The Downbeat - Justine Jones - Employed To Serve

Episode Date: April 1, 2021

My guest this week is Justine Jones, vocalist of UK metal band Employed To Serve and co-owner of Church Road Records. I caught up with Justine at the end of last year to talk about the band's new album and new drummer Casey, our boring lives in lockdown and running a label with her husband Sammy. Peace!

What's up? Hems, hers, they's. You're going to find out in a minute that I have shit for brains and why and why I've learned to never ever be professional and never do anything in advance. Might as well cut to the fucking goddamn chase. This episode was supposed to be someone else. It's supposed to be Matt Halpern from Periphery coming back for a second episode. Long story short. I've got a shit Macbook Pro with 128 gigabytes of storage

and sometimes I need to delete all of the audio that I'm not using to free up space to do other stuff because I'm poor. Oh, I'm poor, sign up to the Patreon, patreon.com slash the downbeat or you could buy a t-shirt, www. www.the-downb-de-de-de-a-t.t, so it spells downbeat and you could buy a t-shirt and then I wouldn't be so poor.

Anyway, that's that bit out of the way. The... I had, I was really like, I've got this new desk, we all know about the new desk, I'm going to be really productive. I did like five episodes of the podcast. One logic session, so I've got the same crispy, dulcet tones. Everyone's on their own little, I've got one track, which is just for me, and then I've got everyone else on their tracks. So just, you know, making it, what's the word? The same.

Making it all the same. Consistent. There we go. Boom, done it, professional. And so at some point when I was streaming, I run out of space. And usually what I do is I'll just select unused files because there's a lot of takes or old shit that I don't use anymore. Select, unused files, delete. Did that.

Unfortunately, Matt's vocals, vocals, I guess it's vocals, were not on a track and I deleted the file. Went back to the Wii transfer, that's gone, expired. because who the fuck uses we transfer terrorists? That's who, I imagine. Went back to Matt. Matt's not got the file anymore, so that's gone forever. But in doing that and searching frantically for the file,

I found a different conversation that I thought that I deleted, which is with Justine Jones from Employed to Serve. And I was gutted because we recorded this last, at the end of last year. and I thought I'd done the very same thing I'd done here, but to my vocals. Vocals? Speech track.

Vocals, fuck it. So, every cloud, I've found a good episode of the downbeat. But, you know, I'm quite happy about that. I'm gutted about the Matt one because it's a great conversation, but I'll just fucking phone him again. I'll have another little chat. He's got a lot of wisdom. So, yeah.

My guest this week is, I've just realized I say guess. I don't even say guest. You probably think it's a sort of a processing issue. No, lazy man issue. Lazy man that can't speak properly issue. My guest. This week is Justine Jones of Employed to Serve. She is the vocalist in Employed to Serve.

Who are like a metalcore band from the UK, very talented individuals. And she is the co-owner, co-owner, co-runner. whatever, of Church Road Records, an independent record label with very cool bands. Employed to Serve just finished recording their album. In fact, they were in the studio when we had this chat. Just a little, a few nuggets about that. Talk about owning their label. Talk about, yeah, cool shit.

I can't really remember because it was fucking Angels ago, but it was a lovely chat. Justin's a lovely person. Employed to serve have a Patreon as well. So if you've got any money left over from giving me all your fucking money, you could give them some money. Or they do cool shit on their Patreon. I saw they did a cover of Dillinger the other day,

like a full band cover. That's pretty fucking sick. And Church Road Records do like a subscription thing. Look at me plugging people. That's good, isn't it? They do like a vinyl subscription, which is cool. If you've got any money left over after buying my fucking shit, first please, Justine Jones on the Downbeat Podcast.

Justine Jones The first woman in space As in you're the first woman on the downbeat Yay But that's more like I feel terrible But my thing is Right I don't really ask people

I've just been letting people come to me And then it got to a point when I was like Right okay There's no women coming to ask me to come on and I need some sort of representation. So I started asking and then people started saying no. And I was talking about it on a stream and I was like, come on guys, help me think. And then someone mentioned you and I was like, fuck yeah, that's perfect.

So thank you for coming on. No worries, thank you. It's nice to talk to someone outside my house, no offense to my household. How is your household? Why is it so bad? Go on. Well, I've just been here since like, I mean, obviously, very grateful I have somewhere to live. But I've just been here since, what, like March? And, like, it gets a bit like, oh, can't talk about anything because I know exactly what they've been up to.

Oh, I know. I'm literally the same thing. Obviously, it's fine. And a lot of people have it much worse. But just sometimes I'm like, we've been doing the same thing all day. so I can't really hit you with anything is what me and I could have been doing is like when the other person's on their phone for like more than about five minutes

we're like what's going on like just just to try and get some form of like outside anything entertaining happening on your phone no no I mean either just fucking scrolling through the same fucking apps yeah like I've gotten

really really addicted to dog videos and like animal videos in general it's it's getting to the point people know to send them to me and I have to like fake laugh because I know I've already seen it but I don't want to tell them I've already seen it because that's really sad what's your go to because I'm like that with memes when I've got like certain mates that send me memes and I've seen them but I don't want to be like yeah I've already seen it I just go like usually I'll overcompensate and it's like 11 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

Yeah, that is funny. Yeah, I go for the, what is it, three ha-hahs, like, together. Or I go, ha. Just a one. Yeah. Like, I don't know, Haar's kind of like a bit, like, sarcastic though, like, loll. Do you use a loll? Like, I use a lull and I use a La Malle.

Like, I use them all the time. And only the other day that someone was like, yeah, hate that. And I was like, what? I'm doing it semi-ironically because like a capital LOL is like I actually laughed a full on 100% laughed

a lowercase LOL to me is like a huh like yeah that's funny and then a La Malle is but I'm not actually laughing my ass off my ass is intact

but it's more of like a ha ha one of those. I go for the cry face emojis because I usually cry when I laugh because it hurts. Oh, yeah, but those ones to me seem slightly insincere. Yeah. The one that's like really fucking going nuts cry laughing. I'm like, are you? Or are you just fucking sat there? Or it's a bit like goadie. So they're like kind of laughing at you rather than with you.

It's just like. Yeah. So what's going on with ETS during this? Um, so we've actually been as busy as you can be during a pandemic. So we've like written an album and we've literally started recording it as of yesterday like Casey's putting drums down. Um, these past putting drums down recording. Wait, wait, wait, what, what, what, what, what, what. You're, you're, you're recording right now. Yeah. Yeah. I'm, uh, they're literally just doing drum, uh, what they're doing drum tracking for a few days and then, uh, I think guitars next. And then it's, So I'm just chilling at home. What a good time to catch you. Where are you tracking? We're with Lewis Johns at the ranch again. It's our fourth album with him.

And yeah, we're really excited again. It's good. Where is the ranch? Southampton. Is that the one? I think I know the one. Has it got fairy lights everywhere? Yeah, it does actually in the live drum room.

But I swear like Creeper recorded one of their records of Neil Kennedy. So like it's Lou and Neil there. Fuck yeah. And Casey, of course, being your new drummer. And I helped sort that out. Yeah, you did. You match bait us.

