Wolf Gang Q&A - Page 2

Nattatouille · 06-07-2012, 09:57 AM

Alright guys, only a few more hours to get those questions in before I compile them all and send them off for answering!

Weehunt112 · 06-07-2012, 02:56 PM

Beatles or Stones?
Blur or Oasis?

Nattatouille · 07-07-2012, 09:05 PM

It's all over and sent off. Thanks everyone that has submitted questions. I will post the answers as soon as I get them.

Nattatouille · 17-07-2012, 07:39 PM

Hey everybody. Max has kindly responded to the majority of the questions we posed and has just returned them all to me.

I'd just like to thank you all for taking the time to submit questions and things to make this so successful.

--------------------------

How did you come up with the name Wolf Gang? Would you change it if you could?

My sister came up with the name actually, and for a while it caused a bit of confusion with Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All fans which made me sometimes think of changing it even though we were the first to use it, but that problem has sort of died out since and I'm happy that we are rolling with it. It wouldn't feel right changing it.

Who/what inspires you to make music?

I've always been inspired by my parents record collection, that mixture of songs from the 70's and 80's that had real melody,verve and personality to it. I grew up in a musical family as well so there was inspiration and encouragement all around me.

Where has been your favourite place to play so far (both as a support and as your own headliner)?

Well we've just come off the Coldplay tour and that is definitely the best and most fun support we've done, in terms of headline shows, we had an amazing one in Vienna last December which was brilliant, the crowd has so much enthusiasm it made the whole night so much fun.

Is it really true that ‘Suego Faults’ came to you in a dream? Have you been anywhere else in your dreams?

Yes it is, and yes I do, as I'm sure most people do, surely everyone is well travelled when it comes to the realm of dreams?!

What is your favourite and least favourite track on ‘Suego Faults’?

I don't have favourites actually, retrospectively I think that there are powerful moments and weak moments in each song.

Do you have any pre/post gig rituals?

We do a vocal warm up about 40 minutes before we go on, then we just sort of dance around and get ourselves geared up.

Can you give us any updates on how the second album is coming along? Will this tour with Coldplay influence you in any way?

Yeh the writing is going well, we've got a good few songs under our belt and it doesn't seem to be slowing down so that's encouraging. We watched Coldplay's set almost every night and it was interesting to start paying more attention to how the songs are structured and propped up instrumentally, who knows maybe some of what we learned will subconsciously drift into our own songwriting...

Do you plan on touring the USA extensively to support your second album (if so, can you come to Pawtucket, RI)?

Actually we are still playing to support the first record as releases in Britain and the US are delayed. The radio stations out there are still playing singles from the first album so we'll be headed back out in October to do our own headline tour of the east and west coasts, and the bulk of our set will be primarily derived from Suego Faults.

In a typically difficult American market to crack, what are the advantages and disadvantages of opening for a massively popular act in front of an audience largely unfamiliar with your work? How do you approach this differently to your festival sets (such as your captivating set at Coachella) or your own shows in terms of audience engagement and setlist choices?

Opening for Coldplay has been massively advantageous in spreading our music in the US, I think radio stations used it as a reason to play our music, Coldplay fans who weren't aware of us left the show and got in touch on twitter and Facebook, our album downloads spiked during the tour. I don't want to jinx anything but hopefully our shows where we supported them will be quite busy because of that exposure the band allowed us, so I couldn't stress enough how positive for us that tour was! In terms of our setlist, we kept it short and punchy like the Coachella show, I think when you're playing to a largely unfamiliar audience it's better to leave them wanting more rather than to overexpose yourself.

When you moved from London to Berlin, did it change your attitude and approach to music?

It didn't really change my attitude, it was quite simply a pragmatic move to go somewhere where I could be in an empty room with a piano every day and not have distractions around me! What was great though was the band came and joined me, and we really hit upon a sound that we have since followed up on, it did seem to set a precedent for the songwriting for the second album out there…

How is it you came to open for Coldplay?

I think it came through Guy Berryman the bass player who had heard and liked the album.

What is your favourite Coldplay song? And why did you choose to cover ‘Life is for Living’ before going on tour with them?

