#RoadToWildfire2018 – Walkway

Much like we endeavour every year before Bloodstock, this year, for Scotland’s Wildfire Festival which kicks off on 22nd June, we’re interviewing every band set to play the stages of Wiston. You get to hear (or read) right from the horse’s mouth who you should be watching over the course of the weekend.

Previous years have seen some excellent acts grace the stages as our reviews can attest to and trust us when we say this year is no different! So get reading and listening so you can plan your coffee/beer/food breaks accordingly…

Our thanks to all the bands for taking the time out to answer our questions!

Walkway

Simple things first – where are you guys from?

Walkway hail from East Anglia in England. Our hometown being Diss, which is slap bang between Norwich and Ipswich.

How long have you been playing together as a band?

Myself and James (brother and lead guitarist) started Walkway eleven years ago, even though we’re still in our twenties. The line-up has changed since then, however we have both been together from the start.

Where does the name of the band come from?

James came up with the name Walkway from the Gary Moore classic “Parisienne Walkways”. We felt the name had a great ring to it and it went hand in hand with the logo that we had designed.

Describe your music. What makes you unique?

We take influence from the great rock bands from the 70s and 80s.
Aerosmith, Def Leppard, Eagles, Van Halen are some of our main influences, however we’re not just another 70s/80s throwback. We have our own unique and modern sound but are predominantly a guitar band with big vocals and harmonies. Rob Evans from Powerplay Magazine described us as “They’ve harmonies to rival Def Leppard, riffs by the truckload and choruses to die for,” and we think that sums us up pretty well.

What’s your live show like? Why should people watch you?

We always give 110% at every show and we don’t just play our music, we perform it too. Crowds always compliment us on how energetic we are and also make a point of saying, “It’s nice to watch a band that look like they actually enjoy themselves on stage”.

Have you played Wildfire before? If so, when?

We’ve never played Wildfire Festival before, but have heard so many good things! We seriously can’t wait!

What sort of setlist can we expect?

We have three albums out, so expect material from each record. Predominately from our third album, WWIII, which we released last year. We might even chuck in our tribute to Status Quo’s Rick Parfitt which we included on WWIII with our cover of the Quo classic “Rain”.

Which band are you most looking forward to seeing?

We hardly ever get any time to watch other bands as we’re always out playing ourselves, but there are so many names on the line-up that we’ve come across. We’re looking forward to seeing Lionheart, especially as we’re friends with their new singer Jimi Anderson. Jimi’s a lovely guy and a fantastic vocalist, so we’re looking forward to seeing him in his new band.

What have you got planned for the second half of 2018?

Touring, touring, touring! We’re booked throughout the year so a lot of our time will be spent travelling around the UK, however we’re working on some exciting things behind the scenes which we’re looking forward to getting our teeth stuck into. All of that plus writing more Walkway material!

What’s been the highlight for the band’s career so far?

It has to be supporting Status Quo. We’ve been fortunate enough to play with the guys (electric and “aquostic”) numerous times over the last few years and we opened up the first UK shows of Rick’s last tour. We were scheduled to be working with Rick on his solo project for which myself and James had written some tracks ready to be submitted. Rick was a fan of the band and a truly lovely person. With his passing it’s made the shows we played with him and Quo that even more special.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?

In all honesty, we’re not your typical wild rock band, however from watching other artists, Tommy Lee’s Drum kit rollercoaster on the final Crüe tour was pretty insane.

If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!

We’ve all said that we’d love to support Aerosmith or Nickelback (two big influences of ours), and two bands that we absolutely love. In terms of on before us, we’ve had a band from Staffordshire called Jessie’s Divide open for us a couple of times. They’re a really fun band and on top of that, seriously nice guys, which goes a long, long way. What a show that would be!

What day/time are you playing at Wildfire? (If you have your slot yet!)

We haven’t received our slot yet!

Pistonhead Lager, Cloven Hoof rum or Thistly Cross cider? And yes, we’ll be counting the votes!

Cider every time!

Walkway: official | facebook | twitter | instagram | youtube

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments