Frenzy

Zurück zur Übersicht | Archiv Juli 2010 | Archiv 2010

Question: For all the people, who don't know you: Could you please introduce yourself with your name and your function in the band?

Hi! The band consists of Steve Whitehouse - lead vocals and double bass, Steve Eaton - backing vocals and guitar, and Adam Seviour - backing vocals and drums.

Question: The band was formed in 1983 and has had so much success. How much have you enjoyed this many years?

Believe me, 1983 seems like (and is!) a long time ago . But, we have had a really good time in all those years! We have seen a lot of the World (most of which we would not of seen if we hadn't been in the band) ...and met some fantastic people! I have enjoyed the company of my fellow band members and I am proud of the music we have created! It really has shaped our lives...I have been in bands since I was 13 ...Steve Eaton has been in them since he was 12 ...and Adam has been in bands since he was 6!...
 
Question: What was the greatest experience in that time?
 
That is a hard question to answer! ...there are sooooo many. But, I have to say that from my own point of view (S Whitehouse) ...our first USA Tour in 2007 and within that , my favourite ever gig was at the Key Club on Sunset Strip , Hollywood. We sold out the place . It was an amazing night ...and we sold over 250 t-shirts in one night ...amazing crowd ...and we played like demons. Truly a great memory that I will keep with me until I die! Another high point was our second time at the Ink 'n' Iron Festival in Long Beach , California. 2,000 people all going nuts ...fantastic . Steve Eaton has another fave show ....at the Satanic Stomp 2008 in Germany . Just a show where everything came together to be perfect and faultless. 1,900 crazy fans that supported us from the first chord ...and we blew away some big names that night ...show who is really boss . May 10th 1986 was a great great Klubfoot for us too ...the huge show in London that helped to kick off the whole scene Worldwide . A lot of my best Frenzy moments have been since the re-launch of the band in Jan 2007 ...(even though we had never split!) because the band is the best it has ever been since this re-launch...just right ....best songs , the right team of band members etc...and our new In The Blood album is the pinnacle of this! The release of In The Blood is a definate high point in our career.
 
Question: Today, so many bands are just a one-hit-wonder. What is your secret or advice for existing such a long time?
 
Too many bands just form and expect things to happen to them, instead of making it happen for themselves. Despite the dream of just playing a gig in a bar somewhere and have someone from Warner Brothers Records in the audience waiting to sign you up, it hardly ever happens that way, and i'd say for a band wanting to last and be even slightly successful they must realise that playing is only maybe 10% of being in a band. All the rest is hard work behind the scenes that people never see.
Ego is something that can destroy bands too. If a band work together as a unit, then it's not just about one person, it's about all of you together. Just because someone is in the background, it doesn't mean they're not as vital to the band as the guy out in front in the limelight. If you keep your ego in check and acknowledge the work of everyone in the band, then you'll keep going longer than the others.
Keeping it fresh is good too, from the music you're writing to the set lists every night. If you get bored of a song, then you'll be bored on stage and then the audience will get bored watching you.
 
Question: After some problems with IHP Records you work together with People Like You Records now. Why did you choose a German record label and how is the connection now?
 
After we'd finished recording 'In The Blood', we realised we had something very special. We were all very proud of the album, and very aware of the hard work we'd put in to both the song writing and the performances in the studio. We released our last album, 'Nitro Boy' on our own label, Crash Records, and while that was good for us in some ways, it also restricted the availability of the album in certain countries.
We didn't want 'In The Blood' to go the same way, and wanted to remain patient until the right label came along that could do the album justice with regards to the packaging and distribution.
 
We spent a long time in talks with IHP Records, and it was disappointing that it never worked out. It was only a short time after that People Like You got in touch saying they wanted to release the record. PLY were on our short list of potential labels, and seeing how keen they were to make it all happen, and that they were on the same page as us was exciting. They are a very pro-active label, and we're loving all they're doing for us right now. In the age of digital downloads it's great to find a label that puts as much emphasis as we do on creating a really nice album package for people, and PLY have created some beautiful vinyl versions of the album too. Even though for a lot of the world vinyl is considered outdated, we know that people on the scene still love it and are happy to buy it.
 
It didn't matter that PLY were German, what mattered was their attitude and their potential to take us to the next level. We do a huge amount of work on this band but nobody sees it. There's only so much you can do yourselves before you need a company like PLY that want to work with you and help you progress. We're enjoying a good relationship with them and long may it continue!
 
Question: On friday, the 4th of June, you have had your CD release party in Bochum. How was it and what can you say about your German fans?
 
