PlanetMosh Keeping it Metal
As I came into the backstage area at Moho there was a great buzz feeling, they are the most friendliest band I have ever interview and extremely professional full of laughs and best bit talking to Aaron as he has his face in a steamer.
So we have Aaron Buchanan on vocals, Sid Glover on guitar, Rob Ellershaw on bass and Chris Rivers on drums.
Lara- So how did you get involved with the Teenager Cancer Trust Fund?
Chris Rivers- Well the original idea was we have been recording pretty much of the last year and not done many shows, so with it being close to Christmas we wanted to go out and do a few shows not a like a full tour, just play at a favorite places London, Manchester and Sheffield. We aren’t getting paid for the gigs so we aren’t charging on the door just a pound donation to the charity so we can say thanks to everyone for such a great year and….
Sid- Hang around.
Chris- Yeah hang around.
Sid- Well no one really wants to go out round Christmas as you know people have spent all their money or they cant be arsed, we’ve been quiet on the gig side as we been busy everywhere else and now we have our music sorted, we can play some gigs at the end of the year and have a good time so hopefully everyone puts some money into charity and come down and have a good night.
Chris- Yeah come down and have a great time and the Teenager Cancer Trust Fund is a very good cause to support.
Lara- Are we going to hear a lot of new material tonight then?
Sid- Its kind of healthy balance because no one likes to go see a band when you want to get into the show and they are playing all new stuff so your are listening instead, so we have put some old, some present and some future stuff, it’s a good healthy balance.
Chris- It was really really hard to choose the set list for these gigs like ee have 30 or 40 songs to choose from and all 12 can be selected.
Sid- we could only choose 12 songs and keep it to an hour as much as we can.
Chris- it was supposed to be 11 but we put that extra one in and last nights show just got through them as quick as we can bang bang bang.
Lara- So what can your fans expect differently from the last time you played Manchester?
Sid- Be a bit louder and there will be 4 more tunes. Aaron’s hair has got curlier as well.
Aaron- Chris’ hair has got shorter.
Sid- well last time we were here we had just got together as it was Aarons forth gig something like that. So we were like still pretty new to it as a band, we’ve done quite a lot, got a record deal, been travelling and recording.
Aaron- what Sid is trying to say is we were trying to be mature haha.
Chris- It was one of the best gigs of the tour…it was just wild…
Sid- You’re just saying that coz you’re from Manchester haha.
Chris- haha…This is the gig where you know the record people came down liked the show and…
Lara- ahh so Manchester really was the kick off point for you guys.
Chris- Yeah.
Sid- It was a really good gig.
Lara- so what has been the best moment for you guys in 2011?
Sid- Oh fucking hell…We had a really good steak dinner. We actually had some pretty good dinners…really good seafood as well.
Rob- That’s really got to be said haha.
Sid- For me the most important thing was after the couple of the years that we’ve had, we came back and did our main tour, so we got to see everyone and show everyone that we were there and we were ready to go. It was really important year as it Aarons first year, so the best bit was getting everyone back on site and moving forward together.
Chris- Getting our album on the way, recording and going to America for 5 to 6 weeks, decided the process that we would go into early next year so everything is kind of set now for the next few years.
Lara- So you have toured all over the UKand Europewhere would you like to go next and who with?
Sid- I’d say where we want to go is everywhere because we haven’t gone away this year we have played the UK a little but we have gone to America but not played, we have done all the ground work this year, so hopefully the new year we want to be so busy touring and stuff that we don’t get to see our families for a full year. We just want to be out there playing to as many people as possible…we will play with anyone really. We will just go out and do it because we love playing shows.
Aaron- I’d like to go to a casino with Frank Sinatra.
Sid- Right…
Aaron- But I’m not old enough to go to a casino haha.
Sid- We are not really fussy because when we go out and play with other bands we are not there really to jump on their tail wagons we more like stand up and square up to our opponent that’s a little bit bigger than you so we kind of get all cocky and go fucking come on! You know what I mean, we will play with anyone anytime you know… bring it on.
Lara- so what can we look forward from you guys in the New Year?
Sid- Our album, loads of new music hopefully loads of shows.
Aaron- Yeah the summer season should be pretty intense.
Sid- I don’t know if we could raise the bar any higher really we kind of beat… Body Hair! Hopefully a lot more body hair!
Chris- Once we have the album done definitely a lot more shows.
Lara- You can’t let us in with any details of when there is a tour or when you’re releasing your album?
Chris- Well not really because at the moment we are just finalizing the time period to finish our album so we cant say a time at the moment.
Sid- We think its going to be a concept album based on Twilight.
Rob- And Aaron- Hahaha.
Lara- So you have such an expressive and energetic style on stage that other bands take inspiration of how do you feel about that?
Sid- I feel jaded and disgusted… haha
Rob- Be careful where you draw inspiration from.
Sid- Yeah yeah I would advised those bands to be careful haha.
Rob- I good thing would be to change what your doing don’t be stuck in a hole that we are in right now haha.
Sid- It’s true we have seen that bands have certain elements in their sounds, set ups… we see it nothing but as a compliment, even if its something we don’t like about our band then we like hang on they are doing that now oh well okay then maybe its not a bad thing.
Chris- When we were kids and you see a video or a band you like you start to copy their moves and their style and then you find your own thing from then on.
