Get ready to rock as I, Annette Smith, unleash the electrifying energy of London's metal masters, Prodigal, straight into your eardrums. Stan, George, Johnny, and Louis peel back the layers of their wild journey, from jamming in the schoolyard to dominating the stages they command today. Our conversation is a no-holds-barred exploration of the elements that fuse their unique sound, complete with uproarious anecdotes of onstage antics and heartfelt reflections on the tracks that paved their path to metal stardom.
But wait, there's more than just music talk – we're diving headfirst into the sonic universe. Picture yourself living the life of your favorite frontman for a week, immersing yourself in the soul-stirring realms of Future Islands and System of a Down. Prodigal's story is filled with memorable first gigs, like Lewis's epic Eminem experience at Wembley, and their unforgettable performance at a tranquil festival, proving that even peaceful settings can't resist a dose of "Sugar."
As our sonic journey draws to a close, Prodigal takes a moment of introspection, reflecting on their growth amidst London's vibrant indie scene and the dreams that continue to drive them forward. Stan leaves us with a powerful message about the importance of passion, and with new music on the horizon, it's clear that this band is determined to leave their mark on the metal world. Join them on their journey and witness how bands like Deftones aren't just influencers – they're the driving force behind a new generation of metal maestros.
Watch the full episode on YouTube
Check out the Playlist on Spotify
Follow us Everywhere
Make sure to HIT that LIKE BUTTON and SUBSCRIBE to our Channel to be notified of new episodes!
Please share our page with your friends!
Rock on
We always have a new episode every Monday at 1 pm
🤘 #MetalMavens #LondonMusicScene #RockOn #BandChronicles #SonicSaga
Get ready to rock as I, Annette Smith, unleash the electrifying energy of London's metal masters, Prodigal, straight into your eardrums. Stan, George, Johnny, and Louis peel back the layers of their wild journey, from jamming in the schoolyard to dominating the stages they command today. Our conversation is a no-holds-barred exploration of the elements that fuse their unique sound, complete with uproarious anecdotes of onstage antics and heartfelt reflections on the tracks that paved their path to metal stardom.
But wait, there's more than just music talk – we're diving headfirst into the sonic universe. Picture yourself living the life of your favorite frontman for a week, immersing yourself in the soul-stirring realms of Future Islands and System of a Down. Prodigal's story is filled with memorable first gigs, like Lewis's epic Eminem experience at Wembley, and their unforgettable performance at a tranquil festival, proving that even peaceful settings can't resist a dose of "Sugar."
As our sonic journey draws to a close, Prodigal takes a moment of introspection, reflecting on their growth amidst London's vibrant indie scene and the dreams that continue to drive them forward. Stan leaves us with a powerful message about the importance of passion, and with new music on the horizon, it's clear that this band is determined to leave their mark on the metal world. Join them on their journey and witness how bands like Deftones aren't just influencers – they're the driving force behind a new generation of metal maestros.
Watch the full episode on YouTube
Check out the Playlist on Spotify
Follow us Everywhere
Make sure to HIT that LIKE BUTTON and SUBSCRIBE to our Channel to be notified of new episodes!
Please share our page with your friends!
Rock on
We always have a new episode every Monday at 1 pm
🤘 #MetalMavens #LondonMusicScene #RockOn #BandChronicles #SonicSaga
Welcome everyone to Music.
Speaker 1:Junkies a podcast about people sharing extraordinary stories about how music has impacted their lives Music Junkies. I'm your host, Annette Smith, and our guest today are a metal band from the London, UK, Unique sound. Right, I listened to you guys. It's pretty cool, but I love how you describe. You know you send your crowds into your friends, which is awesome, so I'm sure there's some mosh pitting going in there and some fist pumping, which we absolutely love. So let me introduce this four piece band with Stan right, you want to put your hand up or we can see your handsome face. Right, he is lead vocals. George on guitar right, Louis on bass and Johnny on drums. I'm a drummer, so I resonate with you, Johnny, so I appreciate that. All to the drummers right, you guys have released a couple singles clean some songs which we're going to go over today. Right, I love it. I'm excited that the whole entire band is joining us right?
Speaker 3:So you guys want to shut out your name Shut out.
Speaker 1:Your name Band is all together Prodigal, prodigal. I love it, right, so I'm excited. So, before we jump into your playlist and ask you a million questions, stan, what was your experience putting your songs together for me today?
Speaker 4:It was, yeah, it was, it was, it was good it was it was. I think it was really nice to actually like go over different like things that have inspired us, like collectively and individually. I think like we've all arrived at this point, especially in the last few months, where, like, we've really found our own sound, so like it was really cool to go back over different influences that have has culminated in that for all of us actually like we I think we were we all really enjoyed like yeah, kind of putting this list together. Yeah, it was cool, yeah.
Speaker 1:Did anybody go down any rabbit holes or stay in a certain age group of growing up when you're picking these songs?
Speaker 3:I mean, I think for me it was very much like songs that I had since joining the band, because it was sort of that was my way into this sort of music in general was just joining the band, being exposed to more, more variety in the sound and tried to pick some stuff that's really had an influence on me as a creative with this group, so sort of stuck to that time period really.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's interesting when people are doing their playlist, because sometimes I find our music is like from like 11 to 18 and we kind of stay in that area or we got like lots of memories growing up in that, getting out of elementary into high school era, where it's like you just finding yourself and I feel like a lot of our music comes from that time. A lot of our stories come from that time. We're always referring back to that. Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:So did you guys all know each other before you started the band. Who wants to kind of walk me through how you guys got started? I can talk about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the first time I ever played music with Stan was at school, which, yeah, we were about 16. I didn't know Stan before that, really. And we, yeah, we joined like a. It was called like house music, so the different houses contained like the different groups of pupils would like perform for like a, basically like a kind of battle of the groups, I guess. And, yeah, we did a project together with a few other friends and that kind of evolved into its own band that we took outside of school. We kind of realized we had the same taste. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
Speaker 4:But everyone in the band we realized that we liked kind of like Nirvana and Alice in Trains and maybe other people kind of liked more like arctic monkeys and yeah, yeah we just realized we had similar tastes and we kind of grew from that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, just a group I'm wanting to like recreate that kind of music. Yeah, I didn't feel like anybody else in the group necessarily wanted to go that way, so I'm glad we decided to, to be honest, yeah since then it's.
