Interviews : Eleventh He Reaches London (Ian Mountain) – 29/09/2010

Having supported band such as Cult of Luna, ISIS, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Coheed and Cambria, as well as winning three (and being nominated for seven) West Australian Music awards, Perth’s Eleventh He Reaches London are receiving the recognition they so rightly deserve. One the eve of their first east coast tour in far too long, we had a brief chat with guitarist Ian Mountain to find out what this oh-so unique progressive rock band have been up to.

http://www.myspace.com/eleventhhereacheslondon

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Metal Obsession: It’s been a while since we’ve really heard any updates, what have the band been up to lately apart from playing live shows? Have you been working on any new material, and if so, how is it developing in contrast to your previous two albums?

Ian Mountain: We’ve been trying to write a new album, probably have completed 80% of the writing. When that’s complete we will get stuck into recording and take our time with that! We elected to keep the next album more within a mood so instead of dabbling between sounds we are trying to stay consistent for the listener. That mood is pure misery.

MO: Will we be hearing much new material on your upcoming tour?

IM: One song! We are mindful that people on the East Coast only have had a few chances to see us, so we’ll try and get some older songs on the team.

MO: When can we expect the release?

IM: Early to mid 2011!

MO: Is there any chance of a vinyl release of ‘Hollow Be My Name’?

IM: We wish! We estimate we would only sell a small amount and the cost of a double LP in a minimal run would be astronomical! Would love to do it, but we had a bad experience with vinyl on our first try.

MO: How would you describe your music to somebody who isn’t familiar?

IM: Been trying for years! Maybe something like progressive misery.

MO: It’s commonly agreed that you guys have a very unique sound and presence. Who are some of your, and the band’s, musical inspirations?

IM: We all have followed a path of music that’s slightly different to each other, so that makes song writing really interesting and challenging to the point where we come back to where all those genres meet. I guess that’s how it started and how it will always be, we never chose a sound to replicate or attempt a derived sound from something we all liked. Tough one to answer, I guess it is what it is!

MO: Do you think being based in Perth, and perhaps not having access to as much live music as other parts of the country, has had any impact on the individuality of the band?

IM: I guess so. A live international or even eastern states band touring was always a massive treat for us when we were younger, but then like all things that wore off, we had to do things our way because there wasn’t a scene to fall into that didn’t appear hilarious from the outside. Perth has it’s music scenes but I get the feeling the band probably would have been the same in any other city.

MO: For those of us living in the East, how is Perth’s music scene going at the moment? Has the smaller amount of bands and shows resulted in a a stronger sense of community than other states?

IM: Probably the wrong band to ask! I mean we know guys and girls in other bands, but we don’t actively take part in the local music scene and that’s something we have been criticized for but we really don’t care. So Perth music is probably great for all I know.

MO: Are there any particular Australian bands that you would reccomend to your fans?

IM: Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving, from the crabby south. http://www.myspace.com/ttol

MO: Cheers for taking the time to answer the questions, and good luck with your tour!

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You can catch the band live at the following shows:

30th Sept 2010 @ The Tempo Hotel, Brisbane
w/ To the North, Nikko and We Set Sail
Tickets at the door.

2nd Oct 2010 @ The Tote, Collingwood
w/ sleepmakeswaves, Encircling Sea and 14 Nights at Sea
Tickets at the door 8pm.

1st Oct 2010 @ Hermann’s Bar, Sydney
w/ sleepmakeswaves and Totally Unicorn
Tickets at the door.

15th Oct 2010 The Bakery, Perth
w/ Tangled Thoughts of Leaving and Atolah
Tickets at the door.

Tickets at the door.