Digitalgig.co.uk - We'll All Be Heroes - Issue 5

James: Hard work but it defiantly paid off at the end of it!

What’s the scene like in the North East?

Dave: It’s pretty cool. Certainly lots places to play, it is just a bit out of the way from larger scenes like Manchester and London so you can feel a little disconnected at times, but as far as a local scene goes, it’s pretty kick ass.

Roger: The scene in the North-East is OK, There seems to be plenty of opportunity to gig, but once you’ve exhausted the main venues you really need to branch out and get round the country otherwise you’ll end up doing the same gigs over and over and not getting anywhere. That’s why we’re doing the tour early within the band’s career to push ourselves out of our local scene and get exposure around the country.

James: A Crazy Live Music Scene! All the venues/festivals are top notch and there is a lot of 14+ fans that enjoy all types of music (Very Big Social Network)

Is it an easy place to play?

Dave: I would say so, crowds are accepting of new bands and rock out, it’s 100% better than 5 years ago, and is growing all the time.

James: Once people know you it is quite an easy place to play as long as you’re friendly with the promoters they will sort you out an awesome slot on a gig!

Where do you get your inspiration?

Dave: I personally draw from my own experiences, try to create something that is it’s own entity. I don’t like corny tracks, thrown together to make a quick buck, it’s gotta come from the heart and be a natural process.

Roger: A lot of inspiration for the music/lyrics on the album has come from the split of the previous band we were in and the issues surrounding that and moving onto creating more of a fun, party vibe that people are going to enjoy listening to/watching rather than a pretentious thinking-your-bigger-than-you-are vibe where you think the world owes you a living.

James: To play live music it would have to be family, friends! Big bands such as Metallica, The Used, Story Of The Year - all those types of bands, and drummers like Keith Moon.

What’s your dream collaboration?

Dave: To work with good people who feel the same way about music as we do. People who want the tracks to sound as good as they can without compromising who we are and what we are trying to achieve. I would love for a friend of mine,

Quinn Allman (The Used) to produce one of our records, he knows how to kick out tunes and is a legit guy.

Roger: A dream collaboration for me would definitely be to work with a band like Story Of The Year I think – they’re awesome at writing catchy tunes that kick you in the face!

What’s your ultimate ambition in music?

Dave: To keep making music with people I care about. I wanna tour, keep working hard and get people come hang out and have a good time with us.

Roger: An ultimate ambition of mine is to get our music out there and for people to listen to and enjoy our music and want to come to shows to have a good time. Whether that involves getting signed or not is negligible - it would obviously make the process a bit easier but we’re going to do it either way!

James: Play larger shows and give the fans what they want!

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing unsigned acts at the moment?

Dave: Venues not wanting to give you a shot because you don’t have a following in their area. It’s a catch 22 scenario, as it’s hard to build a following just through an internet presence alone, but these guys need to make a profit. The truth is, there are no guarantees in music - you just gotta be out touring your ass off and try to catch a break.

Roger: I think with sites like MySpace there’s definitely a platform for unsigned acts to get your music out there, but it also gives every other musician/band that chance too so it’s as competitive as it’s ever been really. I guess the only way to get noticed is through hard work – don’t think the world owes you a living and you’re going to instantly get signed by Sony because you’ve played a handful of gigs in your hometown!