PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
This is Lee Walker from www.PlanetMosh.com conducting an interview with the Gareth Nugent and Mako from the Gentlemen of Distorted Sound
LW – It doesn’t seem that long ago you were playing Highway to Hell taking part in a battle of the bands competition with another 24 bands to win places on this festival. How have things been since then ?
Gareth – Manic, brilliant. Since then we have been doing a lot more shows and we have been on tour with the Quireboys. We are doing the UK leg of the tour and its been going great and in between that we have been writing material for our album which we are going to record after Christmas.
LW – You are currently half way through a tour with the living legends that are The Quireboys. How has the tour been going ? Has it been good?
Mako – incredible, we have done three nights so far Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow. Its great playing with two brilliant bands. Red White Blue and the Quireboys. The crowd has been awesome. So I cant wait to do the rest.
LW – Was Hard Rock Hell what you expected it to be ?
Gareth – No its not ~ its definitely different. I was expecting boy-bands no (laughter) well they are a little bit hairier aren’t they you known what I mean (more laughter). There’s a few female ones here as well but I won’t go into that (laughter) maybe later after a few more drinks (laughter). It’s very very different in the respect that there are so many people here are into good rock music. Its brilliant, its absolutely fantastic. Obviously it’s called Hard Rock Hell but the fact of the matter is that there so many people, so many different groups, so many different genres of rock. You have got three stages and you have got a whole plethora of acts that you can go and watch and chat with at the bar, have a drink with then go see them perform afterwards its really really refreshing.
LW – For those people out there who are just discovering GODS as a result of this festival appearance how did the band come into being?
Mako – How did it come to be ? well we all got released (laughter) you think I’m joking. (more laughter). We poached Gareth from another band. So basically we had been around for four years. We heard Gareth rehearsing with another band next door, Lawrence Santi the bass player, we just starting a band a band and had a singer but it wasn’t really working out. We could hear his vocals coming through the wall. So we had a couple of drinks and one thing led to another really, not in that way (laughter)
Gareth – All the guys came in, we were in the canteen at the studio, and we got sitting down and joking with the Lawrence the bass player and Mako and my guys pissed off home and we just talking about music and the type of music they wanted to do and the type of music I wanted to do. We were on the same level of it and err we just thought what the hell you know and had a bit of a session in the studio and had a bit of a laugh and within about half an hour messing around with some chords and stuff at first to see where we were at
Mako –and it just clicked
Gareth – There was a chemistry there
Mako – The idea of the band is that we have all influences so the reason that we are called Gentlemen of Distorted Sounds is because we are gentlemen but its more to do with all the different influences so we all kinda distort the sounds Im into heavy funk through to metal the drummer is into heavy rock and metal Lawrence is into p funk and prince and things like that, Gareth is into opera as well as rock. So we are trying to fuse some of those things whether it be stage craft so its not just a band playing looking at their feet. We put on a show
Gareth – it’s a performance it’s not just about music. We are very much a live band and an act and when people come to see the band we want them to go away feeling exhausted and just wow we have gotten our money’s worth, we have enjoyed it, we have been involved in it, not just watching.
LW – What bands/artists have been your main influences over the years ?
Mako – Things trough from Living Colour to the Smashing Pumpkins, Queen, U2, Kiss, funkidelic chilli peppers.
Gareth – Everything. You know (Mako interrupts saying Britney) she can inspire anyone when she first came out (laughter) she has changed (more laughter) anyway we wont talk about that.
LW – In terms of the bands playing Hard Rock Hell this weekend what ones are you looking forward to watching the most ?
Gareth – We were looking forward to seeing Ace Frehley. We saw him last Christmas and totally enjoyed his show and unfortunately he’s hurt himself and he is in disposed.
Mako – Black Stone Cherry. We have not seen them since Paris.
Gareth – Yes we were on tour in Paris and we hooked up with the Black Stone Cherry guys. Really nice guys. So we are looking forward to going for a drink with them later on.
Mako – Magnum
LW – You have a new studio album out next April if memory serves me. How’s the recording process coming along ?
Gareth – We have got the album pretty much written. We have been trying out some of the new material throughout the tour. The thing with us is that most nights you wont get the same show twice. We like to thrown in a new track just to air it that’s the whole idea. Seeing what people think. Getting a response. So hopefully by the time we come to record we’ll know what we are doing and we know the song.
LW – Can you tell me what to expect from it ?
Mako – Hopefully we have got this collaboration going
Gareth – With Elliott Randall from Steely Dan. We are doing a big massive ballad, a big rock ballad.
Mako – With a kind of orchestra behind it. Plus a whole lot of big fat grooves that we are known for. So it should be a mix of things.
LW – Are there any bands from the rock/metal scene do you recommend keeping any eye on right now ?
Gareth – Theres a little band called Alter Bridge (laughter) they seem to be doing quite well.
Both – Million $ Reload
Gareth – The Amorettes. They are very very good – we will be watching those for different reasons (laughter). Their vocal ability is wonderful (laughter).
Mako – Good lungs (laughter)
Gareth – A pair of them (more laughter)
LW – Are there any messages that you would like to pass on to your fans ?
Mako – We hope to see you on tour in the New Year really so we will be doing all the festivals. Thankyou for supporting us
Gareth – If you do see us and our names up there Gentlemen of Distorted Sounds. Come and see us, come and say hello. Introduce yourself, you are a friend, come and say hi. I look forward to it.
For more information on the GODS please check out:
http://www.facebook.com/godsband
