The New Regime
Currently supporting Taking Back Sunday in the UK, The New Regime is ready to make waves.
The solo project of former Lostprophets and Nine Inch Nails member Ilan Rubin, it sees the drummer take up guitar and lead vocals.
A few hours before he supported Taking Back Sunday, we chatted to Ilan about The New Regime, his past projects and the future.
-How's it been supporting Taking Back Sunday on tour?
It's been really good and really comfortable. We've just done a two-month tour with them in the US. So, it was really nice of them to bring us out for this one. It's like old friends really.
-Have you noticed a difference playing to the crowds here compared to back home?
I can't really judge that fairly, because we've only really done one show. That was last night in Glasgow. It was a good show, but...I don't know if it's Glasgow, but it was low key.
I'm really looking forward to tonight actually. Last night we opened, tonight we're supporting. We go on later in the evening, we get a longer set. It'll be nice to play ten minutes longer and have more people in the room.
-Does that change your mentality?
Definitely. As it is, even half an hour is a very short set. So, imagine doing twenty minutes - you only get time for four songs, really. The problem is that since The New Regime is very new - no pun intended - we're playing to a majority of people who don't know the music.
So, what I have to do is pick a set that will keep people entertained, which kinda leads me to playing the most energetic material. I feel that sells the music short, because we're only showing one side.
-You started the project a few years back, is it the main priority?
I would say so. That doesn't mean I have no interest in playing drums. Obviously I love it, I was born a drummer. Having played in bands...I don't know how to say this.
I don't have an interest in playing out just for the sake of it. In a perfect world, I'd love to play with Nine Inch Nails, and when I'm not doing that, do The New Regime, as oppose to constantly going on tour with a bunch of different bands.
-How have you found the reaction to your latest album?
Very positive. It's almost frustrating because I feel like the vast majority of the feedback has been positive, which makes me happy, but I want to spread out more.
This is our third month of touring straight, it's the first time I've been able to go off on tour and spread the word. I want to do this as long as I possibly can, and see a larger amount of feedback.
-Is touring the best way for an artist to get their name out there?
Unless you have a big song on the radio, I would say touring is the best way to do it. Even getting big through radio has its cons to it.
I've seen where people have a song that's done well on the radio, and people go to the shows pretty much to watch that same song.
That has a very negative connotation to me, because to me, a show is an opportunity to show people what you can do. If people are there for one song, and show up for an entire show they don't have the attention span to let you take them through it.
-The emphasis on that one hit song is a trend for the industry, particularly in pop music. Do you think that's putting less of an emphasis on albums at all?
Yes. I think what's making albums less important as entire pieces is that the saturation of music is at an all-time high. Because of that, people's attention spans are at an all-time low.
Rather than having the patience to sit down and listen to an album for 45 minutes, people would rather to listen to bits and pieces that they like, then move on to somebody else they like.
-Sticking with the industry, is the illegal downloading culture something that's affecting you?
I wouldn't say so. That whole thing doesn't bother me. Right now, I'm at a stage where I've been spending a lot of time building myself up as a drummer. I don't expect that to spill over into me being a singer-songwriter.
So, the most important thing for me right now is to get the music out, whether it's someone paying for an album, downloading a digital copy, or getting it in any way. I really have no problem with that.
-You have a live band, but it's still very much a solo project. Do you miss the whole band experience?
Definitely not. I know that sounds very negative. As a drummer in other bands, with the exception of a couple of Lostprophets song, I never wrote anything.
With Lostprophets, the one song I wrote properly was on their last album, called 'It's Not The End of The World'. Musically, I did that and it's fine. It's what the singer feels most comfortable coming up with melodically over the top of it.
Most importantly, I've seen many bands and been in many scenarios where you have the argumentative aspect of it, with tastes colliding.
Doing it myself, I don't really have anybody to deal with, which is really comforting. It allows me to do things a lot faster, because I know what I want to do, and I do it. That's all there is to it. I really like being alone in the studio. It sounds very antisocial, I know.
-I get where you're coming from with it. Were you writing on the side when you were drumming with other bands, or is it just something you recently decided to try?
Well, the idea of The New Regime came about during Lostprophets. At the time, we were working on the album that became The Betrayed. Because drums are the first things to be recorded, there's a tonne of dead time.
So, at that point I'd been able to play a few instruments well. The only thing I was too shy to do was sing.
I was really frustrated in the sense that...things were really unorganised having different people with different opinions.
If you're in a band and everyone agrees on something...I think that's virtually impossible. I just really wanted to do new things on my own, and that's the reason why I started singing.
-How did the touring set-up come together? Is it musicians you knew from other projects?
Yes, definitely. It's interesting really. Within the Taking Back Sunday tour were started a couple of months ago, there were three different combinations of line-ups.
It's been a kind of revolving door of different musicians. Not because I'm getting rid of people - most people have different obligations to tend to.
