It was a major surprise when you announced the Australian tour, as you know the festival scene isn’t what it used to be here. What keeps you guys coming back all the way here & doing your own tour? Some of the venues booked are huge! & what are your thoughts on the festival scene here?
WE WOULD COME TO AUSTRALIA EVERY YEAR TO PLAY GIGS IF WE COULD AND WERE INVITED ,,, WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD GOOD FUN TIMES THERE AND THE PRODIGY FANS UNDERSTAND WHAT WE ARE ABOUT AND ALWAYS SUPPORTED US RIGHT FROM THE START,
THATS WHY WE COME BACK …….
I DONT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE FESTIVAL SCENE THERE AT THE MOMENT , I KNOW ALOT HAS CHANGED OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS .
BUT THE MAIN THING IS WE ARE COMING, FULLY ARMED WITH OUR TUNES AND GONNA RAISE THE FUKIN ROOF SO BE THERE ! NO EXCUSES , ITS GONNA BE BOOOM!
You’ve toured Australia so many times, what are the memories that stand out the most to you? For me, I think it was back in 2009 when you played at Palace Theatre in Melbourne. When had that awful Summer Fires going on & it was also over 40 degrees that day. In that theatre, definitely reached over 50 degrees. I just remember that gig being hot, intense & hard to breathe! Another one in Melbourne, maybe in 2005… same venue, when Kool Keith joined you guys on stage for Diesel Power & Smack, that was major.
OH SHIT YES I REMEMBER THAT , FUK THAT WAS FUKIN CRAZY HOT . I REMEMBER THEM FIRING WATER CANNONS AT THE CROWD INSIDE THE VENUE , IV NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THAT BEFORE. WE MADE A LIVE VIDEO OF US PLAYING ’TAKE ME TO THE HOSPITAL’ ON YOUTUBE IN THAT VENUE , YOU CAN SEE THE WATER BEING SPRAYED ONTO THE CROWD , INSANE .
IT WAS A TERRIBLE TIME WITH THE FIRES THAT YEAR YES , AWFUL .
KOOL KEITH DID JOIN US ONSTAGE , I JUST WAS WALKING DOWN THE STREET AND I BUMPED INTO HIM , I WAS LIKE ‘ HOLY SHIT MAN , WHAT U DOIN HERE , DO U WANNA JUMP ONSTAGE WITH US TONIGHT ‘ ,,, HE WAS OVER DOING HIS OWN SHOW ..
THATS GREAT WHEN SHIT HAPPENS LIKE THAT , SPONTANEOUS …. THATS WHAT WE ARE ABOUT ..
What exactly made the No Tourists writing process move quicker than your previous work? I believe it was your quickest work yet.
YEAH IT WAS FUKIN QUICK TO MY USUAL STANDARDS AND FUKIN INTENSE . I THINK THE MAIN REASON IS I DIDNT ALLOW MYSELF TO COME OFF THE PEDAL /OUT OF THE CREATIVE ZONE AT ANY POINT . I WANTED TO BE TOTALLY COMMITTED OR NOT DO IT . SO I JUST SOMETIMES STAYED AWAKE FOR 2 – 3 DAYS AT A TIME , THIS HAD SOME MAD RESULTS . LIKE AT 4AM MY MIND WOULD BE REACTING TO SOUNDS IN A DIFFERENT FREE-ER WAY .
THE OTHER THING THAT HELPED WAS WE WROTE AND RECORDED THE WHOLE TIME ON THE ROAD , STRAIGHT AFTER THE GIGS . SO I CARRIED THE BUZZ OF THE SHOW IN MY MIND STRAIGHT INTO THE CLOSEST HOTEL ROOM . RECORDING KEEF AND MAXIM TOO AFTER THE GIGS WAS GREAT TOO …
IF I TOOK A WEEK OFF ,IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER 3 WEEKS TO GET MY HEAD BACK INTO THAT FULL ON CREATIVE HEADSPACE .
THE STUDIO AND MYSELF ARE BEST WHEN IT IS PURE CHAOS AND LOUD ,, THAT IS WHEN SHIT HAPPENS
How did you hear & come by Andy’s “2 Weeks Sober” video for the Boom Tap vocal sample. Were you already aware of Andy’s work or was it something passed along to you? I’ve watched it quite a few times now, one of the most hilarious videos.
I JUST BUMPED INTO HIS VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE AND THEN I HIT HIM UP ,, WE CHATTED AND GOT ON ,, GOOD EDGE TO HIS HUMOUR , GOOD FELLA . HE LIKED THE IDEA OF WHAT I WAS GONNA DO , I PLAYED HIM AN EARLY DEMO AND AS SOON AS HE AGREED AND JUMPED ON BOARD I FINISHED THE TRACK .
ITS A BAD BOY TUNE , IT HAS A SMILE BUT ALSO GIVES U A PUNCH TO THE KIDNEY AT THE SAME TIME
How did the BMG deal come about? Did you reach out to them or did they come to you? Is there a certain amount of records in the deal?
BORING QUESTION BUT IL ANSWER IT — REAL SIMPLE REALLY , IM SIGNED TO THEM WITH MY PUBLISHING OF MY MUSIC AND I LIKE THE PEOPLE , THEY ARE COOL AND TAKE RISKS . SO IT MADE SENSE WHEN THEY ASKED TO PUT OUR RECORDS OUT TOO .
