Interview: Jack Taylor of Bangover

1. Competition is rough in the music industry, what is your band doing to grow and continue to reach for success?

Bangover has always been about a group of friends doing something that they love. The band is our hobby and whilst we take it seriously we all have careers and lives separate to our music. I have always said that the minute you start competing against your fellow musicians is the moment that music loses its magic. Sure, we’ve done battle of the bands before, but in terms of striving for success and beating out the competition, we are pretty chilled. We play our shows, make the music we love, and we have a good time doing it. If something comes from it, then brilliant. If not, then brilliant anyway.

2. If someone goes to one of your concerts, what do you think they should know going in?

Our idea of a dark half-empty room of people gently bobbing their heads in the corner waiting to get the last train home is our idea of hell. High energy and crowd interaction may sound a little cliché in this day and age, but we want people to smile and to laugh during our set, even if it is metal and people like to hail Satan, etc. Having said that, musically we aren’t a joke band and technically there is also something to admire, we hope!

3. What is your dream tour or festival?

Our dream was to play Bloodstock festival, and we achieved this with the Metal to the Masses competition in 2017. We would love to go back as it’s our spiritual home. Any of the other major festivals (Download, Wacken, Metaldays) would be amazing, and we are desperate to tour somewhere in the world. Being big in Japan would be very cool.

4. If you could collaborate with any musician, who would you choose?

It’s a tough one, I’m sure we all have different answers, but collectively as a band, it would be Slayer. Another cliché (thrash band loves Slayer, how original), but they’re the ones who started it all for us.

5. Out of every concert you have been to, who are the best live bands?

If you’re looking for a mosh, then Hatebreed are my personal favorite. I’m not even really into hardcore or whatever genre they are but live they are unbelievable. Anthrax always put on a great live show also. Departing from metal, I saw Aerosmith at Download a year or two ago – that was unforgettable.

6. Who are some of your biggest influences?

Slayer, Exodus, Anthrax, Testament, Iron Maiden, Priest, Evile, Gama Bomb, All the German thrash bands, Suicidal Angels…anything thrash/death/power really.

7. When did you first start playing music, and how did that come together to lead you to where you are today?

I started playing guitar when I was 14. As an awkward, chubby nerd at school, I had to find my own entertainment at times, and the guitar provided this. As my ability increased, I moved on from blues and classic rock to metal, and it was at that point, I started searching for a band. In 2011 we all met on the now deceased http://www.ukthrash.co.uk. We spoke for some time and quickly realized we had a shared vision musically. At the time it was a little awkward as I didn’t ask the other guys ages. I was 21, and they were 14 and 15, which was a surprise when we met in person. It all turned out fine though and although we’ve gone through a number of lineup changes since then we are still going strong.

8. What are your plans for the rest of the year for the band?

Promote the album, get new gigs and write new material! If anyone reading this has anything to offer then, please do get in touch at jack_taylor1@hotmail.com. You can also find all of our music and links at www.bangoverthrash.com. It’s really easy to share with others.

Thank you to Rogue PR and Jack Taylor for the interview.

Image provided by Bangover/’Rogue PR