Interview

How Was 2022 For Sparkling Italian Guitar/Synth Pop Family THE BANKROBBER?

Posted on by JL

23 December 2022

Sparkling Italian synth-guitar-pop act THE BANKROBBER is centered
around siblings Giacomo and Maddalena Oberti. Turn Up The Volume is
a vivid fan since their 2018 album Missing with its effervescent shaped
pop-ular tunes without frontiers.

This year the band came back with a stellar new 6-track EP, named
LIGHTERS and is voted Best EP of 2022 by Turn Up The Volume.
Say no more.

Enough reasons to have a chat with capobanda Giacomo about the EP
but also about their Euro tour, a scary night in France, The Clash (of course),
the siblings’ inspirational father and more.

But, as usual, we start an interview with a piece of music. Here’s one of my
fav tracks off the EP where they went from bankrobbers to bankrockers.

Hello Giacomo,

When and how did THE BANKROBBER started its musical journey?

“We started as a band many years ago, playing the songs we loved. We had
the rehearsal room in the cellar under the house, after the first gigs we wanted
to start writing our songs and over the years the project has changed shape
up to today’s line up.”

Who came up with the band’s name and is there story behind?

“We were kids and we mostly listened to punk music. We had a list of names
from songs or album by artists we loved like “Shadow Play” by Joy Division and
“Bankrobber” by The Clash. I decided for The Bankrobber because it sounded great
to me and it still does, I also love the meaning so I really like our band’s name.”

Your father was in a prog rock band in the 70s and now his daughter and
son are making music for some time. Were you inspired by your dad?

“Sure! We grew up in a house full of music and records so it helped a lot
to build our passion for music and our creativity. He also always bought
us the records we wanted and encouraged to make music but without
pressure.”


Father Oberti on the far left – drummer for
with prog-rock band Men Of Lake in the 70s

Which of your songs would you pick to introduce
THE BANKROBBER to people who never heard of you?

“Hard question! I think our music has a soft romantic side and a more energetic side,
so I will probably would say “Blood” which was released between the two albums.”

The brand new EP ‘LIGHTERS’ is a great work of pop
excellence. Does the title relate to the 6 songs?

“Actually it’s not, we are going to release another EP called “Lovers” and the full album’s title will be Lighters and Lovers. We chose this name from one of the songs we were producing for the record but then we decided to save it for a future release.”

With song titles like ‘Kill My Name’, ‘Hate Me’, ’Bury Me Softly’
and ‘Leah Dies’ it’s like the EP is not really a happy one.

“We define this new work something between Dark and romantic, there are often
both elements. introspective, abstract and dark lyrics that somehow speak of love.”

WHITE SKIN is my absolute fav piece.
What’s the song about?

“White Skin is a love song about distance. A love letter.”

“The video for ‘White Skin’ is top too.
What did you want to express with the clip?”

“To get a more precise answer we should ask my sister who conceived and directed
the video but it is set during prom and she wanted to give the protagonist an almost magical aura to make the story dreamy and romantic.”

Next year another EP named LOVERS is coming out.
What can you already reveal about it ?

“It’s going to be a five songs EP, we produced everything in the same
period so the whole project sounds heterogeneous but with common
references.

We can also say that there will be a feat. In one of the songs.”

Any anecdotes about your recent Euro tour?

“We are very happy to be back after two years without concerts.

During this tour everything went very well except for a couple of scary
accommodations and a crazy adventure by night. We were in France and
we almost had to cross the country in one day. So after the concert we
headed back to the next city but we were too tired and we looked for
rooms to rest a bit.

At one point we entered the parking lot of a motel to see if there was the
possibility of staying overnight when we realize that the gate had closed
behind us blocking us inside.

Desperation!

No one was answering at the motel’s phone number so we
had to wait for someone to come in or leave. We decided to
sleep in the van while we waited and after a few hours
a very drunk man came in opening the gate and leading
us to freedom!”

What’s the best track/album you heard all year?

“I loved Skinty Fia by Fontaines D.C.”

Suppose you were asked to cover a Xmas carol,
which one would it be and how would it sound?

“Christmas songs sound too happy for us, haha. Actually, I like almost
all Christmas tunes but I don’t really know if I don’t know if I could make
a version with our sounds while keeping the spirit but let’s try with
“The Christmas Song ” by Nat King Cole.”

Which track will you play when the clock
strikes midnight on 31 December.

“This is unpredictable! It will depend on the moment
but I think I would put something really powerful.”

Name three things you really want to happen in 2023?

“In terms of projects I’m building my production studio and I hope to work
a lot in it, I also would love to play with my band at some great festivals and
of course, I want to feel good with my friends and family.”

Thank you for this interview, Giacomo!
May the road rise with The Bnakrobber in 2023.

Stream LIGHTERS EP here…

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THE BANKROBBER: Facebook – Instagram

How Was 2022 For Garage Rock Snakes THE DARTS

Posted on by JL

16 December 2022

They rock, they roll, they have swagger, they have looks, they are for real, they
are THE DARTS. After being locked up for about two years, like all of us, the female,
4-cylinder powerhouse from Phoenix came back with tons of energy and an appetite
for a love tsunami these past 12 months. They dropped a new 3-avid-tracks EP last
April and kept on touring in the free world for months.

And the future looks even busier. Not only one but two longplayers are waiting to
be unleashed in 2023 followed by gigging as much as they can. Thanks to upfront
dart Nicole Laurenne we get more details about this and next year.

But before starting the chat, Turn Up The Volume, as usual, starts an interview with
a slice of music. Open up your ears and your eyes for The Darts‘ brand-new super-duper single SNAKE OIL, the smashing title track of the upcoming LP.

What’s the story behind the band’s name, Nicole?

“A lot of people – well, people without boobs anyway – don’t realize it, but shirts made for people with boobs have to have seams sewn on the sides of the chest area to allow extra room. In English those seams are called “darts”.

I wanted a name that was unique to people who identify as female without being too obvious, and for some reason an image of a 1940s bullet bra came to mind, with its extreme darts! The bullet bra was one of our first logos, designed by artist Justin Barker.

I love that most guys don’t even know there is an alternate meaning of the word “dart”.

Which of your songs would you pick to introduce
THE DARTS to people who never heard of you?

“Probably “My Heart Is A Graveyard” and “Love U 2 Death,” because they both have that vibe of being dark but not too serious. That’s a big part of The Darts thing, lyrically, musically, even visually. We might smile a lot, but there’s always a little blood on the teeth.”

