Alestorm – Christopher Bowes

Scottish Pirate metallers ALESTORM are no strangers to these foreign shores. This time around will different than previous visits however, they’ll be bringing cameras along with them to document all of the debauchery and film their show at the HIFI in Melbourne for a future DVD release as part of their Live at the End of the World tour. Metal Obsession.net talks to vocalist, key-tar player and founding member Christopher Bowes.

Metal Obsession: Hey Mate, how’s it going?

Christopher Bowes: Yeah, it’s great, just relaxing before Christmas and the gearing up for the impending terror of going to Australia for a week in January!

MO: Oh great, so no other shows planned between now and the Australian tour?

CB: Yeah, that’s it our next show’s going to be in Melbourne in front of cameras!

MO: That was actually going to be my next question! So what actually prompted you guys to record your live DVD in Australia as opposed to elsewhere in the world?

CB: Hmmm…Well, I mean, I guess because it’s so different basically. A lot of bands do live DVD’s these days and they always do them in normal places, like their home country or whatever, or some big festival in Germany and they’re all the same you know, we were just getting tired of it. We just wanted to do something completely different and go to Australia, because it’s a place that’s really great for us. We get really nice, enthusiastic crowds down your way.

MO: Yeah, definitely it’s pretty much as far away as you can get from your home Country. So Live at the End of the World is a very fitting title for the tour and DVD also.

CB: Yeah, it’s going to be a great, plus when you tour Australia and New Zealand, you do it a complete different way to what we’re used to. Over in Europe, it’s all about getting in a tour bus, driving for a couple of hours every night, etc. Where as in Australia we have to fly everywhere, everyday is going to be a complete horrendous nightmare, of getting between cities, getting pissed and all that sort of stuff. We’re going to film everything, the whole thing, basically from the moment we get on the plane at home to the moment we get back. Everything will be getting filmed so all of the stupid things that we do on tour are going to be filmed.

MO: Can’t wait to be a part of it also! Correct me if I’m wrong, this is the third time Alestorm have toured Australia in almost as many years. I’m assuming that this is a particularly fond place for you guys to visit?

CB: Yeah, it’s great. I guess the best bit is it’s always really warm.It’s going to be all lovely and sunny. It’s going to be a mind fuck at this time of the year for us.

MO: Yeah, you’re going to be here right in the middle of our summer for this tour.

CB: Yeah, I think it may actually be far too hot for us and we’re going to die.

MO: [laughs] I’m sure you guys will be ok. Plenty of beer will sort you out!

CB: [laughs]

MO: As far as the show this time around, what can the Australian audiences expect from Alestorm on this tour as opposed to the other times you’ve been here?

CB: Well we’re basically just going to put on a much better show. This time we’re bringing our own lights and production. It’s going to look amazing, there’s all this crazy stuff going on. Plus we’ve expanded our line up slightly, with an extra keyboard player because you know, one’s never enough!

MO: Oh, of course!

CB: It’s a bit ridiculous really; I think we’re the only metal band in the world with more keyboards than guitars.

MO: So there are no plans to hang up the key-tar just yet?

CB: Nope, I’m still singing and playing key-tar, but we’ve now got another guy standing at the back playing a big keyboard, filling out our sound with all of these orchestral noises, etc now.

MO: One thing I’ve been hanging to ask you; I last saw you guys on the 70,000 tons of Metal cruise from Miami to the Cayman Islands earlier this year. I know myself, friends and pretty much everyone else on board had an amazing time. You guys looked like you were having the time of your lives though and certainly partied hard and still played some great sets. Do you have any fond memories of the cruise or any experiences you wish to share?

CB: Yeah, I think that was one of the best things we’ve ever, ever done. So happy with that, I just can’t wait to go back! I don’t think any of us we even remotely sober for the whole thing! All those amazing cocktails, so many cocktails!

MO: Yeah, it was quite a unique and amazing experience, certainly one I will never forget.

CB: I just loved getting pissed and singing karaoke.

MO: [laughs] I do remember seeing you sing quite a few karaoke songs. Can’t quite remember what they were now though.

CB: One I do remember is the bass player from CLAIM THE THRONE and I, singly Return of the Mack really badly, that was one of the worst ones.

MO: I think I missed out on that one.

CB: You didn’t miss out much. I don’t think either of us knew the words and it ended up with both of us rolling around on the floor screaming the words or what little of them we knew.

MO: [laughs] I think that was quite a common occurrence during those karaoke sessions on the boat. I distinctly remember the singer from Suffocation doing something very similar.

CB: Yeah, he was amazing. That was the best!

