Groupe:

The Room

Date:

16 Novembre 2018

Interviewer:

Didier

Interview Andy Rowe (by mail)

Hi Andy, thanks for your time, this interview will be made available to our readers in French and in English on Auxportesdumetal.com

Thanks so much for inviting me.

Could you first introduce the band The Room to our readers?

Ok, we are a Rock band from the UK. We are very difficult to describe but I would say a mix of melodic and classic rock with progressive influences. The band was formed in 2010 by our singer Martin Wilson and myself. We have so far released two albums and a live DVD.

We learnt that you have a Frenchie in the band, not just a Frenchie actually but a “Nissart” (from the city of Nice) :-). When did Eric join the band?

I found Eric on social media when he moved to the UK, he was looking for a band to join and he lived only a few miles from where I do. We had been talking about adding a second guitarist to the line up for a year or so and with the new album in preparation it was an ideal time to see what the addition would do to our sound. Eric came and played with us and we loved what we heard.

Seems like you guys are not that young anymore (and neither am I), so lots of musical experience I guess... What is the idea behind the musical project The Room?

The great thing about the band is the depth of experience but also across a number of different styles. Martin came from a neo-prog background, mine was traditional classic rock, Steve from kinda jazz-fusion-prog, Chris from a mix of prog and classic rock. It’s a real blend that means we explore different themes when we write. We don’t just head down one writing style.

I discovered you live in Nice last week, and I immediately thought about such bands as Foreigner, Asia, Magnum, Saga or even Threshold. Do you hate me for saying this?

It's fantastic to be thought of alongside those awesome bands. I think your selection is absolutely right and will perhaps be highlighted even more with the new album. Those bands are strong on melody and not afraid of writing a great chorus. That is exactly what we want to be recognised for.

And by the way all of these bands are British I believe, is there a British melodic rock “sound”?

Saga are Canadian but I get what you are saying. Martins voice has often been likened to Michael Sadlers from Saga. I don’t think there is a typical sound from the UK, I think we are, as a nation, hugely creative, taking influences from everywhere. I guess you will all ways find bands that are clones but certainly we don’t want to be seen as one of those.

How do you guys work when it comes to writing music? Is it a team effort?

Yes it is very much a team effort, most of our songs start in rehearsal studios. Chris and I might start playing around with a groove or maybe a keyboard pattern. Martin is an amazing lyricist, he can instantly find a melody and start singing some interesting words. I don’t remember anyone coming in with a complete song. It’s a really inclusive way of working.

You have a new album coming out early 2019, can you say a few words about it?

I can't tell you too much about it other than to say it is a massive step forward for us as a band. I think the songwriting is better I think the musicianship is better. The album has ten songs with great melodies and bold choruses. There are a few surprises too!

I really enjoyed the new tracks that you played in Nice, did you work differently on this new album compared what you did on the previous one, "Beyond The Gates Of Bedlam", which was released in 2015?

Thanks, we played seven tracks out of the ten. The writing process was exactly the same for this album but of course we had the experience of our two previous albums to draw upon. All the songs were written when Eric and our new keyboard player Mark Dixon joined us but we gave them the freedom to add their own style and create their own parts. The other difference was that we moved to Outhouse Studios with the awesome John Mitchell (It Bites, Arena, Frost etc.) as co-producer. John has a style and sound of his own. That, blended with what we do, has helped shape the fantastic sound you are going to hear next year. Yes you are right we are very very excited about this record.

Do you already have a title for the new album?

We do but you are going to have to wait just a little longer for news!

Was Eric the reason you started the tour in Nice, which is a beautiful city but not typically so well known for being a melodic rock spot?

Eric really wanted to come back to his home city and play. So why wouldn’t we? It was a fabulous experience, we made a whole load of new friends and would love to come back and discover more about your beautiful city.

And by the way we thank you for this. This was the most unexpected enjoyable musical event of 2018 for me and many others in the room.

Wow that is very kind of you. You can feed off the energy from a crowd and we certainly did that night. We were still signing autographs and chatting with our new friends for an hour after the show.

How did you like the gig in Nice? And the city? Did you get a chance to visit a bit?

We loved the show. I guess it's probably our best yet. Other than the briefest of glimpses of the city as we drove from the hotel to the venue we didn’t see too much. We would love to be invited back.

Can you solve a mystery for me, about the duck’s shouting and these inflatable ducks at the end of the show? Something to do with Eric, but what was that exactly?

I had to ask Eric the same question. It relates to the fact that many photographs Eric posts on Facebook were pictures of the rivers and canals in our town, many of which featured ducks!

Was this also Eric’s idea to bring his sister on stage? That was a great moment, lots of emotion.

Eric is a virtuoso violinist and has written some violin parts on the new album. He told us about Cat Lubatti a really close friend of his (not his sister!) back in Nice who could join us on stage and play violin for one of the songs. It was an amazing moment she is a fabulous player. We had one rehearsal with her in sound check and she played the song perfectly. I will never forget that moment.

Currently touring, then new album in 2019, what else is planned for The Room? Any festivals this summer?

The main priority for us is to get the new album out, reviewed and played on the radio. Having said that, we are very much a live band not a studio project and we will be touring in the late spring and we are talking about some more dates in the South of France towards the end of next year.

Thanks Andy, I hope to see you again in Nice someday, do you have a last message for our readers?

Thank you so much for inviting me to chat and for your very kind words about The Room. We are going to be releasing the new album early next year. I would say to your readers: keep an eye out for news on that, and please please buy the record when it's released. By doing that we get to carry on doing what we are good at!! Thanks again for a fantastic night in Nice, you were an amazing crowd. Cheers.

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