You played a live session for renowned radio station KEPX in Seattle this year.
But, as you told me before, Covid-19 almost blew the planned performance.
What exactly happened?

“We worked really hard for a long time with DJ Brian Foss to finally get that coveted slot on KEXP sessions. They gave us a date in July 2022. The pandemic was finally lifting a little and the station said if anyone tested positive for covid the day of the session, they would have to cancel us. We weren’t worried. We had a new EP out and we were finally back to touring after two years of lockdown, and we were totally ready.

We headed out around the USA for the first two legs of the tour… and them Christina
and I came home with covid. Like really nasty, can’t-move-for-a-week, no-food, no-music covid. This was three weeks before the KEXP appearance. We tested every day, sometimes multiple times a day, praying to the gods of rock that we would test negative in time for the session. Literally two days before we left for Seattle, exhausted and desperate, I finally tested negative.

We arrived in Seattle at KEXP and they rigorously tested everyone – the band, the DJs, photographers, studio people, everyone – before anyone could even go into the building. We all tested negative. And the session was one of the most amazing things we have ever done to date. It was a covid miracle.”

Full KEXP show

Last April the band released a 3-track EP, titled ‘LOVE TSUNAMI’.
Is it the harbinger for a new album in 2023?

‘It is definitely a taste of things to come, but Love Tsunami was actually recorded before the pandemic, by a new producer for the band, Gerald Schöenherr. Our friend Etti Bowen sat in on drums for the recording. With everything locked down right after that, we had to wait forever to get it out there.

Our European labels Adrenalin Fix Music, Dirty Water Records, Beluga Records, and Ghost Highway Recordings got together and put it out on vinyl and the 7” vinyls arrived literally on the last day of our European tour. Yeah, we’re good at timing apparently. But we love this little 7”, the songs are so much fun to play live.”


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“There’s a big tempo-change in the middle of the track “Underground” that was a new writing challenge I gave myself, and that has turned out to be one of my favorite parts
of the live set now. The lyrics to “Shit Show” are cathartic every night after all these years
of, well, shit, and “Love Tsunami” is just a surf-y, girl-group party song.

Our next album, “Snake Oil,” was recorded in April 2022 by our long-time producer Bob Hoag, with new drummer Mary Rose Gonzales on drums, and with Jello Biafra very involved in the sound and production. So the new record will definitely have a different feel than the EP; definitely a little darker at times, and with some pretty epic ballads that we are super proud of.”

You were all fired up when I saw you playing in Antwerp (Belgium) last October, like young Amazons happy to get on stage again after the awful lockdown period. Why is playing live such a booster for all of you?

“Playing live has always been the life-blood of this band. There is no better rush than playing a song you’ve written and rehearsed in an empty room, and then finally hearing
it explode on stage and watching the audience explode right along with us. And after a couple years of not having that feeling, we were all hungry for it. It’s hard to make music
in a vacuum without that energy and feedback from an audience.

Seeing everyone again, especially so many old friends in Europe, was absolutely
the best reward for getting through the pandemic, and we didn’t take it for granted
for one minute.”


Darting in Antwerp – 2 October 2022 (photo by Turn Up the Volume)

Which big-name artist(s)/band(s) would you love to tour with and why?

“I’m pretty sure everyone in this band would give you a different answer to this question. We’ve toured with The Damned, played with The Ventures and Joan Jett and Jello and L7 and Devo and so many incredible legends. But our current bucket list would have to include Amyl and the Sniffers, Nick Cave, Ty Segall, Jack White, and Billy Childish.

But there are also acts like Deap Vally, The Coathangers, LA Witch, Plague Vendor, Night Beats, Wet Leg and Smalltown Tigers that would make awesome tourmates for us, if you ask me. Our influences come from a lot of different places, old and new, and all of these artists inspire us a lot.”

What movie would you pick to soundtrack THE DARTS’ music, Nicole?

“Anything directed by Quentin Tarantino, obviously. But I recently
binge-watched the series “Killing Eve” and thought over and over that
our music would have fit perfectly with its black-hearted humor
and look.”

The best track and album you heard this year?

“We’ve all been digging “Chaise Lounge” by Wet Leg, like most of the world. But on a personal level, I’ve been getting oddly attached to Dry Cleaning’s new album “Stumpwork.” Maybe all that blaisé, detached vocal stuff is a nice change of pace for me after screaming into a microphone or something.”

THE event – good and bad – of 2022?

“Playing on KEXP was the highlight, but a couple of the Europe tour shows
were also unforgettable. Making two new records and having to wait endlessly
for vinyl manufacturing is definitely the lowlight of the year. I’m not good at waiting.”

Your fav Xmas carol, Nicole?

“Santa Baby,” but only when sung by Eartha Kitt of course.
Ok, it’s not really a carol but it should be.”

“Which song would you pick to play on New Year’s Eve and why?

Our entire new album “Snake Oil,” on repeat. Because 2023
is going to be its year and I can’t wait!!”

Name three things you really want to happen in 2023?

“I want to release not one, but two new full-length albums, spend most of our time touring internationally, and write and record a third album before the year is out. This is all going to happen, I am visualizing it.”

Thank you very much for this chat, Nicole.
May the road rise with The Darts in 2023.


Christina and Nicole – Darts sisters in garage rock crime (Photo by Turn Up The Volume)

While waiting for the new LP you can stream/buy
the latest one I LIKE YOU BUT NOT LIKE THAT here…


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THE DARTS: Facebook – Instagram

How Was 2022 For Electronic Do It Together Team VIOLET NOX? Check It Out Here…

Posted on by JL

9 December 2022

VIOLET NOX is an experimental electronic tandem from Boston – Dez DeCarlo and
Andrew Abrahamson, from Boston – who collaborate frequently with other artists. They operate sonically somewhere in a bright void between earth and outer space where they create synth symphonies for dreamers, romantics and all of us who want to escape from reality now and then, enjoying relaxing and mind-pleasing soundtracks.

Intriguing, right? Absolutely. Discover more about these architects of transcendent trips in stereo in this upcoming chat. But first, as usual, Turn Up The Volume starts an Q & A with a piece of music. In these case, listen to one of the highlights of Violet Nox‘s stargazing 2022 EP ‘Eris Awakes‘.

Hello Dez,
hello Noell,
hello Andrew
hello Jeff,

When and how did VIOLET NOX start its musical journey?

DEZ: “The idea for the project was originally inspired by John Coltrane‘s music.
One night when listening to Coltrane, the music clicked with me deeply and I
understood the improvisational space he was coming from.

