As a Thunder fan, I already
think that 'The Magnificent Seventh' is one of the best album of the
band. Are you sharing this point of view, and how do you rank this alum
in your discography?
I agree, it’s definitely
up there with the first 2 LPs. If anything I think it shows a maturity
we couldn’t have had when we made the earlier records. I guess
we’re just slow learners! I like the fact that it’s very
instant, so hopefully this will make it appealing to some rock fans
who previously thought we were a bit hard to get to know.
With this new CD, Thunder shows a more rock identity, and let aside
the ballads (which you are very good at though). Did you have this direction
in mind while recording the album, or was it a natural thing that you
did not really plan?
There are never plans when it
comes to writing and recording a Thunder LP. We plug in and play and
it just comes out the way it does..
Since the beginning of its career, Thunder didn't move away from its
path and gives us album after album some bluesy hard rock, with no compromise
and sincerity. Don't you sometimes feel alone regarding the musical
style you're in compared to the bands that stands high in the charts
these last years?
I never feel alone, I have my
band and my family. We’ve tweaked the style here and there over
the years, but we’re a bluesy rock band, we can’t do very
much about that, and we’ve always felt chasing fashion is a very
dangerous thing. Our fans like what we do, so we don’t see any
need to change it.
Among bands that have recently emerged, some seem to keep on defending
the faith of hard rock. Some of them, like Silvertide or Hurricane Party,
are pretty talented. Do you now these new generation bands and do you
appreciate them?
I know of Hurricane Party, but
not Silvertide. It’s good that there are new bands coming through
playing more traditional rock’n’roll. There are lots of
people who like it and will buy it if they hear about it if they get
off on the way the band do it.
If your audience is rather big in England, there are also 'Thunder addicts'
in France, who can't wait at the idea of seeing the band live on stage.
Can we hope to see you in France for the next tour?
Our partners in France are doing
a fabulous job so far in terms of delivering promotion for the new LP,
so if that continues and we see good record sales, it will be a sure
sign that there are people we should play to. We love playing,
and we love France, so if we get an offer to go there… why not?
Do you plant to tour in the US? Would you like to spread your music
in this particular country? Are you thinking of touring in Asia or other
continents?
We have no release in the US
right now, so touring there is not on the agenda at the moment. We’re
talking to promoters about returning to Japan in the summer, but nothing
is confirmed.
In my opinion, one of the great strength of the band was to be able
to keep (at one exception) the same line-up since your first album.
It's all the most even more rare in an environment where musicians usually
shift from one band to another. Do you think that what tighten Thunder's
character is the link that exist between all the members?
We’ve had 3 bass players
including Chris, the latest one. He’s been there for 7 years so
he’s very much established. Our strength is our normality. We’re
very down to earth people, and we make each other laugh all the time.
We have clearly defined roles within the band and ego plays virtually
no part in the way we conduct ourselves. Apart from that we’ve
known each other for a long time, so if we were going to fall out we
would have done it long ago.
One of Thunder's trademark is the incredible bluesy voice of Danny Bowes,
who once again brings the magic on this album. Did you ever wonder how
the band would sound like without him singing? Who would have fit better
then in Thunder as a singer?
Thank you for your nice comments,
but as I am the singer, I find it quite impossible to speculate on who
could do my job. My voice and style are distinctive and that makes it
hard to emulate I guess, but not impossible. I don’t plan to quit
right now so I feel like this question is a bit of a waste of time for
me..
Between the two last albums of Thunder, ('Shooting At The Sun' and the
last one), Danny Bowes and Luke Morley released a solo project called
'Mo's Barbeque'. Is this side project like a boosting spring for Thunder,
in the way where both of them come back within the band with a ferocious
appetite, or was it a necessary way for them to release softer music
that wouldn’t match the essence of Thunder?
Bowes & Morley came about
originally when Thunder was not together. We made an LP called Moving
Swiftly Along for a Japanese label who offered me a solo deal. I didn’t
want to make a solo LP so I asked Luke to be involved. The plan was
to make slightly more soul inspired LPs as we both love that style of
music, the result was MSA.
Since then Thunder has got back
together, so we had to decide whether to continue with B&M or drop
it. We like the change of musical style that B&M gives us, so we
made and released Mo’s Barbeque in 2003/2004. There will be more
B&M LPs in the future, but we’re way too busy at the moment
to think about when.
Few years ago, you did appear at the 'Monsters Of Rock', along with
The Almighty, Wasp, Skid Row and Iron Maiden. What memories do you have
from this period, and do you still feel close to these bands?
We met those bands when we were
out and about, but apart from Iron Maiden, who we toured with in 92,
we’ve never been big friends with them. I remember the day
was spoilt a bit by the wet weather, but our set was great and even
the Slayer fans liked us..
Would you still be ok to take part to a 100% hard rock festival, or
would you prefer to play a more eclectic bill, with bands from different
musical background?
We’ve never had a problem
playing with anyone, or on any bill. If there are lots of people, we’ll
be there.
Apart from this new album, do you have any other projects like a DVD
or the release of a new live album?
We recorded a Christmas show
in 2004, and we’re mixing that for a release later in 2005. We
have 2 DVDs for sale on our website and we won’t be making a new
one this year. All the details for whatever we do are always on our
website (www.thunderonline.com).
After 15 years serving for rock and hard rock, do you think you did
accomplish all you dreamt of when you formed the band, or are there
still some things that you would like to do in order to be totally satisfied
of your career?
I’m not as rich as I thought
I’d be, but I guess I should save more and spend less. I’m
not very good at that. To be honest, I never thought Thunder would last
this long, so to still be doing ti and more importantly enjoying doing
it is a real bonus.
The issue of unlawful Internet downloading is pretty trendy right now.
What is your opinion on the subject, and on which side are you concerning
the crackdown of these practices?
I believe some record companies
use the downloading issue as a very easy way to excuse their poor performance.
As far as I’m concerned downloading is like home taping used to
be (albeit bigger). If people get the record for free, and they like
it, they usually go buy the real one so they have it as a prized possession,
especially if te artwork for the CD is great (like ours). Besides, the
more people that have your music, regardless of whether they paid for
it or not, the better known you are, and that’s a good thing.
One last question about the title of your last album, 'the Magnificent
Seventh' : it is obvious that through the title and the cover art, you
chose it as a reference to the westerns and the far west. Where did
this idea come from, and has it a particular meaning?
No real reason, it’s our
7th studio LP and we think it’s magnificent. We love westerns,
so it was pretty obvious to us. I love the artwork Hugh (Gilmour) did
for us, and the tee shirts will look amazing too.
One last thing before I go : I really wish to congratulate you for this
new album which is really a pure jewel. I truly hope that you'll have
success as this album deserve it, and all the most, I wish that you'll
visit us in France before the end of this year. Thanks a lot for wasting
some time with me!
Thanks for asking the questions,
and this is not a waste of time for me, I hope it wasn’t for you…
