Page 12 - Black Velvet Issue 96

BV96 pg10-13 wayward sons_BV96 pg12 06/03/2018 16:30 Page 3

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this’, we’d have been able to do it, and we something for another release, which will co- even discussing the reality of where those
shot all four of those videos over just two incide with our first headline tour, which is difficulties are. The whole nature of the im-
days. It was fun. We thought it was a good going to be some unreleased music which is migration debate across the globe ab-
idea and it seems to have worked.” going to be in a particular type of format. You solutely boils my piss because people don’t
While Wayward Sons are not the first to see, I come from the era of the Little Angels even stop to think about what they are talk-
link multiple music videos in this manner, where it was all about formatting, where you ing about, they don’t really have a clue about
and unlikely to be the last, it’s not something put out CDs in boxes made out of wood and the real politics of it all and how people are
we see that often and so we asked Toby if he in all kinds of shit, and I would like to try and suffering and if it was your family you would
felt projects like this are something rock bring a little bit of that back again.” do exactly the same. So I have very strong
music may benefit from, to which he says, One of the immediate things you will no- opinions about that, I’m inherently a believer
“Yeah, maybe. This is what I wanted to do tice when you see a copy of ‘Ghosts Of Yet in humanity and in humanity in people. I
and certainly with social media the way it is, To Come’ is the striking artwork of the think if I saw the ghost of yet to come I would
content is everything, you need to have as album; a comic book-style scene of the hope it is a lot brighter than it is now, and if
much content as possible, because people Statue of Liberty being tortured or experi- it was the ghost of the past I’d kick his arse
need to be kept interested, and for me it’s re- mented on by some mad scientists. It’s likely out of the room! Actually, no, I probably
ally important. Other people just make stan- to come as a shock to learn that this is not wouldn’t, I’d probably say let’s take all of hu-
dard, in-the-studio videos, but I’m not just some random picture, but that there is manity back to the start of these periods of
interested in that. I’ve been in this game for deeper meaning behind the image. terrible intense British history, we were some
30 years and I’ve seen every side of it and all Toby says, “The album artwork is mainly of the biggest terrorists in the world and we
I know is the more you can draw your audi- the fulcrum of which the whole album choose to forget that when we try to decide
ence in, the more you can include them, the swings around. Album artwork has been we are not a mongrel race, and talk about it.”
more you give them something interesting to badly degraded over the last few years in my
look at, the more they will stay around. I just opinion. There hasn’t been that attention to n the space of our time together it is
don’t want to be that run-of-the-mill thing.” detail. There hasn’t been that wonderful op- Imore than evident that Toby has great
portunity vinyl albums give to bands to ex- conviction in his beliefs, something he said
nother interesting release from the plore, so I thought, I’m going to go back to before when he said, “My intention is very
Aband is a comic book, also called that. I got to work with a fantastic designer simple, I want to sing about what makes me
‘Ghosts Of Yet To Come’. It tells the same who I used to work with in Little Angels. I tick, about what I believe in and hopefully
story as in the four music videos. read him chapter and verse of my idea. As you will believe in it too.” With this in mind
He says, “I had a desire, and still do have you can tell I’m a man of many words and I we highlight some of the lyrics contained on
a desire, to get into creative writing, whether had him on the phone for about an hour just the new album, “the ones who shout the
it was for comic books or for film, I ab- talking through my whole concept lyrically, loudest do the least” and “what if I said that
solutely will do that before I pop my clogs, about what the record meant to me from a nervous wreck is only living in your head”
so I think really I’ve been able to bring all the subject matter type of view; the overall view from ‘Alive’ and from ‘Ghost’ “and we still
passions I have together for this project and of the record. I explained the idea of the celebrate the deranged” and ask if these are
the only reason I could do that was because comic, the idea of making the videos. I talked good examples of his beliefs.
