R13: So, tell us a bit more about yourselves.
SW: TEAM are a four piece rock band from Leicester. We have three vocals, two guitars, one bass, one drums. We have been friends for over ten years and this is now what we do - when we don't have to work to pay our bills. Burns - drums. McDonald - bass. West - guitar. Wright - guitar.
R13: What's the story behind the band name?
SW: TEAM seemed to be the obvious choice for a band name, we were surprised that it hadn't been used before. We figured bands are supposed to be teams, function and play together, as a team. TEAM epitomises our attitude, we all play, work and operate as one, in order to create the best sound we can, four brains thinking together is a lot better than one.
R13: Now, I believe that you're releasing a new album, 'The Line from A-B', at the end of October, how's it all going? Is it as hard writing that second album as people say?
SW: The album is released on the 31st October via the marvelous 'Captains of Industry' record label. It was very natural putting the album together, a lot of the ideas we'd been playing and gigging for a while, so to get it down on record was easy really.
R13: Also, why did you choose to record your second album on a stud farm? It's quite an unusual place to do it, isn't it?
SW: It was recorded at Burns' parents house. They dabble in breeding American Quarterhouses and people bring their horses from all over the country to get shagged by their stallion. We almost taped some of the noises but the morning after, and hangovers, made sure we didn't. Burns' folks were on holiday so we set up shop and recorded the noises we make all over the house, experimenting with different locations and ideas, which we reckon all came out really quite well.
R13: Given that you'll have written and recorded 'The Line from A-B' in just under a year, you obviously have a thing about getting things done speedily. Was it a conscious decision to do it like that, or was it more the way that things panned out?
SW: It wasn't a case of rushing things to get stuff done, just that we work together really well and efficiently. We set a comfortable deadline for ourselves and worked to it. One thing which was common throughout was that everyone knew what we wanted to achieve and a well laid plan was put into action. We were excited about the noises we were making and so everything fell into place, it also helped that the whole thing was done by TEAM, so in a way we were only restricted by what we could achieve ourselves.
R13: Also, when it comes to songwriting, how do you tend to write songs? Do you just sit down and jam, or is it more separate than that?
SW: There's various ways that songs come together. Often just 'jamming' ideas will pop up, and if everyone turns round to each other and says 'that sounds good' then we know it works and we go with it. We've also written different riffs and parts at home and presented them at rehearsals, we always know when things sound 'TEAM'. We seem to do quite well at coming up with stuff during sound checks, which is always a pain because your limited with time, then you go off and get drunk, play the gig and forget what we were doing next time we rehearse!
R13: Who are your influences? What really inspires you to write?
SW: We all have a variety of musical tastes which gets put into the pot and stirred around. From Sabbath to Grandaddy and many artists in-between. It's funny, the stuff you don't like inspires as much as the stuff we do. We definitely know what we don't like but we're always open to new sounds. Inspiration for writing can be anything from a good two and a half litres of cider, watching bands play, just getting across the noises that are in our heads really.
R13: You're described as being hardcore by your label, but that seems a bit simplistic listening to your album. Would you agree that you're hardcore?
SW: Ah bless 'em. They don't really know what to call us... "kings of the killer riff", "Britain's secret rock weapon" they are great with words. They must have been having a 'hardcore' day the day they wrote that. It seems we've always have the problem of being labeled 'something'. People like the idea of having something to compare you to. Hardcore I don't think specifically relates to what we do, but if 'hardcore' translates into good solid guitar music that delivers an impact and pushes certain buttons, then yes, that's us.
R13: The press described you as sounding like bands such as Queens of the Stone Age and Nirvana, what do you make of these comparisions?
SW: It's cool, ain't it? To get compared to such bands is amazing. We never really thought we would. If some people consider us to hold our own against legends like that, then hopefully that means we must be doing something right.
R13: When you guys started the band, what was your intention? Did you plan to get signed from the start?
SW: All we wanted to do was get a set together and do a few gigs in front of our mates. Then once we'd done that it was to play with 'Part Chimp' and do a Club Fandango gig. We did that pretty quick, so anything else that came along was a bonus - we're easily pleased! Getting signed was simple to. We sent of two five track CDs to Captains and they said they wanted to put them out as an album.
R13: What's been the best thing you've done as a band?
SW: We've made music we can hold our hands up to and be proud of. We know this ain't gonna last forever - we're just trying to enjoy it while we can. Plus we got to play with some awesome bands and we get more time to hang out as friends and play more poker.
R13: And, finally, what does the future hold for Team?
SW: Hopefully to take the noises we make to another level, to a wider audience. There's a warm fuzzy feeling writing and performing songs that people can enjoy the experience of. We really would like the opportunity to get heard by as many people as possible. So more radio play, more high profile shows and Top Of The Pops would be nice. If we can pay our bills with TEAM, that would be heaven.
R13: Thanks a lot for your time, and best of luck for the future