Afghan Raiders
Alt-electronic trio Afghan Raiders are becoming known for their exciting live shows and remixes. They're about to make their first appearance in the UK, and singer Mikey Francis took the time to answer our questions. -Are you excited for the two London shows next weekend?
We are thrilled. It will be our first trek overseas for the band. It has been a dream of mine to play in London since I visited back in 2005 and it's pretty surreal to think that we are playing there this week.
-What can people at Rockness expect from your show there?
We are in the process of reinventing our live show a bit, trying to do a bit of a hybrid DJ set with live elements - drums, vocals, synths, etc. This is the first time we are trying things this way so it should be exciting to play for everyone.
-Apparently you’ve worked with Muse? Was that a support slot, and how was the experience?
We opened up for them along with a few other bands in Las Vegas. It was a lot of fun playing with such a massive, talented band like Muse. They headlined Coachella a couple months later, so I guess it was pretty neat to say we shared the stage with those guys.
-How has Drew settled into the band?
It's been great adding a new member. Adding the aspect of live drums and his production work have both been a huge part of the development of the band.
-How did the original members get together?
Beans and I were friends in high school. We went our separate ways after school for a few years, but we reconnected in another music project, then started AR shortly after.
We were both really feeling the direction electronic music was going and we wanted to be a part of it, so we started writing and AR was conceived.
-Who are your main musical influences?
Big bands like Soulwax and LCD have always been a huge influence on what we do, but we are always searching for new music and open to getting inspiration from all genres of music.
The three of us actually have pretty different musical tastes, but it always seems to work out when we come together. There have been some great records I have been into lately from Egyptrixx, Sebastian, Holy Ghost, Deerhunter, James Blake, Discodeine, Bag Raiders, Foals, Caribou, and Gold Panda to name a few.
-Are you planning on releasing any new material?
We have a couple EP's worth of originals and a handful of remixes that we will be releasing throughout the rest of 2011.
-What are the band’s plans for the rest of the year?
We are just going to keep writing, releasing material, and hopefully touring all across the globe.
-How would you describe your music?
To keep it general, the music is an always evolving hybrid of electronic, dance, and pop music.
-You’re getting a reputation for exciting live performances. Do you prefer the live side to writing and recording?
They are two totally different things. I absolutely love working in the studio, but the live performance is often where all the hard work pays off. There is nothing quite like performing your music live when the crowd is into what you're doing up there.
-What has been your most memorable live moment?
We have had so many... I think playing for our hometown crowd in Las Vegas has produced some of the greatest live moments for us.
I distinctly remember a few shows at this small venue downtown called Beauty Bar where it was just a chaotic, high energy, fun, magical experience with some of our closet fans and friends.
-Do you have a final message for our readers?
We hope to see you out at the shows. Can't wait to be in the UK!
Female First - Alistair McGeorge