How cool is that? He's such a fucking good drummer. And I like, I saw him kind of get, he got a little bit shafted by the amity affliction gig. Do you like, like, I'm obviously a lot. love Amity as well as guys, so I'm not going to throw anyone under the bus, but for anyone who's listening, you probably already heard this story. Casey drum teched for Amity, and then when their drummer left on a tour that Stray was actually on, he filled in and he fucking smashed it,

and then that drummer actually went on to quit, and then they didn't go with Casey, but he stayed being the drum tech. And I remember just thinking, what the fuck? He's nailing it. He's doing fine. And then I always was just a bit like, oh man, he needs a band. And then I spoke to Sammy at some point. And he was like, oh, yeah, we actually need a drummer. And I was like, oh, this is who you want.

I think I actually recommended two people. But you went with Casey. Yeah, like, so we actually go quite far back with Casey. Because we, on our first EP in 2014, we toured a funeral for a friend. and at that time he was drumming for them so we've actually already sort of toured with him before and he's like Lewis Johns's like favorite drummer and every time we record with him

he's always like oh Casey's like really great and we just known him as like a really good drummer but we actually didn't think he'd be interested because he does all the like sort of touring stuff of like amity affliction and he I think he filled him for a few other big bands we were like oh he's gonna he's more gonna get paid

so he did an initial ask him, but because of that. But when you mentioned it, we were just like, oh yeah, like, fuck it, let's ask him. And he can only say no, and thankfully, he didn't. So, I just, I knew, because he'd actually hit me up maybe like a week before

you guys, just, because I'd replied to one of his fucking shredding videos, and I was like, man, you're so fucking good. And he was like, oh, I just wish I had a band. And then Sammy hit me up, and I was like, let's get, all these people to just fucking, fuck each other. musically, obviously.

A musical gang bang. And now you're fucking recording. Is it a full length? Yeah, yeah. Like, it's for like, it's proper metal as well. We're making him bust out his double kicks. So I'm really excited about it.

It's going to be really cool. Well, I hope it is. Am I getting like a scoop then? Is this a scoop? Yeah. Actually, know, like, I think,

well, it depends when you release this, but like we're going to sort of like start doing how we're in the studio and doing like video. and stuff. Oh, so you're going to want me to wait to release this? No, no, no, it's totally fine.

Like, I can smash it up? Yeah, he can smash it up. Fuck, yeah. You can be like, yo, exclusive scoop. ETS are in the studio. This is the fucking scoop. So, let's go way back, before we talk about your fucking album,

because then it feels like press otherwise. How do we know each other? Oh, I don't, do you know what? I don't know if I met you and you in your viatrophy days. because I used to me and Sammy used to roll about the death metal scene quite a lot when we were like 16

and I know there's loads of bills I think did you tour you taught of ingested right and like Must have done yeah all the time yeah so like we used to see them all the time because like we've known them since we were like young as well so we might have crossed paths then

but I guess like officially I met you when we play some shows with Stray a couple years years back. That weird little, little sort of, was it the summer? It was like a summer euro thing. Yeah, it was in between festivals, I think it was like, in between grass pop and with full force.

I think, yeah, we did some shows like France and one in Germany or two. And we did Eindhoven. Did we do Eindhoven? We did that little tiny place on the street. Oh, yeah. I remember that loading. And that load in, there was the little tiny stage in the back. And the show ended up being fucking sick.

Yeah, it was fine. The weed place nearby, because it was legal and everyone got fucking stoned, except me because it makes me anxious. Yeah, me too. I just can't fucking do it. I wish I could because I see people who are just like, yeah, I just, I watched it on the new Star Wars, and it just had a sweet joint.

And I'm like, that would be my idea of hell. I would be fucking just on another planet. No, fucking, ah, ah, fucking robots. No. Yeah, you just start pranging out about why your hands are by your sides and how weird they feel and stuff like that and just, yeah. Honestly, it's stuff like that. Am I walking weird?

I'm pretty sure I'm walking weird. I don't normally walk like this. Like, why would anyone, I mean, I went through a period where, because it was helping me sleep. but I was like, yeah, I would smoke it just before I went to bed. And then, yeah, exactly stuff like that. Like, I'm sure I don't usually use my arms like this. Am I out of the sight too much as something strange going on?

And then an internal meltdown. I'm glad you're on the same fucking wavelength. Oh, yeah, like I'm a pansy with anything like that. I can't drink too much coffee. I can't, if I drink too much the next morning, I'm a mess. Oh, I can do coffee. I tested coffee. I can do coffee like pretty close to bedtime and still not sleep.

Wow, that's mad. But I can do no coffee and I can still not sleep. It's exactly the same. There's just no sleeping. So we met on that tour and then we tried to get you for another tour and you turned it down. Oh, we had our headline dates. We did want to do it. We did.

We were gutted. It was this time last year that tour. Yeah, it was. And do you know what? that tour was fucking sick and it would have been even sicker if you guys were there. But it was sick and everything worked out. You guys took Loath, didn't you in the end? Yeah, Stray, Devil Wears Prada, Gideon, Lode.

Yeah, Loath, Loe the sick. They're so fucking sick. And your album's amazing. I honestly, do you know what? That came out in like February, didn't it? Yeah, literally just before the pandemic it. I went through a period of about seven months, six months, from about March. This is, especially speaking to like a label owner, this is, I'm embarrassed by this.

I went to a period from about March to, I would say last month, where I just didn't listen to anything new. music-wise, because it would make me fucking depressed. Because I'd just be like, if I wasn't depressed for myself about it, like, oh, music's never coming back. I'd be depressed for the bands. Like, the load album came out and I loved it. And then I tried to listen to it in lockdown. And all I could think was they were just about to just,

they're just about to be like, the world at their feet. And they can't even fucking gig this fucking album. and I would be getting depressed for other people as well as my own depression. And I was like, you know what? I'm just going to listen to Sepulchura and fucking mushugre and just the same shit I always listen to.

And then now I've started when people's albums of 2020 come out. I'm like, oh, I should have checked that out. And now I'm checking it out and I feel a little bit, a little bit better about it. Yeah, I know what you mean. Like I had a little bit of a phase of that, but in a weird sort of kind of optimistic way,

I'm almost like, oh, hopefully bands will get bigger than if they were touring during lockdown because people have like all the time in the world to consume their whole back catalogue. I don't know. It could work either way. It could either get lost or like people just get really into it and like obsessive over stuff. Right. I want to dig deep on that because that is a perspective I didn't even think about and you, let's do some background. You own a label with Sammy? Yeah. Or Sammy owns it and have you, you've come in on it?

Is it both the oars? Yeah, so basically Sammy started Church Road as a distro label, when was it? Like three years ago, like 2015. And then, sorry, 2017, maths. And then, yeah, he's just recently started releasing bands. Like, we released our, like, little hardcore project, Glorious on it, like, this summer just gone. And then, yeah, like, then shit hit the fan. And then I joined, like, full time.

Nice. Shit hit the fan. It certainly hit the fan. So what, you reckon, have you got any like, what's the word? Figures to back this up as a label owner. You must be on top of the fucking streaming mountain. Are people listening to more music? It's really hard to quantify it, but I would say yes. And I feel people more generous. at the moment. Like those who can afford to, I feel like they're like buying more

because like they've probably, the thing is as well, especially the people who are fortunate enough to sort of be on furlough. If you think about it, all their travel expenses and all they're just general going out expenses have like gone.

