Thanks for taking having a chat with us here in Nottingham, how does it feel to be headlining the 'UK's premier indoor festival'?

 

Arya: Well I think we're the UK's premier band so it's a good fit isn't it? Haha. It's wicked, it's nice to be thought of like that, like we can fill up what is a great festival package. It's nice to be thought of in that way.

 

Dan: For us as well, Bristol and Nottingham are strongholds for us. When we see those cities on the tours we know they're gonna be rocking gigs. So it's really cool to come and party here.

 

You mentioned the 'festival package', who stands out on the lineup for you?

 

Arya: Yeah, I want to see Cancer Bats, While She Sleeps.

 

Dan: I saw a bit of While She Sleeps last night, they were really rocking.

 

Arya: I wanted to see Frnkiero (And The Cellebration) but I think we're on then. Earlier on in the year we went to see Gerard Way and that was really good. 

 

Dan: And we'll check in on the other two (former MCR members) later.

 

How much do you guys enjoy playing festivals? I've seen you before at Download and it just seems to suit you down to the ground.

 

Arya: They're where we feel at home really. It's a condensed set unless you're headlining like we are today. You can just go out there and smash it for that half an hour forty minutes. You can really show off your repertoire, there are less peaks and troughs.

 

Dan: If you're doing a festival in the UK like Download you can be playing to 70, 80 thousand people. Then you do one in Leichenstein, like we have done, in front of 2000 people, but they've got the same etiquette. They just want to go nuts, they want to party. That's the wonderful thing about music, it translates so well.

 

Arya: And for us it's great 'cause we get to hang out with a load of bands we wouldn't normally get to on tour. When festival season comes around we could be chilling out having a beer, getting messy with 30 or 40 bands.

 

Dan: Having a beer with every single one.

 

That does sound messy, hopefully it's after your set! From your festival sets you've got the Newport 'Copter, you've got everyone waving like the Queen. Do you ever know what Benji's got next?

 

Dan: No.

 

Arya: No, he just bumbles through seeing what sticks. Seeing what people do when he says it and what catches on. Some of the others like 'get on the floor and scream like a baby' haven't worked. 

 

Dan: With the Newport 'Copter I'm pretty sure the story is that at festivals you're told you can't do the 'wall of death' and you can't do circle pits. So on stage he just said everyone take your tops off kinda thing.

 

Arya: The first time he ever did it was at Download. It wasn't planned, normally we'd play the riff to Warning and he'd be all like Ozzy "I wanna see you go crazy". This time it changed, but that was cool. 

 

Dan: The next thing will probably be set the DJ alight or something. 

 

As you've brought up Benji, I reckon he's one of the best, most infectious frontmen around. Where do you guys think he sits?

 

Arya: I think he's the best out there at doing what he does. I think all the guys he took influence from aren't in the game anymore. 

 

Dan: No they're not, but you couldn't really pin down anyone and say "oh he's doing this".

 

Arya: I've always like him because he's always been a frontman. He's never played an instrument and then just become a frontman. It's hard to put into words. 

 

It doesn't seem to matter whether he's got five people in front of him or 70,000. It's still the same intensity.

 

Arya: Yeah, you can't really train that. You can learn all the tricks, but you're never going to have that natural charisma or energy. 

 

Dan: My favourite thing is that people think it's some sort of act and that he comes of stage and he's a different person. He's not, he's being himself. The fact that that works so well is amazing and it's backed up by his voice. We've had singers ask us if he warms up or does exercises, but no he just goes and does it.

 

They must hate him.

 

Arya: I don't think it's a bad thing to use the term rockstar, when you're a kid you dream of being a rockstar and that's what I think Benji is. That's a cool thing, it's not a bad thing.

 

It is when it's so natural, not when you try and force it.

 

Arya: Ahh yeah, it gets well cringe doesn't it?

 

Do you think he inspires a lot of what Will.I.Am is about?

 

Dan: They do look a lot alike actually. I don't think there's any correlation there.

 

Have they ever been in the same room?

 

Dan: That's a good point actually I don't think they have. It's like the old 'you never see Superman and Clark Kent in the same room'. 

 

Arya: I know what you mean. It's not jeans and t-shirt.

 

It's a fur coat or a Union Flag suit.

 

Dan: Wait till you see tonight's. 

 

Is it out there?

