Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, banger.
[00:00:14] Speaker B: Soft play.
[00:00:38] Speaker C: How are you guys feeling today?
[00:00:39] Speaker A: Really good.
[00:00:40] Speaker D: Tip top.
[00:00:40] Speaker A: Really excited.
[00:00:41] Speaker D: Good vibes.
[00:00:42] Speaker A: We're so chuffed to be here. This is the one festival last year that we said to our agent, get us on that festival. So dream come true.
[00:00:52] Speaker C: What is the thing that attracted you to play and giving you the wish to play here?
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Just seeing it online, like, how I couldn't imagine how, like, much effort they put in, like, online. I saw photos of all the sets and the stages. But then you come here and it's even wild.
[00:01:11] Speaker C: Some people say here that it's a Disneyland of metal.
[00:01:14] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[00:01:15] Speaker D: Disneyland.
[00:01:16] Speaker A: You're in heaven slash hell.
[00:01:37] Speaker C: We love to talk about mental health.
I mean, it's something. It's one of the topics we have here on Restless. And one of the questions we might want to ask you is how do you deal with success or celebrity in the rock and metal scene? Because it's been hard for you guys at some point in your career, mate.
[00:01:55] Speaker D: Definitely, it's. It's very mentally taxing. Like, this industry is not really made for, you know, it's a hard environment to look after your mental health in.
Yeah, it's tough. Like, we, We. I think we've. We finally cracked kind of how to do it healthily, if you know what I mean.
We're very. We talk to each other a lot. We're very open with each other about how we're feeling and our crew, you know, we just.
I think half of it is just being open about. About how you're feeling. Because, you know, I know personally and I'm sure everyone else has.
You spend a lot of your life keeping it inside and that's like, often, like, where it goes wrong, you know, And I think just by being open and honest, like, that's.
That's a lot of it.
[00:02:49] Speaker A: I think as well, it's a broader subject for the whole of life and how you deal with your life in general. And communication, like Isaac said, is such a key thing. But all these tools, I think, lead to this one overarching theme that you have to try and be present.
I think a lot of the biggest mental health problems lie with looking backwards or anxiety looking forwards, and the ability to just be in the moment and, like, see what's happening right now.
Whether that's on if you're on the road or if you're at home. They're the skills that you have to try and learn. And I think we've both been in lots of therapy and it's everything. It's 360. It's what you're putting in your body, it's how you're exercising, it's talking.
There's so much of it that can be worked on all the time that it's like, it is like having hygiene, like keeping up with it, like brushing your teeth every day. There are certain things that you need to keep applying yourself to to feel better, because you don't. It's not just the, like, I'm gonna feel good all the time, but knowing that when you do feel that it's gonna pass, that's the sort of good.
[00:03:58] Speaker D: Mental health isn't really encouraged in this industry. I don't think it's one of the only jobs where you're almost encouraged to like drink and take drugs. You know, you arrive at a venue and you've got a fridge full of, of alcohol and like, booze and like drugs are so easy to get. It's like, it's weird, man. But I feel like it is shifting and yeah.
[00:04:26] Speaker C: It'S quite difficult. Maybe even though like, even like painful to like look at yourself at some point in your life and like try to, to be, to be realistic about what's happening and what are you going through.
It takes quite a lot of energy and a lot of will to do it.
[00:04:43] Speaker A: Yeah, you have to.
I call it first player mode. Like, a lot of people just walk around and they're not even self aware. So that's the first task. And if you can become self aware, then it's a really painful process of realizing that all the things that may upset you or make you angry are a reflection of yourself. Like, people are mirrors to us.
And in Buddhism, they say that you spend your whole life shining your own mirror and the ultimate goal is to wish the best for everyone else. And I think recently I've really like dialed in on that thing of if I'm getting upset, angry, frustrated, especially if it's with others, it always ends up being actually something that's going on with me. So becoming aware enough, which is really challenging because you then have to unpick your whole upbringing. It's a huge, It's a lifelong goal. So just starting, it's like you're not going to get muscles at the gym overnight. It's a lifelong thing. And I think it's the same with learning an instrument or being in a band, being successful, any of it, having good relationships. You have to work at it and it's all work. But when you. The discipline is how you build love.
