How are you today?
Fantastic today, the new album Filth should be landing with us tomorrow, we have the bonus disc already, and, the album launch show in Nottingham on Saturday is selling really well, specially in this current climate. Really looking forward to things, and also getting out on tour next year.
How do you define success as artists?
I think success is as simple as being able to make someone smile with what you do. We seem to have songs that resonate with people, and they can make their own minds up about what it’s about, but most importantly, people leave the shows happy, having had a great time, which has to be a success. Times are hard for everyone, so, people who still come and see bands live, buy albums, and the like, are the most important ones in the room, and we have a duty to make sure they feel appreciated as well as entertaining, which we try to do, so that to me is what’s important, everything else is just garnishing!
What about legacy? – I think if someone remembers us 10 years from now, that would be wonderful, I think that’s what every artist/band/musician wants, is to have touched people enough to be remembered, or at least, remembered in a positive way. I don’t think I have thought that far ahead, we are mainly just enjoying the ride for the moment.
How do you look back at ‘Rats’ now as a record?
Rats! was a very interesting one for us, as, we released Things That Never Were just as lockdown happened, literally about a week after Dave had laid his drums down, so, all the usual things a band would do, such as videos, tours etc, couldnt be done. We are so fortunate to have Bill from Fuzzy McGlide Productions over in the States, who does all the artwork, who could put together videos from images, and self-shot videos, and, the initial idea was to do a video for Rats, as its on that album, with ourselves and The Suicide Notes. So, when we realised we couldn’t do it, they were also on another track from it (Round and A Round), but, one of the verses was redone by Kory Clarke (Warrior Soul), so, we thought, hey why not instead of a video, re-record these 2 tracks, added a couple of other new ones with the guys. Then it kept growing! So, we covered one of their tracks, Smoke It Like A Cigarette, and a handful of covers together, and a bonus track, so, it was a 10-track “EP”! And, combined, as a sort of odd mirror version of the old split EPs with one band on either side. I think it turned out really well, it was certainly well-received too. And, helped bridge the gap between being able to get out live, do videos, and, avoid doing a second album before we had been on the road, and to do it with friends as well was great fun. It also made its way into the live shows, as, we did a bunch of them together, their set, our set, then, we had a jam at the end of the night with the Rats tracks.
How would you say you have changed and developed as artists since you started as a band?
For myself, definitely some development, mainly confidence. I had been for years either a bass player, or a rhythm guy, and hadn’t fronted a band in over a decade, so, being surrounded by guys who are amazing, personally and talent-wise, its helped me grow into the position, and have a lot more self-belief. As a band, we grew a lot just by being on the road. We are pretty spread out geographically, Leeds, Carlisle, Nottingham, and Copenhagen! So, not a lot of time to hang out, jam etc, so, it’s a little odd if you are used to that, but, we have all depped in other bands, so, we pretty much get together, know our parts and it works. We use the internet to write, and send parts back and forth, which is also a bit of a skill, but, we have grown into a pretty tight unit, and everyone’s input makes the overall sound what it is
What is new single, ‘Self Righteous’ about?
I have to think about this, it may mean something else to others, which I love, but, the essence of it is about being yourself, don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t be. Whether it’s peer pressure, social media pressures, governmental pressures, or any of it. Between the media and social media, I personally feel there’s almost a constant bombardment of self-righteousness telling everyone who/what they should be, what they should feel, how to think, and all that nonsense, and, you can also see the reaction to this, some will stick a middle finger up to it all, some will be really hurt, and some will be pressured to conform. People are not as inclusive as they always pretend to be either, and I have a bunch of trans friends, a couple who have mentioned a couple of songs on the album making sense, and having a trans son, is something that really matters to me as well. I am a big advocate of just being yourself, not having to apologise for that, and trying to avoid the negative in the world from bringing you too far down, so, it’s based on all of that really.
Do you have a message for your supporters who have gotten behind you, and will continue to?
We can’t thank them enough, both personally and from a band perspective. We have been really humbled by the response to us since we started. As I said earlier, I feel a duty to make sure they all feel appreciated, and thanked, day to day. And they can always get in touch anytime, about anything, musical or otherwise. We try and develop actual relationships with people, so it’s more than transactional, and we have social media group where we are really active, rather than hiding away, and its great being a 2-way thing, and we will aim to never let them down.