I really wanted to create a project that was experimental combining electronic
sounds. In 2016, Karen Zanes and I got together with Eric Jackson, an electronic
drummer, and Violet Nox was born!”

What’s the story behind your project’s name?

DEZ: “Violet, is a very high frequency color and energy that I love.
Nox came from the word “Equinox” meaning change, transformation,
new beginnings, reset.”

Which artists is your work influenced by and why?

DEZ: “I’m heavily influenced more by life experiences that transform
me and melt into musical sounds and patterns. I like sitting in silence,
taking space, then creating from a blank page.”

ALEXIS:“The artists who may have influenced my contributions to Violet Nox
include: Can, Albert Ayler, Brian Eno, Silver Apples, Konono Nº1 & Sun Ra.”

ANDREW: “I think that is something that unites Dez and I in the creative process,
the idea of starting from a blank page as much as possible. In my mind we’re making functional music, so the mental effects of things like binaural beats and extended
drones are more of an influence to me than particular artists or genres.”


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You’re an indie DIY act. What does that mean in reality?

DEZ: “Everything, really. Andrew and I both came from punk rock backgrounds.
We record all our own music, create our marketing and publicity and manage our
press contacts. We also produce our own events. Community is very important
to us.

We have a team of solid amazing friends who we work with that create videos
for songs and visuals for our live performances. A big shout out to Allison
Tanenhaus and DebStep for all their creative input and help with Violet Nox!

It’s a lot of energy networking, connecting with people, releasing your records,
organizing shows, but it’s all possible! I highly encourage any artists who are
waiting for things to happen, to take the lead and do it yourself!

We have been lucky to have some great small independent labels release music
for us too! UK labels: Reverb Worship and Sleep Fuse records, USA Infinity Records,
and German labels, Aumega Project and 23 SWRecords-which is a sub-label of
Aumega Project.

We also had 2 songs included on the recent German compilation “Empire of the 4 Moons, Gruselthon records. We released various remixes with UK duo “The Deckadent Movement” and Boston artist J. Bagist.”


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ANDREW: “So many talented people beyond the band contribute so maybe
a Do It Together ethic is more accurate. I’d say Do It Ourselves but DIO is taken.”

Which of your songs would you pick to introduce
VIOLET NOX to people who never heard of you?

DEZ: “I’d say “Eris” from our Eris Wakes EP that came out last March.”

ANDREW: “I’m going to say “Wolfe Visitor” off of ‘Whispering Galaxy’ just
because I went back through our catalog to answer this question and
forgot how much I like it.”

This year saw the release of your excellent ‘ERIS WAKES’ EP.
Are the songs related or are all six standing on their own?

DEZ: “The songs are definitely connected with more of a space, star, galaxy vibe for sure.”

ANDREW: “Writing and recording that EP was a transformational period for the band artistically. For me that struggle toward a new sound is what unites the songs. The Eris Wakes has other meanings but it captures that well.”


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Who/what is ERIS?

DEZ: “Eris is the Greek goddess of strife, discord and chaos. She is the patron Saint of chaotic creation, rebellious, transformative, awakening, the truth-teller, she is pure fire. Eris is also one of the first dwarf planets to be discovered in the solar system.”

Who developed the EP’s artwork and what
did you want to express with the image?

JEFF: “My name is Jeff Bartell and I’m an artist living in Brooklyn, NY and I created the artwork for ‘Eris Wakes‘. Like with any artwork I do for music projects, I sought to create something thematically fitting and visually satisfying in terms of connecting with the overall album or sonic expression.

In the case of this particular record, I wanted to balance some sense of the chaos, while blending that with a sense of surreal dreaminess. I think this dichotomy is represented in the album and now, the artwork.”


Artwork ‘Eris Awakes’ EP (stream below)

Suppose your music was the soundtrack of
a movie, which one would it be?

DEZ: “From the “Eris Wakes” album I would say “Spaceport 5.”

ANDREW: “I’d say “Senzor” from “Empire of the 4 Moons” Gruselthon Records Germany, since that whole comp is already sort of a soundtrack to a science fiction novel of the
same name by Enko Landmann.”

What’s the best track and album you heard this year?

ANDREW: “If I only get one, what I’ve had on regular repeat is Taravana
by Luigi Tozzi off Deep Blue: Volume 3 on Hypnus Records. Anything on
Hypnus if I get more than one.”

NOELL: “Best album Cat le Bon “Pompeii” and best
track “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” by Roy Ayer’s”

If you were asked to cover
a Xmas song which one would it be?

ANDREW: “If my hand was forced I’d opt for all tracks
of the William Shatner Christmas Album simultaneously.”

DEZ: “The Chipmunk Song.”

NOELL: “Whams! Last Christmas for the win.
The music video for this song is amazing.
Go watch it!”

Name 3 things you really want to happen in 2023.

DEZ: “We would like to release a full album which we plan to do in late Spring 2023.
We definitely will release more videos and remixes. We would love to tour more and possibly performing in Europe would be the dream!”

NOELL: “In 2023 I would like to see Global Action and attention towards Climate
change, women and trans rights, the end of Ukraine crisis, a resolution to Iran’s
civil unrest, Somalia’s famine. Covid is still with us! I would like to see more people
wear a mask. Lastly, on a personal level, I just want to hang out with more cats!”

ANDREW: “I can’t get the reins around just 3 things on a world scale so I’m going to restrain my picks to what I’d like to happen in my personal realm of music. For that much simpler 3: I’d like to see collaborations spawn collaborations. I’d like to be near people listening and seeing in ways that surprise them. I want to remember as much of it as possible.”

Thank you Dez, Andrew, Noell ad Jeff for this chat.
May the road rise with Violet Nox in 2003!

Stream/buy
Eris Awakes
here…


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VIOLET NOX: Facebook – Spotify – Bandcamp

How Was 2022 For Blistering Scottish BLAH BLAH BLAH Engine MEMES?

Posted on by JL

7 December 2022

Glaswegian post-punks MEMES are a sharp-teethed and politically/socially outspoken
2-motor engine that produces loud and clear uppercuts. From their steamed-up debut single, Blah Blah Blah, (released in 2019) on, my ears fell in love with the duo’s blistering sound.

And when I saw them cheering up the crowd in Antwerp (Belgium) last April, when playing
a whirlwind post-Fontaines D.C. show I knew they are here to stay, leading us to more big bangers in 2023.

