Idiom recently put on the best show I’d ever seen them give at The Picket in Liverpool. If you haven’t already seen the review, then you can read it here. Before the show, I caught up with the band for a chat.
However, before I was able to start the interview, I was interrupted by Matt…
Matt: Can the first bit of the interview be that we stopped you and said you’re amazing because you made us a cake? Right, now the interview can continue!
Dan: It’s amazing, it’s well good!
Kris: I want to go back in and eat more.
Well I’m glad you like it! So to start off the interview, could you introduce yourselves and tell me a bit about the band?
Matt: I’m Matt, and I do the vocals.
Kris: I’m Kris, and I play guitar.
Dan: I’m Dan, and I play the drums.
Matt: Grant plays bass…but he’s somewhere.
Kris: (doing a silly voice) I’m G and I play bass!
Matt: He doesn’t actually speak like that!
So this is the last date of the tour before you head off to Hammerfest and Takedown – how’s it all gone?
Kris: Fun!
Matt: It’s been good.
Kris: Very good. Swansea was good, as it was the very first time we’d played there and it went crazy. Bristol had a good turnout. Leicester was a bit…hmm…but y’know! This one should be really good tonight. Looking forward to the festivals!
Are there any bands you’re looking forward to catching at Hammerfest and Takedown, then?
Matt: At Hammerfest, we really want to see Feed The Rhino but I don’t if we’re gonna be able to, because we have to go to Southampton afterwards and they’re on at about half one in the morning, shutting down the stage. That sucks, but we did see them the other day on our day off in Newport – they played with Skindred and The Blackout. That was good, and they were good there, so…we’ll just pretend we saw them at Hammerfest. I’m sure it’ll be fairly similar and they’ll all take their tops off and get their beer bellies out!
When I saw you at Hit The Deck last year, the set ended with Matt climbing up one of the ceiling joists in the Fleece – can we expect more of the same from tonight’s show?
Matt: Yeah! Basically, if it doesn’t wobble, I’ll climb it!
Kris: It doesn’t, I checked.
Matt: It doesn’t? Oh, well in that case you can definitely expect me to go climbing things and jumping off them! Definitely. I had to jump onto that pole, you know!
Oh yeah! It was like on an island, almost, in front of the stage!
Matt: Yeah, I had to like, jump onto it and then slide down it. It hurt my chest when I landed on it. But yeah, definitely. If there’s an opportunity, I will take it.
You’ve toured with a lot of great bands since your inception. Which band did you enjoy touring with the most?
Dan: I think The Smoking Hearts are up there. And Skindred were obviously brilliant to us. The Smoking Hearts were like family to us by the end of it though, we were away for about a month.
Matt: I got it tattooed on my arm because we bonded so well. And I also thought it was amazing when we toured with Hed PE because we admired them loads when we were younger, so when actually got to that, we were blown away it! When you’re in awe with someone and those people welcome you in, it’s a really humbling moment. So for me, I think it was that because Hed PE were just so nice to us.
And they’re such a good band!
Matt: Yeah, that’s right! It was cool because we’re kind of rappy and singy, and they are as well! So it worked well and they were nice. They could have been idiots – and I thought they were going to be, because of their songs and what they sing about, but they were really nice!
What would you say the best show you’ve played has been?
Matt: Download.
(everyone agrees)
Matt: Yeah, I think we’d all say Download.
Kris: It was the perfect show in every respect, from the crowd attendance, to the sound…everything. I don’t think I put a note wrong!
And perhaps the strangest or weirdest?
Kris: Cat’s Protection!
Matt: Yeah! Someone actually got their chest shaved and waxed halfway through our set, didn’t they?
Kris: It was between a band and us, and someone got themselves shaved. Then we went to a party afterwards. I think I should say that this was a charity event for cats, essentially, with about 30 or 40 people there. And at the end, at the after party/house party thing, the bassist of one of the other bands smashed the banisters in the house! It was actually the house of the bass player that guy had replaced – he was away for the show and he didn’t know he was being replaced for the show! So yeah, his replacement smashed up his house when he was away. That was pretty weird!
If you could play a show anywhere, where would it be?
(there is a long silence as the three of them take in the question)
Matt: Me, I’d play in Los Angeles and I’d play with Rage Against The Machine. Because they’re from Los Angeles.
Kris: I’d say the same place, LA, but with Korn.
Dan: I’d like to support Deftones, anywhere, any time.
Matt: And let’s just say that G would like to support Incubus – and that’s all our influences there! And all in Los Angeles!
Kris: We could do a nu metal tour of Los Angeles!
Dan: That would be fucking brilliant.
Matt: A time machine would be nice!
If Idiom could put their name to any product, what would it be?
Kris: Oh dear…
Like, The Smoking Hearts made a hot sauce, for example?
Matt: I see, I see. Could it be a thing that you buy your mate that goes on the computer too much, and it electrocutes him so that he doesn’t want to play on his computer any more and will just go outside? Something that motivates you to go outside…like a kite, with Idiom on it! It could be like a little packet that contains a little beer, a spliff…and a kite. And then you can go out and have a lovely windy Sunday afternoon outside, rather than playing on your computer.
Dan: Well, that’s one thing we can do…!
Matt: Or just hot sauce.
If there was going to be a movie released about the band, what actors would you want to play yourselves?
Kris: Johnny Depp for me! Yes!
Dan: You’ve thought about that before, obviously?
Kris: It’s because he’s cool. And he has nice hair!
Matt: I’d like Leonardo DiCaprio to play me because he’s my favourite actor, that’s all. I have no other reason other than that he’s the best.
Dan: I’d have Tom Hanks to play me, just because he’s amazing.
Matt: But he’s too old, it wouldn’t work!
Dan: But he’s an actor! He can act younger.
Matt: Alright, okay. You know, I think Tom Hanks would be a really good dad.
Dan: And anyway, this isn’t a real thing, is it?!
Matt: Grant, our bass player, would definitely have Randy Savage or Hugh Grant. Or just a WWF wrestler!
What is your favourite flavour of cake?
Matt: The one you made! The cake that you made.
Kris: That was a very good cake.
Matt: That, definitely!
Dan: I love lemon drizzle, in all seriousness.
Kris: Well if we’re talking seriously about cakes, I do like chocolate gateaux.
Dan: Cakes are brilliant.
And finally – what is your opinion on Marmite?
Kris: I like it. I like it on toast.
Matt: I don’t like it, but then everyone else does, so…
Dan: I don’t.
Matt: Oh, well me and Dan don’t, then. But G and Chris do! Split down the middle.
Kris: That was a good question. I like it when people do questions like that. Someone asked me recently if I could have any super power, what would it be.
And what did you say?
Kris: I can’t remember! I think I just asked if I could be Spiderman. I dunno, pretty sure it was something like that.
So what’s the weirdest question you’ve ever been asked?
Kris: Oh, we had this one…
Dan: Was that the one at Redfest?
Kris: It was one like “what would you rather do: shit on your mum or punch your nan?” Something weird. A bunch of multiple choice questions with the most ridiculous things – mostly about shitting or beating up relatives, I’m not sure why! Shit on your mum…or punch your nan? I don’t think one would be the same without doing the other, would it?
Matt: Go all out!
Kris: Yeah, I’d shit on my mum whilst punching my nan. Organise a family reunion and just go at it!