WITH STUFF LIKE THIS , I JUST TRY AND WORK WITH PEOPLE THAT UNDERSTAND OUR BAND AND ARE EXCITED TO BE PART OF IT .
For the first time in two decades, you’ve produced this album on your own without Neil Mclellan, what made you decide to fully do the production duty fully on your own?
MAYBE SOME PEOPLE DONT KNOW THIS BUT I MIXED ALOT OF OUR EARLIER BIG TUNES IN MY HOME STUDIO ON MY OWN – , FIRESTARTER , BREATHE , SMACK, DIESEL POWER , ALL OF THE FIRST ALBUM ..ETC
SO I WANTED TO TAKE A MORE DIY APPROACH WITH THIS NEW ALBUM AND DO IT MYSELF.
I KINDA GOT TIRED OF GOING INTO THESE BIG STUDIOS TO MIX AT THE END OF WRITING THE ALL THE TUNES . THAT END MIXING STAGE CAN TAKE 4 MONTHS SOMETIMES . BECAUSE I DID IT MYSELF AS I WAS GOING ALONG THAT ALSO ADDED TO IT BEING DONE QUICKER .
WHEN GOING INTO WRITING THIS ALBUM THERE WERE CERTAIN THINGS THAT HAD TO CHANGE TO GIVE ME A FRESH APPROACH AND KEEP IT INTERESTING AND THAT WAS ONE OF THEM . ANYBODY WHO IS CREATIVE WILL AGREE THAT GOING INTO THE SAME STUDIO SPACE , SAME EQUIPMENT WITH SAME APPROACH IS NEVER GONNA GIVE DIFFERENT RESULTS.
I REALLY LIKE THE SOUND OF THIS ALBUM , IT HAS A FAT SOUND , SIMILAR TO FAT OF THE LAND
You’ve put together maybe the best Setlist together for the No Tourists run. Can Aussie fans expect a similar setlist from the UK gigs? I guess it’s also something that could also evolve. As most, if not all the tracks from No Tourists would go down well. Maybe Boom Tap? No Tourists?
WE WILL CHANGE THE SETLIST UP A BIT TOTALLY , THROW IN A COUPLE OF SURPRISES TO KEEP IT FRESH , WE ARE GONNA PLAY NO TOURISTS , PEOPLE SEEM TO LIKE THAT TUNE
Leading up to the release of No Tourists. We saw a similar approach as The Day Is My Enemy. However, no physical releases for singles. This was a decision based on how music releases have changed in recent times & find more fans are streaming these days? Did you have plans to release physical singles & plans changed along the way?
THIS IS THE WORLD WE LIVE IN NOW UNFORTUNATELY , I DONT LIKE IT EITHER WHEN THE SINGLES DONT COME OUT AS PHYSICAL RELEASES , WE DO PUSH FOR IT TO HAPPEN ,,,,,,
MAYBE IT WOULD BE COOL TO DO A BOX OF ALL OF THEM , 7 INCH VINYL/ CD …. THATS A POSSIBLE IDEA
You recently launched a TimeBomb Remix gig via your site. Are you guys planning on releasing this track as a single? Because from I’m hearing from both casual & dedicated fans, that they are digging this track a lot. I also think this would work great as a proper single with a video clip something similar to this: (video below)
TIME BOMB IS GONNA BE NEXT SINGLE AND A VIDEO HAS BEEN DONE …. BOOOM !
What’s your favourite track off No Tourists, the one your most proud of? I’m a huge fan of No Tourists, kinda reminds me of Dogbite, also love the 007 vibes those punches & it absolutely brings the noise man.
YEAH I LIKE THIS TUNE , WE ARE GONNA PLAY IT LIVE ON THIS EURO TOUR , JUST GETTING IT READY … IM PROUD OF ALL OF THEM, I CANT PICK MY FAV BECAUSE IT KEEPS CHANGING AS WE PLAY THEM LIVE ,,
Most album releases have had their Expanded or Remix Editions. I’m guessing there’s one definitely happening for No Tourists, how about AONO?
WHO KNOWS! WAIT SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT YEAR
You are very active on Instagram and sometimes you answer some of the fans and fan pages who follow you, how do you feel about the many dedicated fan pages on Instagram?
I LIKE INSTAGRAM , PHOTOS CAN SAY MORE THAN WORDS TO ME .
I DO ON OCCASIONS ANSWER IF PEOPLE PISS ME OFF OR HAVE GOT SOMETHING WRONG ,
WHAT CAN I DO , IM HUMAN !
THE FAN PAGES ARE GOOD , THE MORE THE BETTER TO SPREAD TO WORD
Liam, fans keep asking & most likely be an uproar if we didn’t bring it up. Can you confirm the following are not happening one last time: No Souvenirs, AONO Version 1, AONO tracks besides Spitfire being played live again, Leeroy coming back, Benny Blanco. Maybe feel free to add to this list :P
NO SOUVENIRS – NO
AONO VERSION 1 – NO , IT DIDNT PASS THE GRADE
AONO TRACK BEING PLAYED LIVE – POSSIBLY ,, WHICH ONES U WANNA HEAR ?
LEEROY BACK – HE IS FAMILY , WE SAW HIM THE OTHER DAY ,BUT NO HE ISNT COMING BACK
BEN BLANCO — IF PEOPLE WANT IT FOR AUSTRALIA , IL PLAY IT !
BE THERE !
RESPECT LH
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