But first this chat with the nephews (yep, they are family) about nonsmokers, Wham, Steve Lamacq, the Scottish national anthem and more. And as usual Turn Up The Volume starts an interview with a slice of music. Here’s MEMES newest single Leader.

Hell John,
Hell Paul,

How/when did you start jour musical journey?

“We were playing in another band together with some other musicians. It became really difficult and really expensive to drive drum kits around in vans to gigs so we decided to try and simplify our sound as much as possible and see if we could play a show with only the bare essentials, that is how MEMES were born.

Our first gig we played Blah Blah Blah four times as we only had 1 song. Our second gig was a BBC 6 Music live session for Steve Lamacq (note TUTV: a former legendary NME writer) so we had to hit the ground running.”

What’s the story behind the band’s name?

“We wanted something short and snappy the same as how we intended our songs
to be short and snappy. We originally wanted to call ourselves MUCK but
that name was taken.”

Which song would you pick to introduce MEMES to people who never heard of you?

“Probably Blah Blah Blah as it captured the true essence of what the band is.”

Well, BLAH BLAH BLAH worked for me. With that nasty bass riff,
it made me an instant MEMES fan. What’s the song about?

“Blah Blah Blah was recorded in a bedroom in 2 hours, no overdubs no fancy production tricks just one take of everything and wham bam it was done. You can’t get more punk than that. We were just having some fun and I think you can hear it in the recording.”

Who/what inspired your blistering post-punk sound?

“When we started experimenting with the drum loops on the laptop we realised it sounded good with a heavy distorted bass guitar, we wanted to keep it simple and angry. No gimmicks and focus on the essence, this is what people we admire like Lou Reed and Chuck Berry wanted to achieve .”

My number 2 on my fav MEMES list is CHEER UP. There’s not a lot
to cheer about lately. Name 3 things we should cheer up for anyway.

“The lyrics to Cheer Up change every time we gig depending on who we want
to poke fun at that day. You are right there is not much to cheer about
lately that is for sure. Cheer Up because 100% of nonsmokers will die.”

Suppose you were asked to write your own version of the national
Scottish item how would it sound and what would it be named?

“It would definitely sound angry and we would name it ‘Jock Around The Clock.’”

You played several shows in Europe this year. Any special tour memories?

“We loved touring in Europe it was so much fun, especially after being locked down like caged animals for a year and a half. A particular favourite was playing Supersonic in Paris, good times.”


Cheering Up In Belgium (Photo by Turn Up The Volume)

There’s a lot of media attention, fortunately, for the growing financial costs/problems of touring, affecting obviously smaller bands/acts.
How do you manage to do want you do in these difficult times?

“As we mentioned earlier, the price of van hire and petrol etc is making it really
difficult for bands to tour, we are stripped down to the bare bones and it is still
very difficult. But where there is a will there is a way.”

Which artist(s)/band(s) would you love to tour with and why?

“We really love Black Midi and would love to tour with them.”


Black Midi – Antwerp, Belgium (photo by Turn Up The Volume)

If MEMES music would soundtrack a movie, which want would it be?

“It would have to be Braveheart then we could put our version
of the Scottish national anthem in the soundtrack.”

The best track and album you heard this year?

‘It’s a few years old but we have been listening to it a lot this year which is Damo Suzuki from CAN with Black Midi as his backing band, live from the Windmill in Brixton, London. Damo Suzuki and Black Midi together it doesn’t get much better than that and we highly recommend it.”

If MEMES would cover a Xmas song,
which one would it be?

“Last Christmas by Wham!”

Which song (s) will you play on New Year’s Eve and why?

“Hopefully one of our own songs if we can get a gig that night.”

Name three things you really want to happen in 2023 for the band?

“Our priority for 2023 is to make our debut album. We would also love to tour Europe more and see some new countries. Thats only 2 things but we can’t think of a third.”

Thank you for this chat, John and Paul.
May the road rise with Memes in 2023

One more for the road.


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MEMES: Facebook – Spotify – Bandcamp – Instagram

INTERVIEW – How Was 2022 For Norwegian Symphonic Pop Trio DIM GRAY?

Posted on by JL

1 December 2022


Photo by Emile Vestre

DIM GRAY are three Norwegian musicians coming from different places, both musically and geographically. All three have contrasting backgrounds in genres as diverse as black metal, progressive rock, blues, folk and film music, but in fusing these together they have developed their own distinctive sound.

On their excellent second album, named FIRMAMENT the trio floats in a universe
where the poignancy and starry-eyed melodrama of Sigur Rós and the spiritual
vocality of day-and-night dreamers Fleet Foxes become one.

Turn Up The Volume wanted to know, and you probably too, about these symphonic pop architects. But as usual, we start an interview with a piece of music. Here’s Mare, one
of the highlights of the longplayer.

Hello Tom
Hello Oskar
Hello Håkon

How/when started DIM GRAY start its musical career?

Tom: “We first met in 2012 when we all started to study for our bachelors
degree in music in Olso, and Dim Gray was formed soon after early 2013.”

What’s the story behind the band’s name?

Tom: “We had our first gig and needed a name. We had several suggestions,
and I think all of them had a colour in them. After several suggestions back
and forth between Håkon and me into the wee hours, we ended up with
“Dim Gray.”

Now all these years later, I feel we have grown into the
name, and give it even more meaning with our music.”

Which song would you pick to introduce DIM GRAY
to people who never heard of you?

Håkon: “Maybe Mare, Avalon | The Tide and Black Sun is a good start
to get to know Dim Gray and we still enjoy playing them live also.”

Oskar: “I think Avalon | The Tide from Firmament would be a good
starting point. I feel like that song is “quintessentially Dim Gray,” with
important contributions from all three of us, and I also think it’s
one of our best ones yet.”

Tom: “Personally I would pick Mare or Ashes from Firmament.
They are pretty different, but still hold the essence of Dim Gray
in my ears.”

Last September you released your second album called FIRMAMENT.
Is there an overall theme or do the songs stand on their own?

Oskar: “It might be a stretch to call Firmament a concept album, but nevertheless
there are some common themes running through the album. We wanted the album
to feel like a journey, and the sequencing of the songs is very deliberate with
regard to the lyrics.

The idea was that each track should work on its own, whilst painting a greater picture when taken together with the rest of the album. And so while each song might mean something very specific to its respective lyricist, we use recurring imagery in order to
tie up the greater story.”

The album’s artwork is so stylish. Who developed it
and what did you want to express with that image?

