Two months ago (I know, I’m the worst when it comes to typing up interviews!) we caught up with two of the lovely guys from King Goat, Petros and Reza, in Manchester to ask them a few questions about touring and their new album Debt Of Aeons.
You can read our review of their set in Glasgow here, and our review of Debt Of Aeons here.
So tonight is the final night of your tour with Paradise Lost. How has the tour gone as a whole?
Petros (guitar): Really good! There’s been an amazing response every night – of course, as an opening act we were worried that we wouldn’t be playing to many people each night but every night people have come up early and there’s been people queueing outside.
I noticed last night in Scotland that there was a pretty big crowd when I got inside, and that was only about fifteen minutes after doors.
Reza (bass) :Yeah, at Wedgewood Rooms there were some people waiting at like, four o clock and we hadn’t even soundchecked at that point. It’s always nice to play to a packed out room.
Petros: It’s evidently a well-organised tour that has been well-promoted, so a lot of people have showed up. And you know, as it’s a tour with Paradise Lost who have been around for about thirty years, it’s clearly worked in our favour.
Which show has been your favourite, then?
Reza: I think Nottingham for me. The crowd was good and the sound was good. When I get really good sound onstage, it’s always a good night for me.
Petros: I think it was Nottingham for me as well.
Reza: There was a good vibe in there.
Petros: Yeah. All the shows had their perks but Nottingham had everything! It went so smoothly, and nothing whatsoever went wrong. We finished soundcheck and suddenly we had one hour to relax, which was great. And there was also people that knew our lyrics, which was seriously awesome!
So has there been any interesting or amusing stories to report from the tour, or has everything just gone smoothly?
Petros: Nah, I don’t think so! No drama, everything was nice and smooth. This is the new way of rock and roll – everybody’s well behaved, nobody has done any weird things. We’ve just chilled, relaxed and hung out, and it’s just been a nice experience.
On a broader scale, what would you say has been the best gig you’ve ever played?
Reza: I think when we played with Grand Magus and Enslaved. It was a good lineup because I love both bands, the sound was really good and it was a hometown show. I played that show after a job interview as well, and it only took them a couple of hours to call me back to say I had the job – so it was a good day in general!
Petros: Bloodstock was good too, and it was such a great experience. It was also the biggest crowd we’d played to. We were playing on the New Blood stage, and we had the rain on our side, so everyone just came into the tent! It was also at Bloodstock that I realised how important long cables were, because my pedal board wasn’t reaching the end of the stage!
Reza: That’s why you have to go wireless!
(both laugh)
Petros: But then you start getting technical difficulties and stuff…anyway, I think every show on this tour has been great as well.
So it’s hard to pinpoint just one?
Petros: Yeah! There’s been many.
What about the strangest or weirdest show you’ve played?
Petros: We once played a show to like, three people and a dog.
Reza: Oh yeah! The dog was chasing its tail as well, so it was like a mini mosh pit! It was so cute.
Petros: Another one that was quite funny was Milton Keynes two years ago. We showed up in this venue, it looked pretty and had a nice bar. At the time we were in our infancy as a band and it was one of the first times we’d played a show outside of our hometown. It was a 750-capacity venue and we played to maybe…three or four people? (laughs) It’s all proportionate though. If you have a hundred people in a hundred-capacity club then it feels amazing, and if you have twenty people in a twenty-capacity club then that also feels amazing! But if you’re in a room where it isn’t even half-full, then that’s not quite so good.
Moving onto your new album, you’re soon going to be releasing your new album Debt Of Aeons – what can you tell me about that?
Petros: It’s longer than the previous one, by seven minutes. Musically speaking, it’s a lot more focused but has some extremities as well. There’s heavier bits, but there’s also quieter, cleaner and even quieter, more atmospheric bits. There’s more contrasts but at the same time, it’s more focused and consistent.
Reza: I can’t wait for people to hear it because we all love it. It’s our baby!
How did the recording go with it?
Petros: Quite smoothly. We spaced the recording out over a longer period of time – we did drums, then left a few days, then bass in a different studio…same producer still, just different studios. We had more time to experiment with different sounds and tones, so it felt a lot smoother and stressful than the last recording. That one was a bit like…”we have one week, let’s go!!”
Reza: It’s just always better to have more time.
Which song are you most proud of?
Reza: That’s very difficult. I think I’m equally proud of all of them.
Petros: I love the title track, and another one called Eremite’s Rest. These two are the ones I enjoy playing the most, even though it’s quite different listening to them on the record. When I listen to the album I actually think the last track comes across amazingly, but when I play the other ones live I like them best. I don’t know why.
Reza: I get a lot of satisfaction playing the new stuff live as it’s stronger material. I still love the old stuff though, as it opened up the path for us – we appreciate the old favourites as well!
Moving onto some more random questions, if there was going to be a movie released about the band, what actors would you want to play yourselves?
(both of them laugh)
Petros: Jesus, is there anyone with a nose as big as mine…?
Reza: I think Johnny Depp for me. Whoever played Gimli in Lord Of The Rings can definitely play Trim. Erm, maybe Danny Devito for Jon, with a huge beard!
Petros: And we could just CGI Joe’s face in. (laughs) I don’t know who I’m gonna be though…I sometimes get the running band joke of Puss In Boots just because of the voice, so I guess we could have Antonio Banderas for me!
When you’re a world-famous band that can have anything on your rider, what would you choose?
Reza: I think…more burritos.
Petros: More burritos?
Reza: More burritos. But I think we’d get sick of them after a while! I don’t think I have a specific dream rider though, not yet – I don’t have too high expectations!
Petros: We were given sandwich material and fruit tonight, and we’re happy with that!
Reza: I’m happy with anything veggie or healthy.
Petros: It would be amazing if we could have our own private cook on tour who could cook for us every night.
Reza: Or even a good set of kitchen appliances for us to use on the road!
And my last question – if King Goat could put their name to a product, what would it be?
Reza: I like Dark Glass Electronics, a Finnish brand, so I think I’d like to put my name on something of theirs.
Petros: And I’m a big fan of Engl Amplification, so…yes! Hello Engl, if you’re listening! Send me stuff, I will make you proud! Trust me!