Speaker 4:Since then it's actually it's been a bit of a roller coaster of like finding our own sound along that, along that journey, because I think when we started out it was just me and George wanting to make sounds that we hadn't been exposed to until we were maybe like 151617. That really inspired us. So we were trying to be like something and I think along the way, when Johnny joined, when Lewis joined, we all we started to find our own sound and I think bands like Nirvana, soundgarden, alice in Chains, a lot of the Seattle scene like that opened up different avenues to discover kind of a heavier outlet, like more like system of a down or deaf tones, as well as so many other, were inspired by so many sounds. I think along that way we found our own. We finally found our own thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I think it's. I think it's been nice having the group of us as well, because we've all got quite different inspirations. Like me and Stan were friends from school and then I moved away from college before coming back to the band a few years later. But yeah, like I said, I hadn't really been that deep into this sort of sound, into rock, heavy rock, metal, that kind of stuff. So I had more hip hop, roots and R&B, jazzy stuff, just sort of other things completely. And then I brought that in Stan and George, like they said. They came originally from this sort of grungy sound but sort of evolved into more new metal and opened up into a whole new kind of worms. And then Lewis bring in some, yeah, again have a lot of heavier sounds on bass, like, and started out playing guitars probably one of the best guitars in the group, yeah. So it's just, it's just nice that we will come together with a whole bunch of different inspirations and it sort of helped to form the other sound that we've we've managed to find now.
Speaker 1:So Stan and George, you guys kind of like started this and then you went and kind of recruited.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Johnny. Johnny was the first to be to be recruited and he was. He was in the studio and like hanging around with us before there was a fan, basically as a friend. And like doing various bits and just hanging out with us. And then I remember one night we were sat around the table and we kind of just said like, do you want to be the drummer? He couldn't play the drums. I had no experience before that.
Speaker 4:I'm so glad we did drummers are hard to come by and and Johnny had been around, what we were creating and we were like you know what, like I'd much rather be in a band with people that we all know were in it for the long run. We all know we trust each other and what we're doing and I feel like just we had it. We already had like a connection and Johnny was already really. He was really fucking with the direction that we were going. So it was, it was.
Speaker 4:it was like a no brainer and within a year and a half, like he took to it I don't know, like a doctor, water and and he found his own style so quickly and and now he has his own influences and and musically, like it's, it's really starting to take off.
Speaker 1:So that's really cool that you guys are like, hey, let's just ask for we'll figure it out. Right, you don't have to play the drums. Whatever, like, I just want you to ban. Go learn how to play the drums. Let's get this.
Speaker 3:I was there. I was there just as a mate, to start off with. You know, I was there just hanging out with them, was they be rehearsing. And then every now and then I try and get behind the kit and do make some noise, you're hoping that they're going to make millions of dollars before you miss the train Right, that's the plan. No not to not to enjoy enjoying being around it and join the exposure to a new sound and and yeah, just sort of happy to see where it goes. I love it.
Speaker 1:All right, stan, we're going to start with your first song. You ready? Yes, all right, let's play a little bit of it. Could you hear it? Spirit, yeah, yes, awesome. Okay, tell me a little bit about what that song means to you.
Speaker 4:Well, I think, like my main thing with Future Islands in general. It was a band that I stumbled across New Year's Eve, 2015 because they were playing on the Jules Holland show and my parents had it on, and I remember just walking in and seeing them performing and what just being completely mesmerized by the frontman, by the singer the way he was expressing, the way he was using words, the way he was using his body. It was such a performative expression on stage and I think it kind of opened my eyes, because I am an actor as well as doing this. I trained as an actor, I studied as an actor and performing is what I want to do with my life. And I think it opened the door for me that I could see that music.
Speaker 4:Music isn't something where I have to sit behind a piano or do loads of brilliant, understand theory and do grades and things like that, but actually music is an outlet to it's an artistic outlet. You know where I realized I could be on stage and I could freely and freely be myself and write and express. And I think watching them was just a door that opened in my mind and a light bulb moment at the age of 15. Yeah, 15. And yeah, from then on I was hooked on them and I was hooked on the energy. I was inspired by the energy that he brought as a frontman and I think that theatrical element, living the music, telling that tale through your voice and your body, you being a vessel in that sense is utterly inspiring for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so if you could be any frontman in any band for like a week, who would you be?
Speaker 4:You don't say Stan Caley in front of me. Oh no, I think it would either be Future Island or System for Down, just for the same thing that I was saying, for the theatrical element, for the experience, for I think something about Serge Tankian that I admire and something about I can't remember his name Future Island frontman, but there's something about embodying the soul of the songs. Being, like I said, a vessel for that. That has really changed my outlook on how I can hold that on stage and my responsibility, my role within the band.
Speaker 1:So, lewis, who do you think he should be for a week as a frontman, that you would like to see him be for a whole week if you could choose A difficult question because he moved him just last night his energy on stage.
Speaker 4:I go to a lot of gigs, and I mean a lot of gigs.
Speaker 3:Too many gigs.
Speaker 4:Every month I'm at different gigs seeing different bands, and there's just an energy that he has that I haven't seen. Many bands pull off Slipknot, maybe For Retailers. A frontman is just getting incredible. Enter Jokari, one of my favourite bands, another amazing frontman he just lets it all out. I suppose that's probably the closest I could identify him with would be Grave and Enter Jokari, because he's just on stage and it's not just his personas, his body language, he just gives it his all every time and I've seen that band about any plus times. So yeah, that's probably who I'd say it reminds me of the most.
Speaker 1:So you've been to a lot of shows. What was your very first concert that you went to?
Speaker 4:It was 10 years ago actually seeing Eminem at Wembley Stadium in London Wow what a great first concert.