Oskar: “Thank you! The artwork and design was done by my brilliant girlfriend Linnea Vestre. She has made the artwork for every release we’ve ever done. Where the cover for Flown was muted and subtle – and that was correct for that album – I felt that it should look more vivid and iconic this time around, to reflect the more direct, colourful, and diverse sound of the album.

I knew I ideally wanted a wave to fit with the album’s watery theme; The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai (note: Japanese painter and printmaker) (as well as the album cover for Keane‘s Under The Iron Sea were on the mood board. The moment I saw Linnea’s first draft I knew that it was right. I think the way that the wave wraps around the physical version is ingenious!”

Were all three of you involved in the making of the longplayer?

Tom: “We were all involved in one way or another. Music and lyrics have
primarily been written by Oskar and Håkon, but we have all had a hand in
arranging and creating the finished result.”

Håkon: “Yes, I think it is good to collaborate in the writing process
to get more ideas and find a fresh perspective. We start writing by
ourselves and then we meet up to figure out the shapes and sounds
afterward.”

CANNONS is one of my favs off the album. What is the song about and
what story did you want to tell with the funny accompanying video?

Håkon: “The song started with the main guitar riff and it took a while to
figure out how to use it, but luckily all the parts fell together in the end. It’s
about the frustration of when you get older, there are so many chores and
the same routines every day.

It made me a little crazy at the time and I waited for something big
that could wake me up. We did a music video and wanted it to be fun
and playful.

We know a magician friend named Mats Svalebjørg and decided
to do a more literal interpretation of the lyric with a cannon.

We are really happy with the results and it was an amazing experience!”

Which big-name artist(s)/band(s) would you love to tour with and why?

Oskar: “Joining Peter Gabriel on his newly announced tour wouldn’t be half bad.
He’s a very important hero of mine and I think it would be a good fit musically.”

Tom: “I think that to tour with Muse or Porcupine Tree would be very cool!”

Håkon: “I think Jack White, PJ Harvey, Wilco or Paul Simon
would have been incredible.”

What movie would you pick to soundtrack your music?

Tom: “Tough question. Either a Studio Ghibli film or
a nature documentary narrated by David Attenborough!”

Håkon: “I daydream that The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings
of Power series wants to use one of our soundtracks one day!”

Oskar: “It could be anything from somber drama to vivid fantasy
or dark sci-fi. Maybe something like Arrival; although Jóhann Jóhannssons
score for that film is already perfect.”

The best track and album you heard this year?

Håkon: “I like Jack White’s new albums Fear Of The Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive.
Very cool that he released one electric and one acoustic this year. I enjoy the track
A Tip From You To Me.”

Tom: For me, it’s Astroraur‘s album Portals and the track Black Hole Earth.

Oskar: “I recently stumbled across Grizzly Bear singer/guitarist Daniel Rossen’s
new solo album You Belong There, and it probably takes the top spot for me
this year.

It’s an uncompromising album that doesn’t sound like anything else I’ve heard.
For top track I’m going to go with For You The Night Is Still by Becca Stevens and
Attaca Quartet, from another of my favourite albums from this year.”

THE event – good and bad – of 2022?

Tom: “Regarding Dim Gray, I think it must have been the way we were
received in Stockholm when we supported Marillion on their Weekend there.
A night I will never forget.”

If DIM GRAY would cover a Xmas song, which one would it be?

Oskar:“I would be very surprised if we ever did, but never say never.
I’ve been playing with Big Big Train this year, and one of the songs we did
is a beautiful, melancholic Christmas song titled Snowfalls. It’s one of my
favourite Big Big Train songs and probably my favourite Christmas
song too, so I wouldn’t mind doing that one.”

Håkon: “Very hard to choose! It would have been fun to
do Fairytale Of New York by The Pogues (Feat. Kirsty MacCool).”

Tom: “I’m not sure if it would fit Dim Gray, but one of my all-time
favourite Christmas songs is ‘Merry Christmas Darling’ by Carpenters.

Which song will you play at New Year’s Eve and why?

Håkon: “Auld Lang Syne is a classic and I need to hear this at least once before midnight!”

Oskar: “I might live out my inner synth-pop fantasies with Til/slutt from Amalie Holt Kleive’s excellent debut album, released this year. It’s in Norwegian, but it’s a banger!”

What do you really want to happen in 2023 for DIM GRAY?

Tom: “Would love to go on tour again. We had a blast traveling with
Big Big Train in September, so hopefully we’ll get to tour again during 2023.”

Oskar: “I want us to achieve the lofty goals we have set in terms of writing,
recording, gigging, and putting ourselves out there in 2023!”


Photo by Emile Vestre

Thank you Tom, Håkon and Oskar for this interview.
May the road rise with Dim Gray next year.

Stream/buy
FIRMAMENT
here…


.
DIM GRAY: Facebook – Instagram

A Chat With Arresting And Prolific Songstress JEEN

Posted on by JL

4 November 2022

All-round Canadian singer/songwriter JEEN not only canned/released 6 albums in 7 years in her own right but she writes – then and now – for other artists too, such as ‘Great Big Sea’, ‘Serena Ryder’, ‘Res’, ‘Hawksley Workman’, ‘Brendan Canning’, ‘FUWA FUWA’, Martin ‘Doc’ McKinney and more. That’s what I call a centipede songsmith.

She operates in a broad spectrum of pop, rock, folk, and all related music genres she likes. Lyrically a lot of her songs reflect personal experiences and issues. Don’t expect a lot of musings about the birds and the bees.

Last September Jeen’s new full-length, baptized Tracer came out. An arresting, sparkling, and at times turbulent and flamboyant work. Listen to it below and fall in love, as I did.

As usual Turn Up The Volume starts an interview with a piece of music. I picked one of my
favorite highlights, the LP’s opener Chemical Emotion, a magical mixed emotions gem.

Hello Jeen,
welcome and thanks
for doing this Q & A.

How and when did your music career start, Jeen?

“I was 13 when I got my first guitar/wrote my first song and that was the beginning
of the end I guess. I quit high school and moved out of my parents in gr. 10 to pursue music full-time. It was hard a lot of the time at the start, being only 16/17 yrs. And
on my own in this industry. In retrospect, I guess I kind of fed myself to the wolves.

I had to busk to pay my rent and that’s how I met my first manager when I was
singing n the street. He was a well-connected guy at the time so I was swept up
by the wealth/success, he had but ultimately it ended badly because I signed away
my publishing rights to them, all before the age of like 22 (I did manage to sue
them and get my publishing rights back over a decade later).

Anyway, not an easy start in some ways but I learned a lot too.”

