Far from an indulgent wannabe rock star side project, Norwegian troupe Audrey Horne have produced one of the year’s best releases in their self-titled opus. Soundshock caught up with the boys at Sonisphere for a beer and a chat. But mostly beer.
Hello chaps! How are you finding Sonisphere?
Toschie [vocals]: Really good!
Will you be checking out any other bands this fine afternoon?
Arve [guitar]: Yeah we’ll be seeing Rammstein, Gallows…
Gallows? They big in Norway?
T: They do really well. They’re playing in our hometown in a month, and they sold out that club in no time.
What about you guys over here? Feel like you’re getting some extra exposure with this latest album?
T: Yeah, it’s a thing you have to build up slowly really, because we’re not a band that has a lot of hype around us. You just have to get your name and your music out there.
You put a lot of energy into your live shows…
T: It’s the only way you can do it really, you have to put a good show on, whether there are two people there or thousands. We enjoy doing this, so I guess if the audience are starting to work against us then we might be a bit more reserved, but you can always tell by their faces whether they like it or not. Sometimes you just can’t get a crowd to go crazy, but it doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy it!
Are there any crowds which you’ve found to be particularly difficult or fun to work for?
T: In some places the crowd is pretty easy to get going. England’s been good, but we’re not the most famous over here, so I guess a lot of people come to check us out. It’s hard to get them going apeshit, but if we go to places where we’ve been several times and people have all of our albums, it’s easier.
Do you think a lot of it comes down to people still being taken by surprise by you?
T: Not that much any more, but when we started out people were coming to check us out because we were from Norway and people were expecting a black metal or extreme metal band. But I think people have been very positive.
How did you get into the band?
T: It started off with us just wanting to play more straight hard rock and classic rock. Some of the guys started writing some songs, and they called me because I was singing in a band that wasn’t very heavy metal. What I’ve done before is more influenced by the American alternative pop scene, like Veruca Salt and stuff, and they called me because they wanted someone who wasn’t too heavy metal. So we started writing and recording some songs, and we realised that it was too good to just do for laughs, and it grew into a serious band.
Is it still difficult trying to fit it all in with your various other bands?
A: Yes it can be. Some of the bands are on tour for a whole year, so it can be Enslaved one year, then Sahg the next, or whatever. The other guys have day jobs and stuff, so when we’re not touring they go back to that, while I go on tour again!
Do you guys still go to many festivals as punters?
T: You mean when we’re not playing? I guess none of us do. We used to, but now we play festivals and we get to see so many bands. And if I go to a festival, I want a backstage area and free beer or I won’t go, man. I’m not gonna hang out there paying money for beer! *laughs*
A: But it’s great, because you get to meet new people, see some new bands, and a whole load of new people can come and check out your band.
Do you think there are too many festivals around nowadays?
A: It is true, but there are also so many big tours now too, with four or five bands on together, and they’re getting more and more like travelling festivals.
T: Also record sales totally dropped and failed, so bands had to start touring to make money, and when they started touring there was lots of competition, so they needed bigger bills with more bands, which made more festivals. If you tour as a band, it’s a lot harder these days, but there are probably too many [festivals], everything ends up killing itself in the end. Eventually there will be too many and there will have to be some changes, in the same way that record sales failed and you had to start doing something else.
What have you got planned for the rest of the year?
T: we go home tomorrow, and then soon we play the Sonisphere kick-off in Sweden.
A: And then we go to Germany with Papa Roach. Not touring…
T: Just doing a couple of gigs. And then we go to Norway to do festivals…
A: Then we have another tour in Norway for kids in school.
T: We did that last year, we play kids’ shows at schools at ten in the morning in a school hall.
How odd….
T: It’s great, because when I went to school there’d be these concerts for Native Norwegian stuff, and you’re twelve or thirteen and sitting there, and you’re bored, but we come there and they go fucking ballistic! And you finish at twelve in time for lunch! And the kids love it, they make t shirts and everything, it’s great. And also, you then do a show later, and these kids turn up front row, so they have a cool relationship with the band.
Interview by Merlin Alderslade
‘Audrey Horne’ is out now on Indie.
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