It's My Kind of Interview - Rob Grace (Neon Wolf)

 

Neon Wolf!

You might remember reading about Neon Wolf in one of our 'New To The Scene' posts earlier in the month. We here at It's My Kind of Scene have been big fans of their song 'All Of it's Yours' and eagerly await a listen of their debut EP, Love Lost In Design, which should be out RIGHT NOW for their Irish fans. Through the wonders of the internet, I've been able to have a wee little chat (see what I did there? I'm practically Irish) with Rob Grace, Neon Wolf's vocalist, so today you get the return of 'It's My Kind of Interview!' We had a chat about the Irish music scene, the band's shiny new EP and what the rest of the year will be like for Neon Wolf. Rob was a gentleman and a scholar, as you'll see with his refusal to acknowledge that one of my questions is actually a statement. He was also kind enough not to deride quite possibly the most convoluted question I've ever had the pleasure of asking an artist. I'll give you a hint; it involves Prince. Enjoy!

 

Q. We always start with an easy one, so... what music are you listening to at the moment? 


Rob: At the moment a few albums that I'm currently listening to are The Horrors - Skying, Pulp - His 'n' Hers, Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls, A Flock of Seagulls - Greatest Hits and The Jezabels - Prisoner. 


Q. You've had a big couple of months, releasing your first music video for 'All Of it's Yours' and your debut EP, Love Lost In Design. Talk us through the past couple of years for Neon Wolf and how you've come to this point. 


Rob: We started as a band in January 2010 but Stevie (guitar) had a ticket booked to New Zealand and was gone by June. He thankfully didn't spend the full year out there and came back after six months. We got going again by December and have been writing, gigging and planning for this moment ever since. It's been exciting, having our first video online and also building up to the EP release. We can't wait to get it out there!


Q. Looking forward, what's next for the band in 2012? Is there a tour planned to promote the EP?


Rob: Yeah there's going to be an Irish tour. We're still relatively new so there's lots of places we haven't played. Over the next three weekends we'll be playing in 10 or 11 places all over Ireland which is something that's totally new to us but we're really excited! We've also started to think about the next single and video! 


Q. What are your thoughts on the current Irish music scene? Any other emerging Irish bands we should be keeping our eyes on?

 

Rob: I think the Irish music scene is the best it's been in years. We've had acts like Villagers, Two Door Cinema Club and James Vincent McMorrow all break out internationally, which is great for upcoming acts. I hope it brings a bit more spotlight on the talent that's here. As for emerging acts, there's loads of great music and of all different styles. I'd recommend Last Days of 1984, Tieranniesaur, Land Lovers, Band on an Island and We Are Losers.  


Q. Congratulations! You've been selected to play the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury for a one hour set. You've got an early evening slot and you're playing after Prince, but who cares? It's Glastonbury! Clearly you're excited... but... you've just received news you've also been selected by Bono himself to support U2's only show for the year in Ireland. Guess what? It's the same night as Glastonbury! Irish pride or showing up Prince at the world's biggest music festival? What's it going to be and why? 


Rob: That's a tough one! Playing after a legend like Prince would be a courageous move but it would be crazy to turn down a slot at Glastonbury. Also playing to an Irish crowd with U2 would be pretty cool as well. I don't know, if I had to say i'd probably go with the Glastonbury slot only because it sounds completely mental, playing after Prince at the biggest festival in the world... I'm getting deja-vu, I think I dreamt about something similar before, I woke up thinking I was mad! 


Q. So when are you coming to Australia then? We enjoy good music...


Rob: Right now that's only a dream. We would love to have an opportunity to play some gigs over there! We've yet to play outside Ireland, for now I think we'll take baby steps and hopefully one day get the opportunity to do that!  


Thanks for stopping by Rob! To check out Neon Wolf's upcoming tour dates, you can go to their Facebook page. They've got an upcoming show with Alabama Shakes in Dublin on May 5 which is guaranteed to be awesome. Go, pick up a copy of their EP... and then post it to me. Deal.