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DATE:
12.06.06 INTERVIEW: GREG BAUGH
Audioscribbler: How has the tour been going so
far?
iForward,
Russia!: Awesome yeah, It’s been going really well
AS: Have you enjoyed playing with the other
bands?
FR: Yeah, there all really nice people and
that, so when you get on it’s a lot easier touring because you
have a lot more people to talk to when you get bored of the
ones your used to.
AS: Have you always just been mates and that,
just hanging out etc.
FR: Yeah, Pretty much, especially with The
Automatic we get on really well with those guys. Its weird, at
the start of the tour it would have been The Automatic and The
Long Blondes sharing a dressing room. But they realised we got
on best with The Automatic so they put us together.
AS: Who has been your favourite band on the
tour?
FR: Howling Bells are awesome, but they’re not
on it anymore, but of the bands still on it, Yeah definitely
The Automatic.
AS: So how long have you been together and how
did you meet?
FR: Me [Rob] and Tom used to be in a Leeds band
together called Black Helicopters and we knew Whiskas because
he was in another band at the time and he also ran the venue
and a club night that we played at. we both had come as far as
we could with our bands so we decided to move on and expand.
AS: What bands and artists inspired the Forward
Russia sound?
FR: Everything, Everything we listened to,
ever. That was kind of the point, that we didn’t want to be
inspired by one, two or three particular bands. We tried not
to think about it to much and just do what comes naturally but
at the same time don’t do what seems obvious. We all have
really mixed backgrounds and musical interests; we don’t try
to sound like just one band like a lot of bands do. We just
put all our influences together. Except Oasis!
AS: You’re not a fan of Oasis?
FR: I quite like a bit of Oasis, we had Oasis
on in the van for a bit the other day, “What’s The Story
(Morning Glory)”
AS: In terms of bands today who are you into?
FR: A lot of touring Leeds bands, like “Shut
Your Eyes And You’ll Burst Into Flames”, “This Et Al”, “iLiKETRAiNS”.
AS: Leeds has just exploded, it used to have a
little music scene, now its just everywhere.
FR: Yeah, its created a bit of a mess.
AS: Do you think there also some rubbish bands
as well in Leeds?
FR: Well we don’t have the opportunity to see
the shit bands because were on tour all the time so we only
know about the good ones! So when your out of Leeds you only
manage to hear the good ones. There are of shit bands though
that aren’t from Leeds. I think the problem with today’s music
scene is that its very easy to be average but perceived to be
a good at being an average band. Which is sort of acceptable
in this day and age so I think you have a lot of shite coming
through. Its quite easy if you have a lot of money to put
loads of money into something and it’ll do well because of the
money, but it only really does well in the short term and in a
couple of years time no one will remember it. Bands don’t
stick around for very long these days because they’re pumped
full of money and then they burn out straight away.
AS: A lot of bands have that problem,
especially when it comes to the second album.
FR: Mind you we might be one of those bands, we
haven’t got to that stage yet (laughs) We’ll probably write a
really awesome first song really quickly and be like this is
gonna be real easy, then it all goes to shit.
AS: Do you get nervous when you get hyped up in
the press?
FR: Your kind of in a bit of a bubble when your
on tour because your not at home watching telly and your not
reading papers, so you don’t really see it.
AS: Sometimes though in the music press bands
get rammed down your throat so you end up reading more about
them than actually hearing their music.
FR: I don’t really think that’s happened to us,
we have had a lot written about us but I don’t think its got
to ridiculous levels. I wouldn’t want to one of those bands
that everyone hates because they’re written about all the time
even though they’re quite good.
AS: It seems that’s happening with the Arctic
Monkeys, the backlash is starting because of all the hype.
FR: This is sort of the genre that’s “in” at
the minute I think its quite easy to be average at It. As Tom
(singer) said if you get a lot of money behind you, you can
sell whatever.
AS: Can I ask you some more about the label,
“Dance To The Radio”. So how did it come around, how did you
set it up?
FR: Well it was sort of Whiskas’ (Guitarist)
baby really. He had wanted to start a label for ages and
originally, the first release was just going to be This Et Al.
The first single ended up being a split between This Et Al and
us. He was like “Yeah I want to put out your single” and they
were like “Well it should be a split between us and you
[iForward, Russia]” That’s how it started and since then
there’s between about 9 or 10 records released, well I think
its 12 now with the album. There’s also about 2 or 3 other
bands that they’re working with long term, “Pigeon
Detectives”, “Yes Boss” and “Shut Your Eyes And You’ll Burst
Into Flames” The 3 main bands that’ll be releasing stuff in
the future. I think “Pigeon Detectives” and “Yes Boss” are
working towards an album on “Dance To The Radio”.
AS: A lot of the mentioned artists are on the
“Dance To The Radio” compilation CD [“What We All Want]. Are
all the artists on the cd going to release singles and albums
through “Dance To The Radio”?
FR: Well the first one was sort of just helping
people out, It was all Leeds bands. The second one he branched
out a bit more.
AS: How do you write your songs?
FR: It’ll usually start with one little riff
Whiskas has written, then we build songs around that and
finish off in a different direction. Move parts around,
generally try and make it not as obvious as it may have been.
Quite often we scrap the original bit, and move bits from
other songs. One of our songs “Five” we’ve completely ripped
that apart and there’s bit of that in thirteen in Fifteen
parts 1 and 2.
AS: How do you feel with the album? Are you
relieved?
FR: Its weird, you don’t really expect it to
happen. We don’t really know much about it while were on tour,
we don’t know who’s buying it. Its quite overwhelming though
overall.
AS: Are you looking forward to finishing the
tour? What are you plans for the future?
FR: Were doing Hi Fi Festival in Newcastle and
3 gigs with Editors. Then were going to America and we’ve got
all sorts of things coming up. A head line tour in July and
loads of festivals in summer, Reading and Leeds, T In The
Park, Oxygen and Truck. It should be awesome.
AS: When your on tour we do enjoy playing the
most?
FR: Portsmouth and Norwich. When we toured with
we are scientists, more people were going mad. Manchester and
we always get a good reception in Leeds. Its random really,
you wonder why you don’t a good reception in for example
Leicester but you do in Norwich.
AS: What’s it like being on tour in general?
FR: It gets less hectic the more you do it. I
find you have an alter ego, you sort of have your home life
then your rock star life (laughs) On this tour I’ve started to
enjoy being away from home, and being in the band, but to
begin with its quite hard you do get cut off from the rest of
your life and I imagine its like being an airline pilot. It
crazy, unpredictable but cool though!
Forward Russias debut album
'Give Me A Wall' is out now.
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