Whilst recording a new demo in Germany, Fony's Guy Hassel (Bassist) takes time out to answer a few questions for Room Thirteen
Room Thirteen:Well it has been six months since your last interview with Room Thirteen and you are at the end of yet another mammoth tour around the UK. How has it compared to that of your European tour last year?
Guy Hassel: It's been a really hard tour. We've had lots of illness and injuries, so it's been really tough. We've all been a bit under the weather, but Olly (vocals) has had it really bad. He's had a throat infection, chest infection and laryngitis. We had to cancel some of the shows but because we carried straight back on with the tour, it's damaged his voice and it's going to take some time to recover.
The tour itself was fun. We played some cool shows, went to places that we hadn't been to before and made some new friends. We always have a good time on the road, even if it is a bit up and down at times!
In comparison to Europe last year I'd rather be playing on white sands in Barcelona than travelling up the A10 to Norwich in the freezing cold and rain! I think the two are so far apart that it's difficult to compare, but like any tour you have highs and lows.
R13:How do you find the home grown crowds differ to that of those on the continent?
GH: On the continent, the crowds seem much livelier. They don't seem to have trends or magazines telling them what's hot or not. They like what they like, so long as it's good they really try to get into it. It's much easier to get the crowds hyped up and involved, they seem to be up for a good time 24/7 and they seem honoured that a British band is in their town.
Here I think there are so many good bands to go and see, in such a wide choice of venues, that people don't appreciate the bands quite as much. It isn't a novelty as we are spoiled for choice. Don't get me wrong people still get into it and have fun but they know tomorrow night there will be another band playing, so they perhaps don't live it up as much.
R13:Life is said to be a learning curve. What, if anything, do you think you have learned from your latest tour?
GH: We've learned quite a lot this tour. I think the need to take care of ourselves more has become apparent. Things like eating healthy rather than going to the burger van, wrapping up warm and having some dry clothes after the show. This may seem simple but they're the little things which sometimes you don't bother with and can all help protect you from getting cold and becoming ill.
We're a very dedicated band, and we hate to cancel shows or let people down but if Olly ever become ill again then we would need to take some time out to let him fully recover. If we had done that on our latest tour then maybe his voice wouldn't be so messed up now.
R13:How would you rate your live performance ability? Do you feel your music differs from that which is sold on disk?
GH: Our live shows are very energetic and we always put 110% into it. However lots of people do seem surprised at how different we are live compared to the CD. I know people who love the CD who can't believe we are the same band live but on the other hand there are people who don't like the CD who love the live show! I think with some bands there can be a compromise between playing the music and putting on a show with energy. I think we do the two without compromise which makes us very competent.
R13:You have a great reputation on the live circuit, playing alongside Lost Prophets, Pitchshifter, Earthtone9 and Breed 77 to name a few. Have these bands influenced you at all and if so in what way?
GH: We have so many influences from all areas of music. I'm sure all the bands we have played with influenced us musically in someway but I think we are more influenced by bands with ambition and ability. We like to play with bands that go as far as they can go because it gives us even more drive and ambition to achieve what we want. It also makes you wonder whether you had any influence on them. It would be nice to think that you helped someone else achieve their dream.
R13:What's the one question you wouldn't like to be asked?
GH: That one!
R13:Your latest single "Nefer" was released on 28th Feb. What's the reaction been so far?
GH: The reaction has been mixed. We have had some great feedback from Zane Lowe (Radio 1), Ian Camfield (XFM), and magazines including Kerrang. However it seems that some people still label Fony as a nu-metal band, which is not the case at all. I think when the first album "Routine Irregular" was released, it defiantly had that vibe but the new material and the album Circles is just rock in our eyes. Some say alternative rock, some say heavy rock, but whatever you want to call it, it's still rock.
The poor reviews don't really seem to review the single itself, they seem to analyse what the band did 3 or 4 years ago. I think people need to forget the label or what they heard 4 years ago and take a new approach to Fony, that's what we've done. We're not trying to be heavy metal or make everyone like us, we're just writing the music we want to. If people like it, cool, if not, then fine but please don't remind us of what we left behind 3 years ago!
I think the best example of someone "redefining" Fony was in Kerrang recently. We had a reporter come to review a show and he made no point of hiding the fact that he really hated Fony. In the review he said he hated the music from the first album, the shows he had been to and he thought we were crap. However he then went on to say how we have now changed his opinion in just one show and how much he likes us now!
In the last three years there has been a new line up, we have become much tighter, better musicians and better as a band. We have progressed musically from originally trying to be heavy and writing riffs, to just writing the best music we can!
I think if you drop any pre-conceptions you have about Fony and take a fresh look, maybe you'll find the same!
R13:Your rumoured to be collaborating with Ace (Skunk Anansie ) at the end of your UK tour. What do you hope this collaboration will bring to your already definitive style?
GH: Ace is producing some of the new material for us. He worked with us throughout January just before the tour. We did 6 or 7 tunes with him, 4 of which we have been playing on the tour and are now recording for the demo. He's a really great guy to be with, he has some great ideas and really helps to condense and form a solid direction for the material. He gets some really amazing tones too, all of which combined will give us a really good demo to send out.
R13:You have been playing a lot of new material over the duration of the tour. What plans do you have for a third album? And when can fans expect it to be released?
GH: We are currently in Germany recording our new demo to put out to labels. The new material sounds really good, it's been receiving lots of interest and is going down really well at live shows with fans new and old. So with regards to the third album, watch this space...
R13:If you could have sex with Paris Hilton, would you film it?
GH: Hell yeah!
R13:Why do you think that some bands get to the top fairly quickly, while others toil in obscurity for years although they may be just as talented?
GH: Some bands can just be lucky, right time right place kind of thing. Others might have a load of money or friends in high places. Trends can be a big thing too. A successful band can entice other labels to find similar bands, even though these bands may not have been about for a while.
R13:What would you be doing right now if you weren't a member of Fony?
GH: I'd probably be playing in another band. Although I love playing in Fony, it doesn't matter to me what sort of music I play or where I play it, just so long as I can meet people in the industry and expand my self as a musician. As for the others, Steve would be designing websites (If you need one doing, he's the man!), Phil would be doing design too, Olly would be a pro gambler, and Pete would have a farm with a duck and a tractor.
R13:What can we expect from Fony in the next 6 months?
GH: Well, we are planning on seeing where this demo takes us next. As I said we have some European stuff arranged for the summer and we plan on doing some UK shows in June/July. However we really need to see where this demo takes us. We want to keep our options open so that we can jump whenever need be. We're all really excited and looking forward to the future with the new material.
Thank you very much for your time and good luck with your next release. If you would like more information on Fony please visit their website www.fonymusic.com