Speaker 1:Yeah, tell me about it.
Speaker 4:It was an incredible experience. It was my biggest solo that grew up and getting a seam in the flesh.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was a great time. That's awesome. Alright, we're going to go to the next song. You guys ready. This is Sugar, so we're speaking a little bit about System of the Down. You guys love that band. Whose song is that?
Speaker 3:It's a joint one really, it's everyone's. It's funny. It's like it's an instant throwback to our first ever gig, which you don't really can anymore. There's a little festival in Cambridge here called Roofest. None of us have any ties to Cambridge here, really, but apart from me and Stan met this guy in the queue to a gig in London. He's like oh yeah, we've got this festival out in Cambridge. Do you want to come and play it? And we're like, yeah, sure, absolutely Great opportunity. We're just jumping on everything we could at that point.
Speaker 3:And so we rock up on the day it was like a baking hot summer's day and we get our stage. Well, no, when we rock up, there's a two piece on the stage. One of them is holding an acoustic guitar, the other one's holding a violin and that's singing to essentially family and friends at this garden party. And we're like, oh God, we shouldn't be here, we're going to ruin everyone's day. And then we get on stage and play sugar as a cover, our first gig ever. And this is what we dropped in the middle of a lovely civilised med-o. And, yeah, it went swimmingly, absolutely swimmingly. I mean we all had a great time. We went out there, we had fun, and there was one guy we remember specifically right up at the front, very, very, very drunk but having a whale of a time by himself. So that's what it matters really, you know, because as long as everyone's having a good time, or even one person.
Speaker 3:As long as there's one person, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's so funny because I just seen Kiss a couple months ago and we had a there's like a hundred of us and we had like a private show to go see them and ask some questions and do all this kind of stuff, which was really, really cool and they were talking about kind of one of their first gigs.
Speaker 1:It was like in a casino right. They were like wearing all their gear All the people in the crowd were like 900 years old and you know jeans like sticking out his tongue and they're like rocking out and they're like fist pumping and there's lots of smoke and then the sprinklers are going on like totally getting them drenched. The whole crowd is getting drenched and they're still like rocking it out. And that was kind of like their first gig in a little casino right. And they're like and look at us now.
Speaker 1:And their manager was just like yes, this is so awesome, and everybody's like this is awesome, this is awful. I never want to see this again.
Speaker 3:So that's a great story. Hey, awesome, it was a good day.
Speaker 1:So growing up in high school, what kind of guys were you?
Speaker 2:I was quiet. I remember in high school always like, like, kind of, I didn't see Johnny, although Johnny was at my school for a while. I don't think. I saw you at all, which is odd when I think about.
Speaker 2:but I remember when I saw Stan, like I remember always like not really know anything about him. And now when I think about that, that's really weird. You know, when you see someone for like moments and you don't know them at all, and then later on in life you know them, it's kind of like you look back at those moments and it's just, it's just strange, it's really weird. I don't know if you saw me.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean we were in different years in school. I was two years above him, so it was literally like you said earlier. It was music that brought us together and once that kind of bond had been created through that, then we hit it off from there. But, like in high school, I think I was really sporty and really into drama. I remember being really into theatre. Yeah, we were just in different years.
Speaker 1:What about you, Lewis? What kind of guy were you in high school?
Speaker 4:It's pretty much the same as I am now. I'm just very into my music. I was always in different bands. That's where I first started to play a guitar, when I was like 15, 14, 15, something like that.
Speaker 1:No it's just yeah, I don't know what was the name of your first band that you played in.
Speaker 4:I was in a. Oh, that's my first name. Oh, do you know what? I can't even remember the name. That's pretty bad. Remember any of them? Yeah, I remember we were just mainly doing covers of like um Yumi, x6 and Green Day. Oh, what was he called? No, the Divided Kingdom. That's what we were called Terrible, terrible. And then there was another band called the Leftovers.
Speaker 1:That's a good punk name. Yeah, it was.
Speaker 4:We were just doing like acoustic stuff, which was just, you know it was what it was, but yeah, it was fun. It was fun at the time and that's where I started to like, yeah, quite a passion for playing in front of an audience and, you know, getting that response that you know people actually enjoy what we play.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what about you, johnny? What were you like in high school?
Speaker 3:Um, I was a difficult one. I was. I was definitely more into my sports than anything else. I think that was the main focus on my mind at the time. That's actually how me and Stan first met. We were playing at the same rugby club. Um, like 11, 11, 12 years old, that kind of age, um, and yeah, that was kind of my focus through school. I think it wasn't really too academically inclined, made it through. I'm a uni now, so it's what it is and it was. It was good whilst I was there. But, um, yeah, musically, uh, I don't know, I think I was finding my feet at the time, like I knew I was. I had an interest in it. Um, didn't necessarily know what it was, um, but just sort of enjoying listening, wasn't really playing too much. Yeah, um, yeah, I found found it in the end, found what it is that it was cool for me, so yeah.
Speaker 1:I love that you guys played rugby. Both of my kids played pro rugby as well. I forced my daughter- I know right she. She went actually higher than our son did and she went play for the seven and everything. So I love that you guys.
Speaker 3:Oh, it's incredible, it's awesome.
Speaker 1:It's really cool All right. Next song you guys ready, yeah, all right, my own summer yeah.
Speaker 3:Oh yes, six on. Love this song Um, joe Drac, and you should start this one as well.
Speaker 2:Um, well, essentially the reason we all love the start of that song. Obviously you've got that like um, which is like just like iconic for that song essentially, and um, yeah, it brings it in, it's just like, it's just great, it's really catchy and dumb.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's the album. And yeah, we had this gig a little while ago. Um, and we were covering that song, it was on our set and um, and for some reason, I just had like a temporary like moment where I just started the guitar if um, without the drum start, and started at the complete wrong tempo and um, yeah, we just had to go for it. I remember looking over at Johnny and Johnny were just staring at me like what the hell are you doing?
