Page 18 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 105

BV105 pg 16-19 The Dust Coda Interview.qxp_BV105 pg 18 28/12/2021 20:26 Page 3

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the band had this in abundance from the days ative, to be honest. You are trying to put some- walk around shouting ‘Hey, I'm the Limbo Man!’
when John and I were first writing the stuff, to thing out into the world and you find yourself Just no! It's just a cool sounding title, but the
doing the first demos, then making it in the stu- asking yourself, is this shit or is it really good? symbolism of it I can relate to, or at least I could
dio and hearing the first mixes, which is the You go round the houses in your head and even- in the past, of feeling a bit out in the ether of my
biggest buzz when you go on this journey. We tually you do decide it is pretty bloody good. But own life. But it's not a logical thing at all!"
went into this whole thing excited beyond belief I think that also comes as just being a person.
for people to hear it, and then for someone like You wonder, for example, ‘Am I doing the right aving brought up somewhat fictional
Earache [Records] to pick it up before anyone thing? Am I a good person?’ And then you re- Hcharacters from their songs, this leads
else, that whole process was made a million alise, ‘I'm not Charles Manson, so I can't be that us nicely to 'Jimmy 2 Times', another absolute
times easier because we knew we had a shit hot bad!’” stonker which fights for pride of place on 'Mojo
album so we were able to go, ‘Here you are. Of When asked whether the band works collec- Skyline'. They’ve described the song as crossing
course you want to sign us, it's amazing, you are tively as a unit whenever there is a time where ‘the genre-defining boundaries of rock to create
lucky to have us!’ one of the quartet may be struggling with confi- a unique soundscape’, adding to this vivid de-
"I think the album is a wonderful scription that the song ‘is a tune
encapsulation of so many influ- about a fictional gangster, a sinister
ences and light and shade and sto- “You wonder, for example, ‘Am I doing trickster, the Artful Dodger all
rytelling. One minute we're heavy the right thing? Am I a good person?’ And grown up.’
and the next we're not and I really John tells us, “Jimmy 2 Times
think it showcases all of that. It was then you realise, ‘I'm not Charles Manson, is the name of a character in the
a really amazing stepping stone up classic Martin Scorsese film Good-
from the first album." so I can't be that bad!’” - John Drake fellas, and I love that film and I just
We ask the lead guitarist if he thought it was a cool name for a
was surprised at how well the song, and being a gangster film, I
record performed in the charts. He replies, "We dence, Adam replies, "I think you need to, to be just started messing with this idea of a fictional
were completely naïve and personally, I was a in a band and survive. Because it's a lot more character. And it was a lot of fun, rather than me
little bit arrogant to the whole charting thing. Be- than just being on stage. There’s all the other talking about being a Limbo Man!"
cause I was a little bit, ‘OK, chill out guys, it's not stuff which goes around that no-one sees. And Moving on, 'Breakdown' is a different type of
1992. Top Of The Pops isn't on telly anymore. this line-up has been together now for coming song to those we have already mentioned, not
Who cares?’ But we got completely sucked in up to five years so there is clearly a form of co- only in its style of rock ‘n’ roll but also in its much
and looking back, that was probably the most maraderie and respect there that keeps us more subtle meanings behind the words. It’s a
exhausting bit. Charting week, you get fully, fully going. classic hard rock anthem, but ‘a cautionary tale
engrossed and you're in and you are like, ‘Who "But on the other side, which I think is more of the music business, describing a young, con-
hasn't bought an album? Let's get them to buy important for the development of the band, is fident and hungry upstart trying to break through
the album because every single unit counts,’ that we all push each other, which is important. the machine, and warning her of what lays
and looking back that was such a trip because You can't rest on your laurels, you have to keep- ahead.’
you get sucked into it so much and you are fully ing progressing, keep pushing, keep going to Taking about the song prior to its release as
involved and the repercussions are so impor- get better and better, so it is a healthy mix of the a single, the band have said that it’s about the
tant, especially because we were a small band two.” desperation for fame in the industry and in pop-
at the time, and we are still on our journey. But I ular culture in general.
