Fatal Taunt
Interview
So what do you do, exactly, when the new-found love in your life decides to leave the country on your birthday? Well, being completely horrified by the thought of killing time in my own company or, worse still, in the company of my friends or family, I decided I would do something a little different this year…
Fatal Taunt were playing at The George in Salisbury over the weekend, and I’d been personally invited to join the band on the road. I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my birthday in my little sweetie-pie’s absence… in my defence, she quite obviously packed my brain along with her bikini!
So, while my girlie was spending the big day in far away sunny land, probably topless, probably enjoying the local tipples and most definitely enjoying a well-earned break from yours truly, I was about to trust my life in the hands of a rock ‘n’ roll band, well for the next couple of days at least.
‘Be good’, she said… ‘Have a nice time’, she said…
I wasn’t, but I did!
How did you think the show went down tonight, guys and gal?
Kelly: We rrraawwkkkeedddd!!! It really was one hell of a night. Of course, everyone got a weeeee bit pissed, so we were all trashing around like crazy things towards the end!!
Dave: I agree with Kelly – it was awesome! Everything went fantastic. I couldn’t get over the overwhelming response from the crowd, especially from those who were hearing us play for the first time. Everyone enjoyed themselves, and it’s certainly an experience I won’t forget in a hurry… can’t wait to go back….
Steve: Yeah, I’d say it was our best gig ever… I think we’re all agreed on that. I’m not sure what it is, but whenever we play this venue, the crowd seems to go mental!
Kyle: Absolutely awesome gig! It was a real blast playing here, and again, the response from the audience was fantastic. I gotta say though, watching you fall through those fire doors ended the night perfectly for me!
Ahhh… so it’s all true then? That actually happened?
Karl: Oh yes… (laughter) very true (more laughter)… last night, after the show! Dave sat outside guarding our gear… he saw it all! (yet more laughter) You flew out of the emergency exit… backwards… and landed flat on your arse in the middle of the street! You got up, completely unfazed, and stomped back to the bar for another pint… you were very, VERY, drunk last night Jules!
Oh well… moving on… From where did the name Fatal Taunt originate?
Dave: That’s Kyle’s baby. I have no idea what he was thinking about when he blurted it out!
Kyle: Well… I was reading one of those crime scene investigation magazine-type- things, and came across a story about some dorky kid who sort revenge on his school bullies by mowing everybody down with a machine gun! The story was called ‘The Fatal Taunts’…
What are the main influences behind your music?
Kelly: The bassist, of course!
Dave: Well… Pink Floyd, System of a Down… oh, and various movie soundtracks are my greatest songwriting influences for the band (great contrasting instrument parts and moods).
Steve: Let me see… [Iron] Maiden… Stone Sour… Rammstien… Goo Goo Dolls… We wear our influences for all to see, but we still like to think of our material as original in its own right.
So… Steve… How does it feel to share a hotel room with a half-naked male groupie (i.e. the wrong-half-naked me)!?
Steve: Very, very, wrong, Jules… just very, VERY wrong!
Well… that’s ok, then… but just so you know, it wasn’t my fault… So… ah-hem… What are the influences and inspirations behind the lyrics?
Kelly: Me!
Steve: Life experiences, mainly… don’t get me wrong, though – I’m very happy with life on the whole, but I don’t think anyone has to look that far to start feeling angry or pissed off with something. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs and if something reminds me of a bad time, I take the opportunity to write a few lines… while I’m still absorbed in the moment.
There is a wide age range between the band members of Fatal Taunt. Do you feel this has any influence on the material the band produces?
Dave: We all have different musical tastes, but it’s not directly reflected by our ages.
Is it true that Kyle has absolutely no idea whatsoever what a snare is?
Kyle: (sniggers sarcastically) … something you use to trap animals with…?
What is your favourite venue at the moment?
Karl: At the moment, that would have to be the legendary TJ’s in Newport. It really is a superb place to play. Loads of famous bands such as The Damned, Undertones, The Buzzcocks, Green Day, Manic Street Preachers, Oasis, Offspring, and Skunk Anansie have played at TJ’s, so we always feel quite humbled to be a part of the club’s history, so to speak.
And which venues would you like the opportunity to play at in the future?
Kyle: Everywhere and anywhere! Somewhere across the water, like France or Belgium? It’s all about having fun though, both for us and the audience. As long as everyone has a great time, I don’t mind where we play in particular.
Can you give me a little history behind the formation of the band?
Karl: Well, I suppose the foundations of the band were originally laid by Dave and myself, around January 2005. We started jamming together – kind of just messing about with tunes and stuff. It wasn’t until Kyle joined us a little later on that we decided we would have a serious crack and forming a proper line-up. Kelly joined us around September 2006 followed shortly by Steve. Until Steve joined, however, we concentrated primarily on playing covers, such as Greenday, Godsmack, Metallica and [Black] Sabbath, but quickly progressed to writing our own material.
What is your favourite/least favourite track to perform live, and why?
Kelly: My favourite would have to be either ‘Victim of a Parasite’ or ‘Underground’. Both these tracks are so full of energy! They really get me going for a fluid performance… I’ll have two favourites, then… ’cause I’m a greedy bitch!
Kyle: I agree with Kelly here, both these tracks are a real joy to perform and seem to get the biggest response from the audience. My least favourite is probably ‘Run and Hide’.
Dave: ‘Cling to the Outside’ would be my favourite. I wrote this track at the same time as my second favourite ‘Walk on Water’, though it went through a few re-writes before it finally got performed live. It’s a very heavy track compared to our other material. Least favourite? That would have to be ‘Fatal Taunt’. It doesn’t work so well on a live set as it requires dual lead guitars over a rhythm in order to do the song justice. You’ll notice there’s only two of us playing guitar up there.
Steve: We’ve been in the fortunate position of being able to tweak a lot of our original material if we feel the need, though as the band moves forward we know we’re not always going to have that luxury. At the moment we can safely say we love to perform all the songs in our set.
Dave. As lead guitarist of the band, who do you look to for inspiration?
Dave: Most definitely David Gilmour (for his uncanny ability to pour so much emotion into every single note he plays) and Dimebag Darrell (the best shredder on the face of the planet!).
I’m considering starting a band of my own. Any tips?
Kyle: (points and laughs silently)
Kelly: Learn to hum and learn to play the triangle! Oh… and try to keep your clothes on, stay away from fire exits, and stay very well clear of female bassists with cans of Coke!
Dave: (leaves the room shaking his head).
Guest article from Julian H.
Written by Guest Writers on
