The Warning know all about ‘pinch me’ moments. Ask the Villarreal Vélez sisters to choose the highlight of their career so far, and the trio who have gone from teenage viral stars to hard-rock darlings will each give you a different answer. Maybe it was last year, when they gigged around South America and Europe with Muse, blasting their red-blooded stomp to stadiums night after night? Or perhaps when Pepsi chose them to front an advertising campaign in their home country of Mexico? If not, it could well be the night they opened for Foo Fighters at Mexico City’s Foro Sol, 65,000 capacity stadium in 2022 and hung out with the band.
“Dave Grohl has a really intense high five!” laughs lead vocalist and guitarist Dany. “We’ve been very ambitious throughout our whole life and set goals that we never thought would be possible,” says drummer Pau. “But as years have gone by we’ve accomplished every single thing that we’ve set our minds to.”
It all started with a YouTube video. Having grown up on a diet of Queen, Pink Floyd and AC/DC, in 2014 the band, aged between nine and 14, posted themselves playing a cover of Metallica’s Enter Sandman. Their obvious, precocious talents quickly made them an internet phenomenon (25 million views and counting). It’s a moment that came full circle in 2021 when they were handpicked by Metallica to record their own take on the song for covers compilation album The Metallica Blacklist, and delivered a brooding, stormy version with vocals from pop singer Alessia Cara.
“We got an email from [Metallica] saying they loved it,” adds Pau. “They were very specific that they did not want a straight-up cover, they wanted a different version of it. Incorporating our style with Alessia’s style, we took a lot of liberty keeping Metallica’s core essence.”
Having toured with Guns N’ Roses and Halestorm and clocked up millions of streams on Spotify, their fourth album, Keep Me Fed, is set for release later this year. Tapping into the chaotic whirlwind of their lives, it’s a continuation of their howling, gutsy attack, and the result of more than a decade of continuous, hyper-focused slog.
“It’s very energetic. Very powerful,” offers Dany.
“I feel like throughout our careers we’ve had to really prove to ourselves,” says Pau. “Especially because English is not our first language. This was the first time that we allowed ourselves to just have fun with what we were writing.”
The band’s sound has resonated worldwide, winning them a fiercely passionate fan base. “I was taking driving lessons, and I was in a parking lot, trying to learn how to park, and somebody walked up to the car and was like: ‘Can I get a picture, please?’” remembers Pau. “You feel very recognised for your work, but it is a reality check of like: ‘Oh my god, I am this to other people.’”
Keep Me Fed is out on June 28 via Lava/Republic Records.