You also write for other artists. If you do so, do you have the artist’s
music in your mind or is it a JEEN song for somebody else to perform?

“Maybe depends on the circumstances a bit but if I’m writing for someone else’s album I just want them to be happy with it because in the end it will be theirs, not mine, so I follow their lead. If it’s another artist’s work it’s my job to help create something they resonate with, something that gets them excited, and if/when that happens it makes me happy too.

Different scenario but I’ve also co-written for someone’s side project where there were multiple writers and I was asked to share some of the lead singing… so that process had more of a personal touch where I would contribute with my own nuances in mind.

Approaches vary though, like I had an old song I had written in my teens but never put out or released or anything and a vocal trio decided to record a version and include it in their live show. In that situation, it was a song I had fully written alone but just not a song I could connect with or use myself as an artist.”

Which track would you pick to introduce your music
to people who do not know your work?

“Hard to pick just one but the first that comes into my head is maybe the song Jungle
or Shallow or Buena Vista? Because they sort of walk the middle line of the spectrum.

However, those recordings have my older more lo-fi self-production, which I don’t necessarily prefer but still, they have the right roots. in terms of the more recent LPs
I would say Chemical Emotion and Anything You Want would be good intros to my stuff too.”

You made/recorded/released 6 longplayers in 7 years. So I suppose you never
had a songwriter’s block and how can you even find time to work for others?

“Well, I haven’t been doing a lot of co-writing for others lately so my time has been my own at least. I’ve gotten myself into a loop now where I’m basically low grade uncomfortable when I’m not writing like a vague sense of distress starts setting in if too much time passes.

I don’t particularly struggle with writer’s block but there are plenty of times I have to stop writing for the day (or days) because I am sucking. I also write a lot of songs that never see the light of day because they aren’t good enough and loads of ideas that I start and never finished for the same reason. So, no long-term writing blocks necessarily but I have my issues.”

The new album TRACER came out two weeks ago. Is there
a big picture to it or do the songs stand on their own?

“I think they stand on their own but are def chapters from the same book. putting out albums back to back has made the writing process for each LP pretty condensed. the songs for Tracer were all written in a pretty small phase of time so although I see them as pictures or snapshots of a larger scene they are each very much their own little island as well.”

The album’s cover is a bit blurry and you look at us
with one scary eye. Is there a story behind the image?

“Haha, because shit is serious, Jean-Luc. I’m not fucking around lol joking. I was just
falling in love with those old seventies photos where they would overlay 2 images/double exposure stuff. I would like to explore that style more in the future, where it gets super dreamy and hazed out but this was my first attempt.

The word Tracer was meant to reference the trails you see behind movement when
you take drugs like acid/LSD or even just when you’re a kid writing words in the air with a sparkler/fire cracker. Something that is there but not there, so I was hoping to get a bit of that feel too. The flowers on this album cover are also the same flowers in the Little Idea video.”

One of the singles is the glorious LP’s opener CHEMICAL EMOTION.
What’s the song about? Any connection with the fox in the video?

“I was going through some stuff when I wrote this album and this song was
me trying to convince myself to just let it go a bit or at least make some peace
with the chaos or something.

It’s a song about the people/places/things that keep you going and get you excited about being alive because shit can be really hard sometimes and without those charms and good triggers what are we left with. Also had that Hunter S. Thompson quote in my head at the time: “Buy the ticket, take the ride”. I love that line.”

LITTLE IDEA, another single, is a magnific and moody ballad.
Was that the idea when you wrote it?

“I was unsure of this one at times in the album process because I thought it was too soft and different from my usual stuff. The melody came easy, like I’d always known it almost but as convenient as that sounds it also cornered me because every time I’d try and make an adjustment or even change the lyrics it would threaten to fall apart. It was a little more fragile than the others I guess you could say.

I was initially worried about including it on the Tracer LP at all in fear it might be too far off the rest of the album but Ian and Steph (co-producer/guitarist + drummer) convinced me otherwise, thankfully.

Did you listen to records of other artists to inspire
you in the writing process for the album?

“Weirdly I don’t really listen to music right now or for the last 10, 15 years even.
I know that’s lame of me but yeah, I’d have to say there were no direct influences
in that way for Tracer.”

Suppose TRACER was the soundtrack of a movie.
Which one or what genre would it be, Jeen?

“Any cartoon/animated movie would be cool.”

We’re nearing the end of 2022. What’s the best
track and album you heard so far, Jeen?

“See question #9, I’m so clueless on this stuff. Although I will say my band
mate/co-producer Ian put out a sweet record with his band, Ian Blurton’s
Future Now this year, called Second Skin and it’s excellent.

Three things you really want to happen
in 2023, musically and/or privately?

I hope I get to make/release another album.

Would love to start a side project, co-writing/share vocals.

And it would be great to see working musicians get more of what
is deserved in terms of a fair/functioning/sustainable ecosystem in
this industry or music is doomed.

Thank you for this interview, Jeen.
May the road rise with you.

Buy/stream
TRACER here…


.
JEEN: Linktree

A Chat With Affecting Northern Irish Songsmith And Wholehearted Americana Voice LEE ROGERS

Posted on by JL

20 October 2022

LEE ROGERS is an affecting singer-songwriter from the small town of Carrickfergus in Northern Ireland blessed with a warm, melancholic, and wholehearted American voice. His musical inspiration was drawn from classic voices outside of the tensions in his homeland. Bill Withers, Marc Cohen, Tom Waits, and other great ones.

Last May he released his new – 2nd – longplayer named GAMEBLOOD. An arresting
work featuring riveting grooves and soul-stirring balladry, compelling stories, masterly arrangments, instantly sticking melodiousness, and magnific vocals. Before talking about
it and much more Turn Up The Volume starts an interview, as usual, with a piece of music to get us in the right mood.

Hello Lee, welcome

At what age and how did you discover
that you had this remarkable voice?

“I was playing guitar and learning other people’s songs, trying to sing along when I was around 16/17 years old. I think that my voice now reflects the life that I have lived, and feels unique to me.”

At one point you started singing in bars and pubs 7 days a week. For the money?
For the joy of it? You were dreaming of doing this for a living? Or all these things together?

“I started singing in bars and pubs around 1999. At the time I wanted to see if I could
make a living playing music, which I did, but for me, it became soul-destroying playing in those places every night. I wanted something more, so I started recording my originals.”

You’re a DIY artist. What does that really mean in practice?

“I’m not sure what a DIY artist even means. If it means ‘Do it yourself’,
I get too much support from other people to ever say that.”