There are so many songs I love it's hard to choose a favourite but 'Amsterdam' does something special for me. Covering 'Life Is For Living' was just a spur of the moment thing, it's a nice and short number too...

What is your favourite memory of the tour so far?

There are so many, playing the first night was really adrenaline filled, meeting the band was awesome, the long drives through beautiful stretches of land, meeting our fans out there, there were loads of really nice moments.

How has watching Coldplay perform changed the way you view your own shows? Do you want to get to stadium tours one day?

Oh absolutely! It's very inspirational watching the performance. As a frontman it's great to watch Chris, he moves around so much and genuinely seems to be really enjoying himself up there, which is so infectious.

What is it like to tour with Coldplay? Would you do it again?

We would hands down love to do it again some time, the whole experience was amazing, and their crew were the nicest people to work with ever.

How did you prepare yourself for a tour like this?

We didn't smoke and we didn't drink…

Do you spend any time with the members of the band? Do you find that strange?

We bumped into them a few times backstage which was nice, it was great to be able to thank them in person for having us. They all seem really chilled out and down to earth. But it was nice to shake the hand of someone who you genuinely really respect.

What are your plans once you have finished touring with Coldplay?

We're back to writing more songs, we have a couple of European dates, then the American tour in October!

Violet · 17-07-2012, 08:29 PM

Finally! I've been anxiously waiting for this ever since you sent the questions off.

Thanks so much for setting this up, Natt! It's really cool to be able to have those sorts of interviews with people firsthand. If you ever get the chance to talk to him again, could you please tell him that I said I'm sorry for asking all the really bizarre, creepy questions? In hindsight, I realize I probably shouldn't have asked them.

Thanks again!

lisaw23 · 17-07-2012, 08:51 PM

That was fantastic!
I had heard one or two of their songs on XM radio and liked them, but seeing the band on this tour really got me interested and hooked into their music. Thanks for posting!

Nattatouille · 18-07-2012, 02:26 PM

Quote:
Originally Posted by violetsparks;5361731
Finally! I've been anxiously waiting for this ever since you sent the questions off.

Thanks so much for setting this up, Natt! It's really cool to be able to have those sorts of interviews with people firsthand. If you ever get the chance to talk to him again, could you please tell him that I said I'm sorry for asking all the really bizarre, creepy questions? In hindsight, I realize I probably shouldn't have asked them.

Thanks again!

Hah, Max literally returned them to me last night-- which was kind of better as I've been in Spain the last week

Don't worry about it though, he's a pretty cool guy and I'm sure they won't have been received that creepy-- tbh, I thought they were fine so... But still I will say something if it would make you feel better.

Violet · 18-07-2012, 06:44 PM

Well, if you didn't think they were creepy, I guess he might not, either. I trust your judgment, Natt.

Tash · 18-07-2012, 09:23 PM

Another Q&A, with Coldplay.com

-----------------

Wolf Gang interview
18 July 2012 9:13 pm
Max McElligott tells us about the band's recent support slots

London four-piece Wolf Gang supported Coldplay on the latest leg of the band's Mylo Xyloto tour in North America. We asked frontman Max McElligott to tell us how they got on.

Hi Max, how are you?
Very well thank you!

You've reached the end of your dates with Coldplay, how have they been?
We had the most amazing time, it really exceeded our expectation of how it would be, which was already pretty high!

For Coldplay fans who haven't yet heard Wolf Gang, what do you sound like?
I suppose we play melodic rock/pop, our set for these dates was pretty upbeat/romantic, we don't shy away from big choruses.

You Tube

Was this the first time you'd done an arena tour?
Yes it was, we've played to large crowds for one-off supports with the likes of the Killers or at festivals, but this was the first time where each night our workplace was a huge arena!

How was it playing in these big venues?
Well let's just say it really gets the adrenaline going... you can't see everyone's face like at a smaller show, but you still feel an overall presence that is quite empowering.

