Imperial Vipers
Imperial Vipers are set for an exciting return in January 2009 with their hotly anticipated album Broken; the follow up to their number two single Check This which dominated the rock charts back in October.
I caught up with Ashley Simmons - who looks remarkably like Noel Fielding - to chat about the new record, dogs and who is better; Metallica, Guns N’ Roses or AC/DC?
Hey Ash, how are you?
I’m great thanks, how are you?
I’m great thanks! So next month sees the release of your latest album Broken, how excited are you?
Really excited, I just cant wait for people to hear it! We are really proud of it and we have spent most of the summer working on it and I’m just glad it’s finally coming out because there is so much stuff that has to be done - it’s quite frustrating actually - because as soon as you finish it you just want it out there but there is a lot of other stuff that has to go on behind the scenes, and of course Christmas is kinda in the way too!
What is the inspiration behind the album?
Well we were all brought up in a small town called Dunstable and it’s quite similar to a lot of small towns around the UK, and without trying to make the album sound depressing, it’s very much about the breakdown in society and the fact that a lot of small towns in this country are dying really. It’s about people having nothing to do and turning in the wrong direction.
It does involve the usual love and drugs but it’s related to the way it fits with the small towns. I think a lot of the older generations would be surprised to know what goes on in the smaller towns because 20 or 30 years ago that wasn’t that case, but there is a big problem with drugs in this country.
Can you sum up the album in five words for me?
Let me have a think…. Fresh, Exciting, Familiar - which sounds opposite to fresh but it is at the same time! Real and Powerful.
Ooh, good words! Will you going to go on tour with the record?
We’re just in talks at the moment actually so hopefully we’ll be hitting all the big cities and hopefully a few of the smaller ones too.
I can’t wait! But first, your lead single Check This entered the charts in October, what made you choose that as the lead single?
Check This bridges the gap between the old album and the new album. People have always seen us as a classic rock band, which I can see why, but we don’t really see ourselves as just classic rock and I think we have a lot of influences from all the old classics but I think the production and the song writing is quite modern and contemporary.
Check This is probably the most ‘classic rock’ sounding track on the new album so we think it’s a great way to introduce our new stuff as the new record is a lot more Punk and reflects what our band is about much more than the previous one.
Who influences you then?
All of us are into Led Zeppelin and The Stones but at the same time we’re all into different stuff; our bassist is into a Punk band called Rancid, one of the guitarists is into Radiohead, so everyone brings in a different vibe that adds to our common ground and I think that’s what gives us quite a varied sound.
From your back catalogue, what is your favourite song to play live?
I really love playing Another Suicidebecause the crowd really seem to pick up on it and even when they haven’t heard the song before. I think the chorus is pretty catchy and it seems to strike a chord with people when they play it live and after a couple of time playing it in front of people in London we had people singing along to it which was really surprising as it was before anyone had really heard it, it was just purely from fans hearing it live and I thought there was something really special about that.
I also like Broken because it’s a real challenge to play live because there was so much work done on it in the studio with layers of guitars and different guitar sounds which makes it quite a technical studio song and it’s a challenge to make it representative live.
We’re coming to the end of the year now, who do you think released the best record of 2008?
Kings Of Leon, Only by the Night, is really good. But Metallica’s Death Magnetic was great too, so put that in too! I can’t choose!
Good answer, we like it too. What was the last album you bought?
Guns N’ Roses new album Chinese Democracy. I haven’t listened to it properly yet but on the first couple of listens I think it sounds better than I expected.
Agreed, but which do you think was better; Metallica or AC/DC?
Ooh, I think AC/DC have done so much that it’s difficult to choose between the two! The Metallica album is one of my favourites but AC/DC are going on tour next year and that’s going to be amazing. I think we’re pretty lucky that we’re releasing our album next year as rock is coming to the forefront with all these great releases coming out at the moment.
If you could only listen to one band for the rest of your life, who would it be?
I think it would be Led Zeppelin; they have a massive back catalogue so I would never get bored!
Very sensible answer; so if you only had one more day to live and money was no object, what would you do?
