Interview with Primitai

British metal is alive and kicking in Camden’s The Underworld tonight as Primitai having done their sound check come to have a chat with Planet Mosh. Newest member, guitarist Sergio Pedro Girón is thrown in the deep end alongside vocalist Guy Miller, as I apparently don’t look like I have a strong northern accent that Sergio won’t understand!

So tonight is the last night of your quick run supporting Wolf. There’s a few miles driven in there, what has been the most played song on the Primitai van stereo or are you closet Radio 4 listeners?

Sergio: Many songs.

Guy: [Laughing at the question] We have a wide variety of taste going from very metal to not metal at all. Chris is into his country music so that does somehow end up on the stereo when he’s driving. A bit of Dream Theatre, all sorts. Nothing’s over played.

Do you remember your first gig with Primitai? How has your approach to a gig changed since then?

Guy: To be honest my approach hasn’t really changed for my shows. I pretty much remember the first gig I did it was in Camden somewhere as far as I recall. I’ve always been about going in 100%. We want to give a good show basically, that’s the whole aim of the band. I want everyone in that room to leave enjoying themselves. That’s always been my aim, I don’t think that’s particularly changed.

Sergio: It was Finfest. Obviously there is a difference between the first show and now. You are on tour, you are playing each day, so you are more comfortable on stage. That’s what I feel.

It’s been a little while since you released ‘Rise Again’. Have you guys been tunkering away in the background with new material or do you refer to sit and write a new record in one hit?

Guy: For the last just under a year, it’s all been about ‘Rise Again’, we took a break frm the recoding process while we were gigging and tring to get that album out there, but definitely in the last six months or more, there’s been a lot of writing betweenwhatever else we’ve been doing, so we’ve kind of got a whole load of new material now and Sergio joind the band back in August and he’s actually already written several songs of whi own and brought them to the table, so there’s been a lot of writing going on but its about consolidating them now and really working on the ones we can put into a future recording.

We are only still in the early days of 2015, what are you guys planning to do as a band for the rest of the year?

Guy: I’m certainly hoping we are going to continue gigging for the rest of the year. We’ve got a few festivals in the pipeline so we are waiting to be confirmed on them. We’d love to play the big festivals like Download and Bloodstock as well. We’ve played there a few times, so we’d love to go back there again. Another tour hopefully in the new few months, so keep a look out.

You played Nottingham Rock City last night and psoted a photo of their backstage jukebox of bands who have played the venue. Which of your CD’s should they add on there?

Guy: I think we’ve got to promote the new album, but that’s definitely my proudest achievement with the band, so the new album ‘Rise Again’ for me would be the choice. I’m really happy with how it came out and the production on that as well by Fredrik Nordstrom, we were completely blown away by. He took it to another level really for the band.

Which of your songs do you most enjoy playing live and why?

Sergio: Probably ‘Line of Fire’ because it is a powerful song, but at the same time the song goes down in the middle and there’s a beautiful solo. I really enjoy playing that song.

Who are your heroes and/or influences away from music?

Guy: Wow, that’s an interesting question. I’m sure I must have some. I guess so many of my influences, even if it’s not the music they play, it’s musicians.

Sergio: I think not necessarily heavy metal. In my case for example, I really like classic rock like Led Zepplin and Mark Knopfler as well, Michael Jackson, so it’s very different influences, so when you listen to heavy metal, that melody..maybe you make a new riff, it’s a heavy riff, but there are some things about that, maybe that influence comes from Michael Jackson’s music.

If you could play any instrument that you don’t already play, what would it be and why?

Guy: Well, for me, I once sort of tinkered with the piano for a couple of years and that’s something I kind of regret having given up, so that’s definitely what I’d love to be able to play again. Just so I can sit down on a piano wherever one may be and hammer out a song on that.

Sergio: I would like to play piano and saxophone.

That would be an interesting spin on the metal band with some saxophone in there!

Sergio: Maybe just to play blues.

If you could be a part of any moment in musical history be it a gig, festival, or era, what would it be and why?

Guy: I would probably choose an era and something cliche, a heavy metal band like Motley Crue and live that life for a while. That would be my era, I’d love that.

Sergio: In my case Queen when Freddie was alive.

What is the one question you have never been asked that you would like to be asked and what would your answer be?

Guy: There’s a lot of questions I’ve never been asked, but I’m not sure which I would like to be asked. Can you think of anything? [Looks at Sergio]

Sergio: I don’t know!

With Primitai stumped for an answer, we let them get back to warming up before the show and thank them for their time. For more information about the band check out http://www.primitai.com/