Presumably you have to approach support shows slightly different to headline ones?
Actually we put as much energy into a support as we do with a headline show, you won't see us shying away from the dancing and the falling around the stage just because it's not our show! Obviously you don't play for as long, but that just means you have to use up all the energy in a shorter amount of time...

Do you think there's an art to playing a good support show?
When we were discussing what or setlist would be for these shows, we settled on mostly upbeat punchy songs, because you have to capture the attention of a crowd that doesn't necessarily know or care who you are. So you have to hustle and try and win them over, which is a fun challenge. And you must always thank the band who's stage you are sharing!

Were the Coldplay audiences receptive?
I genuinely think that the crowds we played to enjoyed our set, we had a really positive response on our Twitter and Facebook, and each night we would go and do a meet and greet for whoever wanted to come and say hi, we were kind of taken aback at how many people turned up each night!

Have you guys toured America before?
We've played SXSW in Austin, Coachella in Palm Springs and one or two shows in LA and New York, but nothing quite like this before.

How were you getting around?
We were driving around in an increasingly smelly bus. The scale and diversity of America really becomes apparent when you're seeing it all slide by past the window. We've seen some beautiful things on this trip.

What was the longest journey?
We had a 14 hour drive through what I think may have been Louisiana...

How do you kill time on the long trips?
We had internet on the bus so I'd be responding to tweets and working on music on my laptop. There's an Xbox on the bus so I think Lasse and James were getting really into a boxing game. Listening to music is always a soothing way to pass the time...

Did you manage to do any sightseeing?
Well we wanted to cram as much music in as possible on this tour so whenever there was a day off, we went and played our own headline shows, in Dallas, Jacksonville and Boston. So that ate into our free time. I guess the sightseeing will have to wait until next time...

What were your favourite experiences of the tour?
The first support date we played in Dallas was just epic, as we'd waited so long to jump onto that stage and play our hearts out, it felt amazing.

Any idea how you came to be on the tour?
I'm can't be 100% certain but I hear that Guy Berryman had heard the songs and liked them so apparently it came through him.

Were you a fan of Coldplay?
We grew up hearing their songs all the time, I used to play the piano parts just for fun, it was quite educational to see how each song was structured, it was a good insight into solid songwriting.

What do you think of their show?
We all agreed it's probably the best live show we've ever seen. It doesn't matter what kind of music you're into, it's just an undeniable feast for the ears and eyes, a real jubilant euphoric celebration of epicness... you forget how many amazing songs they have.

Did you have a chance to hang out with the band at all?
We bumped into them a few times backstage, they all seem like very down to earth and friendly chaps. They filled our dressing room with Champagne and a card for when we got off stage after the first show which was a nice touch.

What have Wolf Gang got planned for the rest of the year?
We are returning to America actually in October, we'll be playing our own shows on the East and the West coast, and hitting up the places we played with Coldplay for round 2!

Finally, what's your favourite Coldplay song?
There are too many to pick one, but I used to listen to 'Amsterdam' religiously. It has a really lovely piano part, that starts off really introspectively and ends with a huge release. Tugs the heart strings.

For more information on Wolf Gang, head to wolf-gang.co.uk

wabbit · 03-08-2012, 05:33 PM

Wolf Gang ‏@wolfgang

Here's some compiled footage from the Coldplay tour! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kos2k...ature=youtu.be

06-07-2012, 09:57 AM	#16
Nattatouille Coldplay Choir Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,941 My Mood: Location: Southampton, UK Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 18 Thanked 69 Times in 36 Posts	Alright guys, only a few more hours to get those questions in before I compile them all and send them off for answering! __________________ Palma Violets 10-1 // The Vaccines 22-1 // Temples, LULS, Drenge, Wolf Alice 26-1 // Two Door Cinema Club 28-1 // Everything Everything 6-2 // Hurts 7-2 // Swim Deep 14-2 // Django Django, Miles Kane, Peace, Palma Violets 20-2, 21-2, 23-2 // Kaiser Chiefs 25-2 // Palma Violets 28-2 // Tom Odell 11-3// Theme Park 12-3 // Palma Violets 9-4 // Other Tribe 20-4 //Phoenix 20-4 // Cave Painting 10-5 // Takedown Festival 11-5 // The Great Escape 16-5, 17-5, 18-5 // Postal Service 20-5 // Black Books 22-5 // Dutch Uncles 24-5 // Muse 25-5 // Drenge 7-6 // Splash 8-6 // Kings of Leon 12-6 // The Killers 22-6 // Vampire Weekend 28-6 // John Mayer 20-10 // The Feeling 25-10 // Hurts 26-10 // Quote: Originally Posted by Hysteria;4810300 I think Natt just Wolstenowned him.

