Off the back of an absolute blinder of a show, first things first, how did it feel from your side?
Charlie: Amazing! It was perfect and like it transcended. We’re just channeling the vibe, the energy, and it just seemed like everybody was loving it, and it was just a perfect way to wrap up this leg of this current tour.
With Grady [Will Haven vocalist] along with you and on the record as well, how has it been going out as an extended family?
Steve: Yeah, it’s been fantastic. This is the last leg of a few days we’ve been doing with Grady and we couldn’t have asked for anything better, to be honest. The shows have been great and the turnout has been great. We’ve known Grady for quite a while now, and because we’ve gone out with Will Haven in the past and me and Charlie work with them, we’ve got that sort of family vibe already. And to be able to actually get on stage with Grady and perform some tracks is just a dream come true.
Andy: Yeah Grady’s a legend. He’s a warrior. So, he jumped on a plane, flew over from San Francisco, landed, got in a van, drove up from Heathrow, drove straight to the practice space, did two hours of rehearsal without even blinking. And the first time we heard ‘Sharpen the Knife’, which is the song that Grady does on the record, we just looked at each other. I think we simultaneously forgot what we were trying to play, because he was so good, he sounded so good. It’s just been a genuine dream playing these songs with Grady. He knows I’m a massive fanboy! Look at him; he’s blushing. We’re all massive fanboys, so it’s been a genuine honor to share the stage. It’s gone down really well. We played a mix, right? We played Blondies, which is a tiny, tiny space. Ultra sweaty. A little sold out show in London, and then we’ve, you know, played here on an enormous stage to loads of people who seem to really enjoy it. So, a real mix.
And Bloodstock in there as well, right? How was that show for you?
Steve: Yeah, it was great. It was a bit unusual in the sense that we’re at the VIP bar. However, we had a packed out tent. Everybody seemed to enjoy it. We got a lot of really, really good feedback, which is fantastic. You know there were various people from other bigger bands that came and chatted to us, which was really, really cool, because they heard us in the VIP and press area and sort of wandered in to see us. So, yeah, it was really cool. Different to the Sophie stage, which we made a couple of years ago, but it’s just an honour to play any of the festivals.
You said the relationship between yourselves and Grady goes back 10-15 years?
Charlie: At least! Yeah, I can’t remember there being a time without having that connection. But it’s all based on the love of Will Haven. It’s an entity that transcends and that legacy. Not only as a massive fan of the music, but of everybody as humans and family. Yeah, just an honor.
Grady, how did it come together from your side in terms of actually performing as part of The Grey and featuring on Kodok as well, the record that dropped this year?
Grady: For ‘Sharpen the Knife’, Charlie sent me over that song and I was, like, oh yeah! I got this. And it, you know, snowballed from there. And then a few months back, just like spitballing, like, oh, you guys are playing festivals, and, shit, I’d like to come out and play. And then I just got committed and made it happen. And here we are and it’s like making the magic. That happens. It’s a total family and it’s been so great.
There was a moment during the set yesterday, Andy, where you gave a sort of short monologue before ‘Chvrch’ that hit people quite hard. From your side, when you deliver words like that, how does that fuel you into the next track, or could it ever throw you off because you get overwhelmed with the emotion of it all?
Andy: So this is interesting, because we’ve been doing that for a while now, and I was starting to doubt whether I should carry on doing it, because it’s now at what point does it become performative? You know what I mean? It kind of came out of a very real situation. I’m not going to go into specifics, but a very good friend, a good friend of the band, took his own life and, and it kind of came out of the grieving process for that. But I really started doing it to contextualise the song and contextualise the emotion. For me, ‘Chvrch’ has always been an incredibly emotional song, so Charlie worked some magic with his guitar playing and the chord progressions, and it always felt emotional to me. It felt natural to tie it to the emotions that the song’s about. But every time I start thinking about stopping doing that and just letting the music talk for itself, somebody comes up to me at a show and says that really touched me, and that was really important. So we keep on doing it. I did edit it down a little bit. Sometimes it’s a little bit longer, but we were a bit short on time, so I got a bit more to the point. Actually, I think it still landed very well.
