Slaves to Gravity at Rock City 27th Nov 2009. Supporting The Butterfly Effect.

Gemma Seddon (drums), Tommy Gleeson (vocals and guitar), Mark Verney (guitars), Toshi Ogawa (bass)

Good evening guys, and girl, you enjoying the tour?

Tommy  - Yeah man it’s been good, it’s great to get back out on the road again, we’ve been off for almost a year from, well proper touring, and it’s great to have the opportunity to play some new songs and see the fans again.

It’s been almost 2 years since your last release SCATTER THE CROW, and you’ve just announced a new record in the pipeline…

It’s pretty much done and tracked actually, as of about 2 months ago, it’s being mixed at the moment, should be coming out around March of next year. We thought about about a few titles really, I think we’ve settled on WARM PENGUIN…

WARM PENGUIN? Really?…

Tommy - Yeah, ish

Gemma - Except it’s not really going to be called that…

Tommy - Yeah we’ll probably come up with something more inventive (laughs).

Going into the new album, having gained the experiences you have, do you think it might be a more mature record sonically?

Tommy - We’ve definitely tried to hone in on the better parts of the first record and lose some of the stuff that maybe didn’t work as well, and just do what we always do really, and try to find the most exciting things we can to bring to the music. We wrote about 18 songs and then spent about a week doing some pre-production with the producer, which helped add shape and clarity to what we had - trim the fat as it were. He really pushed us to be more individual, and to maybe take a few more chances than perhaps we have in the past, and we have
achieved a degree of success that has allowed us to do that. It’s a very fresh sounding album for us, it has its roots in what we’ve always been about from day one but from a fresh perspective.

What kind of influences do you guys have?

Mark - We all have our own individual influences but we all have a kind of common ground, stuff like Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Guns and Roses, there are hundreds really thinking about it, too many to name, it’s quite an eclectic mix, but focused I suppose around a common desire amongst the four of us.

Tommy - Anything that’s centered around a really good song, or a good hook, we tend to focus in on and absorb musically; it’s always going to influence the music you make; but I think we’ve grown out of just ripping stuff off blind (laughing), we try to take our influences and do something new with them. We have definitely grown as a band since the last album, performing every night and playing together as often as we do tightens you up, and the whole process inevitably rubs off on you; from being a band starting out to gaining the experience of touring, you end up looking at everything differently; and a bit cynically, you reflect on the highs and lows, plus our producer this time round would only accept nothing less than killer performances, so we had to up our game. It’s keeping there that’s the tricky part.

You guys won Best Newcomer at the K awards last year, how did it feel to achieve this and to be recognised as such in front of some of your musical peers?

Tommy - It was amazing and a bit surreal.

Mark - Yeah just a bit…

Tommy - You where shit faced mate, I’m impressed you remember.

Mark - Yeah just a bit (laughs).

Tommy - Actually it was a lot more civilized an event than it’s been in the past, it was a really cool night, everyone gets pretty fucked up, and you get to meet some of your idols, but as it turns out, it was kind of a kiss of death for us, because it all went a bit a down hill afterwards. We did like one tour and then ran out of money, and we ended up back home for a while, so it’s nice to finally get back to work.

Well you guys have still managed to fit in appearances at Download, and a support slot with Bullet for My Valentine…

Gemma - You guys have played with Bullet?

Tommy - Yeah, one gig, ONE gig, we flew all the way out to Germany in a heatwave for one show, we went down like shit, then came home.

How’s the recent line up change affected you after parting ways with your old drummer?

Gemma - Well it’s working out really well for me, it hasn’t been awkward at all, we’ve just been getting to know each other over the last couple of months in rehearsals, and its gelled really well. We’ve been on tour for the last week, and there hasn’t been any major pressure.

Tommy - Yeah, the live sets are pretty much featuring all new material, and on this tour we only have a half-hour slot, and we’re trying to rally support opening up every night and build a hype for the new album. So, obviously we don’t get to play for as long as we like, playing 6 or 7 songs, but hopefully it wont piss off to many people who bought the last album. And we love coming back to Rock City, the crowds are always cool, the room and the sounds are always cool, and you get a nice little dressing room, so yeah should be a good show.

After the 2 year gap since your last album, are you looking forward to your new release and possible headline tour?

Tommy - Well you never know, loads of money, hookers, and drugs.

Gemma - Yeah… (followed by concerned looks from her band mates…)

Mark - Well yeah, 2010 is going to hold a lot of touring for us, as soon as we can we are going to push the album, and just try and put it, and us in everyone’s faces.

Tommy - Oh man yeah, we’d tour it with anyone who’d take us (laughing), just to get out on the road is always good you know, plus with so many reunion rumors at the moment, bands from the past getting together and going out on tour, us as fans obviously Alice in chains would be great. But choice-wise, it’s a bit like a kid in a toy shop really, you can never pinpoint what you want when you have every opportunity. It was a blow following the death of Layne Staley, he was such a frail guy, but such a talented individual, and to live the way he did, and with what happened, it sucked, but he was a huge inspiration, and we are all big admirers, such a dark character, but he could sing his ass off, but it was a shame, such a sad lonely ending for guy who made a difference to so many people.

Ok, so finally, any New Year’s resolutions?

Tommy - This is the first year I’ve actually managed to honor a new years resolution actually, I haven’t really though about next year’s, but I’ve been trying to just get fit. There where so many moments in the past where we’d do shows and I’d just physically feel like shit, but, I’m not sure if I’m aloud to say I’ve quit yet, but I haven’t smoked in 2 weeks. I’ve still got that, hanging around near smokers thing.

Gemma - If anything I’ll be taking the rock and roll approach, smoke and drink more.

Toshi - nods in agreement and smiles…

Slaves To Gravity SCATTER THE CROW is out now.

Interview by Ade Perrie