[00:05:52] Speaker C: We have to agree that today it's going to be all about fun, right?
[00:05:55] Speaker D: Yeah.
[00:05:56] Speaker A: Total hedonism.
The middle way.
[00:06:05] Speaker C: How would you describe. Is it like punk or new punk? What would be the definition?
[00:06:09] Speaker A: I'd say, like, it's the easiest way to describe us. And if someone says, what sort of music do you make? I say punk. But in some ways it's more than that. I see us like a comedy theater duo at times on stage. I just don't. It's hard though. Like, labels can be great, but they can also pigeonhole you. There are parts of us that are inspired by hardcore and there are parts that are inspired by pop music. But yeah, punk is the easiest.
[00:06:33] Speaker D: The quick answer is punk, four letters.
[00:06:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:06:53] Speaker C: Because we've been following you guys since the very beginning, from the first EP of Slave. So it's been a while. And I think, I mean, for us the best definition would be freedom to give to a label, to give to your band. Do you agree? How do you feel about being free?
[00:07:08] Speaker D: Yeah, I think we just like. We really just like do what we want in terms of our creativity and our performances. We are literally just doing what we want and what. What we think is fun.
[00:07:19] Speaker A: And it's. It's been a journey into total self acceptance and being authentic. Because at times we've tried to be what we thought audiences wanted. And growing up, Isaac rapped and I think we took a long time to find a place for Isaac's rapping within our music. And on this last record we finally just accepted this is who we are. And for a long time we were uncomfortable with the fact that everyone found us so funny. We wanted to be taken seriously and then we just realized, yeah, but that's who we are. And you can be funny and serious. And especially on Heavy Jelly, it was a process of accepting ourselves and going, I want to make riffs that sound like nu metal and I want you to rap and I want you to scream. And it's where we've come into our own the most. So accepting yourself is a really massive thing.
[00:08:14] Speaker C: When we see you guys on stage or even today, we just feel like we're free and it's creating a huge bond between the audience and yourselves.
[00:08:23] Speaker A: People can tell when you're being real. Authenticity shines through so massively and it's infectious. And I'm the luckiest person in the world because I get to be in this band and we get to have that friendship and I think we want our fans to feel that too. And we always Talk to our fans and we get in the crowd with them.
Yeah. It doesn't feel like there's much separation for us. It's a family, really.
[00:09:05] Speaker C: Being in a band, playing at the Hellface, it's been a lot of work and it's a bit like going to work. Sometimes people go to the office and you guys go to the office on a huge stage.
And do you still have the same thrill about being on stage or maybe about seeing bands live too?
[00:09:23] Speaker D: We were just having lunch together and we were just talking about how amazing it is that we get to do this.
Sometimes it does feel like work and other times it just feels like the most insane thing ever. Do you know what I mean?
[00:09:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Isaac said earlier to me, which is so true, that you get desensitized. You watch something really scary. Loads of times it stops being scary. This. You eat loads of sugar, do loads of drugs, whatever.
The. The. The jump off point always gets smaller and smaller. But that's why we wanted to come and play festivals like this, to recapture the imagination of, wow, this is amazing. This is so different.
This festival is so itself. And we sat there looking over the main stage, just going, this is incredible. And comparing it to the first time we ever played a festival. It's the same excitement and it's good that we have each other to talk to about that stuff because it is really easy to get lost in it all.
[00:10:19] Speaker D: Yeah, it's amazing.
[00:10:25] Speaker C: It's maybe like big bands that decide to go and play without any production and just go and play a little venue and just get like the thrill of being playing like they used to, like 20 or 30 years ago.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: I think we've seen a lot of bands doing that recently. Like, you've seen like loads of small gigs that Green Day have been doing and stuff. And I think that is what people enjoy, like, getting in the face. It's like amazing to get on that big stage as well. There's like. There's beauty in it all. And I think it's important to keep doing all the different bits to remind yourself that.
