Kids In Glass Houses was one of the band invited to play on the barge Le Petit Bain’s stage for the Bring The Noise Festival organized by the French radio Ouï FM. A few months after they released their third album called “In Gold Blood”, we’ve met Aled Phillips (vocals) and Andrew Shay (bass) for asking them some questions about them and this eventful year.
How do you feel since “In Gold Blood” have been released?
Aled Phillips (vocals) : How do we feel ? Good, I think, I mean better since we finished it. We’ve recorded it very quickly and it has been released really soon after we’ve finished it. Everything has been very quick, just with the festivals and all the UK tour and now we’re already kind of the end of the year. But it has been such a really amazing year and the new album has been really well received.
And between “Dirt” and “In Gold Blood”, don’t you think it has been also very quick?
Andrew Shay (bass) : Yes I guess it was kind of not kind of disappearing too much. Also we’ve had those songs that we knew we wanted to do on studio. So yes it has been very quick because we wanted it.
How did you compose “In Gold Blood”?
Andrew : We just all come up with, like we’ve all just tried about first of all come up with, we’ve all had to agree first with what we really want. I think it was what we had in our minds, it was kind of no one can’t stop that. It was really what we decided about what we wanted to do with the album. We’ve spend like every day in Cardiff, it’s all our home and we’ve just wrote and wrote. And then when we actually wanted to record the album. It was just painless, we’ve just kind of been set in a living room. And we just bashed all our lives and that was sounded good. So yes it was really painless I guess also it was fun.
How did your fans react about “In Gold Blood”?
Aled : I think it was generally quite positive even if it was quite different of our previous albums. They took a little bit longer to sell out after release because of it was really immediate. I think people who love this album are just thinking it’s our best record ever.
Andrew : I think the way it has been received is kind of our deal for a selling. As we can capped the fans we needed to keep. And then the people who just wanted us for a kind of our cheap pop songs have left us to be the band we wanted to be. So it’s a good thing I think.
Aled : I think it’s kind of good thing, we’ve also grown up with bands like Lostprophets. And every time they’ve changed, they got new people who said “This is awesome” or stuff like that. So I think it’s really cool when you can develop with a band, kind of when the music involves in your life. That’s really nice.
Andrew : We get fans, we’ve lost fans, and generally our fans have kind of grown in age with us.
When you supported with Simple Plan, in 2008, you were already famous in England but not really famous in France and all around Europe. Is it better now with the audience?
Andrew : Yes, it’s quite different maybe because as you said we were kind of unknown in Europe but I think it’s also because of the difference between our first album, “Smart Casual” and “In Gold Blood”.
Aled : Yes, I think we’ve been more comfortable with crowds now, because we’ve played different show for all along. We’ve played big shows with big bands overseas so it really helps. But we’ve steal have really been in the front stage as much as if you consider it I think we’re still kind of innocent position. I guess it’s like we were with Simple Plan. So it’s like stuff today overseas are really helpful. Also we hope to come back the next year and we could be a little bit more on tour in the headline all around Europe. Because we’ve just spend a lot of time in England, in Wales so it’s time to come to the rest to Europe! (laugh)
How did you feel when you’ve played in Nimes with Shaka ponk and The Offspring?
Andrew : Hot, pretty hot! (laugh)
Aled : It was actually amazing, to be honest we didn’t really know what to expect. Lots of people have told us, playing with The Offspring’s crowd is really difficult because they just want to watch The Offspring. And then all of them can’t believe the venue, it was just like kind of empathy. And then on the road we were like “Shit!”. (laugh) It was just amazing, the crowd was completely like we didn’t more expecting on tour. But we were just really afraid that they’ll just ignore us or they say “Fuck off”. And they were always clapping, jumping around and it was amazing. I think this is one of my favorite shows.
Did you stay for Shaka Ponk and The Offspring?
Aled : We’ve stayed for Shaka Ponk and maybe one song of The Offspring because we had to drive all the way home and that was a long travel.
What did you think about a French band like Shaka Ponk?
Aled : It was pretty crazy, we’ve never heard about them in UK. This huge light circle thing was fucking mental, with that weird monkey thing. Also people around were just looking mental, it was just show off.
Basically what do you think about the French audience?
Andrew : I don’t know, we haven’t had enough proper experience, I mean Paris show with Simple Plan was amazing, Paris show with You Me At Six was amazing.
