On Friday myself and some friends went to see Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, and I managed to bag myself the amazing opportunity to both meet and interview the band! Red Jumpsuit Apparatus are a rock band from Florida who this year celebrated 10 years together as a band and to celebrate this they have just released their brand new EP, Et Tu, Brute. Their music is a real mixture of heavy rock, upbeat songs and some beautiful moving songs as well - you'll find a variety when listening to their music, which means you're bound to find something you like.
I've been a fan of RJA for a long, long time now - since I was 17, I think! When I discovered they were touring - and willing to do interviews - I jumped at the chance. With the gig being in Milton Keynes and the fact that I've recently been in talks with a local company to produce/create a show all about local music (awesome right?! I've kept it quiet but now that I've actually began doing interviews and such I'll put up a proper blog post about it soon!), it was obvious I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Tickets were only £8.50 and I couldn't believe how lucky I was!
I've been a fan of RJA for a long, long time now - since I was 17, I think! When I discovered they were touring - and willing to do interviews - I jumped at the chance. With the gig being in Milton Keynes and the fact that I've recently been in talks with a local company to produce/create a show all about local music (awesome right?! I've kept it quiet but now that I've actually began doing interviews and such I'll put up a proper blog post about it soon!), it was obvious I couldn't pass up this opportunity. Tickets were only £8.50 and I couldn't believe how lucky I was!
...Until it came to arranging transport to and fro the venue. Turns out it's actually on the outskirts of Milton Keynes and despite being about half an hour drive away, any buses or trains to Wolverton would be a journey of between one to three hours! Madness! I was determined though and eventually managed to get a lift sorted out with two guys from Luton who we actually hung out with at the gig and became friends with which was nice.
Once we got there I found out the tour manager had put me and a plus one down for free entry! I told some dude that we'd prearranged to do the interview at 8pm so he pointed me in the direction of the merch guy and told me to speak to him. So we went and bought some drinks and on the way back the guy grabbed me and was like 'Here I'll show you who you have to speak to' so I was like 'Ah right awesome'. So me and Amy followed him and he took us through some door and down some darkly lit corridor (dodgy right!) and opened a door to the backstage/dressing room area where the band were! I was like whoa I didn't realize I was seeing them now ha. I actually only got to interview two members of the band as the others were at the hotel, but I'm actually quite pleased about this because they were hilarious and really hot, ha.
Joey, myself and John with the addition of Eve in a couple of photosI then realized I'd forgotten my written down interview questions (I'm such a div) but this was a blessing in disguise! They were so chatty that the interview just flowed, I didn't have to stop and try and remember anything and I think that's a sign of a great interview (I hope!). My cheeks actually hurt from laughing so much, they were really friendly and kept talking to us for ages after we'd completed the interview. They seemed genuinely interested in us as well, it's hard to explain but they were asking us questions as well and I really liked that. I didn't feel like a fan but more like a friend if that makes sense. I was also really pleased with myself because I wasn't nervous at all and since interviewing I've found I actually really enjoy it! I think I've found my true calling ;)
After we finally got back into the main room to watch the other bands (John & Joey kept talking to us for ages and ages haha!) the guys we were with thought we'd got lost because we'd been that long! So we just chilled out and watched the other bands until Red Jumpsuit Apparatus came on.