 

Dan: It's different year. 

 

Arya: I quite like it. When we did it at Wembley and Andy Copping walked in and just went "Game Of Thrones".

 

On another note, do you know the lyric video for Ninja doesn't help at all with the lyrics?

 

Dan: Hang on just let me get the guy that made it on the phone.

 

Arya: That's good, it was you that made it.

 

Dan: It's visually appealing though right?

 

Oh yeah, it looks great.

 

Dan: Well that's what pause is for. We tried to do something different. Doesn't help? Use pause is my advice. Benji sings too fast.

 

Arya: I can't understand a word he sings. That's a big problem that isn't it?
 

Dan: Yeah, I had to ring him up and ask for the lyrics.

 

Fair enough, pause it is. You've done your support tour with Steel Panther, you've got this festival and a few others around Europe including Camden Rocks. Can we expect a headline tour later in the year?

 

Arya: Yes! We're going to do a headline tour later in the year. We're just trying to sort everything out. There'll be a new album towards the end of the year and a tour. We're taking a year off from your Download and your Reading type festivals to give people chance to know the new songs. I don't want to hear a band playing a load of new songs at a festival, I want the hits.

 

Dan: Yeah, some bands start with a new track and just lose the anticipation. It's even worse when they outright refuse to play certain tracks.

 

So the new album will be out later this year, is it going to be a big hard hitting album like Roots Rock Riot or more chilled out like some of Union Black?

 

Arya: Oh it's hard hitting all the way through. It's in mixing at the moment and will be out around October/November time.

 

Dan: It's like, you know when you see a really hard hitting opera? It's like that, there's a lot of opera on it. Haha.

 

Arya: We've tried to do something that we think the fans want to hear from us. It's all about the riffs. If you like the band you should love it.

 

Cool, well that's the end of the main bit, now for a bit of a random question time with our deck of random question cards. Pick your first one. *Dan picks 3 of diamonds* Ok, do you have any nicknames for each other.

 

Arya: Yeah, Peck. I don't like that one. That's what Mike calls me.

 

Dan: Benji's got tonnes for me on stage. DJ Fuckface. DJ Fuckmouth. Babble Machine. 

 

Arya: You get all the nicknames, but they're all sort of affectionate.

 

Ok, you're on a 3. *higher* 8 of spades. Most embarrassing album in your collection?

 

Arya: I own all of my albums. The ones I've bought.

 

Dan: None of them are embarrassing. Sorry, I thought you meant Skindred albums!

 

You were really thinking about it too.

 

Dan: Haha, I was thinking come on, what sort of question is that? Ummm, the first single I ever bought was Turn Around by Phats And Small.

 

Ok, on an 8. *higher* King of hearts. First gig you went to?

 

Arya: Michael Jackson at Wembley Stadium in 1992.

 

Dan: Manic Street Preachers in Wembley Arena in about '97.

 

Nice. *lower* Queen of spades. Favourite takeaway?

 

Dan: Thai. I love Thai food.

 

Arya: Indian. Definitely. 

 

On a Queen *lower* 2 of hearts Would you rather fight a horse sized duck or 100 duck sized horses?

 

Arya: I'd fight the little ones with my big boots on.

 

Dan: But there's loads of them. What about the big duck, it's just one target. 

 

Arya: Yeah, but with a huge bill and feathers.

 

Dan: A hundred though.

 

Arta: Yeah, but they're little. I'm just kicking them. Also, horses are pretty placid.

 

On a 2 *higher* queen of hearts. Is there another band you wish you were in?

 

Arya: Guns N' Roses rom round about 1985 to around 1993. I'll be the consistent drummer. Or I'd like to be in Queen until Freddie Mercury died.

 

Dan: Doing what I do in a band I'd wanna be Rick Wakeman.

 

Arya: In which band?

 

Dan: Yes. I can then make a career out of that. 

 

Arya: I thought you'd have said Brian Eno. 

 

Dan: No, he's too avant garde. I want to be Rick Wakeman, with the cape.

 

Ok, queen *lower* it's the king of spades. Game over. 

 

*spotting the next card* Dan: What's with the card with the dick on it?

 

Ahh, that's a joker. It's supposed to be what's your favourite word for a dick? Maybe next time. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us and best of luck with the set.

 

Arya: No worries, cheers.