Speaker 3:Um, yeah, there's my mom in the shine.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, now we, now we listen to that song and, um, that's all that comes to my mind. It's a bit of a memory. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:We just want us to listen to it yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1:What kind of music, George, did your parents listen to when you were growing up?
Speaker 2:Um, to be honest, my mom didn't listen to much music, but my dad has been like a pretty heavy influence on my music taste, um, mainly just like rock. Like he listened to everything, but the stuff that really really stuck with me was like rock. So, um, green Day, blur, uh, Coldplay, like early Coldplay, um, genesis, uh, there's kind of like a dad rock category Red Hot Chili Peppers that all kind of fit into into that and, um, that's kind of what I was into when I was growing up, to be honest, because, like, whenever I was in his car, that was what was playing through the stereo. So like, that's just what you learned, I guess. Um, so, yeah, kind of dad rock, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how about you, johnny? What kind of music did your parents listen to?
Speaker 3:Um, quite a lot of different stuff. My mom was a big Dylan fan. Um is a big Dylan fan. Um finally got the chance to see him, actually for her birthday a couple years back, and so there was a lot of Dylan growing up, um. But then, funnily enough, there was some Nirvana Um. That at the time never really stuck with me Like I. The song stuck with me. It was um, obviously because they write a lot of catchy songs. It was especially Nevermind, so like a lot more like sort of pop focused Um uh, so a lot of that sort of stuck with me growing up. But then there's um remember on road trips there was the Proclaimers Um, my mom's got some Scottish heritage as well.
Speaker 3:So um bit of bit of everything really, um, some some Putt-Tamera classics, which is just like a sort of collaboration of different like like world world music and some stuff like that. So just sort of a big big variation really. Um, yeah, but I think mainly my main like musical influence was my brother. Like I remember he had um he got an iPod first out of any of us, obviously because he's the oldest Um, and I remember the day he got a new one and I finally got his, like his one, passed down, um, and that had all kinds of stuff and it had like some old M&M, so it's bigger. That got me into the whole, uh, rap scene basically, and hip hop, um, and so, yeah, just a whole. I wish I could find it. I don't know where it's going, oh that's cool All kinds of classics, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:I always say that I'm like, oh man, if I could go back in time and go gather all the mixtapes like I ever made or made for people like, that would be awesome. We were actually at a Robbie Burns supper last night. I've never you guys ever heard of Robbie Burns. It's like a Scottish, famous Scottish guy. Anyways we?
Speaker 3:yeah, of course it depends on how you eat. I guess yeah, Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So it was like unreal. We just kind of got invited to this thing where, like, what are we going to? We never just we always know something that's going on that we're invited to, and he just wouldn't tell us anything. Just come and have something to eat. It's going to be fun, there's going to be music, dancing, and we're like okay. So we walk in and I'm like Stuart, just tell me what we're doing. He's like I can't tell you guys, you're going to love it. But they had like bagpipes and he was like stabbing me and it was like this big ceremony.
Speaker 3:That's brilliant.
Speaker 1:And then we like learned how to do all these different dances. It was like wild, like it was so much fun, but yeah, neeps and tahtis, I guess yeah it was yeah, it was yeah, he dressed the haggis and obviously it wasn't real, but still he was like stabbing the meat and there's this big ordeal and I was like this is kind of insane right. It was like super fun, it's kind of being immersed in somebody's culture, like that. I was like this is really cool.
Speaker 3:And yeah to kind of.
Speaker 1:It was really, really cool. Do you guys remember, like Lewis, do you remember your first, what would have been probably a CD, your very first CD you ever?
Speaker 4:bought. Yes, I think it was a weird Al Jankovic CD. I remember I was in America at the time and went to a Best Buy. I must have been like eight, nine years old and I thought he was just a living legend. So I saw the CD, begged my parents to buy it for me and they did, and yeah. I think that was the first CD I bought.
Speaker 1:Did any of you guys ever seen him live in concert?
Speaker 4:I have not actually. No, I heard he's like unreal Like million costume changes and like stage presence.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he'd be pretty cool to see in concert.
Speaker 3:It'd be very theatrical for sure, I love it.
Speaker 1:I love it All right. Next song oh, this is a great song. I remember when Live came out and how popular that album was, especially that song, obviously, lightning Crack.
Speaker 2:It was quite a big album.
Speaker 1:Yeah, whose song is that?
Speaker 2:Kind of mine, to be honest. So that song was basically the first song I ever heard stand, play and sing and, as we were talking about earlier, it kind of it made me realise that we can like do that kind of stuff together, which was obviously like the birth of this band essentially, and probably a few months after we started busking, and that song was one of the ones that we covered together in like our hometown. And, yeah, that song to me now just kind of brings me back to like first discovering how we can kind of be musical together, I guess, but yeah, so who's always late in the band?
Speaker 4:We all take turns.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're all pretty good at it.
Speaker 4:We couldn't pin it down because we all come from different areas, so we all have to like find a place to meet.
Speaker 3:I kind of feel like even if we were all in the same spot, you know just as bad.
Speaker 1:And then what do you do? Do you guys have like any rituals before you get on stage?
Speaker 2:Whiskey.
Speaker 1:Whiskey yeah, one of the best you know best.
Speaker 3:To be, honest, we haven't really had much time for rituals before gigs, because you normally get about 15 minutes to chuckle your stuff on stage and you're going. But who knows, you might come up with something.
Speaker 1:What about? Have you ever had an experience where you were going to an event or to a show and like everything was just completely falling apart.
Speaker 3:But I remember one time, actually on the way to gig, we were driving from outside of London to get in there in my car. It's now scrapped, rest in peace. It's beautiful, beautiful Renault Clio. But yeah, we were on the way to the like, driving down the motorway, and my tire went like exploded on the side. I mean, oh God, we're going to be super late. So I managed to pull in, had to change the tire out, had grease all over our hands and everything, and then managed to carry on and get there. I think I think we actually didn't miss the sound check, but we were pretty we're kind of very close and then and then went on and carried on. But I can't really, apart from that, I can't really think too much stuff.
Speaker 3:It's all managed to go fairly swimmingly outside of like parking tickets and just having nonsense because London is a bit of a pain sometimes.