When RJA came on the atmosphere just went mad, bear in mind I've been a fan of this band since 2007 so I was so happy. Everyone just kind of charged forward and started moshing. The band truly were amazing, the lead singer has such a unique voice but sounds just as amazing live as he does on record. They were really awesome and very energetic, putting everything into their performance. They clearly love what they do (well that much is obvious) but they really genuinely seemed to enjoy performing for us which was great! They played a few old favourites and some of their most popular songs such as Face Down and Your Guardian Angel. The performance of Your Guardian Angel was particularly emotional and moving and everyone just kind of stopped rocking out and instead listened intently to this song, it was a really beautiful performance and nice to see everyone else obviously thinking so as well. They also played a few songs from their brand new EP which I absolutely love. They were just absolutely amazing. After a bit people were moshing and pushing way too much so we moved and managed to watch side stage ;). I love moshing to bands, it's just the way you listen to them really, but I can't say I'm a fan of when the crowd creates a huge circle and just mosh/push each other in it. It's okay if you're not in the circle, but I found that Friday night some people were quite rough and pushing people really hard and so we had loads of people falling into us. After about the third time we decided to move cause men are heavy and they kept falling into us girls :(
When RJA came on the atmosphere just went mad, bear in mind I've been a fan of this band since 2007 so I was so happy. Everyone just kind of charged forward and started moshing. The band truly were amazing, the lead singer has such a unique voice but sounds just as amazing live as he does on record. They were really awesome and very energetic, putting everything into their performance. They clearly love what they do (well that much is obvious) but they really genuinely seemed to enjoy performing for us which was great! They played a few old favourites and some of their most popular songs such as Face Down and Your Guardian Angel. The performance of Your Guardian Angel was particularly emotional and moving and everyone just kind of stopped rocking out and instead listened intently to this song, it was a really beautiful performance and nice to see everyone else obviously thinking so as well. They also played a few songs from their brand new EP which I absolutely love. They were just absolutely amazing. After a bit people were moshing and pushing way too much so we moved and managed to watch side stage ;). I love moshing to bands, it's just the way you listen to them really, but I can't say I'm a fan of when the crowd creates a huge circle and just mosh/push each other in it. It's okay if you're not in the circle, but I found that Friday night some people were quite rough and pushing people really hard and so we had loads of people falling into us. After about the third time we decided to move cause men are heavy and they kept falling into us girls :(
I did pop back into the 'mosh' pit (well I went to the front where I wouldn't get pushed) a few times to rock out to a few of my favourite songs, but it was fun being side stage. I think although I felt really awesome and had a great view of the band, I did prefer the atmosphere actually on the 'dance' floor with everyone else, but alternating between the two was just right.
It was just one of those really great raw gigs that you simply cannot help but just let go with the music - the venue wasn't big, but I loved that fact. You could get right up close and personal with the band whilst they performed and with everyone pushing and moving together so closely, it was just really intimate in a really great way. Sometimes with bigger venues you miss out on that feeling.
It was just one of those really great raw gigs that you simply cannot help but just let go with the music - the venue wasn't big, but I loved that fact. You could get right up close and personal with the band whilst they performed and with everyone pushing and moving together so closely, it was just really intimate in a really great way. Sometimes with bigger venues you miss out on that feeling.
I was sad when it was over, I felt like their set finished far too quickly - not because it wasn't a long set but just because I enjoyed it so much! Afterwards we got to meet them again and get some more photos. They had asked if we were sticking around but after literally twenty minutes the venue was closing so that paired with the fact that I had work this morning meant that my plans of partying with the rockstars didn't go ahead :(
But overall if I'm really honest it was probably one of the best gigs I've ever been to (and I've been to a lot!) - not just because I met them but because they are such a genuinely talented band and the atmosphere was just amazing. And with everything combined - the performance, the atmosphere, meeting & interviewing them, making new friends, being in good company and just having such a fun night - I would probably say it was one of the best nights of my life too. It's a night that stands out as just being genuinely really awesome and I'll always remember it.
Please note, all photos and the video in this post are completely copyright to me (excluding the screen shot of their Tweet!) so please do not take them or use them without my permission or without crediting me - thank you!
Please note, all photos and the video in this post are completely copyright to me (excluding the screen shot of their Tweet!) so please do not take them or use them without my permission or without crediting me - thank you!
I will be uploading the actual interview at some point soon, as well as an outfit post so keep your eyes peeled :) Do you like Red Jumpsuit Apparatus? What was the last gig you went to? Let me know in the comments below!
Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have just released their brand new EP, Et Tu, Brute which can be downloaded/previewed here. The band are also currently touring the UK.
P.S Check out the Music tag for more gig reviews and music related posts!
