London Heavy Rock quartet Night Thieves are gearing up for the release of their third EP 'Polarity' which drops in January.
New single 'Collide' is out now.
We caught up with the band to talk about who inspires them and the best piece of advice they have been given.
Hi Guys, thanks for taking the time to chat to us today.
Can you remember what performance or artist you saw that made you want to be a performer?
Rick: I remember seeing Trivium live in Manchester after the Ascendency release. It was my first proper metal gig and had never seen anything like it. The energy on stage and in the crowd blew me away. The solos they did were immense, it's still one of my favourite gigs of all time!
Paul: There are a few I could pick but I’ll go for Metallica. Their ambition early on, stage presence, and performance made me wanna pick up the guitar and play live.
Jess: We’ve recently seen amazing bands live such as Spiritbox, Rolo Tomassi, and Jinjer who just put on spectacular shows.
Who would you say is your biggest inspiration musically?
There are so many it's hard to focus on one specifically. We really respect Incubus and used to jam The Warmth in early practices. The breadth of their music that showcases their different eras is awesome. Bring Me The Horizon have been an inspiration sound and lyric-wise, Amo is an example of such a creative concept album.
How often do you write music?
We are always in writing mode, you can't really plan for when ideas appear, so you just have to be ready. We have ideas on the go that we exchange and shape, even if it's just a short bass line or riff to start. It's a great feeling to have an original idea be heard differently by another band member and resurface not as intended, but so much better. We usually finish ideas with everyone in the room to give their input. It means the song can go somewhere we couldn't take individually and it ultimately comes out sounding like Night Thieves.
If you could learn a new instrument what would it be?
Jess: I've played piano, guitar and bass albeit badly, so I've always wanted to get onto drums, though my lack of coordination will be a challenge!
Rick: I'd love to try my hand at piano/keys and have a new aspect to the way I write music, but also I'd love to learn something a bit out there like the Theremin. Something I could bring on stage and just make wacky sounds with as well as play bass.
Paul: Vocals! But it will never happen.. I have zero vocal ability! My first band was a punk band where I was the vocalist and eventually got kicked out for being so bad.
What one song do you wish you’d written?
Jess: That is tough, randomly something iconic like Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush, it’s impressive how that song made a contemporary revival over 35 years later.
Rick: For the bass line alone I wish I had written Hysteria by Muse, but I think one song that i've always loved is Be Quiet and Drive by Deftones, that song is killer!
Paul: There’s so many but I’ll go with Everlong by Foo Fighters.
If you could duet with one person - dead or alive - who would it be and what song would you want to do?
Jess: Tatiana from Jinjer would be fun. Something out there like a rock-metal version of Bohemian Rhapsody (I know that probably won't fly).
Rick: It would be awesome to have someone like Marcus Bridge from Northlane on a track, he has an amazing scream so he could do some heavy breakdowns, but he also has a great ear for melodies, so could do some great catchy sections too.
Paul: I’d love to get Old Sykes (BMTH) or Courtney LaPlante (Spiritbox) on our next record.
If you could pick someone to be your musical mentor who would you pick?
Jess: Dave Grohl, with Foo Fighters producing and playing stadiums decades on, he seems like someone who will give some sound advice.
Paul: I’d take Dave’s advice!
Rick: For me it would be Ben Weinman (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Giraffe Tongue Orchestra), I love his style of music, his technical ability and that he has never put out anything that wasn't the best it could be. He seems like he would really push you to create something spectacular and he would also be great fun to work with.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve been given?
One thing that always sticks was during the recording of Polarity when our producer Romesh Dodangoda (BMTH, Funeral For A Friend) said we should be confident in what we have written and not second guess ourselves too much. It's always important to try and find ways to improve your songs, but don't get stressed over something and get bogged down with ideas that could potentially make it worse. If you're not enjoying it then take a step back, breathe, and ultimately it will turn out great.
Thanks for chatting with us, I think we would pick Dave as a mentor as well!!
Check out Night Thieves online:
Watch the video for 'Collide'
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