XYZ: A lot is going on at the moment for Stone Gods. You had a single out on last month and your album on 7th July. What sets you apart from other rock/metal bands?
Dan: Our average height! [laughs] That’s a hard question. When we played Download festival this year, we stuck out a mile. We have more in common with your Judas Priests rather than the scream metal bands. I think we’re heavy, yet melodic and more song-based, rather than just an attitude. And, of course, we have loads of guitar solos!
I hear elements of Soundgarden, Thin Lizzy and Def Leppard coming through in your songs. Are there any contemporary bands that you admire at the moment?
Toby: I like the band Year Long Disaster [Rest of the band agree].
Richie: To be honest, I don’t keep up-to-date with modern rock bands. I’m kind of set in my ways really and just listen to the same old stuff. As a kid or up until a few years ago I used to actively seek new music and buy music. But these days I either haven’t got the time nor the inclination to do that so I just end up listening to the first six AC/DC albums over and over again! [laughter].
I wanted to talk about The Darkness for a little bit; they spread to a lot of people who weren’t what you might call ‘hardcore rock fans’, which you guys obviously are. Are Stone Gods setting out for a more hard rock demographic as opposed to the gimmick rock band vibe that celebrities thought it was cool to like, which plagued The Darkness towards the end?
Dan: In the beginning [with The Darkness] we didn’t care about who we’d appeal to. Before we were signed we sold out the London Astoria to a load of proper metallers. It was the same songs that we were playing to a pop audience in arenas with the same attitude, but yeah, we’re not trying to ride on what we done in the past and chase the pop contingency. We’re not worried about that.
Was that slightly annoying? It was a bit of a laugh what with all the spandex and the big posing rock guitar solo thing going on in your videos…
Dan: Like I said before, in the start we maintained what we did throughout The Darkness. I think it’s people’s opinions that have changed rather us. We just go out there and try and put on a good show and not take ourselves too seriously. I think the opinion of the band has changed because of their popularity and I don’t think we were gimmicky at all.
Is everything still amicable with Justin Hawkins?
Dan: Yes, he’s sent some positive messages. You know, we fell out for a while and we’re talking again now. So it’s all very amicable.
Do you fear that Stone Gods are perhaps not as accessible as The Darkness were for, say, the blasé rock fan but then you’re perhaps too ‘old school’ for the current kid who listens to rock or metal?
Richie: It really doesn’t bother us one way or another really. As long as we’re happy in what we do and if people want to jump on for the ride, then that’s fantastic. You quite rightly pointed out earlier that The Darkness was besieged by “not your average rock audience”, and you used that as a negative so…
I didn’t use it as a negative, I was just pointing out the mainstream appeal of your previous band and how far it spread…
Dan: We’re certainly not trying to recreate the success we had before. A really good level for this band would be to sell out venues like the London Astoria and get to that level of touring. I’ve been there and done it. I’ve played the festivals and the arenas, which is great. But I’m really enjoying the level of touring we’re on now. We’re not saying that we’re not ambitious. I think we have a couple of singles on the album that will cross over and get on the radio. But for now we just want people to get what the essence of what the band’s about.
Words by Mo Mostowfi
Photograph by Sarah Hadland
