A few weeks before the release of their brand new album “Signs” , we got the chance to discuss a bit more about it, with this young band.
Hello Neal! How are you?
Neal Mitchell (vocals/bass) : Hello! We are very well, thank you!
You’re about to release your brand new album “Signs”, are you ready for the adventure?
N : (laugh) Very much so! We have been waiting a long time to release this album and now the time is finally here, we are very much ready to burst out of the starting blocks. It’s been an adventure already to get to this point and get the album made.
For our French readers, can you introduce us Templeton Pek please?
N : Hello France! We are Kev, Neal and Jon and we are Templeton Pek! If you like fast, catchy, energetic live shows and in your face songs then we are very much the band for you!
By the way, what is the signification of your band name?
N : Templeton Pek comes from an “A-Team” reference… It is “Face” man’s real character name in the show. Its just something we came up with when we needed a band name.
You music is kind of punk rock/rock, what type of subject do you talk about?
N : Yes that is correct. I guess we talk about real life things but in a non political way. Our songs in particular can be associated with anybody in day to day life and are relatable to everyone. I guess the relevance of our songs come to us after we have written them, its not a conscious process, one of us could be going through a particular situation and we subliminally write about it. Sometimes it’s months after before the release what we have written about.
What’s the meaning of “Signs”? What’s the message(s) you want to transmit to people?
N : The whole idea of “Signs” was that people read into things as much as they want to. Humans create meanings from anything. Sometimes things arent as complicated as they seem, and sometimes the simple way is best. The artwork fits with this theory as you can take it as an album sleeve that looks cool, or you can look closer and see all the individual pictures that make up the image which we all took through the process of the making of this album.
If you had to pick up 3 songs from the record, which one will they be and why?
N : Personally I would pick “Alive (Promise Is Safety)”, “Trial And Error,” and “What Are You Waiting For”.
“Alive” is a typical Templeton Pek song as it is fast and relentless with an atmospheric breakdown, it’s a good advert for what we are about if you didn’t already know, and an insight to what’s on the album.
“Trial And Error” has a lot of hardcore element in it which is where a lot of my influences originate from and is also melodic and it’s exciting to play the live version.
“What Are You Waiting For” for me is the x-factor of the album… this has a big production where we used live strings and really went to town producing it! This is also a live favourite of mine, plus at the time we wrote this song we were in a transitional period with a lot of things as individuals and as a band and the line “Slow Down For Nothing” has very much become a moto of mine to keep believing in what we do.
What are your main influences as musicians? How did you end up in a band, playing music for your living?
N : We have known each other since school so I guess its very much “brothers from other mothers”. (laugh) And we have been writing music together since then…. as for influences mine are very much stapled in nineties skatepunk and Hardcore but as styles and trends come about I have been very open minded to new styles which I guess helps us to create interesting and atmospheric breakdown parts in a lot of our songs.
You’re from Birmingham, there’s also a famous heavy metal band that began in this city. Do you guys listen to Black Sabbath?
N : (laugh) Don’t you mean Napalm Death? (only joking) Yes we listen to Black Sabbath, “Paranoid” is very much a tune! I tried to go and see them when they played an intimate show in Birmingham just before Download Festival but was unsuccessful to get a ticket.
It looks like German fans like your music, what makes that audience so special comparing to any other European audience?
N : Well I think that Germany embraced us first as it was the first place that we toured outside of the UK and we just kept getting offers to go back.. I think it’s the same with most mainland countries that people are more open to new music and checking out new bands.. this is not the same in the UK due to press pretty much dictating to kids what to listen to instead of them making up their own minds.
You already tour with Rise Against, Good Charlotte and BFMV, is there any other bands with whom you’d like to tour or work someday?
N : Bad Religion or NOFX would be cool to tour with but I think that any band that gets what we do as well as understands, we’re quite lucky in that our style fits playing with a lot of bands, hence why we have supported a lot of various names.
What can the fans expect from your next tour? Any French gig on the way?
N : Lots of new songs, a lot of energy which will hopefully leave you wanting more! We would love to come and play France but the opportunity has not preceded itself, but we will.
Finally, as a tradition, we are “RockYourLife!”, what rocks your life guys?
N : Cheese, crepes, good beer, clean underwear on tour and pizza!
Website : templetonpekofficial.com
