Wille & the Bandits are known internationally for their fresh approach to roots music, they are also no stranger to the major festivals such as Glastonbury, Boardmasters and Isle of Wight.
The band is made up of Wille Edwards who commands instant respect, with his mastery of lap slide guitar and wonderfully gritty vocals, Kieran Doherty on bass and Andrew Naumann supplying the diverse percussion. These guys have the talent, skill, reputation and a great fan-base, made only more impressive by the fact this has been achieved without a record label.
Last year they played a legendary number of gigs so it’s a surprise they can take time out of their busy schedule talk to us, but HTF are happy they did, check out our exclusive interview with the band below!
HTF: Wille & the Bandits! How are you all doing? It’s an absolute pleasure to speak with you.
Hey Phill, it’s a pleasure to be speaking with you too mate.
HTF: So personally, I’ve been to a few of your gigs and you’ve always had such energy about your performance, do you have a pre-show ritual?
I’m really glad the energy comes across in our shows. It is easy to forget you are meant to be entertaining sometimes when you are just buzzing off playing. As for pre-show rituals, we have never really developed any, unless you count checking the water in the van, loading all the gear and the usual piss-taking banter.
HTF: Talking about your live gigs, what would you say is the craziest thing that’s ever happened while you were playing?
I think we have probably had it all from old men jumping on stage to play spoons solos over most of the set, to stage divers, girls flashing, thunder storms while playing on an outdoor stage and people being sick over my pedal board. Craziness is fast becoming normality.
HTF: When we speak about Wille & the Bandits to people, the one thing we always hear is how your music speaks to them, where do you get the inspiration for such epic song writing?
We try to write about subjects we feel passionately about. Hopefully this comes across in our music and if it connects with people we have done what we set out to do. We write a lot of our music in Cornwall and draw a lot of inspiration from it’s environment, people and culture. An advantage of spending over 200 nights a year on the road is that we meet a lot of people. A song can come from any particular person’s attitude or a story he or she may have told us. I feel sometimes like we are just drifting through towns and cities, we get a very different view of the world by travelling as musicians, I think it’s a somewhat unbiased, clearer view of the world. Sometimes people’s opinions can become distorted by being surrounded by the same people and things day in day out, this sometimes means the human urge to be accepted can overrule your heart. I like to question this and make people aware that it’s a big wide world out there and we have the opportunity, technology and finances to explore it, the chance to find out who you really are, a chance to ‘BREAKFREE’.
HTF: You’ve played lots of the major festivals, and opened for some absolute legends (Joe Bonamassa, John Butler Trio, Roots Manuva and Status Quo to name but a few) How must that feel? And who was your favourite to open for?
It is obviously great to be considered to play alongside musicians you have respected and enjoyed for years. The first show we played with Status Quo in France was really nerve racking. It was a massive stage and we really didn’t know what the crowd was going to think of us. That nervous energy really pushed us to perform with all our heart, as a result the show went off and we got an amazing response from the audience. The buzz you get from that is incredible and really quite addictive. One of my favourite shows has to be opening for The ‘John Butler trio’. They are simply amazing and have been a big inspiration on our music. The gig was set in the idyllic location of Lusty Glaze Beach in Newquay. We played to a couple of thousand people dancing on the sand while the sun was setting between the cliffs over the sea behind them. It was a really beautiful gig and one I will remember for ever.
HTF: So moving from what you have done to what you’re working on, you guys have a new album coming out in May, would you say it’s in keeping with your last release, the sensational ‘New Breed’ or have you taken your music in a different direction this year?
We always try to keep our music quite diverse and with ‘BREAKFREE’ we wanted to take this to the next level. We learnt a lot from the process of making ‘NEW BREED’, and I think this album is an evolution from that. As well as refining our sound and song writing we have introduced a lot of new instruments and sounds; Tongue Drum, Udu and Double Bass for example. The general vibe of the album is a little more psychedelic but still keeping the roots element strong.
HTF: You guys are an independent band at the moment? Any record labels knocking at your door?
We are quite happy staying independent at the moment. Nowadays it is quite simple to set all the elements of a record company in place yourself if you are willing to put in the work. It is definitely the longer way round but we are steadily building a strong fan base and creatively maturing in an organic way.
HTF: ‘Wille & the Bandits’ have a massive reputation and a great fan base, what advice would you give to any of them wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Just keep doing it and do it for the love not the money, if you love what you do you are already rich.
HTF: Where can we catch Wille & the Bandits next?
We have a lot of great shows lined up for 2012. We are playing several festivals this summer including the Isle of Wight Festival, Trowbridge Festival and Secret Garden Party to name but a few as well as touring the UK and Continental Europe extensively. Our tour dates are regularly updated on our website and people can sign up to our mailing list for updates on www.willeandthebandits.com.
HTF: Thank you very much for talking to Hit The Floor Magazine, and good luck for the future, we can’t wait to hear the new album.
Cheers mate, and we will get a copy over to you as soon as it is pressed.
Interviewer: Phillip Stockton
Check out ‘Wille & the Bandits’ preforming a live rendition of ‘Chillout’, a track from their new album.
You can find out more on ‘Wille & the Bandits’ via their official website: http://www.willeandthebandits.com/
