Following the success of their recent tour of Germany, including a well received performance at the Headbangers Open Air Festival and to promote the release of their re recorded debut album The Masterplan, Perth Power Metal band Silent Knight will hit the road for four Australian tour dates this coming November. We talk to guitarist Stu McGill who also runs Stormrider Festival and the recent Rising Force Metal Festival, about the upcoming run of shows, the re-recording of their debut album and much more.
Andrew: So the tour is coming up with a couple of shows on the east coast, you guys have done a couple of runs over there in the past right?
Stu: I think we’ve done 6 shows in Sydney now and probably 4 or 5 in Melbourne and then we’ve only been to Brisbane the one time so we’re playing the Ye Gods Of Metal festival this time which will be pretty sweet.
Andrew: What has your past experiences been like over there? Do you feel that your name is getting out there more each time you go over there?
Stu: Yeah we’ve always had pretty good shows, especially the one in Sydney in 2012 I think from memory where we did a show with Darker Half where there was 150 people there which was massive. We got a really good reception our first time and then we got invited back for the Steel Assassins festival about 6 months later, that was another big show so it was a really good start in Sydney so we’re lucky to carry through from there. Melbourne I think we did 3 shows in 2015, we really tried to push the band over there because we had only been over there the one time previously. We did a couple of free shows, we played with Black Majesty at their anniversary show for one of their albums which was really awesome and we played at the Legions of Steel Festival and then we came back another time for our album tour. So yeah those times have been really great, I think one thing that’s really helpful as well is we invite a lot of east coast bands to Perth for Stormrider Festival and that comes back in our favour when we go over east because we have a lot of mates now who obviously seen us play in Perth and they pass the good word on for us as well.
Andrew: Yeah I guess that’s the way it is in the Australian music industry is that give and take where you do things for them when they come over to Perth and when you go over there they help you guys out as well.
Stu: Oh it comes in handy when you’re looking for support acts on tour over east as well. You can call it a favour if you like or you can call it because you’re mates but at least you know some bands and are not just some random band going over there. We’re very lucky in that I booked the Melbourne and Sydney shows and the lineup was just so solid with all the different acts, one thing that has been very helpful this time which I think is very unique is each city we got acts from different states coming across. So the Perth show we got Wartooth from Queensland and who is actually playing at Sydney and Brisbane as well, Damnations Day from Melbourne are playing in Perth and at the Melbourne show and Trigger from Melbourne are playing at the Melbourne and Sydney show.
Andrew: Oh right so a lot of cross over happening.
Stu: Yeah it works out really good because it’s unique and it’s not just a 1 touring band show that way and all those bands are putting out new releases like albums and singles at the moment so they’re on their tour cycle as well. So we just partnered up with some bands and boost the promotion that way rather than picking the same random bands that probably play every other weekend in that city anyway to make it more special.
Andrew: And you are promoting the re-recording of the debut album “The Masterplan”. I know that you have said in other press quotes and stuff that you wanted to redo that album because you weren’t quite 100 percent happy with how that turned out initially, are you pleased with how it’s come out now and how it’s been re-recorded and remastered?
Stu: Oh definitely man! If you listen to it now and then go back and listen to the original, I think you’ll notice the difference and I definitely feel it was the right decision to make. Essentially we had 2 pressings of it in Australia which went around the world and there was a pressing in Indonesia as well and we did a few different versions of it, a vinyl version and another version with bonus live tracks as well and we pushed it as far as we could. But Jesse (vocalist) is on every other recording for Silent Knight so it just made sense to have him singing the songs as we do them live anyway and it was great, there was a demand for it too and we weren’t really in a position to write a new album just yet as we just put one out 2 years ago. And also as we were going to Germany for the first time we didn’t just want only 1 album behind us, we wanted to have both because our live set is made up of half of each album or maybe 4 or 5 from each CD so you don’t want to go there with the second album and playing all these songs and have people go, ‘How can I get a copy of this song?’ I think it really made sense, the production is pretty much up to the standard of all the other ones now and Jesse is signing great on it as well. There’s been no complaints, a few people have thought oh what’s the point, maybe write some new songs which we obviously understand that and that’s the next goal but we just wanted to set that one right now. At least it’s done and we can put it to bed, it’s available everywhere digitally, CD, whatever and we’re just ready to go tour it now. This will be it now, we’ve done this set enough [laughs] and then we’ll be done so now it’s time to write new stuff.