Sid- It’s not like we don’t steal from other bands… we still do that stuff all the time you know we will be at home watching a DVD be like fucking hell that beats the bullocks so that’s how music works. That’s the best thing about this industry.
Rob- It’s like I watched the Chilli Peppers and think I’m going to grow a mustache now and I did.
Lara- Where’s the mustache now?
Rob- I got out voted haha.
Aaron- He looked like Freddie Mercury.
Rob- So during 2012 look out for a mustache. We have all agreed that album number 4 will be a beard album.
Aaron- We can’t even grow a beard.
Rob- Well maybe because Chris is the only one that can actually grow a beard.
Sid- Rob can grow a kick ass mustache; me and Aaron are just desperately fighting.
Rob- So yeah hopefully mustaches in 2012!
Lara- Haha…So what advice can you give to the hard working bands that are desperately trying to break into the industry?
Sid- Just keep fucking working hard that’s what it is.
Chris- There’s so many bands out there that give up after like a month, you have to take a lot in this industry even if you’re big time and have a massive fan base you need to be able to work through it.
Sid- Heavens basement is getting a bit more involved and there’s more people involved well I should say a lot more people interested as we are very tight with who we let in and stuff. A lot of the things they see in us and what they like about us is the drive and they think well what can go wrong when a band is this driven. As long as the bands driven as much as we are, they have seen the kind of shit that we have been through and how we keep coming out the other side so I think it’s a good sign of things to come because if you can’t do that then you can’t be a band for the long run. You know what I mean.
Chris- Enjoy the times so when times get hard…
Sid- That’s the thing coz when it gets hard and you either become a bit of pussy “aw it’s so hard” and start fighting or have a laugh and get on with it.
Rob- And if it still doesn’t work out then there’s X-factor haha. Simon Cowell has some really good rates.
Lara- I hate X-factor
Sid- You don’t like X-factor this interview is over haha.
Lara- Haha…So what’s the biggest risk you guys have taken together?
Sid- I once ran by the side of the pool once and had eaten in the last 2 hours.
Lara- Oh my god how are you still here right now haha.
Sid- Well you know I just like to live on the edge!
Lara- Haha… but together what would you say your biggest risk was and how did you overcome that risk?
Sid- I think we have never really thought about risk really we kind of just act on impulse, the thing with Heavens basement is its really about going with your guts we just kind of do what we feel is a right at that time which has led us down some wonky avenues that we have had to try and get ourselves out of.
Rob- That’s the good thing about being in Heavens Basement is it’s never boring there’s a lot of erm… events that happen.
Sid- Like we had a phone call yesterday asking how everything is going and we went well and they were shocked they said everything is going fine…. What the hell everyone was freaked out haha…yeah everything is professional everything was sorted out haha.
Chris- I think the big risk we have taken as a band that has really pulled off was when we used to tour and we still do… but rely on selling merchandise to get us to the next gig and even when we toured outside the UK as well.
Sid- I think also when we did Manchester city stadium on our seventh ever gig together… I would say that was a pretty big risk.
Lara- Yeah for sure cool…so how would you describe your inspiration in writing process?
Aaron- Well I like to start with the applause and work backwards.
Rob- I just watch the 30 Second to Mars videos…fucking love those movies watch about two a day haha.
Sid- Well again it’s all pretty guttural so we all write together so…
Aaron- It’s what we listen to at the time we listen to Black Sabbath other days its Led Zeppelin or Areomsith just whatever comes a way really.
Chris- We write about things we get up to like when we went to America we wrote some songs about what we got up to there and places we saw and the people we met. Everything brings us ideas.
Sid- Some one will have a bit of a rift idea then we jam it, build it up into something and then add lyrics into it. Like there is a song we will be playing tonight call ‘Green Elephant’ that was written about when we signed to our record deal and having to sign off the dole, as at the time as we were all signing on at and all the bullshit we went through trying to stay on the dole and then we get a lot money and achieve what we wanted and then having to pay shit loads of it all back and you think well might as well stayed on the dole so stupid things like that. We do take a lot from life.
Lara- What was the first album you ever brought and how has it affected the way you make music today?
Rob- Mine was Robson and Jerome ha! No it wasn’t it should have been though. I wanted that for Christmas and I didn’t get it…I think mine was ‘The Morning Glory’ by Oasis I got that on CD, was my very first ever CD.
Aaron- Think mine was either Slipknot or Muse.
Chris- Mine was an Aerosmith album and still to this day my favorite band.
Aaron- Oh shit no wait my was Queen.
Sid- I think mine was either a Pink Floyd one or GnR…actually I think my was the ‘Chef Aid’ album from South Park. That’s a classic.
Lara- I know it’s the spice girls CD really you guys bought come one now let’s be honest haha.
Sid- Oh Yeah I brought that album actually that was the second album I brought.
Aaron- I got mine as a Christmas present so that doesn’t count. What a fucking album that was.
Lara- Haha… What can we expect from tonight’s show?
Sid- Well Scotty is going to dress up as a Santa and Al is going to dress up as an Elf and they are going fight to the death.
Lara- With light sabers just make things more interesting and weird haha.
Sid- Ha well no coz they are Santa and an Elf so candy canes and shit.,.or essentially their cocks, yeah one is pink and the other is brown.
Lara- Haha…are they really that big to do a full fight to the death!
Sid- Well stick around hahaha…
Lara- Haha well okay…haha…well thank you guys for your time had a few laughs all the best for the show.
Heaven’s Basement- Yeah cheers!
