Famous First Words<\/em>, we rouse lead guitarist Samuel Jackson from a nap to ask a few questions.<\/p>\nFirst of all your band name \u2013 Viva Brother \u2013 what happened there?<\/strong>
\nWe didn\u2019t know there was a band from Australia called Brother. [Frontman] Lee [Newell] did actually Google and discovered them but didn\u2019t think anything of it at the time. Then we were playing a show in San Francisco and out of nowhere this guy battled his way through the crowd of the sold out show and slapped this fifty page legal writ at Josh\u2019s [Ward, bass player] feet, and he just kicked it to the ground. None of us knew what was gong on but after the show a few people from our label were milling around with this document and basically they were trying to sue us. So there\u2019s been a bit of a legal battle since, and they\u2019ve managed to keep their name and we\u2019ve changed ours. But I\u2019m not bothered. I\u2019m happy with the new name \u2013 it\u2019s like saying Long Live Us! Our twitter name was already Viva Brother and people in crowds at our shows would shout it out anyway and we think it sounds good. So it\u2019s the right decision. <\/p>\nHave you heard actual<\/em> Brother?<\/strong>
\nI haven\u2019t actually listened to them. I have no desire to. I\u2019ve heard that it\u2019s quite comedy. Although it\u2019s weird \u2013 it\u2019s like they don\u2019t have a single fan in the world but they seem to be able to afford a big case. They can continue playing shows to no-one.<\/p>\nRight. So can you describe the sound of your own music in five words?<\/strong>
\nSuper fast rock n\u2019roll injection.<\/p>\nYou guys have been making a bit of a name for yourselves in America \u2013 does it feel to be making it big in the USA?<\/strong>
\nIt was a surprise for us. When we did our first trip in March where we did SXSW and some shows in New York \u2013 they were only tiny shows, but they were all sold out. It was a really good feeling. American\u2019s like Brits and British stuff, but to have a loud British band come and shake things up, I think they\u2019re ready for that. <\/p>\nYou\u2019re from Slough \u2013 not the most renowned part of the world for generating engaging music \u2013 could Slough become a new cultural hotspot?<\/strong>
\nWe\u2019re not all from Slough. Lee and I were both born there, and Frank was born in Canada but we all spent so much time in and around Slough when it started. We used to rehearse as much as we could and Josh lived with Lee so as a band we started there. I can\u2019t imagine it becoming a cultural hot spot any time soon. It\u2019s so industrial and stuck in the 9-5 mindset that I can\u2019t see it getting out of. <\/p>\nWhen did you realise you could make it as a band?<\/strong>
\nFor us there wasn\u2019t any other option. We had to make it work as we can\u2019t do anything else. We\u2019re useless. One of the first songs we wrote, Darling Buds Of May, our manager said was a great song. He put so much time and faith in us and we had to make it right and then we put it out and it got picked up almost instantly. Zane Lowe started playing the demo in his show and played it three times in one week. It\u2019s been a rollercoaster since then!<\/p>\nThe band have been championed as saviours of the guitar-rock Brit-pop world \u2013 how has all the critical praise affected the album writing process?<\/strong>
\nUm, we were on the cover of NME in January, I think. So we were on the cover before we\u2019d recorded the album, but it still seems now that people judge us before listening to us \u2013 purely because of what we say in the press. And I don\u2019t blame them we have said some daft things but I wouldn\u2019t go back on them because we\u2019re being honest but I just hope people still listen to our record because it is bloody good.<\/p>\nThe band have made a few derogatory comments about other music acts out there \u2013 does the band need a bit of anger management?<\/strong>
\nWe\u2019re not angry boys! I promise. We\u2019re nice and pleasant. When people ask us what we think of other bands and other people, if we like them we say we like them and if we don\u2019t we\u2019ll colourfully tear them apart. We\u2019re being honest, that\u2019s all it is. We\u2019re not doing it for attention.<\/p>\nLee went as far as to say \u201cI see evil in her eyes\u201d about Jessie J. <\/strong>
\n[Laughs] Oh yeah. She is quite evil.<\/p>\nSo is it a tabloid tactic? Obviously you\u2019ve been compared to Oasis and Blur who famously had spats with each other in the press \u2013 is this something the band are trying to create?<\/strong>
\nWe\u2019re not influenced by Oasis at all and all we get is that we\u2019re Oasis wannabies. I wouldn\u2019t want to be like Liam Gallagher and if I ever was I\u2019d hope someone would punch me in the face and tell me to fucking sort myself out. We\u2019re not trying to start anything. We\u2019re just focusing on our own band. That\u2019s what other bands should do. That\u2019s what Liam should do.<\/p>\nWho do you see as your competitors in the music arena?<\/strong>
\nI don\u2019t really look at anyone as competition. You have to focus on your own thing. But other bands that want the same thing of having rock and roll back in mainstream music would be bands like Vaccines, Wolfgang and Tribes. Those guys are great. They\u2019re really good. And Yuck. They\u2019re great.<\/p>\nHow does it feel to be flying the flag for British music?<\/strong>
\nIt feels good. It feels nice. We\u2019re just anxious and eager for our album to be out so people can hear the whole thing. It\u2019ll be nice for everyone to be like \u201cOh right! They DON\u2019T sound like Oasis.\u201d <\/p>\nFamous First Words<\/em>, the debut album by Viva Brother is released today under Geffen
\nInterview: Seamus Duff<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Viva Brother – the artists formerly known as “Brother” – have survived a band re-naming, a spat with Liam Gallagher and a deluge of critical acclaim to produce an album that genuinely could be The Greatest Guitar Rock Album Of The Year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9419],"tags":[572,348,570,48,574,571,495,573,228,578,576,569,577,575],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Making Some Noise - Viva Brother | Wonderland<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n