Speaker 1:I love. It All right for Ravana, let's go. So obviously you guys are big influenced by Nirvana.
Speaker 4:I remember me and Johnny. I remember when because me and Johnny have lived in London for the last couple of years together I remember when Johnny was learning, was learning drums. I remember drilling that song with him like a lot. I remember that being a song that, like you kind of learn to a tee. I just remember yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:I mean Dave Grohl was like massive influence on me learning. Basically that was, yeah, like Sandra said earlier, that was their main influence, like at the time. So that did a little bit since then but like at the time when I was learning and getting introduced to the band was definitely Nirvana. So Dave Grohl and Chan Chan and I were definitely influences and that song was one that I enjoyed playing a lot at the time and so me and Stan we'd rehearse every week or so. Where was it? Creation Studios in Kentish Town, lovely little spot if you have a visit. But yeah, we go down there and have a little bash. And one time we brought George over and we're like George, look what we can play, look what we learned, and George being the guitarist in the band, stanley just had to like stand there and watch me and Stan kind of play a very shorty cover of Floyd the Barber and then just be like, oh nice.
Speaker 2:Good job, I thought he was very well-dad. Yeah, no, it was fun, good time.
Speaker 1:Stan, do you have any pet peeves, things that drive you crazy?
Speaker 4:Pet peeves like as a singer.
Speaker 1:No, just like you know, somebody going 40 in an 80 zone, things that drive you up the wall a little bit.
Speaker 4:Well, the first thing that came to mind is just, whether it be in rehearsal or on stage, and just not being able to hear myself singing, screaming, doing anything, which is the nature of like being in a heavy band. I guess is you kind of sound wise? It's either spot on or completely off. I mean in terms of us being able to hear ourselves on stage, like really being able to hear the detail of what we're doing, which is so important in because it is so eclectic and heavy and vocally the nature of what I'm doing is so intense, so technically it's really precise the things I'm doing, my voice, so I don't hurt myself. So when I can't hear myself, it can be very frustrating. So I suppose, as we've rehearsed more and more, a pet peeve has definitely been why can't I hear myself? What do I need to do?
Speaker 3:I can squeal on PA's as well.
Speaker 1:So how do you? Take your voice. What are some techniques that you do for your voice? Were you trained to do something different with your voice?
Speaker 4:I say I was classically trained. I say I've had singing lessons since I was a boy. I sang in lots of different choirs growing up. Me and Johnny were at a cathedral school growing up, so I was in different cathedral choirs and stuff and I've always been around classical music.
Speaker 4:And then as a teenager I started discovering rock and roll and stuff like that and I wanted to sing, I wanted to be able to scream, I wanted to be able to growl, I wanted to be able to do all kinds of acrobatics with my voice and I learned that that doesn't just come. You have to learn that. The same way an opera singer has to learn how to belt. So I spent the last four years also blowing out my voice, trying this, trying that and just discovering technique. And now I feel like I'm at a place where I've spent so much time learning how to scream, how to access my false chords, what my voice is doing. I've learned about voice production and I feel like I'm in a place now where I can do a set of screaming and singing and I can rehearse every week and I can show up and I can take care of myself and I can go home afterwards and I can speak, and I can still practice and I can live.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:It's been a process, though it's been a journey. I'm still on it.
Speaker 1:Is there a show collectively that you guys can agree on? That was like phenomenal, one of your favorite shows so far. Just like a tiny line.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I was going to say that.
Speaker 1:We had a gig last night and it felt very good.
Speaker 3:It was a. It just went off like kind of how we wanted to go off. Obviously there were a few technical issues in terms of us being able to hear ourselves, but that's like kind of to be, expected and it was like they were ups and downs. But like looking back at it and the feeling on the night, the energy from the crowd, the venue it was, yeah, it just felt great. It felt really good fun.
Speaker 4:We're playing a new set list as well. Yeah, I think it was the. It was like it feels like a new chapter for us as a band and I feel like we've, we've, we've spent the last four months writing an entirely new set. Like you said, we have a wealth of kind of new material and it feels like last night was the beginning of us being able to showcase a performance which is completely and utterly our own, you know completely.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. That's awesome. So it's like you're so used to doing this and now you're doing it's like completely different, it's like a new album.
Speaker 4:Yeah, absolutely Exactly. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1:All right, next song Another system of a down.
Speaker 2:We're watching.
Speaker 1:Suggestions yes, All right. Who wants to share?
Speaker 3:He's got the story for it. Who wrote this one down? We all did it.
Speaker 4:It's our go to cover, it's. We have one cover in our set along with the rest of our original material we we showcase and this and suggestions. It just captures the essence of our live sets. It slots in perfectly, it's. It's. It's amazing cover that we have so much fun playing and, yeah, it just fits perfectly, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:So tell me about the two news, tell me about your two singles that you released. What are they about? I wrote them.
Speaker 2:Well, the latest one we released Black and White, I guess I wrote. It started with just a nice tone on the amp and I was by myself in my room at home and I just was just messing around and just came up with the intro to that song and then just kind of throughout that night just kept working on it and I was just loving it. I was really loving it and I recorded it on my phone as a voice note and brought it to the band like a few days later or so, and yeah, everybody liked it. So we ran with it and yeah, here we are quite a while later, like four or five months later, with it released on Spotify which is great.
Speaker 2:I really love how it came out. It settled really quick as well.
Speaker 3:It settled really quick. You brought the idea in and all of us like immediately we were like, yeah, all right, we like this, and then ran with it and we all found our feet with it pretty quickly.
Speaker 1:So how do you feel? How does it feel just watching the crowd sing some of your songs when you're playing?
Speaker 3:I don't know how much of that we've had. To be honest, we got a little bit.
Speaker 4:Last night was, I think, because we haven't really gigged since Black and White it's been out. It came out October, november and we haven't gigged since September. So I think last night was, yeah, I felt like a new chapter and it felt like wow, like there were people who turned out to see us and to, yeah, I guess here Black and White, which was cool.
