If you’re a fan of Inglorious and the music they make then last October, hot on the heels of the announcement of the release of a third album ‘Ride to Nowhere’ in January, the departure of guitarists Drew Lowe, Andreas Eriksson and bassist Colin Parkinson en-masse would have been the worst possible news. With a tour lined up for the new year and a new album to promote surely all was not well in the camp of England’s biggest and brightest.
Parkinson’s comments in the press shortly after suggesting that in his opinion Inglorious had become “more of a theatre show than a band” and that comment led to the remarkable video retort from frontman Nathan James in which he appeared to lash out at those departed members. Like everything online these days the video has refused to die despite being taken down.
At the end of the day though when the dust settles it’s the music that matters right? As we’d been listening to the album all week, and in the belief that it is indeed Inglorious’ best and most eclectic to date it’s with a kind of sadness and a little trepidation that we pick up the phone to speak to Nathan. The first thing we wanted to know was if he was OK.
Mark: Hi Nathan it’s Mark here from The Rockpit, thank you so much for your time.
Nathan: Thanks Mark how are you?
Mark: I’m great thanks Nathan. I think the last time we spoke must have been a year and a half ago now.
Nathan: Yeah the second album.
Mark: A lot has changed of course since then, we’ve hit the New Year and the new album is due. I’ve loved listening to it this week. It’s a little different to the first two albums, there’s a progression, we’ve not lost those Classic Rock vibes by any means but there’s a little more in the mix. How do you view it?
Nathan: I think, it was kind of a group decision to make it sound different. I specifically wanted it to sound a bit harder and a bit grungier, which I think it does in places, but there are still moments when it’s out and out Classic Rock. It’s definitely got those same big riffs and Bluesy moments, so I wouldn’t say it’s totally removed from the previous two and it’s something that we’ve certainly learnt over the last couple of years that the stuff that’s been going down best live, is the more heavier stuff. That’s the stuff that people react to most in the live format and that’s kind of where we thrive as a band.
Mark: Talking of the band a few people will of course have followed the goings on that started in October when three members left the band and your reaction in December to that. It must have been an awful time for you especially as you had so much going on – a new album on the way, preparation for the UK Tour and the War of The Worlds thing too.
Nathan: Yeah, I was on a UK Arena Tour whilst trying to fix a new band (pauses) I believed I had the best players – I still do believe that Colin and Drew were phenomenal players, some of the best players in the UK for sure, and I had to fill those shoes, but I’ve done it, it was hard, but I’m happy with what we have now and super-excited to show people and the doubters especially ‘where to stick it’! (laughs)
Mark: Inglorious picked up a lot of fans due to those first two albums and all the hard work you put in touring over the years, it must feel horrible now to see the band lose members just on the eve of the new release and tour, and now on very short notice you’ve had to put together a band to fulfill these dates in the UK.
Nathan: Yeah, I didn’t have to, I think most importantly I didn’t have to do that at all, I could have folded my band and never toured again, I would have been busy, some other band would have snapped me up as a singer. I’ll always work. But I’m doing it because I love it and because we have fans of this music. So, yeah, I didn’t have to do it at all and I’m only doing it for people who want to hear those songs still who enjoyed those first two albums.
Mark: That’s great to hear. So what do you think the future holds? Once the dust settles and the tour is over what are Nathan James’ plans? Can you start by letting us know a bit about the new guys you’ll have with you on the tour?
Nathan: Yeah, they’re wonderful people first and foremost, and Danny Dela Cruz is my best friend. When I met him when he was 15, 16 I knew that one day he would be in my band. He’s perfect, he’s the most amazing musician, a wonderful guy. So he was always going to be in the band at some point down the line. And then with Dan Stevens I’ve known him for four years and have always loved his playing and when this opportunity came up and I needed a really strong rhythm guitarist who could also shred he was really obvious. I was also very cognisant to find people who were very different from the last guys and who could still pull off the riffs and the meat-and- potatoes songs but also bring their own skills to it as well. I didn’t want a carbon copy I didn’t want another load of… do you know what I mean?
Mark: I think I know what you mean yes.