So they've kind of just sort of sitting at home really bored and they've got a turntable and speakers and they're like, well, I'm just going to buy those records. That's kind of what it feels like to me at the moment. I mean, it could very well change, when furlough fully ends but at the moment

like I do feel like it's like online sales have like gone through the roof that's fucking cool I feel like that's the same with the podcast merch and I guess it's a clothing line now it's separate from that and like the Patreon for the podcast I'm surprised but mainly because

in my head everyone's a musician and everyone doesn't have work at the moment so I'm like oh that's that's really nice of you How have you got this money? I'm sure the whole world stopped. I'll tell you what, this is boring adult conversation.

I'm like getting a mortgage at a moment, talking to mortgage people. That is well going up. Oh, it's fucking shit. And they are so harsh, horrible and nosy to self-employed musicians. It is fucking crazy. They'll go like, you're so why aren't you teaching then? I'm like, oh,

there's no face-to-face stuff. Yeah, you could be teaching, though, couldn't you? Don't fucking, don't come at me. Don't come at me with this stuff.

Oh, surely you can't be, sure you can't be just making money from a podcast. Like, fuck off. If this was like, I don't know,

some other impacted business, like a barbershop, they'd probably be a bit like, a bit more lenient, but they're going in on me, and I think it's because I'm going to be,

They don't even know what I look like. Imagine how much more they go in on me. Like the fucking, the doctors, going to the doctors with, like, visible tattoos. They're,

immediately, they're like, which drugs do you want? Because you're not going to get them. I don't want a fucking drugs. I've hurt my wrist. You're fucking, you're fucking wanker.

Yeah, they're like, are you a footballer? Right, must be drugs. No. I go, yeah, drugs. It's drugs. Oh, musician. Gigs are cancelled. Must be drugs. Absolutely fucking drugs. Did you just launch... Is it Palm Readers? Did Palm Reader come out on Church Road?

Yeah. So like, yeah, so we literally just released that last Friday. We released their albums, Sleepless, and it's really fucking good. Everyone's fucking talking about it. I see it fucking going around the place. I used to share a practice room with Palm Reader. they're lovely lovely boys. Yeah, they're wicked dudes. But yeah, like it's gone really, really well, like, so happy. Because, like, it's like kind of like what you're saying, like with whole sort of COVID and stuff, not being able to tour, you do kind of worry about, like, you know,

with no, like, actual release shows and, like, release tours, it's, like, kind of really hard to sort of gauge how well an album's gone down. But, like, yeah, like, all of the online feedback's been amazing. Like, sales have been really good. And, yeah, just really excited for them. This is like their 10th year, I think, is a band, or it was last year. It was their 10th year. So, like, I feel like now people are like,

oh, yeah, this band are really good. We should, like, get on board with them. So, yeah, it feels like that's happening now. I always thought that with them because even like, so we record Will Putney. And then when the first time I met Will, when we're talking about UK bands and he was like, oh, I fucking love that Palm Reader band.

And it, like, everyone loves them, but they're not massive. And I would, if I was there, which I'm not, and I'm admittedly a hot-headed, rash decision-maker, I would have faked a breakup and changed name

about five years ago and I would have put the band back together again with exactly the same line-up and then to get that new band hype, do you know what I mean? Yeah. Devil Sold His Soul. I would have done it

with Devil Soul as well. Guys were breaking up. Last show. Oh, fucking shit. Oh, it sucks. Guys, new band. ex-members of devil sold his soul it's the same fucking band

and then you get that new boost I've never seen it done like that would be my play and I wonder if that's a terrible plan and people would see through it I mean it will now it will now

just stray breaks up and then I'm like hey guys new band me Tom Drew Dragon Neck and it's called Full proof

play from the path but what if no one gets on board of it, that would be so depressing. So you go through all that hassle and you'd be like, oh fuck, how do you people really don't care? There's always that danger. I don't think if the music is good enough,

I don't think they would. I think, I don't know. Palm Reader is one of those bands that are like. Sometimes I'll fucking just be like, why isn't everyone mad about him? Even the name's fucking sick. The imagery's sick.

Like, what happened, obviously they're fucking. it's still sick and they're killing it. But they should be bigger than they are. Oh, 100%. But at what, it makes me think, was there a decision at some point

that someone took that was the wrong decision and that just made, made it just the trajectory go down a little bit. I wonder if maybe they, I don't know, maybe they had a shitty manager or something and it was like, we should be doing this guys

when it actually wasn't that. Because I feel like Viatrophy had that problem. Yeah, do you know what my theory is? I think it's because they started in the dreaded 2010s. Now, I don't like, I know I wasn't too, I wasn't like much, how old was why? I was like 18 or whatever when that happened. So, but like I swear there was like a real drought for like music, like around 2010 to 2013.

There was like it felt like loads of new bands weren't really like continuing or they would split up after an EP. they would never really survive to an album. And then like, I don't know, like, this kind of music scene just seemed to have, like, a bit of a lull. And then, like, after that point, I feel like it went up. So, like, when you got bands like Condra, who started, I think, in 2017, that was when people really started taking notice, like, of new bands.

And I noticed, like, magazines and stuff, like, really on board of, like, championing new bands. Because, like, ETS had that. Like, loads of people think, like, ETSA, for motion is either our second or our first album but we've been around since like 2014 but it's almost like no one just i don't know no one really knew it's so weird i don't know what what happened but oh you're so right though let's figure out what happened i want to figure out what happened because you're right 2010 you had viatry split up in 2010 because i can only i mean we didn't have a booking agent that was good and we didn't have a manager that was good so we didn't know what we

were fucking doing. And I feel like if somebody had managed us, maybe it is that the managers of the time were going after different bands. I'm not saying you need a manager to be successful, but sometimes you do. Sometimes you need a manager just to be like, this is the way that we're going. I remember Viatrophy, we had,

we were on avocado, but they weren't fucking doing anything for us. and then avocado is a booking agent if anyone doesn't know that and they are very good so I'm not slagging them off and then we weren't happy with them

and then Becky from the agency came to watch us and then she said no and then that kind of just gave us a little bit like what the fuck what the fuck is the point we don't have a booking agent

we don't have a manager and then we broke up I wonder if managers were going after a different type of music instead of heavy music then. Yeah, 100%. Like, I genuinely, like, heavy music is fashionable at the moment,

which is mental. Like, I go to urban outfitters, and I'm in fashion at the moment. I'm never in fashion. So, like, it's just really funny, like, walking around. I'm like, literally there's, like, I gauge it by the teenage girls. They started wearing what I wear, so I'm like, oh, shit, I'm actually, like, you can tell, like, tattoos and, like, sort of, you know, vans and, like, black skinny jeans and that.

are like all in fashion and I think like any band that's sort of like not heavy but looks heavy is like really like just immediately a hit and stuff like that so I also think you know that is exactly it I think like booking agents weren't really interested in like heavy music there were more after like pop punk bands I think there was a huge pop punk resurgence yeah like so I remember like bands like basement and like Narl wolves and stuff like doing really well and like story so far

like they were like really blowing up around then where did Nair wolves go that band was sick I don't know I think they just sort of split up I think yeah I don't really know to be honest that is a fucking shame right because they were they were blowing up

absolutely blowing up and they just fucking split up yeah dead swans another one I played drums and dead swans for a bit fucking unbelievable two albums and it just broke up and I know from being inside

that band that it's a classic case of if they had a manager to be like this is the trajectory this is what we're doing this is when the album needs to be written this is when it needs to come out in order for us to get this festival in order to do that

then they probably would have stayed together and probably would be massive Like you don't support Birmingham Horizon and do badly from it unless there's some serious fucking internal issues. Yeah, that's it. Like, it's, I also think kind of going back to sort of like that whole era, I don't feel like fans obviously have always been supportive, but they would nowhere near as supportive as they are now.