For us the release party was the end of a very stressful time. We'd worked so hard on the album artwork, many nights we were up till the early hours trying to get it all done so it could go off to the manufacturer and meet the deadline. So when the finished product was finally on sale at the merch stand it certainly felt like an achievement. Plus the work PLY had done on things such as the Ultimate Box Set and the splattered vinyl was really exciting to see.
Playing in Germany is always brilliant. It's a great scene there and the fans and people are all really cool. Germany was the ideal place to launch the record, simply because the people that come to the shows there always make it worth while.
 
Question: You described your new album "In The Blood" as your very best album ever. What makes it so special and how were the first reactions?
 
"In The Blood" is everything Frenzy have been working towards. From the production to the song writing, and even on to the art work. The album started with the title track, which was written very soon after 'Nitro Boy' was completed. As soon as that song came together and was recorded, we knew instantly the direction we should be taking with "In The Blood", and we worked hard on getting there.
The majority of the songs on the record were demo'd up on a multi-track first, and this meant we had the time and space to work on arrangements, harmonies and melodies, and the way everything should fit together. It was more like the songs were crafted rather than just written.
We had a lot of very positive first reactions. A while ago we uploaded a few of the tracks on to our myspace page, and we were getting hundreds of hits for each song in a matter of hours.
It was difficult to be patient with this album, we really wanted people to hear it because it is the album that best represents the band's sound.
 
Question: What music do you prefer privately? What was the last record you bought?
 
We're all into a lot of different music, and we're all very open to new things. If you put the band member's personal album collections together, you'd see everything form Bing Crosby to The Prodigy and all points inbetween.
By staying with one form of music, you get bogged down in that music's style and i don't know how anyone can live their life just listening to blues or jazz or punk. If you mix things up, it will come out in your own music.
 
Last record bought ...Steve Whitehouse = The Hollies - Best of . Steve Eaton = Madness , The Liberty of Norton Folgate . Adam Seviour = Green Day , 21st Century Breakdown
 
Question: You have a lot of touring coming up in this year. How do you prepare for this and what was your funniest experience on stage?
 
Doing long tours requires preparation in the sense that you need to pace yourself and not go too crazy too early on. Touring America means you can be travelling for an average of 6 or 7 hours a day, then it's straight to the soundcheck, set up the merch, do the gig and then pack it all down again and off to the next place. We do like to drink and have a good time on tour, but everyone is aware of their own limits. We drink enough to feel good before we go on stage but no more. I don't think fans want to pay good money to watch you falling around the stage, unable to play or sing. We take our shows seriously in that we want people to talk about the shows afterwards for the actual gig, rather than how drunk we were.
 
Funniest things that have happened on stage ...again, there are lots and lots of things! ....Threw my bass up in the air once at the Klubfoot and with the sweat on my hands , it slipped straight through and busted through the stage . It was stuck in the hole and I had to finish the song with it stuck upright , not being to pull it out at all . It also didn't help that we were all laughing our heads off , so i found it hard to sing . Also , fell back once on stage in France and sat directly on a full carton of orange juice , spraying it everywhere !! Again , with much uncontrollable laughter! Fell over the monitors in Jersey once , because I had my feet caught in cables ....straight into the crowd , right on my face . Hurt like hell but was crippled with laughter and we had to stop and start again! ...the list is endless
 
Question: Will the German fans be able to see you here again?
 
Frenzy will be back in Germany towards the end of the year as part of a tour we have lined up. We have also just booked a festival in Bremen on Oct 2nd . Could be one in the south of Germany on the 1st Oct too ! We're also confirmed to play the Psychomania Rumble in Potsdam again in June 2011....watch our MySpace and Facebook pages for constant gig updates . We could be doing more shows in Germany really soon !
 
Question: What are your plans for the future? What can we expect?
 
Right now we're concentrating on promoting 'In The Blood'. As said before, we want to push this album as much as possible. We want people to hear it and love it as much as we do.
We plan on taking the band back to America at the end of August / beginning of September, and we're pushing to get back over to Japan and places we haven't yet played such as Australia.
Between gigs and tours we'll probably start work on a new album. We don't want it to be a long wait between records, and now we have a pro-active record label on our side, there's no reason why there should be.
 
Question: The last words belong to you!
 
Thanks to all of our fans new and old ...ALL over the World. We love playing to you and meeting you all! Hope to get to a venue near you soon. If you want to check out our gigs, what we are up to, or if you want to book us ...please go to www.myspace.com/frenzyrock ...or facebook us at Facebook Frenzyrock. Thanks also for a great interview ....and go out and buy "In The Blood"!

Eingetragen von se am 12.07.2010.