Bullet For My Valentine

Mon 5th Jan, 2009 in Features

For a band that’s only been around for a few years, Bullet For My Valentine have a pretty impressive CV. Their debut album The Poison sold over a million copies worldwide. They’ve shared the stage with Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and Iron Maiden. And their 2008 follow-up Scream Aim Fire went gold in the UK, on its way to a top ten chart spots around the world.

Now they’re bringing their ferocious live show to the Big Day Out, and FasterLouder spoke to drummer Michael Thomas about playing live and the natural evolution of their sound.

The new album has cracked the top ten in many countries, including Australia, and I asked Thomas how it felt to crack the big time. “Yeah, it was really good. It went like top ten all around the world. I think that’s great, that’s a lot of people who are listening to us and liking what we do.”

So, what made Scream Aim Fire so popular? “It’s a lot heavier. The songs are more dynamic and stronger over all. There was an evolution that just happened really naturally.” Some bands have all the luck.

So, what about the next album? More evolution on the way? “After Australia and New Zealand, we’re going to take some time off, and just write a bunch of songs. We don’t really choose a direction; it’s just something that happens generically.”

And with the Bullet For My Valentine frenetic and energetic live show, I was wondering if they ever have some trouble getting themselves fired up for the show? “No, not really. Matthew [Tuck – frontman] will do his vocal warm-ups, and we’ll knock back a couple of beers. But that’s about it; I guess it just comes really naturally to us.” Once again, lucky for some.

I asked Thomas which kind of show he prefers to play, festivals or house shows, and for once, someone actually committed to an answer. “Personally, I prefer our own shows. Festivals are nice to play, and you can play to a lot of people, but with your own show, you know the people are there for you, and you can put your full stage show on, and do a proper sound check. So I definitely like our own shows.”

Bullet For My Valentine is coming out to Australia for the Big Day Out tour, along with a couple of sideshows, and I wanted to know who Thomas was looking forward to playing next to on the tour? “Definitely the Prodigy. I’m a huge fan.”

And what is one of Thomas’ favourite festivals to play? “I enjoyed playing Rock Am Ring in Germany, and the Download festival in England. It’s just the fact that so many great bands have played there over the years – there’s a real sense of history there.”

And what else is in the future for Bullet? Any side projects on the horizon? “No, definitely not. It’s 100% Bullet at the moment. It’d be nice to have a break and have a year off. But at the moment, things are going so well for us, so we’re going to keep at it, and make sure we keep that momentum up.”

Bullet For My Valentine plays the Big Day Out tour and select sideshows this month. See Gig Guide listings below for details.