And I don't know if that's because of things like Patreon, um like twitch and like all the social media i think because like social media has like dropped the veil and people can go actually like oh fuck these bands are really poor they can't even buy a coffee today kind of thing they're like oh actually yeah streaming all the time probably isn't helping them you know and they're like more like up for like buying your shit and like you know buying more than one variant i think it is coming out like even i think covid's fucking just made it even more at the forefront of people's minds that everyone that you thought was rich is not rich. Yeah, literally.

It's mad. Like the perception of bands and like the reality is just, it's so huge. Like so basically I had, I can't remember one of my like shit jobs I had before I was working for a label. I was just like in and like one of the like customers knew I was in a band. And they're like, wow, I heard you played on like the radio and rock show. You must be quitting your job tomorrow, right? And I'm like, ha, wrong. Some people still think like that.

Yeah, literally. Even though, if you thought about it, because the PRS for being played on the radio and rock show is sick. But it happens once in a blue moon because of the variety of the show. You're not getting played and it's only two hours long. You don't get played in it every week. But I can't remember what it is. the PRS for being on Radio 1. If anyone doesn't know,

PRS is performing rights society who collect money on your behalf whenever a song, like a composition that you've written is on the radio or TV or whatever. But it's something like 13... 13 pounds per 30 seconds of music, I think.

Or it may be even more than that. It might even be 13 pounds per 10 seconds of music. So on the radio on rock show, you get your song paid. it's like 80 quid or whatever. But imagine like Beyonce. Yeah. She's on at least like two times an hour on at least maybe even four times a fucking hour.

That is, you could live off your PRS. So while your favourite musicians in metal or whatever are poor, pop musicians are fucking killing it. Oh yeah, like massively so. it's just and the thing is as well when you're like a solo artist there's less hands in the pot like when you're a band you have to split everything like you split things five ways like you know there's five ways of whatever's left exactly like after every you've paid all your crew and stuff like that and then you got really boring shit like what was it we bought the other

day we bought new drumheads for recording it was like 200 quid and it's like the most boring thing in the world but it's so expensive and you just sort of like it's just like stuff like that And like, I don't think people, like, even I forget, like, how much stuff costs. Like, you're kind of just, like, going on tour. You're like, right, we need, like, a whole, like, wad of sticks. We need, like, a whole box of strings. And then, like, you know, before you've even started the tour, like, you're already, like, down, like, X amount. And it's just, like, this weird, like, kind of thing where everyone just thinks because you're, like, playing in front of so many people,

they're like, yeah, man, they're killing it. I bet, like, you know, drinks are on them. Oh, yeah. And, oh, the game must all be free. Like, it's not, it's a discount, but because of the rate that you use the stuff, you probably end up more than fucking Joe and Jenny, who are in their practice room using the same drumheads for a whole year. But having said that, I do get free drumheads, so don't let Casey do that again.

Am I getting trouble for doing that? No, has he got a deal? I'll send a fucking email. Fuck yeah. Because, like... It's a, you're recording a fucking professional album. Like, it looks good for the, it would look good for Evans to be on that. A couple of fucking photos, slap it, blah, blah, blah. I can't really talk.

But I guarantee you when I retire from touring, I'll try and do a fucking A&R thing at a drum company. Because I'd be relentless. I'd be like, oh, this motherfucker right here, he's not getting anything for free. When was the last time you posted some fucking content? I get really fucking annoyed with that. I see there's a little bit, certain companies,

there's a little bit of like a boys club where the people who are mates with the artist rep get the best treatment, even if that person's not doing as much. Like right now, it's weird how so many musicians, I don't know if you've noticed this, have like just dropped off the radar because they're not touring.

It's proven you need to, as like a musician, you need to be diverse. Like you've got a label as well. You need to diversify your income because COVID's just completely stopped fucking touring. But I see people who are normal touring people like, oh yeah, just got a new kit. And in my head, I'm like, from a business point of view, why the fuck have you just been given a new drum kit? You're not posting videos of it and you're not going on tour.

You're just mates. Yeah, it's such a weird one, isn't it? because I totally get why companies wouldn't want to give out stuff at the moment. But it's, yeah, it's really interesting sort of what you're sort of saying about the whole, like, diversifying during COVID. Like, you see it, like, massively. Obviously, you've got your podcast and you've started doing Twitch as well, I think, now. Oh, my thing is affirmly in every single fucking pie right now.

Klinging on. Still can't get a mortgage. Klinging on. One day. One day you'll get one. But, like, I think, like, you know, Matt Heathie's, like, the prime example. He's, like, the absolute king. Like, I don't know how he has that kind of energy.

to do it but like it's just people like him just like really showing that you can actually make money from music and like um i think i think it's going to be quite interesting going back after covid because i i do wonder if like live streaming shows and stuff is still going to be a thing because it's like another like you know way of making money so like bands can actually get paid it's it's funny you say that about going back right when things go back to normal because I was thinking at an opposite point but also the same as what you were thinking really when you said Matt Hathie

I'm like I wonder how many musicians won't come back or we'll just be like oh you know we used to tour six months out of the year well fuck that because I get paid $800 a month to play video games at home so I will give you I will give you two headline tours in a year

and fuck off but then your point is like will live stream gigs happen? I was talking to a friend who is like a promoter and he basically I think he had like just optimistic like yeah when gigs are back these live stream gigs will be over

I'm not even going to invest I'm not going to do anything about it and in my head I'm like is he right or a live stream gig's going to be the thing now I can't decide which I think will happen I feel like it would be halfway house like I feel

like there will be certain shows like for example the London headline show where bands are like spending the big bucks on like the pyro and stuff like that and they can make some real cool like live videos out of it I think like there'll be like one out of a tour or something might be live streams oh that's a fucking

best of both worlds yeah because you don't want to be like oh it's like you know my set and Scunthorpe like no offence Scunthorpe you joke I think I slagged hull off once and now all of Hull hates me. Oh, I love, do you know what? I love Hull. Like, I don't know. You love Hull? Yeah, literally, like, their music scene is like one of my favorites.

Like, they have this, what are they called Hull Noise Collective. And they have, like, this little practice studio called Gorilla. It's Gorilla Studios, funny enough. And, yeah, like, they hooked us up with a last minute, like, practice room show when one of our, like, in stores fell through. And it was, it was. sick, like it was packed. So, yeah, if you ever fancy it, everywhere else in hell is not great. I mean, I walk past...

