There are plenty of things that Hammer readers want to know about Loathe’s Kadeem France, given that he’s the frontman of one of the UK’s most imaginative and fastest-rising bands. The Liverpudlians just dropped their surprise third album, The Things They Believe, and many readers asked about the huge stylistic leap from the grooving tech metal they made their name with to the more electronic and ambient soundscapes on this latest release. And then there are other, equally important matters, like, erm, pasta and The Office…
Which movies influenced you the most? And which scenes or score cues stuck with you the most? @DefendTheUnique (Twitter)
“For me, The Warriors [1979’s dystopian gangland classic]. The opening scene, the soundtrack to that where they’re showing all the gangs and that, it really stuck. It’s dead intense but it really fits the scene and makes you want to know what’s going on. You have no idea of the plot, but it just sucks you in straight away. I actually played the game before I saw the film, and then once I finally saw the film I loved it straight away.”
Will you guys ever tour in Canada? @NeedsMoreBassHM (Twitter)
“Absolutely. The only thing that scares me is the wildlife – the bears and that. Long drives in the countryside, stopping for a wee… that would scare me a bit.”
Is there any idea or concept ready for the next album? And if there is one already, what can we expect? @mIndz82 (Twitter)
“For every album there’s been a concept and they have all been in the same universe. For the next album, it will be a continuation of the story. We just want to try as many new things as possible. We really want to go into everything thinking that we are five artists, not a band who have to do things a certain way. People should expect more of that in the future: just thinking outside the box and trying to do something new.”
Hammer: Do you think having the concept helps you avoid the stereotypes of what a metal band are expected to be?
“Definitely. We had a conversation the other day about how we think about music first, but we also think a lot about plot and character. If this was a film, what would the opening song be? How would the music complement the scene that we were trying to create? I think that helps us be more imaginative, rather than, ‘This song has to be heavy’ or whatever. It keeps us on a more creative and productive flow.”
The Office: US or UK version? Neil Merchant (email)
“I’m gonna have to say the US…”
Hammer: This is the last time you’ll ever be in Metal Hammer. You’re dead to us!
“Hold on! I watched the UK one when I was younger, but the US one resonated with me when I was older. I appreciate the UK one. I feel quite bad about that.”
Hammer: You should.
“I’m sticking to my guns. US!”
In a dream scenario, which band do you want to go on tour with next? Joel Anthony (Facebook)
“Ooh… The 1975, which would be sick. I’m not the biggest fan, it’s more Erik [Bickerstaffe, guitars and vocals] and Feisal [El-Khazragi, bass], but I just think it’d be so interesting. The amount that they put into their production, even down to the projections onstage, that’s something that we really want to do: to make it more than just another show. Them or Slipknot maybe. Speaking more realistically, our dream tour would be Code Orange and Vein, because that was something that was actually meant to be happening this year. That’d be my dream tour because they are the only two heavy bands that I really listen to at the moment.”
What’s the meaning behind the lyrics of Two-Way Mirror? I’ve always been fascinated by those lyrics. @EllisHeasley (Twitter)
“Erik wrote the chorus and I wrote the verses. I’ve always had a bit of a rocky relationship with my dad, and then had a phone call with him and it was the first time we’d had a conversation as two adults. I’d kind of resented him for not being around, but when we had that conversation I saw his side of the story for the first time, and it was me coming to terms with me seeing a lot of myself in my father. Looking at myself, and thinking, I can do better within myself, and be a better man because I have that clarity. That’s what inspired it, but I’ve seen a lot of people say it helped them with their mental health, and it’s really cool that people can interpret that in their own way.”
Loathe got massive props from Chino Moreno from Deftones. How much of a boost did that give your sales numbers and do you think more elder statesmen bands have a duty to know what new, exciting stuff is going on and start shouting about it? Ben Willmott (Facebook)
“It was sick. When I saw that tweet I thought he’d been hacked! It was proper surreal: a band that you grew up listening to – when I was 18 or 19, I was obsessed – a band that really helped us to grow and progress, giving us props. A day or two after the tweet the views for our videos shot up, and all the comments went from ‘This sounds like Deftones’ to ‘Chino sent me here!’ So we got a nice little boost from that! Do I think artists are obliged to do that? I mean, I guess so. There’s probably a lot of older artists that just aren’t plugged into what is going on these days, so you can’t really blame them, that’s the way life goes. You do your thing and then the world moves on, but if you continue to keep yourself involved and you enjoy those bands then you should definitely shout them out, because it’s such great motivation and a boost.”
What shape of pasta do you like most? @doll_doom (Twitter)
“I dunno, what’s it called… the thick pasta, it’s like a thick tube? I always use it to make macaroni cheese...”
Hammer: That’s rigatoni, mate.
“Rigatoni! That’s it, that’s the one!”
You can bring back one extinct animal but you have to get rid of another. Which do you choose and why? Ellie Pilsborough (email)
“I might be wrong with this, but I think the Liver Bird, which sits on top of the Liver Building in Liverpool, is extinct now. I’ve never seen what one of them looks like in real life, so I’d like to see that [Ed: er, sorry mate, but they’re actually mythical]. But get rid of? Oh man… what are those dogs that can’t breathe? Maybe I’d get rid of them because they are suffering all the time. Is it an English Bulldog? I love dogs, but I’ve never seen one that looks happy...”
Hammer: You’re getting rid of an English Bulldog over wasps?!
“Yeah, nah! Fuck wasps! I’m changing it, I’ll save the English Bulldog for those fucking wasps!”
How do your moms feel about the name of your band, on a scale of light tsking to loud and unrelenting condemnation? @JoFleischer1 (Twitter)
“My mum was so supportive initially that I don’t think she even noticed the name. Now she’s really religious and she does go, ‘Why did you call the band Loathe? Why would you say that?’ and I’m like, ‘Ah, you just don’t get it.’ So I would say she’s more on the extreme end. She hates the name, but it’s not even that extreme, but I think she’s gone on some religious journey where everything has to be nice.”
How do Loathe start writing? Does it start with an idea that comes out through instruments? Playing a melody? Jamming? I’ve always gotten a ‘live’ vibe out of your music. @Torque_Bow_ (Twitter)
“It’s more films and stuff, anything that inspires us visually, we’ll try and create a feeling from that. Or other artists – Spotify Discover Weekly has been great for us finding musical artists away from metal that inspire us. Some songs we write together as a band, vibing off of each other, and then other times Sean [Radcliffe, drums] will write a song and bring it to us and it gets passed around all of us and we add our own little bit. Sometimes it’s immediate, sometimes we sit on it for a bit. We’ve always started off with instrumentals and not vocals, but we’re trying to go in with the vocals in mind now, that’s a new thing for us.”