Speaker 1:So no flaws are being thrown on stage at your show, yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, I can say that.
Speaker 2:Is that a well-stocked?
Speaker 3:bit. Yeah, it was two different sets. Actually I was happy with it until I saw who they came from and it came from one of my best mates from school and his girlfriend and they brought along to one of the just a fraud stage. I landed a slap bang on my symbol stand and all that. Yeah, it's quite something, but I appreciate the support. So, thank you Ash. I thank you, emma, love you lots.
Speaker 1:So have you guys had to sign any unusual things yet?
Speaker 4:No, not yet.
Speaker 3:I'm giving it a no.
Speaker 1:Are you giving out picks?
Speaker 2:George Lewis throwing some picks I was giving out one pick and it was to one of your friends one night out after a gig, because she asked me for a paper and I tried to pull my paper out and dropped the pick and she picked it up and I was like you can have that that was from tonight and she freaked out and that was that. I never saw her again. That's awesome.
Speaker 1:So are you guys all single Stan is he met a girl last night, right?
Speaker 4:Well, I'm engaged. Okay, I've been with the same girl for since I was 16, I'm 24 this year.
Speaker 1:Okay, wow, high school.
Speaker 3:Eight years yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right.
Speaker 3:I'm single myself.
Speaker 1:You're single too, John. Yes, sir George.
Speaker 4:Two of us? Yeah, George is doginal.
Speaker 2:No, I'm not, I'm low.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I have these questions. I usually, after people come on the show, they like to send me questions that I should ask other guests, so sometimes I don't really know what they are, so I'm gonna pick this one for oh Okay, this one's for George. You ready? Okay, okay. Have you ever picked your nose and ate it?
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, of course I mean what man hasn't.
Speaker 1:It's obvious, right yeah?
Speaker 3:This one just kind of falls into play.
Speaker 1:I feel like I know this answer, but this one's for Stan.
Speaker 4:Okay.
Speaker 1:Right, do you watch porn?
Speaker 4:Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, do you?
Speaker 2:have these same questions.
Speaker 4:No, I don't watch porn, but I can't say I haven't been a horny teenager.
Speaker 1:What's your preferred porn? If you were to watch porn, what kind of porn do you like to watch?
Speaker 4:You're a cosplay sort of guy? Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:The cleanest porn is what you're saying. This is kind of suiting. Like Lewis, do you have a sex tape? You and your girlfriend fiancee have a sex tape, uh no.
Speaker 4:No, no, no, no. You know, oh yeah, does anybody in the group.
Speaker 1:Does anybody in the group have a sex tape that you're gonna release after the show?
Speaker 4:Well, maybe the full bar.
Speaker 1:Yeah exactly.
Speaker 2:I've come back to you, if you know.
Speaker 1:And then Johnny's. Yours is really easy. What's your favorite book to read?
Speaker 3:I don't know. I'm currently reading a Shea Guevara memoir, which sounds makes me sound much more intelligent than I am, but it's quite interesting. Favorite Say. Growing up, my favorite was the Hobbit.
Speaker 1:I think yeah that's a great book.
Speaker 3:Great little adventure yeah it is.
Speaker 1:I love it All right. Next song Super Haven Songs called Youngest Daughter.
Speaker 3:This one's a bit controversial. Oh yeah, I like that. Just in that, I would say I wrote this an interlude. Some naysayers were beg to differ. Yeah, no, as a band we came up with an interlude and yeah, so we were giggling with it and we'd checked in the set at Midway Point just a little minute long kind of thing. And then a couple of months later, I was just on Spotify listening to some songs and that song came on and it turns out it's the exact same chords, exact same chord progression, and just kind of completely threw me and I sent it to the band. I was like I don't think we can play this anymore. Somebody's done this exact thing before. It was completely innocent, like I had no idea it was a thing. But yeah, no, it's a lovely song though. I absolutely love it.
Speaker 1:You guys could play with another band, tour with another band to be a part of it. Who would you love to tour with?
Speaker 3:System. Yeah, system of the Down System of the Down 100%.
Speaker 1:Have you guys ever reached out to them you?
Speaker 4:should I haven't, you should I haven't yet.
Speaker 3:Well, for a shot, why not?
Speaker 1:In the world that we live in. Why not?
Speaker 3:It's easy now, yeah no, it's true, it's true, it's true, yeah it's not a good band.
Speaker 4:I mean, I've had it by shows anymore, that'd be really cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's true, it's true. Yeah, I mean I think Death Stones would be fun as well. Obviously, I mean it's all the way above the realms of possibility at the moment. So but it's nice to think about. I think for me, death Stones or System.
Speaker 1:Would there be anybody that you guys would love to discone it? If you had like an hour of their time to just have a conversation with them about music, who would that be for you, stan?
Speaker 4:I think right now at the minute I have a current band, probably the band Sleep Token, because I just really like how they've created their image, their band, how they've risen up and their complete commitment to like maintaining their act. It's like method acting for a band. They like never drop their bubble, never breaks, no matter where they go. They've like kept their anonymity.
Speaker 3:No one knows their names, oh, so recently until this stick had found. Recently it's gone and done like an in-depth search and then leaked all the information. But yeah, so, lewis, I know you've been.
Speaker 1:You've went to lots of concerts. What's your favorite band t-shirt?
Speaker 4:Um, I mean, as I said earlier, probably Edge Chikari. I'm currently wearing an Edge Chikari shirt now Tribune as well, the one of my favorite bands. I've met them a few times. Australia Tribune no, from Florida, are they? Yeah, bring me the Horizon. I literally saw them last week getting incredible bands. They were one of the first like heavy gigs I went to, so I have a few of their shirts as well.
Speaker 1:What's the craziest show you've ever seen?
Speaker 4:Oh God, I'm not sure. That is a really good question, are you just sure? Yeah, probably, probably Tribune or lamb of God. I'd say Lamb of God is like just batshit crazy. Everyone was just on it. Oh, the prodigy? Yeah, of course. Yeah, the prodigy, my God, what a bang. I saw them with Keith before he passed and I've seen them now without Keith, and the energy is still a bunch.