I reckon I'll be killed. Honestly, I'll really upset some Hull people. Oh, I'll talk to my contacts. Please do, please. Let the country of Hull. Let the country of Hull know that I'm willing to pay penance for my sins. Now is the time for, like, back on the live streaming thing, what you said, maybe one show ator streaming it.

Now is the time right, if I was, if I wasn't spread so fucking thinly over Twitch and podcasts of whatever, I would be investing in live streaming stuff for that reason. Because imagine you have a company and then does it all, does the ticketing and does everything, and then you could just turn around and be like, oh, you know, you've got this headline tour. give us three grand we'll live stream this show and then

we'll keep the profits or whatever or split the profits you could make fuck loads of money I can't imagine how many people watch the architects one yeah I know I need to still watch that one but like yeah like that looked amazing I could imagine like someone like Live Nation

getting on board I mean it's definitely something like I don't want that I want a small man I want a small woman I want a small person to just dominate. I wonder if it's happening. I just don't know. Like, I feel like someone has to start the live streaming company.

Yeah. If they're not, they're fucking up, because now is the time to, like, hone the skills. Even with the podcast, I've been slowly buying, which is actually fucking disrupting my mortgage application. I've been buying cameras and live streaming stuff

because I want to live stream the podcast from now on, whenever it's done in person. But then in doing that, I've realized how easy it is. You get a 5G router, you get a little SIM card that's unlimited data, three cameras, a switcher, and someone to operate it. And obviously it won't look as good as the architect's one or whatever,

but it would be a genuinely live stream. A lot of these, like, I don't know which ones, but a lot of these live streams are, they're, like, they're not live, because if they did it live and everything fucked up, then everyone would want their money back,

so it's done like a couple of hours before or whatever. But you could genuinely live stream live with a relatively small budget. You can make a pretty decent little business. I might do it. Yeah. Or, like, to be fair,

like, I've actually been sort of thinking about if bands do it themselves, because everyone like who can you know when you can afford like like takes a videographer on you just need to get one extra person and he's your live stream guy or girl and like you know you can have just two people doing things and you can get the best of both worlds and like somehow cut a deal with the promoter where you give them a percentage or something and then just have all this sick footage just to sort of put online oh my god I've just thought we've just we've just created my new idea because I'm just I'm going to have all this shit to live stream anyway. Yeah. I'll just start another Twitch account for stray from the path. And then, oh no.

But you best get your mortgage? No, because we're like, we're very much. And so am I genuinely. I'm just going to put this idea out here for someone else who's far more capitalist than me. Because in my head, I want everyone to be able to watch everything for free. And that's probably why I can't get a mortgage because I'm not like, monetising things I should be.

But you could, someone could, if they had all the equipment to live stream, which isn't that much, you could make a Twitch channel and it was subscriber only video. And then you're like,

oh, we're live streaming three shows this tour. So everyone would put their sub in for that month and then they'd be able to watch the live stream. Yeah. You make fuck loads of months. Yeah.

I don't want to... It's like greedy, so I don't want to do it. It is and it isn't. If it's like cheap enough, if it's like three quid, like if it's less than a Tesco meal deal, like it's like nothing, like for people to sort of just chuck it. And like obviously a lot of people argue that, oh,

would it make people not want to leave their houses? But you can like see if you can like make it geospecific. So anyone within... Oh yeah, the football effect. within like... Why they don't show 3 o'clock football? Yeah. Like you can literally just sort of like hope, like in theory,

you can like block it so certain people in parts of the country that could come to the show, like, you know, don't, I don't have that option. And then you could, like, you know, if you have like, I don't know, your US fans if you're doing your London show and like they can chuck you like a quid or like three could, or if you like do it for your patrons or, you know,

someone like that. I think there's ways around it. Like, I do feel like bands like in all, order to get big or like, you know, big, like, I be able to afford to live off of it and, like, get to the point where they're nice and high up on a stage and download festival, like, you know, and like festivals as well. Like, I feel like there needs to sort of be a bit of a monetary boost so they can afford to do the bigger videos. They can, you know, afford to do, like, the adverts and, you know, just generally exist. I feel like Spotify needs to just do what band camp's doing.

one day a fucking month I think what bank camp do they are they doing it every Friday at the moment? Yeah literally first Friday of every first Friday of every month they're doing like no revenue share days and it's like it's been incredible it's been so helpful this year. If Spotify

did that for one fucking day we'd all be fucking rich yep all right it drives me mental and it's annoying because it's like a necessary evil because Spotify have the best platform they have the best like playlists they're all sick they have the best they're just the best and i just wish that they were very slightly more the best to us just like just one day a month

that's it that's how i'll take that yeah it's a real it's such a hard one isn't it because like i love the fact that they've given a very affordable option for people who don't have a lot of money like you know because when you know I was younger like CDs were 20 pounds and like sometimes I'd buy a CD that I hated and I'd force myself to like it because I spent all my money on it so like I love the idea that you know a kid growing up who hasn't got that much money can for like 10 pound a month worth they get the family Spotify thing can consume as much music as they want to I think that's great skip the first track and say that's fucking shit on 10 albums a fucking day they can be honest

intro, fuck off. I feel like it is making it better. It's making it hard, and everyone's attention span is zero. So, like, I love the fact that intro tracks are gone. Yeah. You can't have a fucking spooky... Orchestral intro that lasts like five minutes.

Yeah. And that's your Demy Borgia, you can't do that. And even if you are Dimi Borgia, you're not making fucking music. But they're gone, especially... I've got nothing wrong with the orchestral ones, but the ones that are like, just a fucking, like the death call ones.

We all did it. First track, the burner track, just transmitting. And then the biggest song second after that. And no more family guy samples. Oh, fuck. Do you know what? I feel like that's why suicide silence are as big as they are. I feel like musically, they weren't doing anything better than any of those other bands at the same time.

They were all as good as each other. Like, all shall perish and shit like that. But they just fucking got so big because of those family guys samples. Oh, yeah, because everyone had that as their MySpace profile song, right? Yep. They had the family guy samples at the beginning and before breakdowns. And at the time, it was the funniest fucking thing. I will hold my hands up and say, I thought it was the funniest fucking thing on Earth.

And it made the band massive. I think you're on to some in there like bring them back bring samples back gold foil gold foil hoodies samples I mean we've got samples but they're not like funny samples

50 inch stretches I'm starting a live stream only band it's deathcore all the big samples mandolarian samples in there whatever's big now we're going to have fucking

baby Yoda before breakdowns and it's all being live streamed at Twitch.com forward slash fucking the mandigorian. There we go. You're on it. I can't believe I came up with that so quickly. The mandigorian,

and it's a gorean, death grind with samples. It's streamed exclusively by me. And I'm going to be rich. I'll be able to get that. that fucking mortgage. We should probably talk about your album. Yeah.

What can you tell me? What can you tell me? I should probably learn the rest of those songs. Are you annoyed that this isn't very professional? I don't really do it very professional. No, I genuinely prefer things like this because I feel a bit less awkward, which is nice. I can't stand doing like, even then when I was like,

you should probably tell me about your album. So tell me about the da-da-da-da-da-da-da. tell me how did you feel when you wrote those lyrics? Oh, honestly. I'll tell you what, before we do your fucking album, before we do the plug, what's it like being a girl in the... I know you get this all the time from the fucking press,

but in terms of a listening platform, it's probably quite wise. And in terms of me learning stuff, is it shit? Is it hard? Is it harder? Is it sexist? Being a girl.

in an insanely male dominated genre, or have you found it all right? I mean, do you know what? I don't really ever know how to answer that question, apart from the fact I see a lot of bum cracks on tour because no one in my band wears a belt. But like... Nice.