Nathan: Yeah, I wanted people to come in and bring their own personality and I didn’t want it to look like we were trying to replace those members because we’re not really – we’re trying to find people who can play what the guys played previously and can also bring new flavour to the music going forward. Danny has wonderful influences especially for such a young guy, and Dan Stevens is just a monster – he plays like Zak Wylde, so the two of them together is going to be really special. And Vinny the bass player, finding the bass-player was the hardest thing. Colin is a magnificent bass-player, and Vinny’s background is in Jazz and therefore he knows his way around a fret-board. He’s a proper musician, a real muso and his love and heart is in Rock music, and that’s what he’s always wanted to play but he’s just kind of fallen into this Jazz-trap because he’s so skilled. So he’s looking forward to getting back to his roots (pause) most importantly we all get along. We’re very happy and if I’m doing this, and I’m very lucky because it is my band and my baby and I want to do it my way. I want to be happy I want to be surrounded by people who are enthusiastic and because we have a bit of, not quite a legacy, but things before us that need to be honoured that going forward we need to create new stuff in keeping with, and matching the quality of what we’ve produced previously. I think these guys are the guys to do that.
Mark: You said the magic words there ‘going forward’ so this is an opportunity not exactly for a fresh start but a reboot or a reset?
Nathan: Yeah, it’s still going to sound like Inglorious, (pause) … look when all this happened and we started to receive some negative comments what I felt like saying was “Would you rather I left and they got a new singer?” because to me when I hear bands replace a singer it changes everything, it does change everything and it’s way more noticeable. And hopefully live as well, I mean I’m quite a big character on stage, I like to fill the stage and I think If I had gone would they have been able to, in the same amount of time, find a singer, rehearse him up, keep the tour dates, work with those promoters that we’d had with us from the beginning… I just don’t know if… but it seemed like some of the ‘apparent’ fans wanted that, but ultimately it just wouldn’t have worked. I’ve been creatively in control of this band since I held the first audition and I’m really, really protective over it. I really just want people around me that want to work hard and share the same dream and vision of getting the band to where we want it to be. And who better to have than your best friend and some of the best musicians in London. I just think this is really exciting.
Mark: That sounds like a solid plan and it will be wonderful to hear what you come up with. I know you’ve always been responsible for the melodies and the lyrics and I really enjoyed your words on this album. Last time we spoke you said that the first time that you had ever written was on that first album but I think you’ve expanded on the Coverdale-like staples of wine women and song (not that there’s anything wrong with that), it sounds more real, personal?
Nathan: Thank you very much, I think this time round I’ve been writing about my feelings and from my point of view as opposed to other people and stories in my life. So I usually write about a character or something, and there’s a bit of that on here, but the majority of the songs are about my feelings and how I feel towards people as opposed to how they feel about each other. It’s very personal and I’ve had a very up and down year – I’ve had great highs and great lows. I lost my best friend and my Grandfather within a month of each other earlier last year, so I had that to write about and there were business relationships and things I wanted to write about just to pack lids on and finish, write a song about it and then move on. And so it has been a bit of a therapeutic album as well for me. And Jesus who knows what’s going to happen on the fourth (album) I’ve got a hell of a lot to write about now (laughs)
Mark: (laughs) Exactly! I‘ll look forward to that one and the book as well! The music business is a funny game and just like life one minute you’re top of the world and the next minute things crash down…
Nathan: It’s not crashing down! I don’t see it as that, at the time I was playing arenas to 10,000 people there’s no one else my age in the UK who gets to do that for a living. I don’t see it as that…
Mark: I agree a poor choice of words, more an obstacle and an opportunity.
Nathan: At the end of the day I can always sing and that’s the thing that makes me happy, that’s the reason I do this, that’s why I make music because I love singing. So as long as I can still sing I don’t care if it’s in front of ten people or a million people I’m still going to love it.
Mark: The last album had a lovely fat, rich and round sound and this one is just as well mixed, was Mr Shirley involved like on ‘II’?
Nathan: Yes, Kevin mixed this one as well and we produced it as a band. This one’s got a little more production on it, there’s a few more backing vocals on there, it’s got a slightly tighter sounding feel to it I think, it’s got more percussion on it, it’s got more piano and keys and stuff like that so it’s a bit more produced and in terms of my vocal, I’ve really like layered up the vocals on some of the songs to give it a different kind of sound to the previous two albums.
Inglorious - the line-up that recorded the album
Mark: It sounds great and there’s some wonderful songs on there, not a single track that doesn’t deserve its slot. I love the first track and just hearing those chunky opening riffs to ’Where Are They Now’ both lets you know it’s going to be a great album but maybe also a little heavier? I think one of my favourites at the minute though is ‘Liar’ – great subject matter!
Nathan: Everyone knows a ’Liar’ don’t they? (laughs) It’s a song that lots of people can relate too I’m sure.
Mark: ‘Glory Days’ that closes is a wonderful song and Queen’ was another great one, I loved that one, and I believe it’s written about your mum?
