Plus One:Ok finishing night of the tour. How has it been going? 

James: This tour has been really really good, these kind of tours, they keep stepping up, every single time we go out there is a few more people there, a few more people singing the words back to us its been amazing now the albums out.

Will: I think on the 30 day tour (last tour they completed) it was so hard as you can imagine because it was a month or two non stop but with this tour we haven’t been out very long so we have gone for it at every show, we have had a couple of shows where we have had a couple of technical gremlins but apart from that it has been brilliant.

P1m: You recently had the show with Hawthorne Heights as well.

Will: Yea that was unfortunate because of the chopping and changing with the dates. The gig itself was fantastic, really really good. We actually got offered the Coheed and Cambria gig upstairs last Wednesday but we had to turn that down because we would have had to alter so many dates just to manage it we thought we couldn’t take the piss and pull out of another (already scheduled) date.

P1m: I noticed you guys through Myspace.com, I was wondering what you thought about it as being abused as a marketing tool for bands nowadays. Is it an ethical way of gaining fans and building yourself up?

(Brigade have been touring heavily throughout the year and continue to do so)

James: Ah good question I like that. We could sit there for weeks and add friends and pimp ourselves on myspace but if your not going to actually back it up by going out there and playing in front of these people it’s a bit of a cop out really isn’t it

Will: it’s a really difficult thing I mean, do you as a promotional tour go out and add 40,000 people, we don’t want that, we like the idea of doing it more organically, a more traditional way, but at the end of the day is that detrimental to the band, possibly, I mean look at the kerrang nominations some of the votes for the other bands were fucking ridiculous, we definitely paled in that respect. We like to look at it as it’s alright to have these ‘friends’ on myspace but are they buying your records? Are they going to stick with you through he think and the thin? It is good to watch us build slowly.
One the one hand I cant slag it off because it has been such a useful promotional tool for us, it’s helped us with people finding us and the hits we have had but at the end of the day we are not going to be one of those bands that live by it. We are definitely going to get out on the road and do it the hard way.

Fim: it’s the best way getting out there and playing in front of people so they know who we are.

P1m: Ok seeing we are talking about touring at the moment what would be your dream band to go out on tour with, National or international?
 Fim: I would love to tour with Oceansize!
(surprises me which the band laugh at)
Or tool (all agree on this one)

Will: I suppose we wouldn’t really suit that though would we

James: Pantera, would have loved to have toured with them back in the day (Will agrees with this)

Will: To me, I would love to tour with Muse, even Placebo, we have toured with Biffy that was a dream, I love that band.

Fim: One band I would have loved to tour with was Cable, where were they from? Londonish? (W&J: yea London) they were brilliant, but then again that’s just me listening to obscure stuff (laughing).

Naoto: Muse, Biffy Clyro and also Feeder.

(At this point Will um’s and ah’s a bit)
Will : I used to love their first album (Feeder), they were the band I grew up listening to, maybe we are a bit to heavy for them now (all laugh)

P1m: So in answering that question have you answered who your main influences are as well?

Fim: Well I could have said Nirvana but obviously they don’t exist any more but they are my biggest influence ever.

James: some bands just come back around you know, like placebo, loved their first album and then drifted away a little bit, now I’m back again with their new album I think that’s wicked.

P1m: With some of those bands you have mentioned have you been trying to tour with them?

James: We would love to but it’s difficult because they are such big bands and really we are just a little fish it would be good to though !

Will: Can you not mention that comment about being to heavy for Feeder because if we have any chance to tour with them I don’t want to blow it! (all laugh)

P1m: How were the Kerrang awards for you guys, some of your posted pictures looked like you were having a pretty wild time!

Fim: I saw Nick Oliveri ! he was just over there (motions a few feet away), I noticed him earlier in the evening and though ‘fuck me he’s just over there!’. So quite later on in the evening, after a few I was like ‘I’m gonna go talk to him!!’ so went over and had a word and he was as nice as anything got a photo with him, had a chat, he couldn’t have been a nicer bloke really.

Will: Naoto was talking to the guys in Dragonforce for a while.

Naoto: yea they were cool guys, very friendly.

Fim: and… Meatloaf! Yea whilst I was on the spurt of being confident I thought ‘there’s meatloaf on his way out’ and he was lovely as well! He had a talk to me anted to know what my name was then gave me a hug and left haha!

P1m: How do you guys feel about having the television crew here tonight?

James: we are flattered that they want to come down, it’s obviously a bit nerve wracking because not only do you have to think about doing your best but you have to think about that and being reviewed but you just have to get down to it and get on with it.

P1m: As you have been busy touring and not just building friends on myspace.com I’m sure it will be fine.

(all laugh)
James: hopefully, yea everything will be alright!
Will: Yea exactly, we have had a few technical problems some that were absolute nightmares. And we though right we are playing with Hawthorne Heights (the band dropped shows from the Disco Ensemble tour for this opportunity) playing in front of 900 people, please lets get this right and we did which was good.

P1m: So as it’s the last night of the tour does this mean you are out and partying later on?

All: yea!
James: yea I think we are staying for the club night here
Will: a lot of the time I have to watch my voice through the tour, of course the Kerrang awards were a bit of an exception but seeing as it’s the last night tonight I think we will definitely be having a few beers!

Interview - Chris Barnes