07-07-2012, 09:05 PM	#18
Nattatouille Coldplay Choir Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,941 My Mood: Location: Southampton, UK Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 18 Thanked 69 Times in 36 Posts	It's all over and sent off. Thanks everyone that has submitted questions. I will post the answers as soon as I get them. __________________ Palma Violets 10-1 // The Vaccines 22-1 // Temples, LULS, Drenge, Wolf Alice 26-1 // Two Door Cinema Club 28-1 // Everything Everything 6-2 // Hurts 7-2 // Swim Deep 14-2 // Django Django, Miles Kane, Peace, Palma Violets 20-2, 21-2, 23-2 // Kaiser Chiefs 25-2 // Palma Violets 28-2 // Tom Odell 11-3// Theme Park 12-3 // Palma Violets 9-4 // Other Tribe 20-4 //Phoenix 20-4 // Cave Painting 10-5 // Takedown Festival 11-5 // The Great Escape 16-5, 17-5, 18-5 // Postal Service 20-5 // Black Books 22-5 // Dutch Uncles 24-5 // Muse 25-5 // Drenge 7-6 // Splash 8-6 // Kings of Leon 12-6 // The Killers 22-6 // Vampire Weekend 28-6 // John Mayer 20-10 // The Feeling 25-10 // Hurts 26-10 // Quote: Originally Posted by Hysteria;4810300 I think Natt just Wolstenowned him.

