chris / bo lord of the lost

Interview by: Lynn Wyeth

Date: 06 March 2010

Venue: Trashfest - Nosturi, Helsinki, Finland

Photos by: Lord of the Lost

Chris - vocals

Bo - guitar

Chris (C) – This band was more of an accident. I started writing some songs three years ago; I fell in love at first sight. This kind of feeling brought a lot of changes, a new style. These songs didn’t fit… imagine those songs with The Pleasures? I just wanted to make love songs. I showed the songs to some people and made the MySpace profile just for fun and uploaded one or two of those demos and I realized that people really seemed to like it. And then also I think, ‘let’s go on stage with that’, and I didn’t have a band for that, and then I looked around at my circle of friends, who was playing which instrument and who would fit in that band. All those guys in the band I know for years except Bo, he’s very new, he’s the third guitarist. And then it was ‘so let’s play live’. All those aims were getting bigger, and I was looking for a label. Out of Line came, it’s part of Universal. Now we’re here, with a gig in Finland. I knew all those guys before and a few months ago decided to only do vocals. I am able to sing and play guitar, it’s like two brains, a technical thing and an emotional thing but I decided to only do the emotional thing on stage, so that means that I am only singing.'

Can you give us an introduction to the other LOTL members (nods at Bo)

C - I’ve known Bo one year…

Bo (B) – Longer…

C – … One and half years…

B – I was really surprised, really happy. It was my Birthday! Actually he’s my teacher…

C – I’m working at the university as a teacher…

How do you fit everything in?!

C – When you have more than one band it’s not that you work intensively on each one all of the time. I had to give lots of tasks away in The Pleasures. They were asking for more responsibility. Teaching I have to do for sure though; I need the money somehow. The 70s are over. You can’t just play in a band and get rich, but I have a job very related to music.

(To Bo) So is he a control freak?!

B- You have a picture of how the song has to be. When I got in the band he told me I have to play differently. It’s a bit like Rammstein…

C – Like marching music.

B – In my other band I could make more difference, but I am a part of this band, and Chris is a great leader.

C – Control freak is negative. Yes, I am controlling, I like to control, we’re not in a straight democracy. I ask for their opinions and see through it to make decisions. When there’s one guy who follows a straight plan it’s better. I’ve had many negative experiences of bands that do everything together. Maybe it’s my problem…

B – In the end it sounds great.

C – But maybe I’ll end up on my own!

Ok, so you’re playing Helsinki today, what’s next, what other plans do you have?

C - We’re doing some promo, we have a very good booking agent, we’re doing Wacken.

Have you got good support from the record label?

C – It’s not the sort of label that just does a bit of promotion, it did a lot for magazines, it’s part of Universal. I’m looking forward to it, but also afraid of some of the decisions.

Do you see it as being commercial?

C – I don’t have a problem with being commercial if the band stays how it wants to be… as long as we do our songs how we want, look how we want to. I have no problem with pop songs and being commercial. What we do is quite poppy, the new songs for the news album are quite poppy.

You’re a Mama Trash artist, how did that come about?

C – It’s really an honour. I didn’t ask her. She doesn’t work with many bands, only what she really likes. A soon as she saw the second video and heard the album she said “You’re my favourite new band!” I met her for the first time yesterday but it doesn’t feel like it. She’s so into it but not like a fan. I always found it kind of funny that she was calling herself Mama Trash, but when you meet her, within a second, you get this mama feeling, you know?

Yeah she just looks after her bands…

C – Yeah, and she’s so relaxed and so cool with everything. I really like that.

So what are your future plans?

C – Plans… I always have more plans! We have shows planned, yes, we’re coming to the UK in the Fall. And Bosnia and Austria. I would like to play in the US, California maybe, maybe as I just wanna go there. And Scandanavia, it’s the best breeding ground for what we do.

What’s the media feedback been like, had many reviews?

C – We’ve had lots of reviews. We have a promo agency working for us in Germany and we’re expecting some more. We’re trying to get promo deals in England but the band only has a certain budget. Maybe it’s too early to spend £1000 in England for only three shows. So far I’m happy, although it’s on Universal it’s still underground.

How do they categorise it? Do you see it as goth?

C – They try to categorise, but no-one came up with anything…

B – They all say it’s a mix of different music… because it is!

C – But I don’t see it as a problem. Some say it’s a cross between Rammstein and HIM, with German marching harder songs and also the Swedish gothic sound. I wouldn’t compare us to HIM now, but HIM ten years ago. Some call it goth. Goth, rock and metal.

B – P****wetting!

C – Yeah, p****wetting goth rock! Those bands try to be special and try not to fit. We’re just making music.

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