.
You recorded your debut album DRAWING CLOCKS in 2006.
What does it feel like to have a record out and hear yourself
on the radio?

“It’s always nice to hear my own songs on the radio.
It’s something I don’t think I’ll ever get used to.”

Which of your songs would you pick to introduce yourself
as an artist to people who never heard of you?

“Everytime, uneasy love.”

What does making music mean for your heart, soul and mind?

“It had been a while since I have released new music, and I have forgotten all the emotions and feelings that come with playing new songs. It’s a difficult question to answer because today there are so many moving components around going out to play your own music, and lots of that take up your time. But on stage, it is always a spiritual experience.”

There’s a 16-year gap between your debut and your 2nd album.
What happened in between?

“My record label had to take a break from what they were doing, just on the cusp of good things happening, and the break turned out to be a lot longer than expected. I reverted back to my trade, and tattooed folk for a living, which fulfilled my need for art and creation for a time.”

Is there a big picture/theme behind the writing/recording
of your new album GAMEBLOOD?

“Honesty. This had to be an honest album. This had to be me facing my own
demons, looking back, looking forward, and what was happening right now.”

The LP’s title and the artwork look a bit scary.
What’s the story/inspiration behind both?

“I left Mark Reihill with a copy of the music and asked him to create what he envisioned when he was listening to it. With the music with the ‘Gameblood’ title, he came up with
this animalistic and primal version of me.”

Did you listen to records of other artists to inspire
you during in the writing process of the songs?

“No, not at all. I had so many life experiences, lessons learned, life experiences,
as well as my failures and battles, won that it was all the inspiration I needed.
I wasn’t listening to music during these times.”

Suppose GAMEBLOOD was a movie, which one would it be?

“I’m not sure, but if it was a movie, it would be directed
by Tarantino and scripted by Nicholas Sparks. Haha.”

LIFE AND LIES is my absolute favorite of the album.
It feels so real. What’s the inspiration behind the song?

“Barflys, finding love and light in the darkest of places. I’ve had some experiences of those moments myself. Just when you think you have hit rock bottom, there is always a glimmer of hope.”

Slowly but surely 2022 is nearing its end. What’s the best
track and album you heard so far?

“I’m listening to stuff that is immediately around me these days. So for me,
lots of that has been, Gareth Dunlop ‘Animal’ and Foy Vance ‘Signs of life’.”

.
Next step for Lee Rogers?

“I never have plans, I never look too far ahead. Life has taught me that planning
day to day is more than enough. At least whatever happens next will always be a surprise.”

Thank you, Lee, for taking
time to do this interview.
May the road rise with you.

Stream GAMEBLOOD here via Spotify

.
Available via iTunes

LEE ROGERS: Website – Facebook – Instagram

From Lost Soul To ‘Fuck It, You Only Live Once’ Mindset – Meet Passionate Berlin Artist KAT KOAN

Posted on by JL

19 October 2022

KAT KOAN is a Berlin-based artist with a passion for expressing intense emotions through music and visuals. With her Belgian musical partner Raymond Rose she canned her second album COCOON and released it on 7 October.

A sonically versatile and compelling record with Koan speaking and singing her mind
and her heart out. Think Garbage‘s charismatic Amazon Shirly Manson. She’s backed by
lost souls when she hits the stage and her new-found motto is fuck it, you only live once. Following the awful pandemic and lockdowns, it’s definitely a reality-related state of mindset to face life in the future.

As usual, Turn Up The Volume starts an interview with
a piece of music to get us all in the right mood.

Hello Kat,
Welcome

On your website, I read that making music is a great excuse to
escape real life. When/how did you start your musical journey, Kat?

“I studied Media Arts and TV production and work as a video producer by day.
It’s a pretty stressful job but I love it. During my time as a commercials producer
in London, I realized that I’m obsessed with the way music can elevate visuals.

So I started to make soundscapes from everyday sounds that I recorded on my phone, spending hours on end trying to put the sounds together in rhythmic ways. After a massive burn out I decided to just leave everything behind and make a drastic change, I moved to Berlin to start over- and to try new things.

The city is great. nobody here asks you that ‘what do you do?’ question so I suddenly felt
a lot less pressure to pretend to be ‘someone’ and less pressure to work like a maniac in order to make ends meet.

It’s less of a rat race, so I found more headspace to spend time on things I really love.
I found out that music is what makes me happy. It’s pretty much the only thing that makes me forget about the mad world we live in and allows me to dive into a place where I can be exactly who I want to be. It’s also the place where I don’t care about what people expect from me or whether I do something right or wrong or quickly or slowly or loud or quietly,
I just do whatever I feel in that moment.

That is liberating coz most other things in life like my family and jobs are subject to routines and rules and objectives. Making music takes me out of the structured results driven world and I am so happy that I have this outlet/ escape. I would probably be in a lunatic asylum if I didn’t have it.”

You’re a DIY artist. What does that really mean in practice?

“Well it means exactly what it says. Do It Yourself. I don’t have a label or publisher or Marketing team etc. I love being an independent artist. I’m free to do whatever I like whenever I feel like it. I don’t make the music by myself tho, I have really cool people in
my life that I partner up with.

I wouldn’t want to and I don’t have the skill to make music on my own. I’m a people’s person, I love to bounce ideas and collaborate with people who are on a similar planet.”

Which track would you pick to introduce your
music to people who do not know your work, Kat?

“This is hard coz they are all my babies and it’s tricky to pick a favorite coz all babies have different personalities. I don’t know how to pick one. I think the one that is closest to how
I am as a person is Silly Me from my first album Lustprinzip. Coz I love tackling dark topics.. some crappy experiences that affected me a lot, but turning that into a humorous story.
I find that super cathartic. To take the Mickey out of your own misfortunes.”

A couple of weeks you released your 2nd album called COCOON. Is there
a big picture/theme for the record or are all songs standing on their own?

“This record sounds like I’m schizophrenic in a way coz there are so many mad emotions in the songs. They are all very real, which took some guts to vocalize but I’m proud that we managed to bring it all across in a raw and real way. It’s not as sexually charged as my first album.

This new album COCOON was written during the lockdown, so many emotions that were pent up inside had time and space to surface and they sure came out with a vengeance. Anger, procrastination, questions about the way we C/O-exist in this society, and some new relationship issues like jealousy, infidelity, breakups. So it’s a more grown up album with more grown up topics.”

Who developed the blurry artwork of the LP?
And is there a story behind the image?

