Last week Preston’s mask-wearing bass enthusiasts Evil Blizzard released their new record, the rollicking and suitably melon-twisting Everybody Come To Church, via Louder Than War, and to celebrate we’ve got an exclusive premiere of the video for lead track ‘Stupid People’, which you can check out above.
And, while we were at it (and because we’re kind like that), we caught up with drummer and vocalist ‘Side’ to talk about the video’s creation, the discernible benefits of being covered in The Guardian and at what point they plan on removing their masks and composing a West End musical based on their story. So, pull up a stool and a bucket of anal relaxant and enjoy!
‘Ello ‘Side’! So, the new video is suitably barmy – what’s the story in terms of its creation, who is responsible for the treatment, etc.?
Side: The video was made and edited by John Turner, a friend of ours, but also uses footage by Martin Aylwood from the gig at Holmfirth. The idea of the story was to be able to be stupid outside Nora Batty’s café and show our skills of acting in night vision. Something akin to the Banana Splits meets Crimewatch.
In it there are several shots of people taking selfies with members of the band, but aren’t they just the sort of ‘stupid people’ the song is rallying against?
S: I suppose it depends which shots you are talking about. If you mean the people at the gig then we would never class those as the inspiration (honest) but as for the others with cameo appearances we will leave that up to the viewer to decide.
The new album is produced by Richard McNamara of Embrace, right? That seems like an unusual collaboration – how did he become involved?
S: This question has been asked a few times over the last month or so. I’m not really sure that just because someone plays guitar in a band that is not like the band you play in it’s unusual. Richard is a big fan of the band and was introduced to us by the bass player of Embrace, Steve Firth. Steve saw us at Rebellion in 2014 and since then has championed us whenever he can. Richard certainly knows his stuff and his studio, Magnetic North, is superb. I keep saying it gives the best drum sound in the West. We had a talk to him about how we wanted to sound and he suggested we make an album that could capture the sound of the band and be as chaotic and as close to live as possible but also tighten the sound and make it sound big. We believe he did this. He also let us use a vast array of bass effects we couldn’t afford which were not there on the debut. To think we recorded it in an afternoon and mixed pretty quickly he has done a job worthy of this collaboration. Oh, and he is basically a big Metal ‘head’ so it’s all good by us.
Your previous album, The Dangers Of Evil Blizzard, gained a fair amount of coverage in the national press, how weird was that? Have you noticed any discernible benefits?
S: It was pretty weird to think that people actually listened to it to be honest. We recorded it without any rehearsals and when John Robb suggested putting it out on his Louder Than War label, we didn’t think people would take to it as much as they did. I can’t say we have seen many benefits apart from getting more bags of crisps on the rider! Still, as we like crisps we can’t complain.
No offence intended, but a band with four bassists, who wear weirdly nightmare-ish masks, and play a sort of repetitive, doomy-psychedelic-space-kraut maelstrom shouldn’t really have become popular, right? How surprised are you by your relative success so far?
S: It seems the UK are fed up of ugly popstars and wanted to see a glamorous four-bass and drum act gigging near them. It hasn’t really come as a shock but for our mates and fans from the beginning it has. I think we always knew that playing songs with only 3 notes and very poor lyrics would hit the spot. I’m sure the call for Eurovision is only around the corner.
So now that you’re all rock stars you can all quit your jobs, right!? Haha… Kav can give up his plumbing side-line, yeah?
S: I’m not sure we would like to give up our jobs in favour of a life of pampered rock and roll excess, but I do know Blizzpig and Mopman are thinking of going the other way and starting their own business in the form of Blizzburgers. They are looking for a van as I type and feel there is much more success to be had flipping those, either meat or Veggie. Just no pork sausage I hear.
At what point in your career do you envisage ‘doing a Kiss’ and removing you masks to revel your male-model good looks underneath (and the poodle haircuts?)
S: Maybe for our final gig headlining Download we will do it, but we would expect the audience to come as us and we will come as them. That said we can’t do a Kiss as we are Kiss.
What’s next for EB? Do you have plans to tour Europe, do the festival circuit, turn your story into a west end musical?
S: In 2016 we are hoping to play Europe but at the moment we can’t find a promoter or agent to put us on. So if there are any out there who want to book the UK’s best four-bass band then get in touch! Hopefully we will hit the UK festivals too. A west end show would be great and as Filthy stole his costume when he went back stage at Mamma Mia!, we know he has a love of a good musical.
Evil Blizzard are on tour across the UK throughout the winter – dates below. The new album, Every Come To Church, is available now vis Louder Than War
Evil Blizzard UK Tour Dates
October
15th – The Donkey Bar, Leicester
17th – Bumper, Liverpool
24th – Georgian Theatre, Stockton
30th – The Hairy Dog, Derby
31st – Blitz, Preston (album launch)
November
11th – Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
27th – Wagon & Horses, Birmingham
28th – The Barfly, Camden (w/ Bad Guys)
