The boys from The Iron Eye have been working hard this year with the recording of their upcoming EP ‘Foreign Bodies’, filming a music video and opening for kiwi rock legends Shihad. With brand new track Just Started released tomorrow, we had a chat with dummer Antonio to find out more and god dahm we had a fantastic interview.
How did you come up your band name The Iron Eye?
Oh.. not this question. I think it was something that Nick came up with actually. You try to search for something that is individual but at the end of the day you’ve just got to come up with something yourself. So I’m not really sure where he got it from.
Terrible answer , horrible question haha
When we last spoke you were about to support Shihad, how was that experience?
Yeah look supporting Shihad was amazing. For a young rock band to be able to open for a band I listened to as a teenager makes just that on its own a huge opportunity and an amazing experience. Shihad are really great guys, awesome musicians and The Triffid is also a great venue regardless of whose playing or who your playing with. To be able to play to the die hard fans who were waiting to see Shihad early gave us a really good response and it was great.
You are about to release your brand new single Just Started, how are we feeling?
Relieved, just really relieved. A lot of work goes into these things and its such a good feeling to get new music out there. We are proud of all the songs we have produced but this is sort of everybody’s favourite. It’ll be out on Friday 2nd on Spotify, I tunes all of that so at the moment we are celebrating.
What is the message behind this single?
I’m not sure if there’s an underlining message…. I mean I’m not the singer haha
This is another Nick question. It is the first single to be released from the EP and its called Just Started so sort of pun intended, being first single of the new music we have grouped together we have “Just Started”.
You’re launching Just Started live on Friday supporting King Of The North, what can we expect from your live performance?
We always like to play louder! We will be playing the new EP ‘Foreign Bodies’ in full and chucking in a sneaky cover that we have played maybe once or twice that people have always digged. I cant tell you what it is otherwise It’ll ruin the surprise but, high energy, loud sound and new music.
I’ve seen some pretty insane photos from the filming of the music video for Just Started, can you leak us any details on maybe what that is all about?
We are just starting to piece our life back together from the ordeal that was Sunday. I guess we didn’t really think that 4 minutes of chaos like that would turn into the atomic bombs of messes but 6 and a half almost 7 hours of cleaning later we are still finding dust and mess everywhere. It was quite an experience, I mean coloured powder and water and all sorts of craziness is always good to watch. I don’t know if its good to be copping it while trying to play and it’s hard enough to play as it is sometimes but it looked cool so that’s the main thing.
What is it like working with producer Tom Larkin on your upcoming EP ‘Foreign Bodies’ ?
Arggggh Thomas the drill Sargent, Thomas the drum Sargent. Tom is awesome I mean I’m a pretty clean cut sort of guy as well. If its shit, hes going to tell me its shit but if its great he praises it and that’s exactly what you want from a producer. They push you and they push you until you get the best takes and the best parts of your songs played and recorded. From that you grow and you get such a great feeling and even better product at the end when everyone is going the extra mile. Tom is just such a great guy and he really got us there.
Who has the most influence during the writing process?
We all have our strengths and we’ve all got our weaknesses naturally but when it comes to writing it sounds boring but everyone has their input. Nick will always have a melody or harmonical idea or he makes noises with his mouth to guitar parts but its rarely the foundations of a complete song. He doesn’t come in and say I have a song, play to it, its more organic. Just Started was a jammy groove tune that me and Dave came up with and Nick decided to play the most ridiculous guitar parts he could over it and it worked. So its always very organic when it comes to that. We sit down and bash it out together then yell and fight and bash it out again. It changes, we change it and then change it back but it works for us.
What themes lyrically and musically is The Iron Eye trying to tackle with ‘Foreign Bodies?
We are big fans of a lot of British rock bands like Arctic Monkeys, especially the sound on their latest album as its such a huge rock album. Basically we really wanted to focus in on our own rock sound and pin point exactly the sound we wanted to produce for this EP. We write new-ish rock I guess but its pretty hard to put your finger on it because so many people are playing in my opinion ‘our brand’ of rock. Its got to have a good riff, have a good melody and you have got to be able to dance to it. Bands like Arctic Monkeys produce dance rock and its great. It makes you groove, you can sing to it it makes you dance, So I guess we really wanted to put an EP together with great songs and including those elements. There’s riffs there for the boys there’s dancy stuff for the girls and ‘Foreign Bodies’ is just like one big party!
Is Just started a true indication of what to expect from Foreign Bodies? Or have you mixed up your sound throughout?
I do think Just Started is the anchor of the EP per-say. That was the best thing about working with a producer like Tom is that you’ve got all these songs and even as an artist sometimes you feel this ones a bit to quiet or this ones a bit to heavy maybe this ones a bit weirder than the other ones. But what really brought everything together was Tom and his guidance. When listening to the tracks he’d say oh that’s a bit groovier than the other songs but it works we change this and tweak that and we’ve ended up with 5 songs that sound completely unique. Each is song individual enough, but collectively have a theme and they’ve made a stand as a collection on the EP.
When can we expect the release of your EP?
We don’t yet.. We are just getting a few things together while focusing on Just Started at the moment. We have the video for Just Started being released in a few weeks. But if I’m going to be honest we are still just trying to cleaning up paint, and coloured chalk. We have got bits everywhere I’m not joking, just when we think its over we find more. There is some in my guitar, there is some in my drums and theres probably more somewhere else.
What are your future goals now as The Iron Eye takes off?
I didn’t know The Iron Eye was taking off ok.. haha
I guess we just really want to get out there and play the EP live to show as any people as we can and get to get out on the road. Maybe even do a follow up EP at the end of the year, it sounds crazy but we really enjoy writing and getting our music out there. So long story short, playing, writing, touring, recording and mainly to just keep The Iron Eye moving. We work best when we are busy.
If you could be one musician for the day who would you be?
I’m going to be John Bohnam because he is the rock and roll drummer of all time. He played in the biggest rock and roll band ever (Led Zeppelin) and hes a monster. If I could even be his little toe that would be enough for me.
What would be your dream show if The Iron Eye was the headliner? Who would play and where would it be?
I would be much to scared to play in front of Led Zeppelin haha
I’ve always loved watching old Zeppelin dvd’s, and my favourite is the one where they played at Madison Square Garden and that’s really cool and more of a sentimental thing. But then you have these huge festivals like Glastonbury which would be insane.
I’m going to say Glastonbury just because its ridiculous and this is imaginary and we’d play with Arctic Monkeys and Queens Of Stone Age.
What is the worst piece of live advice you have ever received?
Maybe using paint in a music video?
Yeah look that’s pretty close actually. Let Dave direct a music video!
Just kidding it looks awesome from the parts I’ve seen already.
The worst piece of live advice I have received would be that I had a music teacher once tell me drums weren’t a real instrument so I’m out to show her! haha
That’s all the questions i have for you so..
Oh my god thank god!
https://soundcloud.com/collisioncoursepr/the-iron-eye-just-started/s-19h4B
THE IRON EYE ‘JUST STARTED’ SINGLE LAUNCH
FRI 2 SEP
Crowbar, Brisbane
SUPPORTING KING OF THE NORTH
& W/ SPECIAL GUESTS
HOBO MAGIC & SMOKING MARTHA
