Page 25 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 99

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was getting a little bit, like trying to get him smile. they? Things happen; it was a gutter, really.”
off the radio and he just kept going on and The song also hints in its words that On the subject of rock titans Status Quo,
on. I thought, ‘This guy’s great! He’s got no maybe it’s down to us to sort these problems Massive Wagons had the opportunity to
fear of talking and talking absolute rubbish we have. “I think you need to take a bit of re- share a stage with them in the summer, an
on the radio.’ He was brilliant and so I sponsibility for your own life sometimes. I occasion made all the more special because
Googled him and I thought, this guy has don’t think enough people do that and take it was in their own backyard and unsurpris-
done so much in his life, so many cool responsibility for their own actions.” ingly, Baz has fond memories of the day and
things, wouldn’t it be great if somebody ‘Last On The List’ and ‘Billy Balloon the show. “It was great, it was definitely a
wrote a song for the guy about his life while Head’ also discuss the importance of people bucket list thing and it was close to where
he is still alive? The song isn’t specifically simply being nicer to each other. This is we live too. For them to come and play on
about his life, it’s about other things, but the something which Baz believes could make a our doorstep was bizarre, especially Kendall
chorus is about his life.” difference. He tells Black Velvet, “I’m not which isn’t known for its big gigs. They just
On the 21st September the band posted naïve. There are a lot of people in the world sorta landed this big gig and we got con-
a photo of Verdun wearing a load of Massive and we’re all different for a reason, it’s what tacted and asked if we’d like to support Quo
Wagons merchandise and with a copy of the makes the world. Maybe if we were all nice it and we’re like, “Yeah, of course we do!” And
album with it was mega.
his song They brought
on, a photo their stage and
Baz con- their produc-
fessed to tion, their set
being espe- up, their sound,
c i a l l y everything, and
p l e a s e d it was incredi-
a b o u t . ble, absolutely
“ W e ’ v e incredible.”
s p o k e n And, of
with his course, ‘Back
family, his To The Stack’
d a u g h t e r was a part of
who lives the setlist that
with him day and it
and looks proved a hit
after him, with the Quo
his son and faithful. Baz
a few other tells us, “Status
relations, Quo has such a
and we sent hardcore fol-
them all a lowing, who are
bit of merch very Quo. I
and we got know that
that photo sounds ridicu-
of him with lous, but when
it all. What we released the
a guy, he’s song we did
a dude! think, ‘How will
He’s on it go down with
Facebook, the Quo hard-
102 years old and his Facebook photo is of would be unbearable, but in my head it core? It could go one of two ways.’ With so-
him on a swing! He’s just a cool guy.” works. I think more people could do with cial media being how it is, we put it out and
When asked if Verdun is an example of being a bit more nice. Then I wouldn’t have all the Status Quo fan clubs loved it and took
someone more people should be looking at to deal with fucking arseholes!” it on board. The year Rick passed, there were
as an inspiration, Baz immediately concurs. so many people who died; Lemmy, George
“I definitely think so. He clearly doesn’t take ompleting our topic of influential Michael, Prince - and Rick got clouded a little
life too seriously. He’s a D-Day veteran and Ccharacters from the album is another bit. A few people wrote songs about Lemmy.
there’s not many of them left now. Hard as of the more obvious ones which comes from Airbourne did for example, and I just
nails.” the track ‘Back To The Stack’, a song dedi- thought, ‘We’ll represent Rick here and see
cated to the late Rick Parfitt of Status Quo what we can do,’ and that song has been the
he song also touches upon the way and another highlight of ‘Full Nelson’, where song that’s given us the biggest step-up. It
Tsociety behaves today, a theme fre- the band truly embrace their inner Quo. The was the first song of ours which Planet Rock
quently raised on the album in songs such song also proved pivotal to their current suc- played. They loved it and still play it regu-
as the aforementioned ‘Billy Balloon Head’ cess as, when it was released as a single in larly, and Earache contacted us because of
and ‘China Plates’, but also in ‘Last On The April 2017, it proved to be their most popular that song, so it’s been a lifeline to us. Maybe
List’, a song in which the band claims the song to date and would play a key part in Rick is looking after us and sending a bit of
human race is ‘making a mess of simply them being signed by Earache Records. luck down!”
spinning through space’. We asked Baz to “Rick and the band were a big influence
tell us a little more about how he thinks we to us,” Baz says. “What a guy. The whole assive Wagons might not be leg-
are making such a mess of things. image of him and his band; they seemed to Mends just yet, but they have every-
“I just get fed up; it’s like whenever you keep one foot firmly in where they came thing needed to be ones soon. Massive riffs,
listen to the news, it’s just misery and de- from, in normality. They never became these massive sound, massive levels of humour
spair, arguing and falling out, blowing shit ridiculous, iconic figures. He just looked like and a massive ability to make you smile from
up, discrimination and people starving,” he a guy you would know having a great time ear to ear. Whether you are listening to them
tells us. “I don’t like going into specifics, but making music for other people. They could through headphones or, better still, live and
I get fed up with listening to the bullshit that have been a pub band and they looked like in person, ‘Full Nelson’ is set to have you
goes on in the world, to be honest. It just they could play Wembley; it made no differ- stuck in their grip for a very, very long time
seems to me like we are making a big deal ence. Whenever they were interviewed or to come.
out of something which shouldn’t be such they were on camera, it just seemed I could Visit www.massivewagons.com for more
hard work. It’s not all a mess, don’t get me relate to them and who they were. I thought, info.
wrong. It’s not all doom and gloom, is it? well, we all do, they were great, that kind of Words by Michael Coventry
There are plenty of good things in the world, no-nonsense music, it was just brilliant. And
Band Photo By Ami Barwell
we’re doing alright at least,” he adds with a when he died, well, everyone dies, don’t Live Photo By Bonnie Britain
MASSIVE WAGONS