17-07-2012, 07:39 PM	#19
Nattatouille Coldplay Choir Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,941 My Mood: Location: Southampton, UK Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 18 Thanked 69 Times in 36 Posts	Hey everybody. Max has kindly responded to the majority of the questions we posed and has just returned them all to me. I'd just like to thank you all for taking the time to submit questions and things to make this so successful. -------------------------- How did you come up with the name Wolf Gang? Would you change it if you could? My sister came up with the name actually, and for a while it caused a bit of confusion with Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All fans which made me sometimes think of changing it even though we were the first to use it, but that problem has sort of died out since and I'm happy that we are rolling with it. It wouldn't feel right changing it. Who/what inspires you to make music? I've always been inspired by my parents record collection, that mixture of songs from the 70's and 80's that had real melody,verve and personality to it. I grew up in a musical family as well so there was inspiration and encouragement all around me. Where has been your favourite place to play so far (both as a support and as your own headliner)? Well we've just come off the Coldplay tour and that is definitely the best and most fun support we've done, in terms of headline shows, we had an amazing one in Vienna last December which was brilliant, the crowd has so much enthusiasm it made the whole night so much fun. Is it really true that ‘Suego Faults’ came to you in a dream? Have you been anywhere else in your dreams? Yes it is, and yes I do, as I'm sure most people do, surely everyone is well travelled when it comes to the realm of dreams?! What is your favourite and least favourite track on ‘Suego Faults’? I don't have favourites actually, retrospectively I think that there are powerful moments and weak moments in each song. Do you have any pre/post gig rituals? We do a vocal warm up about 40 minutes before we go on, then we just sort of dance around and get ourselves geared up. Can you give us any updates on how the second album is coming along? Will this tour with Coldplay influence you in any way? Yeh the writing is going well, we've got a good few songs under our belt and it doesn't seem to be slowing down so that's encouraging. We watched Coldplay's set almost every night and it was interesting to start paying more attention to how the songs are structured and propped up instrumentally, who knows maybe some of what we learned will subconsciously drift into our own songwriting... Do you plan on touring the USA extensively to support your second album (if so, can you come to Pawtucket, RI)? Actually we are still playing to support the first record as releases in Britain and the US are delayed. The radio stations out there are still playing singles from the first album so we'll be headed back out in October to do our own headline tour of the east and west coasts, and the bulk of our set will be primarily derived from Suego Faults. In a typically difficult American market to crack, what are the advantages and disadvantages of opening for a massively popular act in front of an audience largely unfamiliar with your work? How do you approach this differently to your festival sets (such as your captivating set at Coachella) or your own shows in terms of audience engagement and setlist choices? Opening for Coldplay has been massively advantageous in spreading our music in the US, I think radio stations used it as a reason to play our music, Coldplay fans who weren't aware of us left the show and got in touch on twitter and Facebook, our album downloads spiked during the tour. I don't want to jinx anything but hopefully our shows where we supported them will be quite busy because of that exposure the band allowed us, so I couldn't stress enough how positive for us that tour was! In terms of our setlist, we kept it short and punchy like the Coachella show, I think when you're playing to a largely unfamiliar audience it's better to leave them wanting more rather than to overexpose yourself. When you moved from London to Berlin, did it change your attitude and approach to music? It didn't really change my attitude, it was quite simply a pragmatic move to go somewhere where I could be in an empty room with a piano every day and not have distractions around me! What was great though was the band came and joined me, and we really hit upon a sound that we have since followed up on, it did seem to set a precedent for the songwriting for the second album out there… How is it you came to open for Coldplay? I think it came through Guy Berryman the bass player who had heard and liked the album. What is your favourite Coldplay song? And why did you choose to cover ‘Life is for Living’ before going on tour with them? There are so many songs I love it's hard to choose a favourite but 'Amsterdam' does something special for me. Covering 'Life Is For Living' was just a spur of the moment thing, it's a nice and short number too... What is your favourite memory of the tour so far? There are so many, playing the first night was really adrenaline filled, meeting the band was awesome, the long drives through beautiful stretches of land, meeting our fans out there, there were loads of really nice moments. How has watching Coldplay perform changed the way you view your own shows? Do you want to get to stadium tours one day? Oh absolutely! It's very inspirational watching the performance. As a frontman it's great to watch Chris, he moves around so much and genuinely seems to be really enjoying himself up there, which is so infectious. What is it like to tour with Coldplay? Would you do it again? We would hands down love to do it again some time, the whole experience was amazing, and their crew were the nicest people to work with ever. How did you prepare yourself for a tour like this? We didn't smoke and we didn't drink… Do you spend any time with the members of the band? Do you find that strange? We bumped into them a few times backstage which was nice, it was great to be able to thank them in person for having us. They all seem really chilled out and down to earth. But it was nice to shake the hand of someone who you genuinely really respect. What are your plans once you have finished touring with Coldplay? We're back to writing more songs, we have a couple of European dates, then the American tour in October! __________________ Palma Violets 10-1 // The Vaccines 22-1 // Temples, LULS, Drenge, Wolf Alice 26-1 // Two Door Cinema Club 28-1 // Everything Everything 6-2 // Hurts 7-2 // Swim Deep 14-2 // Django Django, Miles Kane, Peace, Palma Violets 20-2, 21-2, 23-2 // Kaiser Chiefs 25-2 // Palma Violets 28-2 // Tom Odell 11-3// Theme Park 12-3 // Palma Violets 9-4 // Other Tribe 20-4 //Phoenix 20-4 // Cave Painting 10-5 // Takedown Festival 11-5 // The Great Escape 16-5, 17-5, 18-5 // Postal Service 20-5 // Black Books 22-5 // Dutch Uncles 24-5 // Muse 25-5 // Drenge 7-6 // Splash 8-6 // Kings of Leon 12-6 // The Killers 22-6 // Vampire Weekend 28-6 // John Mayer 20-10 // The Feeling 25-10 // Hurts 26-10 // Quote: Originally Posted by Hysteria;4810300 I think Natt just Wolstenowned him.

