Paul Love, drummer, producer and one half of London alt indie duo Plastic Barricades tackling the latest questions from The Metal Gods Meltdown:

 

MM: Which two tracks would you play me to introduce us to your Band

 

PL: Oooooh, nice question! I would play stuff from our new album “Self-Theories”, because I feel like this is a really different record from the debut LP. I would play “Optimist” and “Weightless”. I think they show our two sides (we’re a two piece): I like crazy time signatures and chaos and loads of overdubs and vocal harmonies (Optimist) and Dan loves big soaring melodies and evolving chords (Weightless).

  

MM: Can you give us details on tours/festivals for the rest of the year and going into 2020

 

PL:Not right now other than to say there WILL be a tour. We don’t know what it will look like. We might go out as a two piece or we might get a band together with all the fireworks.

 

MM: What can we expect from Plastic Barricades live?

 

PL:A good time. We can’t promise anything more or less at this point. You will have a communal experience.

 

MM: Can u tell me what do you like best about touring and worst?

 

PL:The best things are when venues get your rider right and make you feel welcome and valued; when a new audience who you never knew existed know every word to all of your songs; getting to know the other musicians on the tour aaaaaand the protective bubble of knowing exactly what your point of focus is for each day. Worst things are lack of sleep, airport security, airport shops, Scotland (sorry Scotland, I love you but your gig promoters treat everyone like shit. A multipack of Walker’s crisps and a six pack of beer isn’t a meal), being away from your family and when someone on the tour is a diva the whole time. Luckily I’m the only diva out of the two of us.

 

MM: Who would be your ultimate bands to tour with 

 

PL:Slayer, The Grateful Dead, The Mars Volta. The after gig party would be a hoot.

 

MM: With so many bands out there how do you intend to stand out from the others?

 

PL:I don’t even think about that. We’re just trying to make stuff that excites us.

 

MM: When did you first realise you had such a musical talent and do you remember your first ever performance

 

PL:We don’t have talent; we just keep trying. My first gig was in a pub in the north end of Birkenhead in front of 5 auld drunks with neck hair when I was 13. We played Led Zep and Who covers and called ourselves Fortune Favours Fools. We occasionally still play together once a decade or so.

 

MM: What's the most memorable concert you've been to (other than your own) and why?

 

PL:Deerhoof, Dinosaur Jr. and Flaming Lips at Alexandra Palace in London. I was getting married that summer (it didn’t last) and hadn’t slept in a couple of days. Me and my best mate had spanked a load of acid (and a couple other things) and I found out he had a terrible phobia of balloons (no joke). A few seconds after the chorus of the first Flaming Lips song hit they dropped hundreds of balloons on the audience and I will never forget the look on his face. They just kept dropping balloons again and again and again. Great show. Don’t do drugs, they’re a waste of time. They don’t make you more creative, they make you stare at a cardboard box and think it’s profound. Creativity is an action, not a state of mind.

 

MM: What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment so far with Plastic Barricades

PL:This upcoming album. We wrote, recorded and mixed it all ourselves in a 2x3m shed. It sounds better than that though. We wanted a really honest record. This album’s all about being true to yourself and finding people you connect with.

 

MM:  Which are your two favorite albums of all time and what they have meant to you personally

 

PL:The 2004 version of “Smile” by Brian Wilson. 15 years on it still surprises me every time I hear it. Incredible counterpoints, arrangements, lyrics, production techniques. It’s just so beautiful. I spent a whole year listening to that on repeat on my CD walkman when I was 15. I tried to learn every part. It’s such a masterpiece. Next one isssss… hmmmm…. Life of Pablo by Kanye West. It came out when I split with my ex-wife. I didn’t understand what romantic relationships were supposed to be, I made an advance towards a really great friend and musician after we spent a lot of time on tour when she had a boyfriend and was in a really happy relationship and I was dealing with a massive ego after going on a huge tour around the world. It ruined that friendship and I couldn’t be more sorry for putting her in that position. Kanye really helped me deal with my demons and helped me gain a better understanding of my dark sides and defects. Acknowledging your downsides is the only thing that will help you deal with them so… thanks Kanye! You helped me crawl out of a car crash. Ultralight Beam is one of the greatest songs of the past 20 years.

 

MM: Where would you like to see yourselves in 5 years time ?

 

PL:Don’t know about Dan but I’d like to have a farm in the south of France with a studio and a platinum record on the wall and a Grammy on the shelf. Let’s see. I want my wife and kid to be happy.

 

MM: Four words to describe Plastic Barricades

 

PL:A real life band

 

MM: Can you tell me why we should check out Plastic Barricades

 

PL:We don’t care about Instagram, fashion, charts, trends, cool, zeitgeist, youtube, snapchat. tik tok, mailing lists, facebook likes, politics or any of that bullshit. We just want to live in peace and harmony and give music to the world. If that sounds like your kind of thing, come and join us.

 

 

PL:Plastic Barricades’ new single “One for the Road” out on the 1st of October!

 

 

Romantic and honest, gloomy and curious, melodic and melancholic, Plastic Barricades chronicle life in the troubled yet fascinating XXI century, asking questions and trying to find answers. Inspired and influenced by almighty Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Oasis, Coldplay, Muse, Death Cab for Cutie, Placebo, Nirvana and many others, the band loves to experiment with styles, sound and approach.

 

Based in North-West London, Plastic Barricades are Dan Kert on guitars, keyboards and vocals and Paul Love on drums. Debut album “Mechanics of Life” was released in September 2017 and is available on Spotify.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.plasticbarricades.eu/

 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/71tNyY0qX5fNgTsoXD0r3t?si=8aBjbWqERm-knrID7wni2Q

 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plasticbarricades/

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plasticbarricades

 

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/plasticbarricades