Bloodstock 2015 Interview – Claire Percival and Danny Hall of Dead Label

A few hours after their set at Bloodstock, I had the opportunity to chat to the drummer and guitarist from the Irish metal band Dead Label. We chatted about the upcoming album, any bands they were looking forward to seeing and what advice they would give to a young band.

Thanks to Felicity for organising and the guys for their time.

MT: You guys played on the Sophie Lancaster stage a little earlier today, how did that go?

Danny: It was really really good. There were people as far as the eye could see, and it was a really good crowd.

Claire: The hangovers didn’t seem to hurt anybody as they still rocked, so it was awesome.

MT: What would you say makes you unique as band?

Danny: Well we have a girl drummer so that helps a bit. We’re also a three piece and have a pretty heavy sound. We’re always pushing for a unique sound and trying to do our own thing.

Claire: And we’re Irish.

MT: Have you guys been able to catch any other bands this weekend?

Claire: We saw Trivium on the Friday which we really good. We’ve been fans of them for quite a while.

Danny: We saw a bit of Napalm Death, Delain and Godsized as well. We’ve been fans of Trivium since we were younger and it would be sacrilege to not go and watch their set.

MT: What sort of gear do you use live?

Danny: I use a 6505 through a Laney cab and just crank the gain.

Claire: I use Zildjian cymbals and I have a 20” china which is really loud. I use a DW 9000 pedal which is really good.

MT: Are you working on any new material at the moment?

Danny: We finished recording the new album in Los Angeles last year, which should be coming out soon. We’re just putting the finishing touches to it and we feel as though everything we’ve done has been building up to this.

Claire: We have actually technically started writing for the new album even though we haven’t released the current one. We really enjoy jamming so it kinda happened!

MT: Is the production for this album any different to the previous?

Danny: It’s about 10 times better! It’s been everything we wanted and is spot on. We worked with Chris Rakestraw and he really captured what we wanted.

MT:  And finally, what advice would give to a new band that’s just starting out?

Danny: Make sure you are committed. The most important thing is commitment. You can teach a monkey how to play guitar if he is committed. Just have it in your sights and say “Nothing is going to stop me.”

Claire: Just keep you down and work and hard. Accept that it’s not going to be easy but it will be worth it in the end.

MT: Thank you for your time!

Dead Label: facebook

[Header image courtesy of Fiaz Farrelly, and nabbed from the band’s facebook page]