-Do you see it staying as a free-flowing thing rather than a solid, defined line-up?
The benefit to doing things alone is that you're able to get people in and out, and it doesn't ruin the band. I don't mean to downplay anybody.
The line-ups I've had, I've been very fortunate with, but it's the sort of thing where if someone can't make, I'm able to keep going on.
-Going back to your time in Lostprophets, how was that whole experience for you?
It was a great experience. It was the first big band I played in, so that was fantastic. It was a lot of fun spending so much time out of the US. I really enjoyed it.
-You mentioned the occasional song you'd get to contribute to. Was the writing process quite democratic, or one body bringing songs to the table?
It was fairly collaborative, but I have to say that Lee [Gaze] brought most of it to the table. Everyone brought their own ideas. Anything that I tried to bring, most of it got brushed aside for whatever reason.
What became 'End of The World'...most of the guys didn't like it, but it was the first single off the album, so I really don't know how that happened.
-Was your ideas being pushed to the side a reason for you joining Nine Inch Nails, or just the opportunity came?
The opportunity came. When we played Reading in 2007, we were before Nine Inch Nails. That's when Trent saw me play. When Josh Freese left, he asked if I was interested in joining, and obviously I was.
I have to say, the funny thing about 'End of the World' was that it was an idea that I'd written and recorded all the instruments to when I was 16.
[Ian Watkins] enjoyed it from the beginning, which is why it's something that was always present for the next album. Really, I don't remember anyone else liking it too much.
-What to you have planned for the rest of the year?
As of now, nothing. We're pursuing other dates. As I said, we've been on tour for three months right now, and I would love to continue until I drop.
Whether the opportunities arise or not, I don't know. If they don't, I'll start writing and recording the next album. I have around 14 ideas so far.
Female First - Alistair McGeorge
Currently supporting Taking Back Sunday in the UK, The New Regime is ready to make waves.
The solo project of former Lostprophets and Nine Inch Nails member Ilan Rubin, it sees the drummer take up guitar and lead vocals.
A few hours before he supported Taking Back Sunday, we chatted to Ilan about The New Regime, his past projects and the future.
-How's it been supporting Taking Back Sunday on tour?
It's been really good and really comfortable. We've just done a two-month tour with them in the US. So, it was really nice of them to bring us out for this one. It's like old friends really.
-Have you noticed a difference playing to the crowds here compared to back home?
I can't really judge that fairly, because we've only really done one show. That was last night in Glasgow. It was a good show, but...I don't know if it's Glasgow, but it was low key.
I'm really looking forward to tonight actually. Last night we opened, tonight we're supporting. We go on later in the evening, we get a longer set. It'll be nice to play ten minutes longer and have more people in the room.
-Does that change your mentality?
Definitely. As it is, even half an hour is a very short set. So, imagine doing twenty minutes - you only get time for four songs, really. The problem is that since The New Regime is very new - no pun intended - we're playing to a majority of people who don't know the music.
So, what I have to do is pick a set that will keep people entertained, which kinda leads me to playing the most energetic material. I feel that sells the music short, because we're only showing one side.
-You started the project a few years back, is it the main priority?
I would say so. That doesn't mean I have no interest in playing drums. Obviously I love it, I was born a drummer. Having played in bands...I don't know how to say this.
I don't have an interest in playing out just for the sake of it. In a perfect world, I'd love to play with Nine Inch Nails, and when I'm not doing that, do The New Regime, as oppose to constantly going on tour with a bunch of different bands.
-How have you found the reaction to your latest album?
Very positive. It's almost frustrating because I feel like the vast majority of the feedback has been positive, which makes me happy, but I want to spread out more.
This is our third month of touring straight, it's the first time I've been able to go off on tour and spread the word. I want to do this as long as I possibly can, and see a larger amount of feedback.
-Is touring the best way for an artist to get their name out there?
Unless you have a big song on the radio, I would say touring is the best way to do it. Even getting big through radio has its cons to it.
I've seen where people have a song that's done well on the radio, and people go to the shows pretty much to watch that same song.
That has a very negative connotation to me, because to me, a show is an opportunity to show people what you can do. If people are there for one song, and show up for an entire show they don't have the attention span to let you take them through it.
-The emphasis on that one hit song is a trend for the industry, particularly in pop music. Do you think that's putting less of an emphasis on albums at all?
Yes. I think what's making albums less important as entire pieces is that the saturation of music is at an all-time high. Because of that, people's attention spans are at an all-time low.
Rather than having the patience to sit down and listen to an album for 45 minutes, people would rather to listen to bits and pieces that they like, then move on to somebody else they like.
-Sticking with the industry, is the illegal downloading culture something that's affecting you?
I wouldn't say so. That whole thing doesn't bother me. Right now, I'm at a stage where I've been spending a lot of time building myself up as a drummer. I don't expect that to spill over into me being a singer-songwriter.