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Merseyside based hard rockers We’re All Aliens have just released their latest single ‘Second Chances’, and we caught up with vocalist JJ to fill in the blanks on the band.
DGM: What are the origins of the band, and how long have you been playing together?
JJ: Myself (vocals) and Biff have been playing together for years. Same too with The Big A (drums) and Laurent (Bass), but We’re All Aliens as a thing has been active since Jan 2019 with the release of our first single, ‘I Am An Alien.’
DGM: How did you feel performing your first gig? And how was it?
JJ: Are we talking with this band? If so, immense excitement. We were invited to play the tenth anniversary of the ‘Banned! Network’ gig in Northwich where we recorded ‘Get A Life’, which was a huge honour and a great place to test the songs. We had a great time and it was certainly the promise of things to come. Sadly, with lock down and a huge question mark over the future of live events, we’ve not really been able to put anything else in place other than a few local gigs in support of the album.
DGM: What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe yourselves?
JJ: Expect riffs, groove and melody tuned down a couple of steps for the beef. We’re unashamedly a rock band, but a lot of influences come from different places that maybe some bands in the rock genre wouldn’t ordinarily admit to. We’re definitely on the ‘alt’ side of the hard rock thing, but we love music from a wide variety of genres and styles.
DGM: The new music scene is bursting at the seams with talent. In what ways do you feel a band has to stand out from the others trying to build a name?
JJ: I think the answer to this one is always “stick to your guns, and commit to making the best music you can.” If you’re good, you’ll be found.
DGM: What are you working on at the moment that people can check out?
JJ: Our second album is in full throttle. We’ve used lock down to take on new premises which we’re now nearly ready to get into. Currently just the drums are done, but I’m hopeful that the first single from that will be ready for late summer. In terms of stuff people can check out now, I’d point people to our debut album which was released in February.
DGM: What band out there at the moment do you feel that you would be best suited to open for?
JJ: Ideally the biggest band with the most receptive audience. One of my favourite current bands is Rival Sons, who in recent years have opened for Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. That led to a major deal with Atlantic, and they are about to open for Aerosmith. They have every right to be the next big rock band but I’m not entirely convinced it’s that straightforward. So in that sense I’m not sure who I think we’d be right to open for.
Maybe someone like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers?
DGM: Who do you feel will be the next band to break out?
JJ: Us!
DGM: What are your first musical memories? And what was the light bulb moment that made you go “I want to do that!”
JJ: I have memories of getting records for Christmas which sparked a lifelong addiction to collecting to this day. First vinyl, then CD, now back to vinyl, filling in all the gaps. My tastes are broad, so the collection (which I write my own sleeve notes in for my kids to inherit one day) is like the diary of my life.
I think Live Aid was a light bulb moment. U2 and Queen that day, Simple Minds and Bowie too. All made me think “wow, the power of music.”
DGM: What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
JJ: I think it was probably the Cult doing ‘Sonic Temple’ last year at the Manchester Apollo, my favourite venue. Johnny Marr, a close friend of Billy Duffy, came out to do ‘Rain’ with them which was a trip.
I saw some great gigs last year, Rival Sons bookending the year with Winter and Autumn gigs in Manchester and Liverpool. Skunk Anansie in the Summer at the Brixton Academy was amazing. Paul Weller came out and did the encore with them which again was insanely cool.
DGM: What is the album that you have in your collection or Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
JJ: You want me to pick one album out of 5000 or so that would surprise most people? Well, most people know I listen to a wide range of genres, so in that sense it’s difficult to pigeonhole anything in particular as surprising.
I love a good soundtrack album so how about the soundtrack to ‘Mary Poppins?’ There are some bangers on that. First press too if I’m not mistaken. “Feed the birds, tuppence a bag…”
DGM: What are your plans for the remainder of 2020?
JJ: Before lock down it was to release the album and tour with the album. Now there are no gigs, so it’s to bring forward the second album schedule and keep on keeping on.
DGM: How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
JJ: It’s an effort to keep the conversation going at times, beyond the sharing of really lovely articles such as this one, particularly when you want to be out there building your audience in person. In that sense we urge everyone to follow us and like our stuff on the channels and keep sharing. If you do you will be rewarded…
Connect with the band here.
