The U.K.'s Attack! Attack! play music that sounds just like their name - hard, fast, and fun. I caught up with them recently to see how things are going in their fast-paced world.
PPJ: First, tell us who you are and what you do in the band.
Neil Starr: I am Neil, singer and guitarist in Attack! Attack! UK
PPJ: I don't know much about Cardiff, Wales. What is it like for someone growing up there, and in terms of the area's music scene?
Neil: Growing up in South Wales was great fun! the local music scene here is amazing, just think of all the great bands that have come from a 20 mile radius of each other: Lostprophets, Bullet For My Valentine, Funeral For A Friend, Skindred, and loads more including Tom Jones, haha! It's inspiring growing up and watching bands like Lostprophets become international stars; it really gives you belief that you too can, with hard work, become an international success.
PPJ: How did you arrive at the kind of music you play in Attack! Attack! UK?
Neil: We are all into the same kind of bands and really love melodies and rocking out. We just love writing catchy songs with passion and energy!
PPJ: How do you go about writing your songs?
Neil: 2 main ways. Either one of us will write something that resembles a song and bring it to rehearsal to show the rest of the band and jam it out or we just write spontaneously as a collective whilst in rehearsal. To be honest there are no rules with song writing we just go with the flow.
PPJ: What was it like working with Stuart Richardson from Lostprophets?
Neil: Awesome! He had some really good ideas for our songs and took the album in the direction we wanted! I have known Stuart for a long time from being in other bands, and we used to hang out a lot growing up. When he moved to LA I didn't get to see him very much so it was awesome to spend a month together hanging out, having fun and of course recording the album.
PPJ: What's it like to hear your songs on the radio and to be nominated for
awards?
Neil: Kind of surreal to be honest with you. Personally for me the most satisfying thing is to hear positive things from fans and things like radio and awards can only help you expose your music to new people and help you grow as a band.
PPJ: Are you still on tour with Funeral For A Friend, or are you out with Save Your Breath now? Where are you now, and how is it going?
Neil: Right now we have a few weeks at home, which is amazing because we get to see our family and friends again! We finished the Funeral For A Friend tour and go out with Save Your Breath in 2 weeks. As much as we are enjoying being home we can't wait to get back on the road again!
PPJ: You guys were also just at SXSW. Was that your first time there? How was it and who did you see?
Neil: Yes, and it was an amazing experience. It was also our first ever live show in America and we really loved the experience. We drank a lot of alcohol and generally had a blast whilst watching bands like Gallows, You Me At Six, Fighting With Wire, The Meat Puppets, Cancer Bats, Alesana, plus loads loads more.
PPJ: What is your favorite venue to play at?
Neil: London Astoria was an amazing venue and we were lucky enough to play there twice before they closed it a few months back. It was such a shame they closed it, especially as it was destroyed to make way for a train tube station for the Olympics in 2012! Wrong in my opinion!
PPJ: What are your plans after this tour?
Neil: We basically are gigging until September, plenty of shows and festivals in the UK and mainland Europe. We plan on writing more new songs as we are the kind of band that likes to release things sooner rather than later so expect new tunes from us towards the end of 2009.
PPJ: Your MySpace says you're going to be on Guitar Hero. What song, and how did that happen?
Neil: It's "You and me" and we are SOOOOO stoked about it. Its a game we have all been fans of for ages and is always on whilst we are traveling to venues in the tour bus. To cut a long story short we were chosen by the top guys and gals at Activision (the game makers) from a whole host of bands that submitted to be on the game. It was very flattering that we were chosen over hundreds and hundreds of bands.
PPJ: What do you hope people will come away with when they listen to your music?
Neil: We hope after hearing the CD they will be inspired by the music and that it can offer them something positive. From the live shows we try and be interactive with the crowd so we hope people go away with a smile on their faces, covered in sweat and ready to spread the word of Attack! Attack! UK to everyone they see.
PPJ: Finally, tell us three bands you think we should be listening to.
Neil: Fighting with Wire, Twin Atlantic, and The Blackout.
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