INTERVIEW: YOUNG GUNS

English rock five-piece Young Guns are in the best place of their career. Having already established themselves as the face of the future of British rock with their first two acclaimed records and heavy radio play worldwide, they have recently returned with the most experimental and diverse album to date in Ones And Zeros. Not only this, but frontman Gustav Wood and company have made a statement of intent with relentless touring of the U.S. as they hope to reach even further heights in the future. In this interview, we discussed the electronic influences on the new sound, crowd comparisons, and the hardships and rewards of a life in rock n’ roll.

---

Hi Guys! Your new album Ones And Zeros has been a huge hit so far, do you see it as a milestone in your career?

We see every album as a milestone in our career. We’re very proud of the album, but we cannot wait to start the next chapter and are always looking to the future.

You certainly went for a more electronic influence on this outing, what was the thought behind that decision?

With every album we write, we’re always trying to find new ways to be a better, more interesting version of the band we were before. We don’t want to ever repeat ourselves and this time around we were inspired more when we wrote around instruments and sounds that we were not as familiar with.

What would you consider the strongest outside influence on your music this time round?

We try to never take too much of an influence from any one specific band or genre, it’s just about trying to find a way to keep ourselves excited by what we’re doing  and engaged in rock music. We will always be a rock band, but believe within that genre there is room to be fresh and interesting.

Young Guns – I Want Out

[embedplusvideo height=”400″ width=”550″ editlink=”http://bit.ly/1fEehxR” standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ISDIAVarYjU?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=ISDIAVarYjU&width=550&height=400&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep8492″ /]

What’s the story behind the album cover of the new record? Is there some sort of concept idea behind the album?

There isn’t a specific concept behind the album as such. There is however, an interconnecting thread that ties all the songs together. When we were writing the album it was a great point in time for us, and it felt like we were existing in an amazing moment where anything was possible and everything we were doing was new and exciting. We felt like it was really important to try and enjoy the space and time we were in and appreciate how lucky we were to be there with our friends doing something we always dreamed of. Because of that the whole album is informed with a sense of that idea of living in the moment with people you care about, so the songs are about how that feels and the connections that we all share as human beings, and how we connect, or in some cases don’t. Ones and Zeros felt like an interesting slightly less obvious way of talking about the way we communicate. The album art was just an amazing sculpture we found by a European artist that conveyed a real sense of exploration but also how isolating an experience that can be.

You’re currently on a huge tour of the U.S. How has the crowd compared to back home and what have been your highlights?

The crowds have been great! We’ve been treated really well in America. We tend to find the crowd’s age variance much greater in the States compared to overseas at home. Last night in Raleigh, North Carolina was one of our favorites since we’ve been over here. It’s great seeing so many people, so far away from home, singing our songs back to us.

What would you say is your number one rule while touring?

Our rule is nothing else matters more in the day than those moments we are on stage playing in front of our fans. We will always give it 100%, no matter what else may happen.

How much of an effort do you make to change things up from show to show?

Lately we added in a very old song, one of the first ones we wrote “Winter Kiss”, and has been going over very well with the crowds so far!

You nailed it on the mainstage of Reading and Leeds Festival last year. Do you think it’s harder to connect with an audience on a much grander scale compared to some of the smaller venues you’re booked to play in the U.K. in October?

No. Each show is different in a lot of ways, but fundamentally we just try and play hard and connect with each audience we play to, no matter how big or small that audience may be. We love playing small shows because there’s an intimacy that you can’t replicate in the larger shows.

How would you compare the band experience now to when it began? Is it harder now, or was it harder when it first began?

Both, really. We get to live the lifestyle that we all dreamed of living when we were kids which is a privilege, of course. However, it is very demanding and can be quite destructive – it’s hard to maintain friendships and relationships when you are never at home, and that can feel dislocating in some ways. Every job has positives and negatives, and there are very few to this one, but it can of course be tough.

Finally, what are your long-term ambitions for the future?

We just want to keep travelling and going to new places that we’ve never been before, meeting new people and playing our music for whoever wants to hear it, to keep writing songs that we’re proud of and enjoy the life we’re lucky to be able to lead. The rest will hopefully take care of itself.

Connect with Young Guns (click icons):

By Tom Vaughan, RockRevolt Journalist

Invalid Displayed Gallery