11.03.11 | LukeC
Feeder have been around for a long time, rising to popularity in the late nineties as part of the indie/Alternate rock revolution. Many of their peers have since faded away but Feeder have hung on with constant touring and releases, the latest of which 'Renegades' came out at the end of last year, and another one will hit the shelves towards the end of this one. The band recently travelled the country as part of the Soundwave tour and front man Grant Nicholas was kind enough to chat to Kill Your Stereo about how the band have managed to achieve their longevity and what they have planned for the future.
You guys have been around for a long time now, do you think things have become better or worse in the music industry, from your point of view?
As far as people buying albums definitely worse. As far as the growth of bands it's been crazy with internet exposure and the sheer amount of new music. I am pleased we are a band that have managed to build a loyal fanbase over the years and also pick up some new fans.
Many of your Australian fans were quite surprised to hear your name on the Soundwave line up, was coming down under something you had planned for a while?
We have been trying to get back for a while now and the Soundwave festival gave us a chance to do that. It is a heavy festival and we are probably one of the only indie rock bands in the line up but we have played similar festivals in the UK and also headlined Download festival a few years back. Our roots are in rock and Kerrang magazine championed us from our first mini album Swim. It's been a challenge but we are pleased we came and hope to come back soon to do a full-on feeder club tour and some more festivals here. It's hard to show what we are about in a 30-40 minute set…
How have the sets been received on the tour so far?
Really well in general, it's hard to expect people to go crazy at noon but the audience has been receptive and there have been a few pockets of Feeder fans helping us through. It's also a shame that most of the shows were sold out before we were added to the bill so our fanbase could not get tickets for the shows.
Your latest album 'Renegades,' has had mainly positive reviews, what has the feedback been like from a band member point of view?
Really good. It kind of ignited a spark and it's a fun album to play live. We really wanted to make an organic album that captured our rock roots and that had more energy this time around.
Are the plans for the "softer" follow up record still going ahead?
We are just finishing off the next album. I wouldn't say it's necessarily softer but it's a slightly more mixed album and a bit more of a classic Feeder album in some way. There are still some rock moments however…
What made you guys change the band name to Renegades for a short period?
It was a way of road testing the new material in small intimate clubs. We wanted to go back to where we started in some way to start this album campaign. Kind of a back to basic's approach. If we had gone under the usual Feeder name people would have expected to hear the usual material etc…
'Renegades' is the first release under your own label Big Teeth Music, was it a scary move and how has it worked out for you so far?
It been a learning experience and a lot more work but at least we can try and make sure things are not over looked. We are licensed in different countries and if the right label comes along we may be tempted to sign a new deal but at the moment it seems like the best route for us and so far it's been going well.
What made you decide to be on your own label as opposed to finding someone else?
We felt the deals on offer at the time were not right for us and starting our own label seemed the best way forward in the current climate.
Are any of the band members working on other projects or is Feeder the main focus for all of you?
Feeder takes up a lot of our time to be honest but I have produced a few other bands and written for a few different projects. It's something that I am starting to get more involved with more and will definitely be doing more of in the future…
What does the rest of 2011 have planned for Feeder?
When we get back from Australia we start the European leg of the Feeder Renegades tour followed by festivals in the UK, Japan, Europe and China. We also plan to release our next album in the summer and hope to get back to the States to do some shows.