Andrew: You mentioned the German tour, how did that go for you guys?
Stu: It was really good man! We did the Headbangers Open Air festival which was in the far north and it was a 3 day show, we played on the third day in the afternoon and about 2100 tickets sold from what the guy was telling me. Just very welcoming, some dudes there in their 50’s still with their battle jackets on you just know they’ve been around since the start and it’s a real lifestyle there. I know in Australia sometimes you get to your 30’s and maybe your life changes like a family or a job that makes it too hard to get out to some shows, these guys every year without fail are at that festival and they’re camping in the rain and there for every band. We had a meet and greet after our set and that went down really well too and a lot of good feedback. Then we played 3 club shows following that, all in different cities and we got to go to Berlin as well and a couple of small places like Itzehoe and Oldenburg and then we went to Wacken to hang out as well so it was a really good trip.
Andrew: Cool glad it worked out! I guess for future plans you would want to hit that area again and expand on that I suppose?
Stu: Yeah definitely keen to get back. We met up with the festival owner Thomas who is a really nice guy, very friendly and welcoming. I don’t think there will be any issue in the future if we want to play that festival again, I think he would probably have us. Definitely want to wait until the new album is out before we bother going back there, it’s a massive expense for us. You’re looking at $10,000 for the band just in airfares, so many costs. Cost us thousands but it’s not about the money obviously, we made it a holiday for the band really. But you can’t do it every year, you see all these great bands like Primal Fear who is based in Germany and every Friday or Saturday they just fly to a different festival which for a summer that would be great! But of course that’s not a luxury as we live 22 hours away.
Andrew: Well you also run the Stormrider Festival here and now the most recent one Rising Force which I love the whole idea of the all ages and having great bands on there. Are you looking to do the Rising Force again or was that just a one off thing?
Stu: Oh definitely man! That should grow each year hopefully, it was a really good turnout and considering a couple of other big shows on the same night like I think Glenn Hughes was in town that night and…
Andrew: Make Them Suffer as well.
Stu: Make Them Suffer, I think they had a sold out show as well. There was a lot of options that night and we still did really well and there was a lot of great feedback and a lot of parents brought their teenagers along or younger and they thanked us for having the option for the kids. It’s not just for the kids, it’s for the adults as well. It’s for everyone but I really like to expand that as we go because there’s not a lot of options for kids these days, 16 year olds starting to get into music and we can catch them now so when they turn 18 when they have all the choices in the world, maybe they can start coming to some shows. The other great thing is a couple of the younger guys in their teens came up to me and said it prompted them to join a band themselves so that’s even better, have future bands there.
Andrew: Yeah it’s a great idea and I think everyone appreciates all the work you put into it. From your perspective because you’re heavily involved not just in the Perth metal scene but the Australian metal scene has well, what’s your take on how things are at the moment? Do you feel things are going good or is it a bit flat?
Stu: All the shows that I’ve been involved in have been pretty good, I think we’ve been pretty lucky this year and the last 3 or 4 years have been really good for us. I haven’t been over east for a little while now, about 2 years so pretty overdue for that but I have a lot of friends in other parts and there was a band at Rising Force who are based in the Gold Coast and they reported back that there was nothing like that for them where they came from. So I don’t know if it was lack of venues over that way but I know the Melbourne scene is definitely the strongest in Australia, they can have 3 or 4 shows in 1 night and they will do relatively well. Perth can be up and down but I think it’s really a case of the show.