Aled : We’ve also played in Lyon.
Andrew : I think they get involved having great shows but I wouldn’t like to judge yet.
Aled : A lot of people have use to telling us that it was a really difficult place for bands because this is nothing like UK or Germany where there is a massive craze for music bands. I think here it’s very use for French bands. So it makes difficult for us but we haven’t had bad experience. So far people have been welcoming.
What’s your favorite memory when you were on stage?
Andrew : It’s hard to say. There just have been a few moments of the year and stuff like we were just thinking: “Wow this is actually happening”. Those moments when you just realize what’s actually going on.
Aled : I think a lot of time it’s kind of when we do festivals like Reading. I got this specifically, like I got the second time we did right and we did it like the enemy attend. This show is about 9,000 or 12,000 people and we’ve just released our first album a couple of 3 or 4 months before. Then when you played a song like “Saturday” or “Give Me What I Want” and that all of crowd stands up and you see everyone singing in. Then you just enjoy those moments when you get people you didn’t know and didn’t know who you are, singing your songs back to you. It reminds you when you come from.
What are you thinking about before you go on stage?
Aled : I don’t really think about something especially. Sometimes I think about the show. But my favorite show is always the one as where I haven’t thought before. We’ve just made the German tour, the last show of the tour was in a place call Kaiserslautern. And all the other ones who can’t stop thinking how are we going to do this? How are we going to work this? Because it was kind of new crowd for us. And the last moment, we were just kind of look at our stage time and you just do all the things you have to, you just playing the songs. So like we tried not to think about it but generally we just think about….half scene we get drunk. (laugh)
Andrew : Yes, that’s what happening as soon as we get off stage. (laugh)
Aled : First question is “where are we going after? More clubs out of there, let’s do it.” (laugh)
As the name of the website is “RockYourLife!”, what rock your life?
Andrew : This beer is rocking my life. (laugh)
Aled : Do you have Dexter here? Do you watch Dexter?
Yes.
Aled : About the new season, I have been spend a lot on my downtown, because we’re driving so much, I’ve been watching that, kind of religiously. Every week, not technically, but almost, I’m always waiting for a new episode.
Quick questions as conclusion.
Who’s the dirtiest in your band?
Andrew : Iain! (laugh)
Who’s the most seductive?
Aled : Joel!
Andrew : Yes Joel.
Aled : At least he has this funny word. He is on a fine line: “seductive/.J”.(laugh)
Andrew : Creepy! (laugh)
Who is the most into alcohol?
Aled : Iain!
You don’t say your own names for those questions, isn’t that kind of weird?
(laugh)
Aled : Yeah I know it’s kind of free pass.
Andrew : Best looking! (laugh)
Who’s the most bad boy?
Andrew : We’re all good boys!
You’re English you can’t be all good boys! (laugh)
Andrew : No we’re welsh so it’s all different! (laugh)
Aled : That’s different, so we’re all good boys. (laugh)
Andrew : We’re lover band so we are really respectful band.
What is the stranger present you’ve ever had from a fan?
Aled : Worst experience, stranger present. Some guy at London signing for “In Gold Blood”, he kind of terrorized me. He brought kind of pack of lubricant!
Andrew : Yes, that thing which can help you all along if you know what I mean. (laugh)
Aled : Well, he asked me to sign that!
Andrew : And he was quite pretty harp on about it.
Aled : We couldn’t say no, I’ve tried. Philip said no.
The last song you’ve really liked?
Andrew : I can’t get enough of Noel Gallagher’s record, really amazing songs on that!
Aled : I’m listening Christmas song for the moment. (laugh)
Which one?
Aled : Slade, it’s called “Merry Christmas Everybody”. I’m a big fan of Christmas, so I get really into it. When we’re going to do a Christmas show I think we need to cover Christmas songs. That’s probably the best thing we can do.
You should do it tonight.
Aled : I’m sure. (laugh)
Do you have a song which is kind of guilty pleasure?
Aled : I’m really open about the songs I like so I don’t really have guilty pleasure. To me “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston would be one of the best songs ever. It’s not a guilty pleasure, it’s just amazing. Or also “Hello Again” by SOiL. Check it out!
(Andrew and Aled make the rhythm guitar of “Hello Again” with their mouth)
Thank you guys!
Andrew : Thank you. Au revoir!
Aled : Thank you very much!
Website : kidsinglasshouses.com