I've seen a lot of Sammy's bump crack, actually. When you just said that in my head, I was like, yeah, Sammy's bum crack is always out. So that's the downside. But like, yeah, like it's always a weird one because I mean there are probably like moments and time that I can think of where I was probably treated differently because I am a woman but I don't know I feel like people are quite clued up to it now like obviously there's always going to be certain scenes

that are like a bit behind and stuff like that but I feel like our scene as a whole is very conscious of it and it's hard because I grew up playing football and And, you know, back when I was into sports before I was into metal, like, I've always just sort of been in a very male-dominated sort of, I don't know, I guess realm. That sounds a bit mystical. Area, I guess. Football's not really a mystical realm. No, definitely isn't. It's probably the least mystical realm on earth.

Most basic. But, yeah, like, it is a weird one. But, like, I don't know, it's just such a part of who I've always been. It's never really, it's not something I think about much, if you know what I mean. But you don't get, because in my head, I can't think off the top of my head of anything I've seen to the contrary, other than online. Do you know what I saw the other day? Something that was like, it wasn't even for music, but it was like just inherent ingrained sexism in like a, it was a review of something that someone was writing. And it was just like such a miss.

And it was like, you know when someone's like accidentally racist because of just institutionalized racism? And in your head you're like, I'm sure that person is not racist, but they are just an idiot. Yeah. It was like, oh, I tell you what it was. I remember exactly what it was.

I was reading reviews of webcams because I wanted to get a webcam for fucking this Twitch thing, trying to make that fucking money. I was reading it and it got to one and it had a ring light built into the webcam. I've got a ring light right now, see? That makes it look a bit nice.

Oh, okay. And it had a ring light built into it. I'm reading it and was like, oh yeah, I'm like, this might be the one that I get. The last sentence was female gamer, question mark, this is the one for you. Well, men white want to look good.

Well, that's why I bought it because I look good now And it was just like that, like, I'm sure that person wasn't sexist, but them not knowing that that's not an okay thing just made me sort of despair a little bit. Yeah. And I wonder if that happens with like, in my head I'm visualising maybe a sound guy mansplaining. Does that happen? Well, yeah, right. Like when we used to have in-house people, it used to be like, my favourite was when we used to turn up to a venue after a 10-hour drive.

And they were like, oh, don't really like. you know mix your kind of music you like that shouty stuff oh it's like that's the that's the kind of um yeah that kind of person but nothing like inherently sexist about it yeah it's just it's weird it's sort of like it's almost backhanded they think they're being nice but yeah but i i would imagine maybe you get more than that more more of that but it doesn't sound like you do you don't you don't get the female gamer this is the fucking camera for you if you if you can't think of it off the top of your head then it no i mean there's been times where like security of like

asked me for my past way more times than everyone else but i don't know it doesn't that that sucks but like it's it's one of those things it's just like whatever like i'm sure this would change oh i tell you what really pisses me off here we go bloody vans right vans not having a mirror on the fyser thing it's like what like men

who have drive vans and stuff don't seem to like want to look at how they yeah but now you're being sexy but no that's what I mean it's almost like the companies like doing it like oh they won't want to look at themselves but I feel like there should be more mirrors in like the van fires a thing oh I smashed my mirror in mine the other day not in my van in my car and I will admit it was in an act of road rage it wasn't road rage at anyone else I got really fucking I was like, fuck, and I punched the ceiling, and I forgot about it.

Oh, no. And then I went to check my makeup a few days later, and I pulled the thing down, just broken glass all over me. Oh, no. What if that's effective at your actual mortgage application, you don't realize it? That's bad luck. Don't say that, because I have actually had a real space of bad luck since that happened, up to and including having shatter glass

pulled all over my body. If anyone's listening, I'm not an angry driver. It was... No, I am quite an angry driver. There's no coming back from that. Just people just fucking drive better, please. I feel quite...

I feel quite relieved that you don't have like a hundred stories of sexism that you've encountered. It makes me feel a bit proud for metal and heavy music. I mean, I definitely know, like, women in bands who've got like way more than me but i don't know if i'm just oblivious to it or like i i'm just always just sort of like buried in my emails and like not really or like in a

a tired stupor so i don't really notice much zines sometimes i catch the odd sentence and i'm like come on 2020 the whole female fronted um the the I remember for a long time it was like the top 10 hottest babes in rock or whatever and it was like okay that's fine but you ain't got the top 10 hottest men in the same magazine you're not doing and it's I mean back in the day it wasn't like a multi like just top 10 hottest people

used to be in magazines it used to be like nine women and then a 10th bloke that sort of looks like a women Sort of looks like a woman. It's like nine women and then Brian Mulco from placebo. But now it's better. But I still catch the odd thing where I'm like, we're just, they're just sometimes missing the mark.

But I'm so glad to hear from you that on the whole, it's not the most sexist hellhole around. Yeah, like I feel like it's, yeah so it's not something like that bums me out or anything like that it's like yeah it just doesn't really seem to like affect me really good well actually honestly makes me feel better if only we could get over the fucking the camera the ring light girl gamer this is the one for you fuck on i got really annoyed it's like fuck off why do you assume aren't very annoyed anyway come on tell me about your fucking album what you're doing

It's heavier, but at the same time, it's more diverse. No, that's me being, that's the classic. That is like, it's the heavy. It is literally the heaviest thing. We've turned into a proper, we've turned into like a real metal band, though. Like, think sort of like 2000s era, like machine head, Lamb of God kind of style, like double kick, that kind of, that kind of stuff. gone fully in with Casey and his double kick. He probably hates us for it because he's in the

studio as we speak getting calf cramp. So you, if someone asked me to describe employed to serve, I would be like, it's kind of like slip-notty, Willhaveny metal. Yeah. Is that still, A, is that accurate? As an old man, that's what I would say. am I accurate? Yeah, like for like our current stuff, it's definitely like leaning towards that kind of stuff. But it's like, it's like,

it's weird. This new am like sounds like us, but it's definitely like sort of more towards your your download sort of festival, you're sort of like metal festival friendly kind of kind of well. So what? You got more breakdowns or you got more, you got sing along? We have solos, which I'm well stoked on.

We have solos, which I'm, it's going to be fun so what wait no solos until this point don't think so Sammy solo in yeah yeah yeah he's got he's gonna have his hair

and we're gonna get win machine no we won't get wind machines but we can do if they want to he's not gonna is he machine head that's got the guy that falls asleep I don't know that sounds funny

someone's got the guitarist I mean someone's got the guitarist who literally I can't remember there's a video and they fall asleep on stage. I can't remember what it is. I don't know.

I might be wrong. It might be a fit or something. So let's hold all judgment or saying it's funny or anything because I've got no idea. Anyway, hopefully Sammy's not falling asleep. Have you got a title for it? Have you got...