Steve: Yeah, I mean, it’s genuine. Like, you said, when it becomes, not necessarily a cliche, but a bit par for the course and you’re just doing it for the sake of doing it, then we won’t do it any longer. But, you know, I think it still just resonates with people and. I’m sure at some point it’ll change, or be removed from the set completely. We don’t know, but it is ad hoc, you know; it’s not planned. It’s not the same thing you’re saying on the spot.
Charlie: So, after we played, we were chatting with Dave, Hundred Year Old Man Dave, and as Andy said, it’s dedicated to a real situation, and Dave said he had to have a moment because it hit him like a ton of bricks. It’s a real, emotive subject, and I think it transcends one particular circumstance.
Grady: I felt the same way. You know? That first night of Blondies, I was sitting there, watching them start and play ‘Russians’ and then, yeah, at the beginning of ‘Chvrch’, I was misty-eyed and like feeling the whole emotion of it, and then when the song kicks in, you just let it all go and then just get into the moment.
It connects up for me a little bit as well, thematically, because the Will Haven tracks that you chose to perform being Carpe Diem and Jaworski, if you read the lyrics back to someone for Carpe Diem, it sounds like, and is, this very aggressive piece of music, but it’s like, heartfelt, and it’s about caring for people. And it’s about living your life in a full and full-hearted way.
Grady: Totally. And the whole first line, you know, “Time. How much have I wasted”, you know, that came from when a good friend’s grandfather died, and just seeing him deal with it. You know it’s crazy how you deal with life, emotions, and what life throws at you. And thank god we have this music to channel it into, and get it off our chests.
Charlie: And it brings people together, doesn’t it? It’s an energy and a vibe and emotion.
Grady: We’re not alone. That’s the whole thing. We’re not alone in any of this. We can push it out there and hopefully we reach people, and they get it and. And then take it for themselves and kind of make it for themselves.
Andie from Din Of Celestial Birds has said that watching The Grey perform is kind of a transcendent experience for him. And I just wonder if you have got a band or an artist, that is that for you?
Charlie: Will Haven! [to Grady] Yeah, you owe me that 20 pounds now!
Steve: Russian Circles. I think you’ll struggle to see anybody better in terms of a live situation. I mean, you’ve got Isis, Pelican, and all that sort of thing, but I think when they throw down, it’s Russian Circles.
Grady: I’d say Neurosis. And then piggybacking off that Cult of Luna as well.
Andy: Bringing it back to UK bands, our friends in Hundred Year Old Man. Watching them side-of-stage on Wednesday was genuinely emotional. Fantastic, just a fantastic show! We’ve played with them what, 20 odd times now? Maybe a bit more. Every time you just get lost in the waves of the music, and it’s so well thought through, and the emotional dynamic is, so just carved into every second of the music. It’s a genuine pleasure to watch them play. Plus, Charlie was with them on Wednesday as well, so getting to see him tapping his little bare feet on the stage was beautiful.
Grady: Oh yeah, I got off the stage after playing with them and I had to fucking cry for a little bit. Their music is so emotional and heavy, and it really grips you. Yeah, it sucks you in and you can’t help but feel it.
Andy: Din of Celestial Birds are incredible as well.
Steve: Yeah they’re fucking awesome. They’re always a bunch of fucking sweethearts and a fantastic band.
Andy:The live album was upsettingly good as well.
Talking of which Kodok’s now six months since release? How are you reflecting on the record? Is it how you conceived it or how you thought that it would be once it was fully formed and out in the world? How does it sit with you now?
Steve: I’m really, really happy with it. I think it’s the best representation of us in a live situation. We are a different band live to on record. We do have a certain amount of energy that is difficult to capture on record, and I think, so far, this is the best representation of it, so I’m really, really happy with it. I actually listened to it for the first time back a couple of weeks ago. I put it on in the card on a long drive and just listened to it, and it still sounds amazing! I’m really, really happy with it. And all the guest stuff, you know. We’ve obviously got Grady on it, but then there’s a whole host of people and friends. Ace from Skunk Anansie is on there. We’ve got Ricky Warwick. We’ve got Fatty from Pengshui on there. Paloma [Grady’s wife] as well. Mitch [from Will Haven] did some drumming on it. Jeff from Will Haven, yeah? So, it is a vibe, you know? We do that with our records, you know? We’re lucky enough to know a lot of amazing bands in a really close way and say, look, did you fancy doing anything? It just tends to come naturally, actually, doesn’t it?