Frontiers, the about the things this Toby quickly agrees they are “good ex-
record label, “Social media has been an incred- record represented amples” of what makes him tick. “I get sick
gave me that li- and I just left him to to death of people, everyone in modern life,
cense, they al- ible factor in people’s mental health it. I did give some partially because of the internet and social
lowed us to do deterioration, I believe. It’s a disease. ideas, like I wanted media, thinks they have a soap box, every-
what we mad professors. I one thinks they are right, inherently one of
wanted to do I use social media like every band gave him some point- the biggest, terrible problems in all human
and that was does in the world as a marketing tool ers and some refer- beings is that we all believe we know better
wonderful. To ences, but he came than everybody else without listening to
get the chance and yes, I get drawn into the Face- back with that piece everybody else. We’re great talkers, but we
to write the di- book nonsense like we all do, but it’s of artwork almost as are not great listeners, and I think there is a
alogue for a you see it the first lot of problems with that, and that then goes
comic book become an epidemic.” - Toby Jepson time he did it and I right through to the controlling elements of
using the was like “that’s fuck- the world; from the politicians, to pop stars
shots from the film was brilliant fun and it ing cool!” I loved it. So everything I feel and movie stars. And I include myself in that
was all out of my stupid head!” about this album is contained in that album bracket of people who have that platform,
Again, Wayward Sons are not the first to sleeve and the back of it as well!” which is maybe a little above normal street
do this, but this remains something of a rar- But interestingly, despite Toby saying life, so you have to be very, very, very careful
ity in rock and again Toby feels having more the album artwork sums up his feelings for about what you say and how you articulate
things like this can benefit the music. He the album and his love for zombie and horror that. As a songwriter I believe I have a re-
tells Black Velvet, “All these mediums and films the question of whether he believes in sponsibility to talk about things that are hap-
media are available so why not? When I was ghosts is met with an immediate “no”. pening to us. I’m not a “Yeah baby, baby, let’s
a kid my favourite thing was to put a vinyl get pissed and fuck in the back of the car”
record on while reading a comic book and kind of guy. Well, only on a Saturday! But
having the TV on at the same time. That was espite the album being entitled what I do believe is, now I’ve crossed that
always my kind of thing. You can tell a story D‘Ghosts Of Yet To Come’, Toby says threshold into my 50s, I’ve always been a
through a song, you can tell a story through he doesn’t believe in ghosts. “I don’t believe supporter of the underdog. If you listen to
a book, you can tell a story through a video in ghosts, but the idea of ‘Ghosts Of Yet To the Little Angels lyrics, they were all songs
so it’s all a great opportunity to tell your Come’ was to represent the concept that we that supported the underdog. But the char-
story.” are paranoid. Social media has been an in- acter in those songs was me, a little kid try-
And the comic book isn’t likely to be the credible factor in people’s mental health de- ing to get out of a little seaside town in North
last unique idea to come from Toby and the terioration, I believe. It’s a disease. I use Yorkshire and trying to get into the big wide
Sons as when asked if he has any more social media like every band does in the world, so all those characters really were me
ideas for projects which may be described world as a marketing tool and yes, I get talking about myself because that is what
as a little different, he quickly replies with a drawn into the Facebook nonsense like we you have to do; you’ve got to go from per-
big grin that he has “Loads. Too many all do, but it’s become an epidemic. And this sonal experience.
ideas!” He adds, “I will continue the themes whole concept of fake news and post-truth, “So the line “the ones who shout the
of this album into the next one. I will con- it’s such a damaging process, it’s such a loudest do the least” is my anger at the
tinue the story. It won’t be about zombies, damaging idea to us as a community and I Trumps of this world, the Farages of this
but I want to keep the artwork very similar find that abhorrent. So the idea of the album world because you know darn well those
and develop a vibe which surrounds this was to say we’re fearing things that haven’t motherfuckers, when it all comes down, they
band. We’re looking at all kinds of merchan- even happened yet because we’ve already won’t be there anymore. Trump will pack up
dise opportunities but you have to do that decided they have happened. We are hating his fucking circus and his money and his
when the time is right. We’re looking at doing people for the sake of hating people without people and will get out of dodge as quick as
WAYWARD SONS