Page 8 - Black Velvet Issue 96

BV96 pg6,7,8,9_BV96 pg08 13/03/2018 23:27 Page 3

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the time apart has helped everyone, with the like “Woah, this is crazy.” You can really see Asking Alexandria’s lives, whether it’s
members all maturing, relaxing (slightly!) that they’ve grown up and they’ve always Danny’s or it’s ours. I think a lot of it is relat-
and learning to have fun again. continued to like us. That’s amazing. I defi- able. A lot of our fans can relate to it also and
“I feel we have more fun than we ever nitely feel like the new album, it’s making that’s always a good thing when they can
have done. We’re enjoying these shows them happy too, and it’s making us happy.” feel like they can emotionally connect with a
more than ever. Our experience on stage… With the new album came the chance to song, and that’s something that we’ve al-
The whole stage show, the feel on stage now gain the rights to their merchandise, some- ways managed to achieve. Doing that on the
is definitely new album is
electrifying, it definitely a good
is cool, and thing.”
that’s what He talks of
people have the album com-
been saying. ing together as
We’re very being “‘Boom!’
keen on read- an explosion of
ing up on songs, of lyrics,
what people of just ideas. It
are saying, was so non-stop
finding out on and I feel like
social media, seeing how
what blog- these new songs
gers are say- actually go over
ing, what are live, ‘cause this
the opinions is the first tour
of our fans, that we’ve
and I think played any of
everyone’s these new
kind of on the songs, they’re
same page. actually our
They can see favourite ones to
it’s more fun, play hands
they’re hav- down. They kick
ing more fun, ass. That in it-
we’re having self, that’s inspi-
more fun. It ration. We’re
makes for a seeing that the
better show.” work we’ve been
doing for the last
h e few years is now
Tn e w coming and
‘ A s k i n g going over so
Alexandria’ album was released on Sumerian thing the band had originally signed away in well live, it’s transcending into that live vibe
Records, a label that the band have stayed 2009. “That was like a lot of basic contracts, so well that yeah, we’re going to continue
with since originally signing with them in you don’t own a lot of your merchandise and doing this. We wanna write more albums, we
2009 (although Danny released his solo now we own it 100% and we have for a while wanna do this. We wanna keep going.
album on Earache Records). Despite there now. We’re actually branding it as our own “When we came back together and I re-
being a song on the new album called ‘Vul- brand: Alexandria Place, now. And that’s an- member Danny walking into the practice
tures’ which is related to the label, James other great thing because now we have com- room with us; ‘OK, we’re going to go do
says, “We’re the sort of guys that if we like plete creative control over all, not just our these tours and that’s what we’re going to
the relationship with someone, we like who visualization and the sound of the music, but do, let’s see if it’ll happen’. We started play-
we’re working with, we’ll stick around. We’re also how we want people to feel and look in ing music, it felt right. Going on tour felt re-
not always trying to change people and our merchandise. It’s not; “This is a cool de- ally good. “OK, shall we make more music?”
bringing in new people to the group. If you sign, let’s put it on a shirt.” Now, it’s like, “Yeah, let’s make more music,” and now,
have to change something, do it - if it’s not “No, we don’t want that shirt, we want this, seeing the response of the new songs, how
broken, don’t fix it. We’ve got a great rela- and we want it to be made of this, and we the people are loving it, yeah, this is the de-
tionship with Sumerian. A lot of the people want it to look and feel like this,” so our fans ciding factor for us. Asking’s back and here
that work there are personal friends of ours. can be like, “This is badass, this isn’t just a to stay for another ten years.”
They trust us to make an album and we go piece of shit T-shirt that is printed on a cheap
and do it. “OK, we need you to write us a piece of clothing, it’s a quality piece of cloth- e end by quoting a lyric from fan
cheque so we can go and record an album ing,” you know.” Wfavourite, ‘Moving On’. Danny
for the next few years,” and they do it and sings, ‘He wanted to change the world to
they trust what we’re going to do is good, anny has said that he uses writing as make it all worthwhile’. Does James think the
and that’s been a great relationship for us. Dtherapy. There are some very deep band has done anything to change the
There’s not a lot of people trying to change emotions and feelings on the new album – world? Or is there anything he and his band
our sound or push us to do something stu- something that follows on from his solo mates do want to do to change the world?
pid, it’s a really nice relationship.” album. But then there are also some band re- “I think changing the world is something
lated lyrics; songs that look into the band as that not many people can do at all, but
he new sound is a real departure for a whole. ‘Where Did It Go?’ looks at the changing people’s lives; yeah, I think we
Tthe band, and a complete contrast to band’s past and even sees each album men- have. And that’s a big thing for us; if we can
the sound they initially began and became tioned. “There was the first one, the ‘triple change one person’s life and make it better,
known for. And it’s a sound that will get the gold’ one, the ‘stole by every fucking band get them out of bed in the morning, do some-
band out to new pairs of ears. James says, on summer tours’ one. Then the second one, thing positive for someone, that’s as good as
“I definitely think the new album has brought the ‘living reckless’ one, the ‘knock the pop changing the world in my opinion.”
in new fans. I definitely think it appeases our stars off the charts one’ etc. “I think there are
old fans. I think a lot of our fans have grown quite a vast majority of the lyrics on this Visit www.askingalexandria.com for
up with us. A lot of people I’ll meet at a meet album we do relate to,” says James. “‘Into more info – and pick up ‘Asking Alexandria’,
& greet or signing or just passing in the The Fire’, for example, that is pretty much a out now on Sumerian Records.
street or something, they’re like “I fucking blow-by-blow account, and we’re using vi-
started listening to you when I was 12 years sual metaphors in the video. A lot of this Words & Live Photos By Shari Black Velvet
old!” and now they’re at a bar with me. It’s album is about what has been going on in Band Photos By Sanjay Parikh
ASKING ALEXANDRIA