Andrew: Yeah I know what you mean, the Perth music scene can sometimes be a hit or a miss. I mean obviously Stormrider has been doing really well the last couple of years but then you see other ones that pop up and fall a bit flat but I think you are right that it does depend on the lineup and how it’s promoted and stuff like that.
Stu: Definitely man, there’s no point putting on the same show every month. One thing that I always try to do is not just a gig but try and make it an event, it’s got to be a little bit more special than just $10 and 4 bands. This year every show I have put on in Perth has had a touring act or 2 and I think that’s made quite a difference because it gives you a reason to get out of the house. You may have heard of this band before or seen their clips online or whatever and you think, ‘Well I’m not going to get a chance to see them again until maybe a year or 2 until the next time’. So it’s definitely one way to prompt you out of the house in that regards. And then it flows on for me, I had a great time at that show and think, ‘OK that was good, alright when is the next one? Let’s go again!’
Andrew: Well it’s always good to go over east and have a different experience over there as it is a little different there at least compared to Perth. With the new re-recording will you be playing a majority of those songs on this tour or will you be mixing it up?
Stu: It will definitely be a mix, I think since we’ve done so many tours being over there at least 3 or 4 times on the first album, we’re probably not going to be focusing on it purely because it’s a new release. It’s a double CD now anyway so I think it’s 10 songs in the set or something, we might do a cover as well but we will see how we go. We got a lot of songs in our arsenal now as well, we’re putting the set together at the moment but I think it will be a good mix of the old and the new, or first and the second, however you want to look at it and then something fun at the end as well, something that everyone will know whether you have seen us before or not.
Andrew: I did notice at one of the recent shows I saw you at you hadn’t played “The Final Countdown” which was a regular staple at the end of your set. Was there any particular reason why you have decided to cut that one out?
Stu: Oh just getting a bit old mate! I think we had that in the set on and off for the last couple of years now and at the end of the day it’s not our song so you don’t want to overdo someone else’s song I guess and it depends on the crowd too. I remember once we played with Black Label Society and we said, ‘Should we play it? ‘Hell no we’re not playing that song in front of all those guys!’ [laughs]. So you really gotta pick the crowd, we didn’t play it at Rising Force as well. It’s not really a song that some of the younger guys might know so yeah it just depends. It’s a fun song to play but you don’t want to overdo it. We played it a couple of times in Germany and people were up for it, some people came just because of it so it’s done great things for the band in terms of exposure but we’re definitely not playing it on this next tour but another cover that we’ve done before which we will bring back because it’s fast and fun. If you know the band then you will probably know which one it will be but let’s not ruin the surprise!
Andrew: Well we will leave it to the readers to figure that out and they will have to come down and see you at one of the shows on the tour. Congratulations on everything that’s been going for you guys, you guys deserve it as you put a lot of work into it. Enjoy the tour, hopefully it’s a big success for you guys.
Stu: Yeah man hopefully everyone comes out and supports it. All the lineups are solid, I can’t wait to see Damnations Day again. Mark [Kennedy] is probably my favorite singer in Australia, he has an amazing voice. And the Wartooth guys were over here in Perth back in March for one of our shows which you guys might remember and having those guys on 3 of the 4 shows is going to be really cool to catch up with those guys. Keen to see the guys from Trigger as well, apparently they are really good and they are on a couple of the shows. So just great lineups, there’s no need to come to the end. Just come to the start, enjoy the whole thing and then we’ll hang out at the end and have a chat and a beer so it will be really good to see everyone because it’s been too long.
TOUR DATES
Friday 10/11 Perth – Amplifier Bar
Friday 17/11 Melbourne – The Bendigo Hotel
Saturday 18/11 Brisbane – Ye Gods of Metal Festival
Sunday 19/11 Sydney – The Record Crate (80 tickets only, late afternoon/early evening show)
Tickets for Perth, Melbourne & Sydney will be available via the bands web store www.silentknightband.bigcartel.com and Brisbane’s Ye Gods of Metal Festival are available from www.ticketbooth.com