Speaker 1:I bet you that would be unreal.
Speaker 4:Every time I've seen them, they've just always knocked it out of the park and yeah, there's just everyone's just fucking on it. You know, like, whether they're on drugs or not, like you know, they're just on it, and the mosh pits are just crazy and there's just this energy. That's just, yeah, unmatched, I guess.
Speaker 1:Yeah, george, what's the music scene where you guys are right now? What kind of music is really really popular in like the pubs right now?
Speaker 2:Indy. Indy is popular at the moment and Indy is quite broad, but I would say like kind of like it's kind of, do you know, like bedroom pop. It's kind of like bedroom pop, people just doing their own thing. Honestly, I would say there's not like a genre, like popping off or there's nothing really that's like coming up from this area. But Indy music is just.
Speaker 1:I just see it all the time around here obviously Do you guys notice like a lot of different artists coming through London. Like is there like a big music scene out there? Obviously we think there is, but is there a really big music scene in the UK? Like is it all different types?
Speaker 3:There is. There is there's like every time we play a gig there's new bands that we're playing with. We're playing with a new, like it's a completely new card every time. Basically, apart from like a few times, we'll play with the same bands again. And yeah, I mean the music. The music scene is big. There's plenty of creative people here who are trying to build, but like it's struggling, like it is everywhere because it's getting expensive Music industry to put on a show. Like there's a lot of pressure from some promoters to put on, to sell however many tickets. Like do this now, and it's very, it's very like money orientated, which can make it difficult, can make it frustrating, but it is what it is and we love it. We love not that about it, obviously, but we love. We love making the music, we love playing music, as to all the other creatives that were around when we do it. So it's just sort of something you got to work through, but there's definitely an appetite for it here. So it's an exciting place to be.
Speaker 1:Awesome. All right, some black Sabbath. I love it. I actually just went and seen Zach Sabbath, like with Zach Wilde, just in a really small venue on like on the 17th of December. It was awesome. He's such a like I don't know how to describe it like an 80s guitar showman, like you know, praising his guitar and you're just like, just brings you back to the 80s, which is awesome. I love it. Hey, who picked black Sabbath?
Speaker 3:I think that was me. Yeah, it was me, I mean, the first time I heard that song. It's like, it's very stand out from that album. Obviously it's an incredible album, way out of its time, from the 70s, and it just like black Sabbath just bringing an incredible, incredible sound. And then I was listening through and then stumbled across this one and it's just like it's like put me in a trance almost like it's just so beautiful and sort of like made me think about different ways I could use the drum instead of just necessarily bashing them all the time, you know, but like being a bit more intricate with playing. So it's just a bit of like a head turner. How they can? There's room for that variation in a happy sound. Still like you can, still you can flow between. So yeah, it's just. Yeah, it's got a special place in my heart, I think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think anything to do with black Sabbath is pretty awesome. It's like an awesome. So, george, you would be your favorite guitar player.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's a tough question. Right there, my favorite guitar player, I think I'm thinking about it Just because, like people say, he was messy and like he was, like you know, didn't know how to play the guitar really and like had this sloppy sound, but he was incredible. He played some really difficult and intricate risks and also came up with those really intricate, difficult risks that you know sound sloppy but really hard to play. And yeah, I don't know, I think that so much soul in it, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you really kind of revolutionize what was kind of going on. You know, we went from like hairband 80s to now this super deep, you know dirty grunge right, which is really really cool to be able to, you know, totally transform the music industry where we were all still just rocking out to 80s hairband right.
Speaker 3:Then go to it's kind of crazy.
Speaker 1:So what's your guys's favorite part of a strip club?
Speaker 3:I've never been.
Speaker 1:You guys have never been to a strip club.
Speaker 3:Oh, my goodness, george, you're going to have children with children strip club. I've been. I've been in GTA, to be fair, outside of that, You're going to have to go. I've got a conspiracy theory that the massage place opposite me is actually a strip club, something going down there.
Speaker 1:It's a little bit. You might want to find out what's happening there before you book your massage. Yeah, exactly, I want to Right Joy Division.
Speaker 4:That'd be me. Yeah, joy Division, ultimate incredible bands. The short period they're around, the influence they've had, even on like today's music, is just incredible. Peter Hook is a bassist. That bass line is just so instantly recognizable. It's the opener to one of my fair albums of all time. But yeah, no, I love Joy Division.
Speaker 1:Do you guys like movies Like what's your, who's your favorite director or favorite movie?
Speaker 4:Always been a Tarantino man myself, he is one of the most obvious picks.
Speaker 1:He's got a great soundtrack, like his music, you know, if you like, obviously his movies are really good, but why I love watching his movies is there's so much music that I pull off of his movies that I've never even heard before.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you wouldn't have thought that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, he'd be awesome. Anybody else want to share?
Speaker 4:Tim Burton is my favorite director, I think definitely. I love the world. So he creates crazy alien four lines and landscapes and like mediums he plays with is really cool.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:With action Tim Burton for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah, awesome. Do you guys have any man crushes?
Speaker 2:Yes, ron's concert from Parks and Recreation, that's a great show.
Speaker 3:That's hilarious.
Speaker 1:Anybody else want to share their man crush?
Speaker 4:What's his name from Vampire Dory's Damien?
Speaker 1:Oh yes, I love Damien. Good choice, Good choice.
Speaker 4:I don't remember his name. Is it Inson and Hilda?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4:That's what I'd say.
Speaker 1:Stan, you want to share your man crush.
Speaker 4:It's going to be Gavin Rostel.
Speaker 1:Nice, that's a great one. I love Gavin Rostel for sure. Alright, Johnny, you're the only man out. Who are you crushing?
Speaker 3:with. Yeah, a bit of an obscure one, probably John Marla.
Speaker 2:England rugby player.
Speaker 3:He's a beautiful man, beautiful man Comedy, gold Of the Bowl. And yeah, the trim, the hacker is just unbelievable. It's possible not to love him really.