I mean, that would really be a scoop. You don't have to tell me. You could say no. I won't leak that just yet. But I'm sure we're like... I reckon in the New Year, or probably say anyway. But like,

but yeah, so we're like recording that at the moment and we're going to launch our, well, we would have launched our Patreon probably by the time this comes out. So we're doing one of those, which I'm very excited about doing,

because... Oh. Jumping on that. Talk me through that. Come on. Let's make this the advert for that now. We've done it. And this can just come out

on the same day. And that's good for everyone. Yeah. Basically, we have hard drives and hard drives of lots of footage for all these tours that we've been doing.

and like festivals and stuff and we've never been able to sort of release it in a good way like when you put stuff up on YouTube it kind of just dies and just sort of sits there and no one's like that fuss so like I like the idea of like

being able to have like a platform where we can just put all of our like kind of like outtakes or like just fun things because like when you're on your like Instagram and like social media you're supposed to be this sort of serious kind of entity whereas like

I feel like with things like Patreon and you can like kind of sort of share your actual personality on it for one of the better work. So it's going to be like videos and shit? Yeah, so basically it's like a way to sort of like, yeah, like spread all of our sort of like news

before it's, you know, goes public and just sort of like, you know, be more of a fan club. And you know, in all honesty, like not having festival season this year has cut our budget as well. So it also helps that. Honestly, what's your, wash your fucking

wash your tears how much how much should be talking what was it I should have been more prepared for this it's uh right tier one

is a fiver and then tier 10's a tenor and we came up with a fun pun for each one I can't even think of them oh I

was it I spend my uh cut that bit you go I'm gonna have to cut that I'm not cutting anything um

where where can they go and look at the Patreon. It'll see what they can get. It will be on our Instagram. It will be linked on there. Which is just

at Employed to Serve. Yeah. Nice and easy. Nice and easy. Got a nice fucking blue tick there. What else can you tell me about this new album then? You got any, you got solos?

You got any guests, guest of Fox? Just you? We have got guests for this, but I don't know. They haven't all confirmed yet. But we've got like, we've got mates on it. And I'm very excited. Come on.

Who have you asked? If they say no, you can shame them. Yeah. Oh, there we go. I have to make him then. So we've got Larissa from Venom prison. She's going to do like, we're going to give her like a sick like mosh call, I think. Into a breakdown.

She was nearly, she was nearly the first woman on the downbeat. Did she say no to you? No. Well, I don't know. But this is one of the things where I asked and then their press agent said, yeah. And then they said, how did you do it? and I explained the setup, and this is what we do, and then radio silence. And then I've had other people who I'm friends with, girls,

and I've been like, do you want to come on? And then they've gone, no, I'm actually a bit intimidated by you. And I'm like, oh, okay. So you said, yeah, but I'd love to have Larissa on as well, but someone. I'll give her a nudge. Either she said no, or her press team said no. I keep getting press teams in trouble, actually, because I don't think of this as press at all.

If I, like, do, if I'm set up to do one with someone and I haven't got, like, I was supposed to do one the other day with someone and I hadn't been sent the EP. And it got to the day of it, and I let the person I was doing the interview know, I was like, you know, I haven't got the EP yet. And I think they went fucking nuts at their press team. And then I was like, oh, it felt like a snitch.

I was fucking snitching people. I won't be getting any more from you. But I hate thinking of it as press. I can't be honest. No, I obviously is like a tool for press or a podcast. But I feel like podcasts are way more sort of like fun than that. Do you know what I mean? It's a bit more like a general chat.

It's like eavesdropping on a pub conversation more than, I don't know, like an art school. It's like this, this and this is happening by this. This is it. And she's in our top 10 rockist babes of the decade with Brian Mulco and Larissa and Nightwish. And there's always the same fucking ones. Let's get some more ladies in metal, can we? Yeah.

Let's do it. Who else is it? Oh, and we've asked the guys from Condor as well. Dan and Brady. Which guys? Dan and Brady. Nice. That would be sick.

So yeah, we've got like mates on this, basically. We kind of like, we did it for most of our albums. Apart from the last one, we've kind of like made a habit of like getting friends that we toured with like extensively that year or that album cycle to sort of like be on it. And oh yeah, we got Drew on our remix track as are, didn't we? That was really cool. I'm really happy you did that. That's why I like, that's why I ask because you've always had a bit like us, we always try and get some people. but we always plan it mega early

and then luckily by the time they've come to do it they're much they've already said yes but they're big so like we got Brian when Knock Loose were like tiny you've got to sing on the song

and then by the time the song comes out Knock Lucer the fucking biggest band on earth and it was it was good awesome yeah because that's the thing is like a lot of sort of people always like, oh no, you've got to like ask someone who's really big and I'm like

no, fuck that. Like I like, you know, friends being on our tracks because for me like when I record an album it sort of earmarks like a moment in time. So I like it when I have like mates who are on it who I like was spent a lot of time with around that album cycle next. I'm like, oh, that was cool. Because I like the idea of when I'm

I'm like old, I can be like telling people going oh, this is when I was in a band. And here's a picture. of us together and the song we were on. And we shared our packet of crisps and our beer. Oh, fuck me. Many packets of crisps, many beers. I'm trying to think of the venue.

There was another venue that we played in on that Euro tour. And someone made me play Viteracya songs in Soundcheck with your guitarist. What was that? Oh, the one with rich. It was the French one, wasn't it? Is that what it was? It was a strange show. And Rich isn't in the band now.

Rich, Rich's moved to Japan. He's finally moved to Japan. So he, like, since I've known him, he's wanted to be in Japan. And so, yeah, now he's, like, it's really awesome. Like, now he's, like, married in his, well, I think he's married now to his Japanese girlfriend and then moving over. So that's going to be really nice. Is he in Tokyo? I think he is in Nagoya.

Fuck, that's so cool. I'm really jealous. I'm really excited though because he'll be like well settled in by the time like I make it over there because I want to go on holiday there. So he can he can show me the ropes. So I'm excited about that. Have you guys never been? ETS has never been.

No. Like, you know, we've asked and stuff. So like hopefully at some point. Because I think we like speaking to someone about it. But like before lockdown hits. So hopefully like after this album campaign or something we can go. That'd be really sick. Australia are like places I've always wanted to go.

It's just Japan is just the fucking best. And in fact Nagoya has this sick tiny little venue right next to a record shop. And the hardest moshing I've ever seen in my life at this venue

in Nagoya. It was like I don't want to sound stereotyping but literally kung fu fighting like martial arts psychotic behaviour. I loved it.

Yeah, like I sort of, I heard, because like, Renounce played there before lockdown. And they said it was like the wildest pits they've ever seen. But like,

but yeah, there was like so, so everyone was like really polite. And then all like, a breakdown hit in and then like the politeness goes out the window and everyone's just like killing each other.

Immediate ninja mode. Activated. But it's sick. You guys would go down so well there. It'd be so sick. Oh, man. Maybe we'll take, maybe we'll take you.

Oh, please do. Because do you know what? I really want to go to Nerds Records in Tokyo as well. Oh, fuck, yeah. That guy, the guy that runs that is a fucking hero as well. He's so sick. Like, I literally, I've been speaking to him for, like, five or six years over email because, like, he buys, like, car releases and stuff.