17-07-2012, 08:29 PM	#20
Violet 2:3 Life Round Here Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 18,749 My Mood: Location: Ripper Street Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 99 Thanked 145 Times in 112 Posts	Finally! I've been anxiously waiting for this ever since you sent the questions off. Thanks so much for setting this up, Natt! It's really cool to be able to have those sorts of interviews with people firsthand. If you ever get the chance to talk to him again, could you please tell him that I said I'm sorry for asking all the really bizarre, creepy questions? In hindsight, I realize I probably shouldn't have asked them. Thanks again! __________________ Facebook \| Twitter \| Last \| Tumblr Quote: Originally Posted by Showbiz;4807100 A few people are actually Wolstenfluent. I believe Violet may be one of the lucky few born with this gift.

17-07-2012, 08:51 PM	#21
lisaw23 We never change, do we? Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 239 Location: Texas Gender: Country: Seen CP: 5 times Fav. CP album: X&Y Fav. CP member: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 37 Thanked 18 Times in 15 Posts	That was fantastic! I had heard one or two of their songs on XM radio and liked them, but seeing the band on this tour really got me interested and hooked into their music. Thanks for posting! __________________ I think it's safe to say that there is no greater place to play in the world than your great city! (Chris Martin) DALLAS, TX = 2/26/06 11/19/08 7/21/09 6/22/12 6/23/12

06-07-2012, 02:56 PM	#17
Weehunt112 Coldplayer Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 1 Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Beatles or Stones? Blur or Oasis?

18-07-2012, 02:26 PM	#22
Nattatouille Coldplay Choir Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1,941 My Mood: Location: Southampton, UK Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 18 Thanked 69 Times in 36 Posts	Quote: Originally Posted by violetsparks;5361731 Finally! I've been anxiously waiting for this ever since you sent the questions off. Thanks so much for setting this up, Natt! It's really cool to be able to have those sorts of interviews with people firsthand. If you ever get the chance to talk to him again, could you please tell him that I said I'm sorry for asking all the really bizarre, creepy questions? In hindsight, I realize I probably shouldn't have asked them. Thanks again! Hah, Max literally returned them to me last night-- which was kind of better as I've been in Spain the last week Don't worry about it though, he's a pretty cool guy and I'm sure they won't have been received that creepy-- tbh, I thought they were fine so... But still I will say something if it would make you feel better. __________________ Palma Violets 10-1 // The Vaccines 22-1 // Temples, LULS, Drenge, Wolf Alice 26-1 // Two Door Cinema Club 28-1 // Everything Everything 6-2 // Hurts 7-2 // Swim Deep 14-2 // Django Django, Miles Kane, Peace, Palma Violets 20-2, 21-2, 23-2 // Kaiser Chiefs 25-2 // Palma Violets 28-2 // Tom Odell 11-3// Theme Park 12-3 // Palma Violets 9-4 // Other Tribe 20-4 //Phoenix 20-4 // Cave Painting 10-5 // Takedown Festival 11-5 // The Great Escape 16-5, 17-5, 18-5 // Postal Service 20-5 // Black Books 22-5 // Dutch Uncles 24-5 // Muse 25-5 // Drenge 7-6 // Splash 8-6 // Kings of Leon 12-6 // The Killers 22-6 // Vampire Weekend 28-6 // John Mayer 20-10 // The Feeling 25-10 // Hurts 26-10 // Quote: Originally Posted by Hysteria;4810300 I think Natt just Wolstenowned him.

18-07-2012, 06:44 PM	#23
Violet 2:3 Life Round Here Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 18,749 My Mood: Location: Ripper Street Gender: Country: Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 99 Thanked 145 Times in 112 Posts	Well, if you didn't think they were creepy, I guess he might not, either. I trust your judgment, Natt. __________________ Facebook \| Twitter \| Last \| Tumblr Quote: Originally Posted by Showbiz;4807100 A few people are actually Wolstenfluent. I believe Violet may be one of the lucky few born with this gift.

03-08-2012, 05:33 PM	#25
wabbit Tweet Reader. Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 2,280 Chat posts: 0 Thanks given: 205 Thanked 762 Times in 367 Posts	Wolf Gang ‏@wolfgang Here's some compiled footage from the Coldplay tour! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kos2k...ature=youtu.be