[00:10:55] Speaker B: And do you think you still kids in your eyes and in your heart, still kills to today when you see metal music or punk music?
[00:11:04] Speaker A: I am. I've been cartwheeling through the crowd.
[00:11:07] Speaker D: I've never seen Laurie more excited than he is today. But I think, yeah, we. We've still definitely got the same energy that we had when we were. When we started doing it. And we have the same excitement, we have the same conversations. You know, we're. We're still those guys, you know what I mean? We've done a lot of work on ourselves and we're older and wiser, but we're still like the same people as when we started doing this. I'm still just as excited.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: And that's a massive part of the therapy process, is, like, starting to nurture the younger you. Like, there are, like, ways that you can literally have, like, conversation with, like, little Lori. And rather than be embarrassed or ashamed that, like, this stuff excites me, I let it all in. Now I'm like, this is fucking cool. That massive tree that says Hellfest made out of rusted metal is turning me on and I'm going to talk about it.
[00:11:58] Speaker D: Yeah, let yourself be excited about it openly, you know what I mean?
[00:12:01] Speaker A: Don't try and be cool, because everyone's got things that excite them and we're all so individual and unique that. That is. And that's why me and Isaac have to be a yin yang, because if we were both carbon copies of each other on stage, soft play wouldn't make sense. We're very. And I think we've got better at that as we've got older. We used to try and dress identically and a lot of stuff crosses over. But, like, you know, I like wearing colour and Isaac's more of a black and white guy and it's like, we do our thing, but you feel that on stage and it's the push and pull of life. So let yourself be yourself.
[00:12:48] Speaker C: After so many years together, do you still, like, have the silliest jokes together and find the weirdest thing to say?
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Oh, more now, probably.
[00:12:55] Speaker D: Like, we're.
[00:12:56] Speaker A: I was crying in the restaurant last night.
[00:12:59] Speaker D: We're better friends now than we've ever been.
Like, we're just. Our friendship and our relationship just gets better and better and better as the years go on.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: And, you know, like, those inside friend jokes that if I was to explain them to you, it wouldn't even be funny to you. But we were sat in a restaurant last night just talking absolute mad, and all of the people around us were just staring at us. And I couldn't. I couldn't swallow my food because I was laughing so much. We're like little kids. Like.
[00:13:51] Speaker C: And especially with this artwork for the album, like, the big jelly on a plate. It's an inside joke between these two guys having fun about making fun of English people with the jelly on a plate.
[00:14:03] Speaker A: I hate jelly.
[00:14:04] Speaker C: Do you?
[00:14:05] Speaker D: I don't like disgusting.
[00:14:06] Speaker C: Do you know I'm from Spain and in Spain they love jelly, too. Like strawberry jelly.
[00:14:11] Speaker A: Wow. Yeah.
[00:14:12] Speaker C: I don't know why, but we. I don't know why you guys gave us jelly, but keep it. Please keep it away.
[00:14:18] Speaker A: We were touring the States and we realized jelly in the States is jam in England and they call it jello. Oh. It clicked on stage. I was like, do you understand we're talking about jello?
[00:14:28] Speaker D: They thought we were talking about jam.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: Jelly's gross.
[00:14:47] Speaker C: Thank you very much, guys, for being with us, for being at Hellfest. What's coming next in the future for you guys?
[00:14:53] Speaker A: We're working on music and we're just playing a lot of shows. We're touring the States in autumn and then. Yeah, we're just. We're cracking on more of the same. Just the ascent.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: Perfect. Thank you so much. Can you. Can you choose just a video clip, Music video clip for. For the end. One that you love when you were young?
[00:15:13] Speaker D: We like. We both liked, but like Jamie T. Or something?
[00:15:17] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:15:23] Speaker C: This is the time we see the real friendship.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: One from our youth. Jamie T. If you got the money.
Okay.
[00:15:30] Speaker B: I don't know. So I'm going to say it. Thank you so much.
[00:15:33] Speaker D: Merci.
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