And I've just always wanted to go because his store looks amazing. Was he, he, he's either in the band Doggy Hoods, or he's friends with all those doggy hoods guys. You ever seen the Doggy Hood's merch? No. They're like a fucking, they're a Japanese harkle band and it's like

the singer I think dresses like a police officer and they've got this hype man on stage I'm sure the hype man is maybe the guy from nerds. That rings a bell, yeah. And it's the most insane band I've ever seen but it was the first time I really

saw like you know like the ripping off 90s death metal logos in harkle bands which the fucking downbeat does all the time. It was the first time I saw saw that. It was like, I was there with BWP and the band that supported was doggy hoods and it was the possessed logo, but it said doggy hoods and I was like, that is the fucking sickest thing I've

ever seen. And then watched and play and it was absolutely nuts. Combined with the ninja psychotic moshing, just an unreal place. Oh, sounds amazing. I just like, when my friends went there and like when he, like, he sent me a photo of, like, just their, like, not their bus. And it was like, you know, like, the, the dumb and dumber van? Like, the dog van. It was actually, like, a dog bus. But it was just, there was just, like, these business people, like, going to work on this dog bus. Like, as if, like, it's not weird that there's a dog bus.

It's, like, it's sick. Like, Pokemon trains and shit. And everyone's just around this, like, you know, like, I mean, my girlfriend's pretty much one. Just, like, like, quirk. lucky hello kitty shit everywhere like you you all know like a girl that's like that but in japan everyone's like that and it's completely normal like you go i'm getting on the hello kitty bus and then i'll get on the dog train to go to the Pokemon center and that sounds like i'm stereotyping but it is just like people love collecting shit and they love like there's a big issue that

shoe over there apparently with like the birth rates are really low because people are just into collecting toys instead of having sex I mean I might have to reference that somehow but I'm sure that's why

I can believe it well also like when when Rich went there the first time I thought he was like like winding up but Pikachu greeted him at the airport now that's something I've never scene. That's like literally like there was a giant like Pikachu mascot person like waving everyone in as he came in from the terminal and I was like nah like because it just sounds like something.

It sounds so so cool. Can you imagine how sick it would be if we had like Harry Potter greeting people at Heathrow Airport. Or like the queen. Fucking I mean they're missing a trick there not doing it Harry Potter. Yeah. The queen can go fuck herself but like a little Harry Potter. like impersonator. Oh, Dobby. A little toffy a house of.

Maybe like a character that's, yeah, that you can just get someone in a suit and it doesn't have to actually be Daniel Radcliffe and then they just greet them. What else we got as famous?

Mr. Bean. Yeah. Mr. Bean, greeting people. That would be sick. Just Mr. Group. Mr. Bean. Perfect. Heathrow arrivals.

Doing this. Yeah, because when I went to Florida, there was like a person in a Mickey Mouse costume. I was like, yes. Florida, Disney, done. You get to Florida. Michael Mouse is there to meet you at the airport. It's fine.

It's fucking perfect. Wait, my ear pods are running out of battery because I haven't thought about this. So, I'm going to have to fucking cut it short. I mean, it's not short. It's an hour and 10 minutes. Yeah, has it been that long? Wow.

Yeah. Is there anything that I, missed this is me this is me asking you how to do my job is there tell you what check ETS out

check out church road records we have a subscription club where you can buy vinyl CD and digital we only release the sickest shit thank you goodbye wow

that was that was very specific and really good and you can't tell me more about your album really. Nice. But have you got like a tentative? You can't tell me any.

I can't tell me your smile. You can't tell me anything. It's my hostage smile. Yeah, it was like this man is, I can't tell you the key to the safe. I don't know what to sort of say. Like, it always sounds so cliche, but it's, you know, it's my favorite one we've done.

Like, or I suppose, yeah, like it's literally out of all of the albums that we've done. I feel like this is my favourite, which is a good sign because I have to tour it. Um, and there's lots of solos and there's breakdowns. And, and there's breakdowns. And are you waiting for the world to open up before you release it or have you got like a schedule? Uh, we're sort of, we're thinking tentatively late next year. Like that's, because the thing is, I think regardless of the world opens up or not, I don't want to sit on this album for too long because you know because you don't

it's like for fun do you know what I mean like being in a band it's like it's not a real career choice so you've got to have fun so the idea of sitting on something for so long is really not fun we released it and now nothing yeah I feel bad when that's why I felt bad for loads because it came out and they did nothing

and in a way I feel bad for Palm Reader because I would be sad, like, really want to play these songs live. Yeah. Hopefully everyone's buying that shit. Yeah, hopefully. And streaming it and Spotify give us that one day, please. Fingers crossed. I'd tell you what, though.

I hope there's going to be the comeback of live sort of Blu-ray DVDs and stuff from all these live streams because the Code Orange one was amazing. And, like, Palmry did a church one as well, which was really cool. Do you think they would be physical copies, or do you think? think there'll be just like online things i reckon both because you can get like the vimeo downloads can't you and like um i personally wouldn't ever buy a blu ray ever again i do you know what if it was really cool like if it was like nice packaging because i i i don't listen to tapes but i have like a hundred of them because like they've got nice packaging like i don't even have a tape deck

i mean i feel that way about vinyl i've got so many vinals that i've just left in there pack it because I stream the band but I want the album but I don't think Blu-ray, I think that's because vinyl's so big and it's a big bit of artwork I think maybe if Blu-Rays were as big as vinyl's I'd buy more.

Yeah. To bring back fucking Betamax and just be like, just release a fucking VHS. I'd much rather have a shelf full of VHS than I would Blu-Rays. It's just a nicer spine. Yeah, it's like

I like it when you can And if you're really sad, you can like color coordinate it. So it fades into colors and stuff and look Instagramble. And it would be where you could hide your weed. You can hide your weed in your VHS if it didn't give you anxiety. Back in the day, I mean, I imagine. I'd just replace mine with my coffee beans. Coffee beans in a VHB.

That sounds like some weird hipster way to brew coffee. Like, oh, you haven't lived until you've tried it. V60 through a VHS Really brings out some of the Acidity in the beans Or is it Do you like washed or Is it washed and there's like

What's the other version? Natural asset I'm big into nerdy coffee I can actually talk about this for it I was actually this morning I'd been moaning about my coffee I bought some coffee it wasn't very good I'm moaning about it yeah

I'm a coffee tourist I like I buy a lot from dark up because their imagery is right up my street. It's proper goff. I like it. They've always got cool names and they've always got cool like descriptions and stuff

but I've never tried it. You're not? I recommend it. Maybe it's next on my list. Maybe they'll fucking send me a fucking bat. No, I'll get some. I'll buy some. Let's fucking, let's call it.

Yeah. It's been lovely. Thanks for being the first woman on the moon on the downbeat moon can you please nudge Larissa to be the second woman on the downbeat moon

I will I reckon she'll be totally up for it I would hope so it was a weird like radio silence I was like yeah that'd be cool this is how I do it

and then it was nope done so anyway please send me that send me a file everyone check out Employed to Serve

at Employed to Serve on all the things your Patreon will be up by now Give them some money Fill our pockets Fill their pockets please All right See you later

Catch you later Bye Bye