Speaker 1:You guys got great taste in man. I love it Alright. I love this band, hey Rage Against Machine. I seen them in Vancouver years and years, probably 26 years ago. My daughter was conceived at that Rage Against Machine concert 26 years ago.
Speaker 3:Man too Wow.
Speaker 1:I love Rage Against Machine.
Speaker 4:I've seen them twice and both times. Both times they canceled.
Speaker 1:Really no way really.
Speaker 4:First time was because of COVID, which, yeah, fair enough. Second time it was on the last leg of the tour they're supposed to play Reading Festival, and Zack, he hurt his leg on tour, didn't he? So they stopped all shows and, yeah, never seen them. The closest I've been to seeing them was Professor Rage, which I saw opening for Eminem the last time I saw him. Wow. Another incredible band Tomorello.
Speaker 1:So good.
Speaker 4:So good, zack's lyrics, his whole demeanour, it's just yeah, again another unmatched band with that sort of energy. It's just a very, very upset. I've never had the chance to see them. They were literally the one band that I haven't seen, other than Death Dome's and System. Yeah, mainly then.
Speaker 1:I love it. So what do you guys got going on right now? What's coming up? Let's say, in the next, call it five months for you guys.
Speaker 4:A lot of them.
Speaker 1:We're booked up.
Speaker 4:Yeah, who wants to?
Speaker 2:Well, we've got some gigs.
Speaker 4:Yeah, we've got Metal to the Masses.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we've got Metal to the Masses gig, which is basically like a competition, and if you get through you get to play at a bloodstock, which is just a big metal festival here in the UK. So hopefully we make it through on that, which would be great. And then we've got a gig after that on the 16th of February, a local gig, yeah, in Cheltenham at a place called Strolken Fiddle, which is going to be a really great night I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 1:And how about any new releases. Do you guys got any new songs you're going to release over the next? Call it three, four months.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we've got some studio time booked End of Feb, isn't it? Yeah, 25th of Feb. So, going back to producer that we worked with on our last single and, yeah, hopefully going to have some a couple of new tunes to release. Yeah, we've been five months, so it's a, it should be, should be ready to go. So, yeah, very excited to get around to releasing some more of our new stuff.
Speaker 1:Lewis, have you ever been to download?
Speaker 4:Yes many times.
Speaker 3:It was a download.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I love downloads. I've found so many great bands that download First. I must all sleep. Token was that the download pilot, which was like a experiment they did during COVID.
Speaker 4:So, a couple of months before the whole lockdown and everything was like lifted, they done this thing called the pilot, which was, I think, limited to 10,000 people. Download is normally like over 100,000. Yeah, it was enter Chicago. We were headlining, as you know, on the car of bands. It was Frank on the route snakes bullet in my valentine. But yeah, sleep token with that. They're on a small stage and, yeah, seeing them live for the first time was incredible. And now to see how big they've gone, it's just, yeah, it's kind of surreal. Yeah, I went last year, saw the you know the double Metallica set. Bring me playing Slipknot. It was just an incredible year. But yeah, no, I've been, I've been many times. Yeah, I've been a friend.
Speaker 1:That goes every single time. He's like a born maiden fan. I've never not seen him with an Iron Maiden t-shirt on.
Speaker 1:I've known him for 13 years. I've actually had him on the show because he loves Iron Maiden so much and I wanted to go to his house to do the show because his whole garage is like Iron Maiden, like there's every single Eddie poster that you can imagine. That's ever been done in like 40 years, like it's just all made in. Yeah, like it was pretty cool. He loves going to download, like every year just flying out to the UK and going to download. He loves it. So it's pretty, it's pretty cool.
Speaker 3:So where can?
Speaker 1:we, where can we find you guys? Where can we stalk you, hunt you down? What's your social medias addresses numbers.
Speaker 3:You got some post codes. No, we're on Instagram and say we're most active, but then basically anywhere on any social media will be protocol official, protocolcom official. Yeah, yeah, check us out. See what we got going on. We got a YouTube channel as well. We posted some bits from gigs and whatnot. You got some as well. Not close, unfortunately.
Speaker 1:Hey, this is guys last song, right?
Speaker 3:Absolutely All right.
Speaker 1:I think this is. I feel like this is a Lewis song, yeah.
Speaker 4:Again, death tones, one of our biggest influences. Yeah, I love most of the stuff, to be honest, if not all, but yeah that song in particular for me the bass line like it's just so good. It's got a really cool rhythm to it, it just flows really nicely and yeah.
Speaker 4:First, time I heard that song I was like, wow, this is incredible. Yeah, but the same with most death tone songs, even the latest stuff. Like a lot of people don't like it, but I don't think they're just as good as ever, personally, and I'm excited to see what they release this year. They know any sign of it. I'm gonna share some I don't know how much yeah.
Speaker 3:I love how they're not afraid to like change up their sound as well. They're so bad. They're completely done for the trajectory that they're on and they don't really give a shit about what people are going to say.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, Well, thank you guys. So appreciate you guys driving, you know getting all together. I love that you guys all got together. That's awesome. I know that you guys are gonna be on us today on music junkies, but before I let you go, Stan, I would like to have you leave us with some words of wisdom, if you could.
Speaker 4:Um.
Speaker 3:Oh, he's buffering.
Speaker 4:Yeah, what can I say? Um, I don't know, I just have been having what, what, what we were saying before like, um, you know, we, we, um, we had our first gig yesterday. After four months of, after four months of writing, we spent the last, we spent the last like year together, gigging two years before that, honing things even more and like finally it feels like the ship is starting to take off for us.
Speaker 2:So stick with it, yeah, stick with it.
Speaker 4:It takes time, um, but yeah, I feel like it doesn't feel like the beginning of the journey, um, but in some way that you're on the journey, like yeah you know I'll do it right. So, yes, stick with it.
Speaker 1:I love it. You're halfway through the shit pile. Don't turn back and go back, just keep it Absolutely not Forward. I love it. Thank you guys so much, I appreciate it Thank you.
Speaker 3:Thank you Appreciate it.