… the stones are kinda like the bar to set, to us like until they quit we know where the bar is.
Obviously we’re here for the festival Hard Rock Hell Ibiza, with the like of Hawkwind, Orange Goblin, Bernie Marsden to name a few which must be amazing to play on the same bill as them, but if you were picking a festival bill who’d be there? Who’d you wanna open for? Or even who’d you wanna headline for?
ANGELO: Well we’d be headlining! Who’d be under us? Bon Jovi, Motley Crue before them!
LOUIE: Whitesnake, followed by the Eagles!
TODD: How big is this festival man?!
ANGELO: Pretty fuckin’ big if we’re headlining! (All laugh)
TODD: I’d have Brian Adams on there for sure
Second part to that question is where would you it be? Download, Glastonbury?
ANGELO: How about the desert? Middle of the desert! Really I think it would have to be the home away from home, Wembley, an all-dayer at Wembley Stadium, or maybe the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey holds nearly 100,000 people!
Would you have any advice for bands coming out traveling abroad, of course there was a slight issue with 1 member hence the wonderful fill in bassist here…
VIVANNE: Sort ya passports out early! (All laugh)
BEN: Plan ahead man! Plan ahead always!
TODD: Never stop trying.
ANGELO: That’s exactly it, it’s the biggest thing you just have to keep going through the ups and the downs and the ups again! No matter what, theres gonna be times when things are tested like commitments or money issues and you get a family going its tough
And like everyone you’ve been through your fair share of tests and tricks and you’re all still going strong?
ANGELO: Theres been a lot of shit ya know, we’ve gone through members like I dunno what but its about keeping going and keeping true to your focus and vision and also surrounding yourself and the band with people who has the same focus as you
BEN: That’s really important.
TODD: My biggest bit of advice for a live touring band is to just stay humble
LOUIE: Meet your fans! You don’t know who you’re gonna meet and could end up making great connections.
ANGELO: Todd’s the one in the band that when we’re doing a set and I get ahead of myself tryna be bigger than I am that comes with that frontman mentality, I want him as my right hand man who can tap me on the shoulder and remind me to ‘thank this person and that person’ and that helps because you’ve got have a few different focuses in the band, Obviously I’m just there to have sex with the crowd basically, Bens there to keep the fuckin power
BEN: Lay it down man!
ANGELO: Louie was there last night to keep that foundation going as Jack does and Todd’s there to do the widdle and…
TODD: Have sex with my guitar!
ANGELO: Its super important to let people know that they can do there own stuff as well, involve your family ya know! If you’re going to be in a band involve them all, the last thing you want is separation.
TODD: If you’re doing a song and its got a big ‘HEY, HO’ get the kids in, get your wife in, get em round the mic nd they’ll love it!
ANGELO (Lead Vocals): Can’t tell ya man! (all laugh) just the experience really, being together and being here, this is the first gig with this line up that we’ve taken abroad ya know, and this is also the first experience of sitting by a pool and getting interviewed after a show which is fucking cool!
So ya know, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, n shit
TODD (Guitar): I’m really enjoying the people, like minded rock fans, every ones down to earth and wants to come say hello or buy us a beer and we wanna meet everyone ya know, we don’t wanna be some aresholes that just go on stage then bugger off.
In the set last night you played some classic Bon Jovi and ZZ Top covers and I reckon it’s a good guess to say they’re big influences to the band, are there any songs you’d like to put into the set that maybe wouldn’t be expected? Guilty pleasure songs?
TODD: Ohhh, good question dude
LOUIE (Bass): I’ll give you mine right away, Give Me The Night by George Benson
BEN (Drums): Lay It Down, RATT
TODD: Surfing With The Alien
LOUIE: Of oh course you fucking would… but we’d smash that tho
ANGELO: I dunno man, I literally don’t know, I’m so in love with Bon Jovi it would almost be expected of me haha, something like Diamond Ring.
Looking at your touring schedule and what you’ve been up to and it looks like you’ve cracked nearly 100 gigs in the last year you’ve been pretty thorough on the road, what’s that been like on the band?
ANGELO: Well ya know, especially in this day and age now not making loads of money in sales and shit you have to keep up your appearance, I think of course in a few years we wanna be regarded as one of the best live bands around because of course if you’re gonna be in a band and you wanna make it then you don’t wanna do it half arsed and just fall by the wayside. We wanna play as much as possible infront of as many people as possible. We’ve got great management as well
TODD: big up to roulette media!
ANGELO: we love them to bits and they clearly love us to bits
VIVANNE (Manager): strike that we love them to bits coz we bloody don’t!
