Interview by: Allison Wyrsch
MWN: Hiya. Thanks so much for chatting with us. Let’s jump right into talking about new music. What can we expect from the upcoming album Fattened by the Horrors of War?
Vile Assembly: “Fattened By The Horrors Of War” is a political rollercoaster broaching subjects ranging from religions, power, to human evolution!
MWN: I love to ask this question, how do you guys choose what songs make it on the record?
Vile Assembly: I think we chose the songs that we feel resonate the most within our humanity. Our aim is to make music and create lyrics that people are thinking about, feeling, and seeing, but that no one seems to be saying otherwise. We think about it, we feel it, we see it—this political and corporate inequality— and we are prepared to say it, and we are saying it. We will carry on saying it, with the hope that change can be and will be made. Tell them fat cats their time is up!
MWN: Can you tell me a bit about your creative process, considering your sound has developed from previous albums?
Vile Assembly: The creative process is really quick. I mean a couple of hours and the main framework for a song is in place. The ideas and sounds we have are within us and have been for many years. We are finding it easy to extract these ideas because the political climate around the world is so volatile and unequal. The creative process flows from the anger we feel about the injustice we see from these corporate criminals and political charlatans stealing from the tax pot we, the real workers fund. ARGHHHHH them thieves!
MWN: ‘Suicide Feast’ gathered quite a bit of attention, did you think it would reach as far as it did when you were writing it?
Vile Assembly: Suicide Feast is about the homeless situation. This situation is growing into a universal crisis, and how people seem, little by little because of the media agenda on a political scale, desensitised to homelessness. Millions have died living on the streets and we see this as a hidden holocaust. How can people be dying of starvation and homlessness when we are so far ahead technologically advanced? When we were able to get the ideas out and create the song about this horrific situation we didn’t think anybody would be interested because of the subject matter, i let a friend listen and he asked for a copy, then other people we knew asked for copies and then it started to turn up on radio shows in the UK then France, Canada, all over the USA, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, etc. It is still getting attention all over the world today, and that instills in me the hope that music can unite humans, and then through the understanding of song and humanity we can ignite change. It’s not the world that needs to change, it’s the humans ruling the world that need to change.
MWN: “Division of Labour” immediately grabs your attention when you listen to it, what was your original idea for it?
Vile Assembly: The idea for Division Of Labour is based on the inequality between workers and fat cat corporate business owners. The methods they use are the same methods that have been used since victorian times– beating the workers to submission whilst paying them as little as possible. Profit Over People. They hide behind the police, the Army, etc., but times will change. We have to believe they will. The main message in the song is if we can unite, then we can take over from this barbaric system and create equality for everyone leaving no one behind.
MWN: What can you tell us about the upcoming tour?
Vile Assembly: We are touring France later this year. We have been asked to do a lot of the European festivals, and we are heading to USA at the end of April. We are playing 6 or 7 shows in LA finishing with a show in The Viper Room on 5th May. The main focus of Vile Assembly is to create a human uprising. Playing live is not as important to us as joining together with people who seek change in this unequal system. If that means playing live, then we are happy to do that too. Once we have got the name Vile Assembly to as many ears as possible and people react to the name and songs, we want to allow other people with something great to say to use it.
MWN: How do you guys pick the set list?
Vile Assembly: This is a easy one as the setlist just happens. We are vibratory beings and whatever vibration we feel determines what we play.
MWN: What is your favorite part about being in the studio? Can you walk us through it a bit?
Vile Assembly: We have been friends since childhood, so when we sit together we feel a freedom we won’t feel anywhere else. That is our favorite part, we protect each other which enables us the freedom to be open. We may start by talking about all the things we find unequal and unnecessary that we have read about, and whilst we are communicating about these injustices, we are also communicating to each other with our chosen musical instrument, and then within all of that, the creative process begins. In our studio there are no rules, no judgements, just freedom to express yourself and to express what we all do.
MWN: What is one of your favorite songs to play live and why?
Vile Assembly: We have a song called ‘Not Quite Fair’ and this seems to feel just right every time we play it. We get enjoyment from playing all the songs including the cover versions we do. Our favorite thing is when people get what the song/songs mean and it empowers them to either create music or some other art form with the idea of political change ringing through them. The power has always been in us– it just needs igniting somehow. Let’s ignite our fires together.
MWN: Are there any new bands you are really into that you recommend to our readers?
Vile Assembly: We are lovers of all types of music new and not so new. Joe Jackson’s album ‘Im The Man’ is fantastic, and King Creosote’s album ‘Astronaut Meets Appleman’ is outstanding. They wont ignite change, but they are a great listen. The BellRays are the best live band we have ever seen, and Kids On Bridges know how to put a song together, but if you’re looking for change and are looking for a soundtrack to go with change, you can’t go wrong with Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Doors, PIL or The Clash.
MWN: To wrap things up once again thanks so much for taking the time to answer these questions. Lastly, is there anything you guys would like to say to the people who are going to be reading this interview?
Vile Assembly: Thank you for taking time to read what we have to say. Instead of buying our music, take the money you were going to spend on the single/EP/album and give it to a homeless person or a person/family in need, then contact us with a picture of the person/family you are helping and I will send you a copy free of charge. Listen, absorb and make a change! KEEP ON KEEPING ON.
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