MO: 70,000 Tons of Metal was quite a unique show in itself, apart from this cruise what has been the most interesting/unique show, festival or even tours Alestorm have been a part of since your inception?

CB: Well I think apart from that, I guess maybe the first time we ever toured Australia. That was pretty amazing as it was the furthest we’ve ever been from home. It was like holy shit, someone has paid for us to come out here… This is so cool! I think the first time we ever go anywhere; it’s always the most amazing fun really. Like the first American tour or even our first European tour, it’s always just so great, so exciting.

MO: Is there anywhere that you haven’t been yet that you’re hoping to get to?

CB: Loads of places! We’ve not done South America at all; we’ve not done Japan or even Indonesia.

MO: So I’m guessing these places are on the: To visit list for Alestorm in 2013?

CB: Yeah we’re hoping that we get to visit all of these places in 2013 and get to have a really great time!

MO: Back Through Time has been out for nearly 18 months now, I read an interview with you when the album was first released, with you saying that it had received some mixed responses from diehard fans. Now that the dust has settled on this album, how has the overall response been?

CB: I think it’s definitely very positive. Of course there is always going to be this subset of people who only enjoy your first album and everything else after that is selling out. That’s what metal heads are like; they’re a fickle bunch at times. I think everyone else thinks it’s our best. I think it’s our best. It’s definitely got the most solid line up of songs. Fast songs, ridiculously over the top songs like Death Throes of the Terrorsquid, I think that’s my favourite song we’ve ever done. I’m so proud of that one.

MO: I agree we are a fickle bunch!

CB: [laughs]

MO: Are there any plans to record the follow up to Back Through Time in the near future?

CB: Well I think that when we get back from Australia, once we can get this whole DVD thing behind us and can rest again, we’ll start writing for album number four. We’re going to take it in ridiculous directions, there’s going to be some surf rock things going on you know, some gnarly party vibes, bit more black metal, a bit more blast beats, a bit more cheesy nonsense and loads of epic orchestras. Hopefully get it out in 2014.

MO: Do you have any ideas where you plan to record or who you will get to produce the next album?

CB: We’re going to do it all the same again, all of it. Well I mean Lasse, he knows how we work, we know how we work and he’s got our sound kind of sorted out, so we’re kind of happy to do that. Who knows though maybe the label will throw money at us so we can all go to some Caribbean Island to record the album?

MO: Apart from the bands upcoming Australian DVD tour and obviously writing the follow up album as previously discussed, what else does 2013 hold for Alestorm?

CB: Well after Australia, we have the PAGANFEST Europe tour which we are headlining, so that is going to be cool. It’s our first ever headlining tour of Europe, with a bunch of bands that think they’re Vikings so that will be a laugh. After that its summer and a bunch of festivals in Germany as is par for the course these days it seems. The highlight of that is going to be Wacken, which is going to be a great big show, looking forward to that a lot.

MO: Have you guys played at Wacken previously?

CB: Yeah we played Wacken in 2008, it was one of our first ever gigs. I don’t know how we managed it but it was dreadful, we were so bad. I was completely terrified at being onstage still and that was our biggest gig ever at the time. I was like what the fuck, I can’t do this, but we managed to get through it in the end so it wasn’t all so bad. Next year will be a lot better though.

MO: Oh yeah, I can imagine the years on the road have certainly helped you.

CB: Definitely, after that we’ll probably head back to America for a headlining tour and try and hit up all these other crazy countries like Japan and South America. See if that works, if it happens that would be great, but no biggie if it doesn’t happen either.

MO: You guys just finished up a tour in the USA supporting Epica. How were these shows?

CB: Yeah there were some good shows, definitely the biggest thing we’ve done in the USA so far. It’s always nice knowing you’re moving up in the world. There were some good big venues, good parties and shows. There were some pretty crappy shows, but that’s the same with every tour though. Sometimes not everything goes your way, the audience are not always the best and it’s all a bit miserable. It was made up for with some of these great big, fun shows though.

MO: Thanks for your time Chris, it’s been a pleasure. Is there anything you wish to sign off on before you head to Australia?

CB: Yep, I want to tell everyone, all of the lovely people of Australia to eat Scottish beef!

SUPPORTS FOR THE “LIVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD” TOUR ARE:
MELBOURNE: Barbarion / Orpheus
SYDNEY: Barbarion / Troldhaugen
BRISBANE: Barbarion / Malakyte
PERTH: Voyager / Claim The Throne
ADELAIDE: Se Bon Ki Ra / Matronarch
AUCKLAND: Scurvy Dogs / Rising Force / Forsaken Age

Buy a ticket to any of the Australian shows using paypal through this link and get yourself an exclusive ALESTORM fridge magnet not available anywhere else in the world!!!

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