think it got what it deserved and so much more ne of the standout tracks of the new John tells us, "I don't like to point out record-
really, and it's been great ever since because it Oalbum and, in fact, a standout track of ing artists and make negative comments about
was such a platform to build on." the band's entire CV, 'Limbo Man', is a song them because I think everyone has their own
made all the more memorable by its simply mes- thing they are trying to achieve, but what I meant
he opening track, 'Demon', includes the merising guitar work, but another song which, by those lyrics was that there are a lot of people
Tlyric ‘Yeah I got a demon, a demon in my upon closer inspection, reveals some very inter- who approach the music business who are so
heart,’ so we ask the pair if they can tell us about esting lyrics including ‘I tell you something that desperate to be in the music business that they
their demons. John immediately answers, "I will keep you alive, don’t tell nobody what you lose themselves and they just start trying to be
think everyone has demons. If they don't, they feeling inside. They get the memo and they cap- whatever someone wants them to be.
are lying to themselves. I think everyone does. italise, and you just can’t keep ‘em away now.’ "And they go and make these decisions at
"I'm not one for giving advice personally be- These particular lyrics are all the more note- some point and, for example, they enter these
cause I don't claim to know much about my life worthy given that they come at a time when peo- big TV shows and you start seeing trickles of
or anyone else's, but I think the lifestyle that ple are being encouraged more and more to talk people who started off being really, really great
comes with music can bring out a lot of that stuff; to others, yet these lines suggest there could be songwriters and singers and they suddenly end
you know, when you are spending a lot of your a downside to doing that. up on X Factor or something like that and you
time on the road or getting immersed in music, "I've never actually told anyone this before", can just tell it's not right for them. And you see it
things can come out, like booze, lack of sleep; John says to pique our interest. "I had this con- and you go, ‘Why are you doing that? You
mental health can suffer a bit." cept of the ‘Limbo Man’ as a lyric and being should be playing in pubs and bars for the next
Asked if it is something the band has be- someone who’s kind of stuck in limbo about how five years and getting good.’ I mean, some peo-
come mindful of in recent times, Adam interjects, they approach their life and relationships and ple are destined for that X Factor type thing,
telling Black Velvet, "Well we try, we talk about they are sort of free falling and not giving a shit that's a whole different conversation, but I just
it but we never bloody do it!" about anything, being very much like throwing think it is sad to see when people kind of give
John adds, "We try! We try! I was actually their life into the void so to speak, and I was writ- up on being true to themselves and find them-
sitting with Adam not so long ago over several ing this kinda, strummy, very Bryan Adams-y selves on those stupid TV shows where it's all
beers and Tequilas and Espresso Martinis and I kind of song and it sounded so shit! It was so about the judges and nothing about the artist."
said to him, ‘This tour we are going to really, re- shit!” He then sings ‘Limbo Man’ as it sounded We ask if they can offer us any examples of
ally, really keep on top of it,’ and he was like, back then and we can't disagree that the version people who have stayed true to themselves and
‘Yes, Yes, John, we are!’ And that was the last on the album is a big improvement! provide a good example, in their eyes, of how
conversation we had about it, so we'll see. “And I just remember sitting there thinking things should be done.
"But to be honest, I have been making more how rubbish it was and I just suddenly went…” Adam tells us, "If you go far afield you have
of an effort to keep myself a bit healthier for my He sings the riff, “And it just came out. This riff some of the greats. I mean Metallica, they are
voice. I've had to. I'm approaching our tour a lit- just came out and it flowed from there. So, it was the ultimate band, right? They have had pretty
tle differently to our last jaunts, resting my voice a really stupid, melodramatic idea I had which much the same line-up for a gazillion years and
a bit more and stuff like that." I'd thrown away but it wound up being some- they are still just a four-piece who smash things!
‘Demon’ also includes the lyric, ‘I never be- thing really cool. And they are now in this amazing position where
lieve the good is in me,’ so we ask if confidence "The lyrics themselves, I don't know, I'm they can give back to the world in a pretty spe-
is ever an issue with themselves and the band swings and roundabouts as a person. Some- cial way, which is pretty impressive.
and whether they ever do question their own times I'm pretty open and sometimes I'm like "AC/DC haven't given up, they are just going
abilities. ‘Fuck everyone!’" to keep trucking, but these are the realms of the
John responds, "Ah yeah, but then I think But John is quick to point out he's not the people who will die on the road because that is
the opposite. I think that comes with being cre- Limbo Man himself. "It's a cool song title. I don't all they know.
THE DUST CODA