ANGELO: We barely rehearse as well really, when we write a new song or whatnot then we get together and practise but like the real test if playing it first at a show and of course the first show you play a new song at is the biggest rehearsal but we just let it develop naturally, we rehearse so we know what we’re doing but then just let the live shows do there thing ya know. We’re a very rough around the edges band.
TODD: I think we’re at quite a testing point really, we’re still showcasing everything we’re by no means a big band yet really well maybe in Kent but outside of that it’s difficult so we’re traveling all over the place for bugger all money
ANGELO: Don’t get us wrong the name is getting round and its humbling to hear when we travel 400 miles across the country and meet people who know or recognise us, so of course somethings happening. There are still some songs from the album we’re yet to learn.
Ah, the album, leads me on really, of course you’ve got an EP out and just release a new single Lullaby a few days ago, getting some great press and reviews around…
ANGELO: Yeah featured on Planet Rock today and we also know today if we’ve made the top 5 on the Bon Jovi cruise which we’re waiting for too,
Wow exciting stuff but of course that means you’ve got an album on the go then yeah? What can we be expecting from that?
BEN: What to expect from it really hey… Angelo and Jack wrote most of the songs and it’s certainly more edgier than the EP, in terms of its got more attitude the sound is raw so it really captures what we do live as well. I think its killer and I am buzzing about it, can’t wait for it to come out.
So do we have a date for that or a time period at all?
ANGELO: It’s gonna be mid-September if we get going (MANAGER: We’ve pencilled in a date for September 13th) my birthdays September 14th.
Ah mines the 15th!
ANGELO: Woo, we’ll have a really big party!
So going back to touring slightly since you’ve been going so fast recently can you see yourself slowing down at all? Or is it only getting faster?
EVERYONE: Nooooo, no way
ANGELO: It’s only going to get faster man, if the rolling stones can do it now ya know… the stones are kinda like the bar to set, to us like until they quit we know where the bar is.
Obviously we’re here for the festival Hard Rock Hell Ibiza, with the like of Hawkwind, Orange Goblin, Bernie Marsden to name a few which must be amazing to play on the same bill as them, but if you were picking a festival bill who’d be there? Who’d you wanna open for? Or even who’d you wanna headline for?
ANGELO: Well we’d be headlining! Who’d be under us? Bon Jovi, Motley Crue before them!
LOUIE: Whitesnake, followed by the Eagles!
TODD: How big is this festival man?!
ANGELO: Pretty fuckin’ big if we’re headlining! (All laugh)
TODD: I’d have Brian Adams on there for sure
Second part to that question is where would you it be? Download, Glastonbury?
ANGELO: How about the desert? Middle of the desert! Really I think it would have to be the home away from home, Wembley, an all-dayer at Wembley Stadium, or maybe the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey holds nearly 100,000 people!
Would you have any advice for bands coming out traveling abroad, of course there was a slight issue with 1 member hence the wonderful fill in bassist here…
VIVANNE: Sort ya passports out early! (All laugh)
BEN: Plan ahead man! Plan ahead always!
TODD: Never stop trying.
ANGELO: That’s exactly it, it’s the biggest thing you just have to keep going through the ups and the downs and the ups again! No matter what, theres gonna be times when things are tested like commitments or money issues and you get a family going its tough
And like everyone you’ve been through your fair share of tests and tricks and you’re all still going strong?
ANGELO: Theres been a lot of shit ya know, we’ve gone through members like I dunno what but its about keeping going and keeping true to your focus and vision and also surrounding yourself and the band with people who has the same focus as you
BEN: That’s really important.
TODD: My biggest bit of advice for a live touring band is to just stay humble
LOUIE: Meet your fans! You don’t know who you’re gonna meet and could end up making great connections.
ANGELO: Todd’s the one in the band that when we’re doing a set and I get ahead of myself tryna be bigger than I am that comes with that frontman mentality, I want him as my right hand man who can tap me on the shoulder and remind me to ‘thank this person and that person’ and that helps because you’ve got have a few different focuses in the band, Obviously I’m just there to have sex with the crowd basically, Bens there to keep the fuckin power
BEN: Lay it down man!
ANGELO: Louie was there last night to keep that foundation going as Jack does and Todd’s there to do the widdle and…
TODD: Have sex with my guitar!
ANGELO: Its super important to let people know that they can do there own stuff as well, involve your family ya know! If you’re going to be in a band involve them all, the last thing you want is separation.
TODD: If you’re doing a song and its got a big ‘HEY, HO’ get the kids in, get your wife in, get em round the mic nd they’ll love it!
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