Est.1987 headed down to The Cockpit in Leeds to check out LA metal act As Blood Runs Black.
We caught up with Leche [drums] and Nick [bass] pre-show to chat all things recording, new faces, oh, and dirty laundry!
We caught up with Leche [drums] and Nick [bass] pre-show to chat all things recording, new faces, oh, and dirty laundry!
How’s the tour going so far guys? You
started out in Mainland Europe before hitting the UK
NICK- It’s awesome; all the other bands on
this tour have been bad ass dudes! All we do is hang out; there’s no asshole or
ego guys and it’s fun. The shows have been great too, especially the UK UK
You guys are from LA. Do you see a
difference in the scenes over in LA to here in the UK
N- Yeah, ten fold different. I mean not
in a bad way and there are similarities, but it’s a culture difference too;
kids are into different stuff and the fads are different.
LECHE- They’re very selective out in LA and
out here they’re more supportive, they treat the bands well. Touring in the
States compared to touring out here, they take care of the bands better over
here and I think the girls are hotter out here too, so it’s a big plus every time
we come out here.
N- Crowds in LA, if you’re not the
flavour of the month then people are stood with the mean mug on, straight faced;
but over here kids are so happy to see a band from overseas, they’re more
willing to maybe throw down…
L- They’re a little more open minded I
guess to new music.
 |
| "Instinct" the latest album |
Are you a band that prefers being in
the studio or out on the road?
N- Both. I mean I love recording and
love being in the studio when you get excited, like a little kid at Christmas
for new songs, but being on the road is awesome; it’s like hanging out with your
best friends everyday. The studio is what allows us to do that.
L- Yeah, it’s like the ticket…
N- Yeah, the ticket to go on the ride,
exactly. It’s a good analogy.
L- It’s cool, because I like both; but
I like touring better, because we meet people all over the world and see
different cultures. It’s a double edged sword too though…
N- We’re getting older!
So, it was five years between
“Allegiance” and “Instinct”. How do you feel your sound developed and how will
that expand on the next record – any thoughts of that yet?
N- There’s a big, big musical jump from
“Allegiance” to “Instinct”, just based on the artists on the record and the
progression of musicianship. It did take five years and I think it was worth
it. We plan on waiting another five years before releasing our next one.
L- I think ten actually.
N- No, we’re actually in the process of
writing and should be recording soon.
L- Every time we say that though
something happens and we never do.
N- We promise within the next ten
years! [laughing].
Do you have a set routine when
you’re writing or is it more spontaneous?
L- A little of both. It’s kind of like
we have a little pit and just throw ideas in there and then whatever sticks to
the wall we take that and start to morph songs here and there. We usually write
more than we need and then pick the “all stars”, then we role with that. But,
we’re excited to write a new record because we have new talent in the band and I
think it’s going to be interesting adding these new elements to our new record.
In terms of set list how much stuff
are you going to play from each album?
N- We try and do half and half because
obviously people are going to love “Allegiance” because it was old school and
everybody’s used to that, but people need to embrace the new stuff because it
has been a long time now.
L- Yeah, new songs, new faces, so we’re
trying to branch out to the new sound, but also we don’t want to take away from
the reason why we’re here.
N- And the new songs aren’t bad but,
like anything new, it’s going to take time to be a classic.
If you could pick one of your songs
that best sums up what you’re about, which would it be and why?
L- I would say “Instinct”, the last
track on our new record. It’s about proving ourselves and going for it.
N- I would say “Resist” because there’s
a lot of distractions and it’s good to resist the negative things in life and I
think that today’s youth need that, they need something to relate to; be you
and be the best you that you can. It’s important, because some kids are just down
to do whatever’s cool and they can end up f*****g themselves. We all have bad
experiences and s**t that we’ve learned from. Me and Lech have been best
friends since we were fifteen years old, so growing up we’ve stumbled a lot but
somehow landed on our feet every time which is a blessing from God or whoever
you pray to.
L- We just followed our instinct
[laughing].
N- That was the reason behind the
titling too, just using our instinct.
 |
| "Allegiance" ABRB's debut |
I’ve read in past interviews that
you carefully select tours that you get offered. Is it important to you as a
band that you keep that integrity and still control such decisions?
L- Yes. I mean that’s also is a double
edged sword because there are tours that are projected for political reasons or
for a certain look. But, we also want to associate ourselves with a certain kind
of band we live with the bands sometimes on tour and we want to make sure they
are bands that we get along with. Sometimes, I personally, try and dig for
dirty laundry to try and see what to expect on the road; because when you’re
with a bunch of guys and there’s alcohol everywhere things can get pretty ugly,
really fast. We select tours based on the type of bands and yeah, kind of for
politics, because at the end of the day we want to have a good time and do what
we’re supposed to do.
N- It’s kind of like anything, if
you’re going to let someone live in your house then you’re going to make sure
that they’re not a crack-head felon. That’s a big part of it, people’s
reputations, and I think we have a good reputation. Yeah, we do stupid stuff
but overall we have a good reputation. Picking your tours is pretty bad ass too
because you get to tour with some of your favourite bands.
And finally, what band would you
recommend we have to check out?
N- “Upon A Burning Body”. We just did
the Thrash And Burn tour in the States with them and those are our boys. The singer Dan filled in
for us on a tour in 2009, so we’ve known him in the past and I got to meet the
whole band and they’re all like him, sick dudes but really nice guys. Their
band is on fire right now, I love them. I give them the most respect but if you
could scope out anyone, it’d be them. And Danny, I’m going to need some
royalties off this; send my check to my address, I’ll text you when I get home!
[laughing].
Thanks guys!
And here's what happened when As Blood Runs Black took to the stage...
Opening
with “In Dying Days” from their first album, As Blood Runs Black [ABRB] storm the stage here at The Cockpit in Leeds and from here on in the LA five-piece are a
hurricane of energy. The show, which was originally supposed to take place at
The Well, was rescheduled to the larger Cockpit when The Well closed. Although
the crowd is more diffused than it would have been at the previous venue, they
nevertheless reciprocate the vigour displayed on stage.
“Bring the
mother f*****g roof down”; It takes a little encouragement by front-man Sonik
Garcia, but soon the majority of the modest crowd are wielding their arms, legs
and hair in front of the stage. He, alongside the rest of the band, is captivating,
opposing heavy breakdowns with progressive guitar riffs and the hint of melodic
vocals. Leche’s drumming powers ABRB
into “Beneath The Surface” and crowd favourite “Hester Prynne”.
Pre show
Nick and Leche admitted they were excited to work with the newer talent in the
band on album number three, and if tonight is anything to go by then it will be
tighter and more epic than ever before. Catchy riffs, harsh vocals and striding
rhythms create an impressive dynamic in the band’s live show. Whether they’re
playing to huge crowds or a more select set of fans, as tonight, they deliver
passion and in abundance.
They are
precise, loud and affective in their approach, stirring the crowd to return the
favour. Their set is short and powerful, delivering one almighty powerful blow;
no encore, no nonsense, they just deliver. The anthemic “Resist” seals their
set and testifies that they are a band that need to be experienced live.
And here's where you can catch the tour...