Nathan: Yeah I’ve never written a song about my mum and without sounding like a soppy idiot, she and my father are my biggest heroes, even above your Coverdale’s and Glenn Hughes’. They are without a doubt the most amazing people I’ve ever met and I’ve never written a song for her and I was always conscious of it. It’s interesting because my mum doesn’t love Rock, my Dad was always the Rock fan in the house. And when I heard that riff, that I believe Drew came up with I thought it was great, it wasn’t too heavy, it was more groovy, a bit more funky and I thought – this sounds like it could be about my mum! And that’s how that came about. ‘Glory Days’ is actually about a relationship
Mark: That’s a song that lyrically I think we can all relate to.
Nathan: Yeah I mean it was a tough one for me, because that relationship I felt like I’d found my soulmate but as time went on I realised it wasn’t and then I tried to convince myself to get back with that person because I just wasn’t ready to leave it, I wasn’t ready to sign off from that relationship. Then the boys started writing the music, we were all in my old house, we did all the writing at my house. We were all in one room and we started these chords and the first thing that came was I sung the chorus (Nathan sings the melody to the chorus) and I thought oh God this has just happened and it’s really fresh and I actually said to the boys “You’re not going to hear this ‘til it’s done” because I felt really, really protective of the lyrics. It was really hard to write down the events and writing it down in the studio I actually got so emotional I was crying. By the third take of the song I was so exhausted from singing it I broke down and I think on the album you can actually hear that in the outro of the song, my voice is really on the edge of that, right on the brink of breaking and it was a real moment for me as a singer because I rarely let myself go that much, I really concentrate on my notes making sure I sound good. But there’s a couple of moments on the album especially in ‘I Don’t Know You’ where I really let myself go in the studio and didn’t care so much that it sounded pretty, more that it sounded real.
Mark: That’s a great insight. I’ll be checking those out after we finish our chat. So the question with any new album is how much are you going to be playing live, I guess with album number three the balancing act really begins between giving the crowd what they’re familiar with and showcasing the new material?
Nathan: I think we’re going to make it pretty even. I think we’ll try to do five songs from each album and then a cover. I think that’s the fairest way to do it. I don’t want to play too much new stuff when people haven’t had enough time with it, later in the year perhaps we might play a few more newer songs, but I think it’s important to honour the songs that they love and the reason why they’re at the gigs you know?
Mark: So what are the plans after the UK Tour and for the rest of the year?
Nathan: We’ve got a lot of Festivals booked. We’ve got like 11, or 12 Festivals which is amazing, and it’s going to be exciting to take the band onto those big stages because some of the boys have never seen anything like that before. So me and Phil are used to it, but when you’re on Graspop main stage on the same day as Kiss it’s quite an experience.
Mark: I can imagine (laughs)
Nathan: And then hopefully tour again later in the year, and then start writing a fourth album!
Mark: It’s great to hear you in such good spirits.
Nathan: Yeah I had a real low before Christmas and I just really struggled. I didn’t leave the band and yet I was the one taking all of the hits and that was what I found a problem. I didn’t decide this, I wanted us to be together forever and be one of those bands, but like all of my favourite bands it wasn’t meant to be that way. You dust yourself off, you find other great people who bring something new to the band and sometimes a ‘mix up’ is the only way it can carry on. That’s one thing I would say – without a change in the line-up sometimes bands will just never ever work and I’m not willing to do that when I’ve worked this hard over the last five years.
Mark: Three great albums so far and hopefully plenty more to come. ‘Ride to Nowhere’ I think is nosing into some interesting territory. I loved Inglorious from the off because you brought back memories of all those bands that I loved as a kid but now I can see you’re adding to that and I think there’ so much more ahead for you and the other guys.
Nathan: Thanks man.
Mark: So the tour is coming up, great support too from City of Thieves, should be a great night out?
Nathan: They’re a great band, yeah.
Mark: And hopefully Frontiers are right behind you, they’re signing a lot of great new bands at the moment. Are you playing their Festival later in the year?
Nathan: We’re playing the one in the UK actually the first ever UK Fest and we’re performing acoustically at Frontiers Rock in Milan so we’re also doing that one. But Frontiers are the best for signing new bands and giving everyone an opportunity and in an age where people are self-releasing stuff that they’ve often recorded in their bedroom, and it’s amazing that people can do that, it’s also brilliant that Frontiers put their money where their mouth is and take gambles on new bands and say “Here we go, let’s put an album out and see how it does” and I think that speaks volumes for them and their passion for the music.
Mark: Thank you so much Nathan, and best of luck with the album and the tour!
Nathan: I really appreciate it, have a good day mate.
http://inglorious.com/