Charlie: Yeah, and organically. Like, after this weekend, we’re already talking about what’s next. And then I’m sure that there will be a Hundred Year Old Man collaboration there. And it is true collaboration, because it’s an extended family. And when the time is right, when the music is right, and it’s brought up in an honest conversation. Then, it’s like, let’s do something together, as opposed to chasing people down. And we are so lucky to have friends that get it and add to it. You put it all together, and it just creates something that’s unique, but really harnesses and highlights that particular sound or style. And the whole thing with The Grey is taking so many different influences, sounds, and vibes, and it doesn’t have to be one specific thing, you know. The next album might sound completely different, but it will still be that DNA there. And I think that’s the coolest music; where you can just try and stretch it as far as it will go. You can sit here and talk about all the bands that are Influences or that you admire or respect, who you want to see. You could literally sit here all day and name all these amazing bands. It’s just very lucky to be able to do that and work with some of those people, too.
You’ve said for a long time that working with Will Haven and working with Grady was sort of a dream and something that you’ve realised and you’ve formed this relationship. Is there anyone else that you would love to work with as a band that you haven’t had the chance to so far?
Steve: I always say Aaron Turner, so if I can do anything with Aaron Turner, it’d be fantastic, because Isis were the band that got me into this sort of music. That’s for me, but I’ll let the guys elaborate on what they want to do.
Andy: Oh, there’s all sorts of heavy musicians I’d love to work with. Um, the guys from Botch; I absolutely love Botch. The guys from Dillinger; I’d love to work with them, but I’m gonna go, maybe a bit different. I’m going to go with Jason Swinscoe, who runs a project called The Cinematic Orchestra. It’s a very, very different vibe. It’s much more hip-hoppy kind of trip-hop, but it’s all live instrumentation. It’s stunning. And I reckon him and us could do something genuinely fascinating.
Charlie: Definitely a collaborative writing session with Grady. Maybe get some Mike Patton on there as well, and then maybe get Illaman from Pengshui as well. I think that could be interesting. And then, obviously, Alice in Chains.
What is next for The Grey?
Charlie: So, just before we met up for this we were just discussing the next plans, so I think where we’re at is, we’re all absolutely buzzing from this last couple of weeks. Um, and after the finale yesterday, itt would be foolish not to try and push it as far as we can. So, we’ll definitely be looking at writing and recording some material and just blowing people’s brains away with this next chapter of this union? But actually getting in the studio, I think the earliest that would be is after Christmas, because we’ve got all kinds of shows for the rest of the year. And then it will be the Grey/Haven next chapter and we’ll keep that rolling. Hopefully, get some European Festival dates booked in, much like we’ve done on this run here. It’d be amazing to come back to Arctangent. Obviously, we did Download, which is incredible, Bloodstock, Uprising. We’ve just been so lucky. It’s not even sunk in. Like, when we did the Hundred Year Old Man thing, that was only the you know, two days ago. And then we played yesterday. It’s just, yeah, absolutely bonkers. So it’s just really, you know, being grateful and thankful for all the amazing support, you know, chatting with people like yourselves that dig the music, and just really making the most of that. So more shows, then studio.
Fantastic. And Grady, for you? Have you got plans to relocate so that you can make this thing permanent?
Grady: [Laughs] Yeah, I’ve got at least five years until I retire from my job. But I’m gonna make myself available for whatever they need, because I want to be a part of it for sure.
Andy: On the bus the other day, he said out loud, “Why would anyone leave California”. I don’t think he’s coming here anytime soon!
Grady: It feels like I’m at home right now because it’s so hot!
This collaboration sort of made Damnation happen for you too, right?
Andy: So normally on those forums, it’s either me or Pete that says, “WILL HAVEN”, and then the other one says, “Yeah, that’s a great idea!” Yeah, we are, we are very much stupid fanboys.
Thank you so much for making the time to talk today and enjoy the rest of the festival!