Q+A INTERVIEW: blanket & Pijn
It’s no secret that the current UK scene is blessed with a wealth of talent within rock and metal. More and more, we’re seeing bands push the boundaries of the typical metallic style to wonderful effect, and this adventurous nature is something to be cherished. BLANKET and PIJN are two such bands. Both bands take the challenge of experimentation head on and their respective soundscapes are as exhilarating as they are progressive. Now, the two bands are joining forces for a run across the UK and ahead of the tour kicking off this Friday we quizzed BLANKET and PIJN to give us the lowdown on what we can expect, as well as giving us an insight into their forward-thinking sounds.
BLANKET
So you are set to kick off your UK tour later this month. What can we expect from this upcoming tour?
We are hoping to present something that is more than just a ‘gig’, more than simply a live band, we want to present an unforgettable experience by using not only our music, but with visuals and lights, but still with the backbone of the four of us playing the songs we have worked so hard on.
Are there any dates on the tour that you are particularly looking forward to?
It’s hard to say because we’re returning to a bunch of places we have played before and had a great response, and it is exciting that we are playing a few towns that we have not visited previously such as Huddersfield and Swansea. But if we had to pick out a few then Milton Keynes, because we are playing The Craufurd Arms there which is an awesome independent venue ran by great people. London because we have had some really special nights down there, especially the last time we were there opening for POLYPHIA in front of one of the most amazing crowd we have ever been fortunate to perform for. And maybe most of all Blackpool, we are returning three years on, to the venue we played our second ever show, we are hoping to see some familiar faces that have been with us since the beginning and we have a little something special in mind for that show too.
This upcoming tour will see you continue to support the release of your debut full-length How To Let Go, how have you found the reception towards this album?
The response to How To Let Go has been phenomenal, there have been some really humbling comments from many reviewers and fans. We ourselves are super happy with how the record came out and we still love playing every song off that record.
Can we expect any surprises from your set? New material perhaps?
We might have a debut or two up our sleeve, we have been working on a lot of new material recently and it would be awesome to get some of those tracks out there and gage the reactions of the audience.
You will be accompanied on this tour by PIJN, a band who similar to yourselves, are quiet expansive and experimental. Do you think that they are a perfect fit for this tour?
We are all big fans of PIJN, I think they are an awesome fit for this, they have so many elements similar to ours, but without just being the same band, too often a bill can be three bands who sound exactly the same, the sweet spot for us is to find a band with a similar vibe but who are still tonally very unique and different to ourselves.
Your style is quite hard to pigeon-hole into one genre. It’s sweeping and very cinematic. Given that, how difficult is it to try and replicate that in the live setting?
As I mentioned in an earlier question we felt the cinematic aspect was super important, and that is why we implement visuals and even lights to create something more than just a band playing a few songs, do not get me wrong that is always great, but we want to bring something different to the stage in order to replicate our eclectic vibe.
And for a fun one to close on, what would be on your dream rider?
Hummus, pita, nice beers, Predator 2 on laser disc and cigarettes.
PIJN
So you are set to kick off your UK tour later this month supporting blanket. What can we expect from this upcoming tour?
Nick Watmough [drums]: PIJN has a brand new lineup for this tour – in truth, we have a different lineup for
almost every tour, but this one feels particularly strong. It’s always refreshing bringing new musicians into the collective, and we’ve built a set list of songs from Loss that is definitely our most intense yet. We’ll also have new live visuals to accompany each performance, and new merch designs too. And more jam.
Are there any dates on the tour that you are particularly looking forward to?
Nick: It’s great to play a lot of smaller towns that we’ve never visited before. This feels like a ‘real’ UK tour – we even took the opportunity to fill the ‘off’ days with extra shows in Edinburgh and Brighton, just to cover as much ground and possible.
This upcoming tour will see you continue to support last year’s Loss. How have you found the reception for that record?
Nick: It’s insane to see so many people enjoying what is a pretty difficult, unapproachable album. And thanks to Holy Roar for supporting what we’re trying to do. We’ve probably shot ourselves in the foot making something so dense for our first record, so god knows what we’ll do next…
This tour arrives after your collaboration with CONJURER, Curse These Metal Hands. How was that experience and, whilst CONJURER won’t be on that tour, can we expect to hear any of the material?
Nick: Reception has been truly heartwarming, selling out our first pressing in just over a month. We love those boys dearly, they’re just wonderful people. But we could never play any CTMH material without them – it just wouldn’t be right.
You will be supporting BLANKET on this tour, a band who similar to yourselves, are quiet expansive and experimental. Do you think that they are a perfect fit to headline this tour?
Nick: It’s surprising we haven’t played together more often. They’re great musicians. We were lucky to share a stage with them at our first ArcTanGent Festival in 2017, and it’ll be amazing to experience their huge sound every night. Hopefully BLANKET fans will enjoy our slightly angrier take on this weird pseudo-genre.
Your style is quite hard to pigeon-hole into one genre. It’s incredibly expansive. Given that, how difficult is it to try and replicate that in the live setting?
Nick: We like to mess around with our tracks live, to give them a new life. Playing Loss note for note would need way more musicians than we can realistically fit on stage at this point in our trajectory, so it’s a welcome challenge to try and do more with a lot less. That said, we’re going to try and recreate Loss in full for our anniversary shows this
December 5th and 6th, in London and Manchester. Get your tickets now if you want to see how/if the hell we pull it off…
BLANKET and PIJN‘s extensive run across the UK kicks off this Friday, October 18th, in Blackpool and will see the two tour across the UK until their final show in Chester on November 2nd.
Tour dates are as follows:
18TH OCTOBER – BOOTLEG SOCIAL, BLACKPOOL
21ST OCTOBER – ATTIC BAR, GLASGOW
22ND OCTOBER – HEAD OF STEAM, NEWCASTLE
23RD OCTOBER – THE PARISH, HUDDERSFIELD
24TH OCTOBER – THE CRAUFURD ARMS, MILTON KEYNES
25TH OCTOBER – THE CAMDEN ASSEMBLY, LONDON
26TH OCTOBER – HEARTBREAKERS, SOUTHAMPTON
28TH OCTOBER – THE COBBLESTONES, BRIDGWATER
29TH OCTOBER – THE OLD ENGLAND, BRISTOL
30TH OCTOBER – THE VAULT, SWANSEA
31ST OCTOBER – THE FLAPPER, BIRMINGHAM
1ST NOVEMBER – THE KEY CLUB, LEEDS
2ND NOVEMBER – THE LIVE ROOMS, CHESTER
For more information on BLANKET and PIJN like their respective pages on Facebook.