“The photo was taken by my husband Patrick Tichy and the artwork was designed
by Stefan Lucut, a good friend of mine. It’s blurred coz that’s how I felt during the time of the lockdowns. Confused and kinda loud in my head, with a huge urge to express it all. Not being able to go out and perform or even just to meet people made me feel like a caged up animal. So the motion blur felt like a good way to visualize that.”

Newest single STAY (featuring Freddie Dickson) has a melancholic
feel, so does the video’s performance. What’s the song about, Kat?

“I love Freddie. He’s the nicest dude and so very talented. He is making a new album
at the moment and I am VERY excited about it, it will sound amazing. I feel very lucky
that we met and collaborated on 3 songs on this album, Stay being one of them.

The question about the meaning is a very good one coz quite frankly I don’t know. I normally spend hours and days writing and re-writing lyrics. With this song something mad happened. My music partner Raymond Rose sent me a basic idea for a sound and I got goosebumps, sat down on my bed with a rubbish microphone and just recorded a take of whatever came into my head.

We ended up keeping that take coz the emotion in it was so right that we didn’t wanna mess with it. So it was literally a somewhat otherworldly outburst of an unintentional story. In the widest sense, I guess the song is about regretting not saying things when
I should have said something.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell a person how you feel
for fear of rejection or vulnerability or shame.”

Did you listen to records of other artists to inspire
yourself in the writing process of the album?

No, I don’t listen to anything else when I’m writing coz I don’t want to be influenced.
I wanna get into a zone and block out other people’s ideas. For me, it’s about expressing intense emotions. My partner Raymond Rose in Belgium is amazing at tuning into these emotions and expressing them musically.

I don’t think I’ve ever had that kind of ‘thing’ before, not to this extent.. where someone gets under your skin and revs you up in just the right ways. Sometimes I wonder how the hell it’s possible to be on the same creative wavelength with a person. It’s pretty rare and very precious.”

You covered KYLIE MINOGUE’s 2003 sensual hit SLOW.
Why did you pick this song to cover?

“We wanted to take a classic pop song and turn it into a darker, more badass version. Making this cover helped us to develop the overall sound of the album.

I love Kylie. She likes sparkly outfits, so do I. There isn’t a deeper meaning behind the song choice. I’m happy with the way it turned out. It’s a really cool sound. Really enjoyed making the video for it too, it’s an ode to Berlin- the messy colorful creative haven I live in.

Is your band THE LOST SOULS involved in the songwriting and the recording?

“No, it’s all Raymond and me. But I love my band here in Berlin, great bunch of people.
We have started to play live and the energy is insane.

You should come and check it out sometime. It’s a lot of fun. I’ve recently adopted a
‘fuck it you only live once’ attitude which changed the way we perform. We just wanna
have a good time and connect with people. There’s no other agenda.

Suppose COCOON was the soundtrack of a movie.
Which one or what genre would it be?

It would be a dark comedy. Some anger, some sex, some sadness, some silliness.

Our songs have a soundtrack feel. I’m mostly inspired by visuals so our songs have
a kind of vibe that you could imagine on tv/ movie scenes as they are all built around
a mood, a place, a scent, or a taste that we had in mind when we wrote them.”

We’re nearing the end of 2022. What’s the best track and album you heard so far?

“My favorite new artist/ band I discovered this year is Lulu Van Trapp, a French artist/ band. She’s a firecracker. I believe every word she says and I love how liberated she is as a woman and how much energy she has and how much fun she is having.

I also saw the Viagra Boys live. Omg, so much power. Their sound is great and the lyrics resonate very much with me. I’ve mostly been enjoying going to live concerts. I’m a bit overloaded with all the music that’s coming out on streaming platforms every day.

Seeing bands play live is different tho, coz you experience it properly and have a bit more of a connection. I’m looking for realness, I like people who have something to say and hit the zeitgeist with their lyrics and their music.”

Next step for KAT KOAN & THE LOST SOULS?

“I wanna play live with the band as much as possible, it is so cool to finally bring
the songs to life and come up with creative ideas to put on a good show.

Raymond and I are also currently finishing up demos for a new album
and figuring out some new sound ideas. Can’t stop won’t stop.”

Thank you for this interview, Kat.
May the road rise with you.

Stream/buy COCOON here.


.
KAT KOAN: Website – Instagram – Linktree

The Big NME Interview With BJÖRK Who Has Her New Album ‘FOSSORA’ Out

Posted on by JL

1 October 2022

Iceland’s heroine BJÖRK released her new,
10th album, named FOSSORA yesterday.

British legendary music magazine NME (New Musical Express) had a weekly
issue until about 6 years ago, and still continues to be a very informative source
for music (and more stuff, like movies, games, books) talked to Björk about her
new record and lots of other things.

5 Quotes

“It’s very much a ‘sit by the fireplace and have a drink
with friends in your living room’ sort of album.”

“I had a really complicated relationship with the US:
the mass murders, the racial violence, Trump.”

“Gen Z-ers are really radical, and I’m relieved
that the environment is a priority for them.”

“I was always quite offended by the way Kate Bush was
written about like she was a crazy witch – or me being
a crazy elf.”

“I’ve written all my scores for 20 years, you know. I’m not bragging,
I’m just saying that because people still want me to be a naive elf.
If we were guys, we would be taken more seriously.”

Full interview HERE


Artwork new LP

Stream FOSSORA here.

.
BJÖRK: Facebook – Instagram

British Iconic Music Mag NME Interviewed Comeback Rockers KASABIAN’s Mastermind

Posted on by JL

23 Augustus 2022


(photo credit NME)

Two years ago Leicester’s rock heroes KASABIAN fired their flamboyant frontman Tom Meighan after he got convicted for assaulting his girlfriend (afterward, they got married).

The band’s songwriter Serge Pizzorno, who occasionally
sang Kasabian songs in the past, is the new vocalist, on the
brand new LP, baptized THE ALCHEMIST’S EUPHORIA.


(Serge Pizzorno – photo by Turn Up The Volume)

NME and Serge Pizzorno sat down for an
extensive interview about the past and the future of the band.

“The aftermath of Tom’s departure was like trying to pick up the pieces of your life”

“Our earlier years were beautiful and always will be, but that was then and this is now”

“The band wanted to carry on. What else were we gonna do?”

“Liam Gallagher’s always been beautiful to us. There’s nothing but support and love.”

“There’s some beautiful things on the way. The album feels great and we’re really happy”

FULL INTERVIEW HERE

Stream the new album on Spotify

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KASABIAN: Facebook – Instagram