Tell us about Sean your new drummer, how did he get involved with the band?
We were literally thinking about every drummer we'd ever come across, it was a hell of a brainstorm! We'd crossed paths with Sean a few times before but were reluctant to ask him because we knew he had other commitments. As it turns out he got in touch with us when he found out we needed someone and came up for a few practices. He settled in very quickly, I don't think we could have had a better result!
What have you been listening to recently?
We were meant to be doing some dates in Germany with a band called Braindead from Hamburg but unfortunatly we couldn't make it across. We played with them in Hamburg last year and got their album and its been on a lot in the kitchen. Pretty much straight up skacore, a bit hardcore and dubby in places and all played with real energy. Worth checking out.
I read a review recently that said the ska-punk scene was too full. Is this true? Any decent up-and-coming underground bands we should be looking out for?
I think thats a very hard think to judge and I hope new bands aren't put off by thinking that. The ska-punk scene is very much one that has to take care of itself, its not lucrative and it's very much pure enthusiasm that keeps it going. There's up-and-coming bands emerging all the time, if people keep their ears to the ground they'll regularly find a few gems.
Do you tailor your set lists or notice a change in how you perform whether you’re playing a small venue or a festival stage? Are you playing large venues on the upcoming King Blues tour?
The setlists aren't really tailored that much, we might keep it heavier if it's a heavier set of bands we're playing with. The vibe is different in small places and festivals. If you're in the corner of a little room it's great because the energy is very compact and you can really have a laugh with people; it feels like a group of mates at a party or something similar. At a big festival it can be an incredible experience but obviously you lose that connection, everything has to be bigger and exaggerated and you've more space to fill. Both settings are great but for different reasons. There's a few places on the King Blues tour we've never played before so that'll be fun - I'm guessing the venues are gonna be kind of mediumbigsmallbigmedium or around that size.
Have you seen the recession affect venues and gig attendance in the past year or so? How do you think fans, bands and promoters can keep live music alive?
A lot of venues have closed down recently which is a real shame, I honestly can't say I've noticed a difference in the gigs themselves though. People can be very creative when they need to be and if they want a gig they'll always find ways of doing it. There's quite a tight network of people helping each other out in the underground, there's always somewhere to play and someone willing to play.
The new album was due out last year, why the delay to 2011?
Originally we had a label interested in putting out but were waiting quite a while for a solid plan, then that fell through and we had another label come on board who were very committed but wanted to wait until the new year. It was funny for while doing gigs and telling people "it'll be out at x time" and then next time saying "we'll have it for this time", I'm glad we finally got a solid date.
Tell us about the new album, how long were you writing and recording?
This one and Inhale/Exhale (2nd album) were written very quickly because we had a definite timescale in between touring. Once the ideas were there things came together pretty quickly in the practice room. We've had a bit of practice now with writing and recording albums so it was fairly smooth process. We recorded it in a week, two days doing drums/bass/guitar in the studio then the rest in our house. It can be really knackering but a lot of fun.
Does this album have an overall personality to it?
I'd maybe say it's a bit punkier than the last one in that the production is more raw and the songs are maybe a bit simpler and more intense. Maybe.
What is a Floating Ghost who is dead to the world?
Some song ideas are sparked off by a specific incident, I went to ask a guy on the street for directions and he went past like I wasn't even there. I'm sure it's happened to a lot of people. It got me thinking about how switched off people can be (and I'm sure I'm guilty of it myself sometimes), it's almost like some people can't handle the fact they have to share the planet with other people sometimes.
Not A Number and 42 Days Off The Record both have Orwellian lyrics and the punk scene has connection with protest movements, whilst not necessarily being an overtly political band, how do you feel about your lyrics influencing fans totake part in campaigning?
The lyrics are never intended to be any kind of call to arms or anything, it's just stuff we're interested in and things that happen around us. I personally wouldn't admit to being any kind of expert on social politics and I've no doubt that a lot of the people who listen to us are probably a lot more clued up on what we're singing about than we are. Likewise a lot of people probably aren't even that bothered about what the songs are about. If it gets someone thinking about something and wanting to find out more about something then that's awesome and it's great to have been part of that process. You see people at shows who are interested in campaigning and I've got a lot of respect for them. It can very often take a lot of commitment and mental strength to devote yourself to something like that.
Ever encountered someone putting a Random Hand lyric or song title on a placard or banner at a protest? What would your reaction be if you saw, say for example, a placard that said ‘Scum Triumphant’?
I'm not quite sure what they'd be protesting against if they had one that said scum triumphant! I've never seen a placard with any lyrics but again it would great to influence someone like that.
Does the track ‘Tales of Intervention’ come from touring in Europe and meeting new people from different countries? Are the lyrics about meeting someone who talks about NATO true?
Again that was influenced by a specific event when we played in Novi Sad in Serbia a while back. There were some really welcoming people at the gig who we were talking to afterwards. They were talking about the conflict and the state of the country. "Tales of Intervention" is basically the entire conversation we had summed up in a song!
Do you still getting members of the audience demanding you “play some ska”?
Yes. All the time.
As far as I know, all 3 of the original members perform their own solo work on occasion, any albums or EPs in the pipeline?
Tilson has quite a few songs recorded and has an EP I believe, Matt does some recording at home but I don't think you can buy anything and I don't have anything recorded! I've got a very relaxed approach to solo stuff!
You’ve encouraged some pretty immense circle pits, any particularly memorable moments?
The first time we played Reading was amazing because we hadn't played to anywhere near that amount of people before, the pit looked like it engulfed the middle of the tent. I think that was pretty special for us. We've had some strange ones before like guys vs girls pits or everyones on their knees or something daft. I'd like to do a pit one day where everyone's on horseback, that'd be good.
You previously filmed live gigs, what are the plans for the footage?
At some point I think we're hoping to do a DVD but we're still planning it at the moment... we'll keep you posted!
And finally, the track Henchmen seems to be about not being a Henchman, but if you did become a minion to an Evil Villain whom would you serve?
A highly regarded old school English actor. Alan Rickman maybe? In fact yes, I'd be one of the "Germans" from Die hard.