I would have a massive party and invite EVERYONE! I would hire out some massive country house, but I’d have to die in the summer so we could have a swimming pool and a massive farewell party - I might as well go out with a bang!
Wow! Get me down on the guest list - not that I want you to die or anything! So we ask everyone we interview to come up with a question for the next person we interview and Simon Gavin want to know; “If you were an animal, what would you be?â€
Ooh, that’s difficult; do I go with something that sounds cool or something I like? I reckon I’d be a dog because I’m pretty loyal. I’d be an intelligent dog too, maybe like a Collie.
They will love you, everyone loves dogs… mans best friend! So can you come up with a question for the next person I interview please?
What was the last scary thing you did?
Wow, lets hope I don’t get an ‘I’m A Celebrity…’ reject!
FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison
Imperial Vipers are set for an exciting return in January 2009 with their hotly anticipated album Broken; the follow up to their number two single Check This which dominated the rock charts back in October.
I caught up with Ashley Simmons - who looks remarkably like Noel Fielding - to chat about the new record, dogs and who is better; Metallica, Guns N’ Roses or AC/DC?
Hey Ash, how are you?
I’m great thanks, how are you?
I’m great thanks! So next month sees the release of your latest album Broken, how excited are you?
Really excited, I just cant wait for people to hear it! We are really proud of it and we have spent most of the summer working on it and I’m just glad it’s finally coming out because there is so much stuff that has to be done - it’s quite frustrating actually - because as soon as you finish it you just want it out there but there is a lot of other stuff that has to go on behind the scenes, and of course Christmas is kinda in the way too!
What is the inspiration behind the album?
Well we were all brought up in a small town called Dunstable and it’s quite similar to a lot of small towns around the UK, and without trying to make the album sound depressing, it’s very much about the breakdown in society and the fact that a lot of small towns in this country are dying really. It’s about people having nothing to do and turning in the wrong direction.
It does involve the usual love and drugs but it’s related to the way it fits with the small towns. I think a lot of the older generations would be surprised to know what goes on in the smaller towns because 20 or 30 years ago that wasn’t that case, but there is a big problem with drugs in this country.
Can you sum up the album in five words for me?
Let me have a think…. Fresh, Exciting, Familiar - which sounds opposite to fresh but it is at the same time! Real and Powerful.
Ooh, good words! Will you going to go on tour with the record?
We’re just in talks at the moment actually so hopefully we’ll be hitting all the big cities and hopefully a few of the smaller ones too.
I can’t wait! But first, your lead single Check This entered the charts in October, what made you choose that as the lead single?
Check This bridges the gap between the old album and the new album. People have always seen us as a classic rock band, which I can see why, but we don’t really see ourselves as just classic rock and I think we have a lot of influences from all the old classics but I think the production and the song writing is quite modern and contemporary.
Check This is probably the most ‘classic rock’ sounding track on the new album so we think it’s a great way to introduce our new stuff as the new record is a lot more Punk and reflects what our band is about much more than the previous one.
Who influences you then?
All of us are into Led Zeppelin and The Stones but at the same time we’re all into different stuff; our bassist is into a Punk band called Rancid, one of the guitarists is into Radiohead, so everyone brings in a different vibe that adds to our common ground and I think that’s what gives us quite a varied sound.
From your back catalogue, what is your favourite song to play live?
I really love playing Another Suicidebecause the crowd really seem to pick up on it and even when they haven’t heard the song before. I think the chorus is pretty catchy and it seems to strike a chord with people when they play it live and after a couple of time playing it in front of people in London we had people singing along to it which was really surprising as it was before anyone had really heard it, it was just purely from fans hearing it live and I thought there was something really special about that.
I also like Broken because it’s a real challenge to play live because there was so much work done on it in the studio with layers of guitars and different guitar sounds which makes it quite a technical studio song and it’s a challenge to make it representative live.
We’re coming to the end of the year now, who do you think released the best record of 2008?
Kings Of Leon, Only by the Night, is really good. But Metallica’s Death Magnetic was great too, so put that in too! I can’t choose!