THE DOORS ALIVE: BREAKING ON THROUGH - INTERVIEW BY NIGEL CARTNER
It was back in July at The Lowry, Salford when I was first treated to ‘The Doors Alive’ and their unique trip into portraying the history of ‘The Doors’ music through their highly visual ‘Perception’ Show. It was the sort of performance that exhilarated the mind and enlightened the senses, much the same way as the real ‘Doors’ did back in their heyday. Their playing ability really captured the essence of ‘The Doors’ music such is its resemblance, and by being dressed in the original attire of each individual band member, it really plunged you back into the 1960s. The added euphoria to this is frontman Willie Scott, whose portrayal of Jim Morrison is so eerily similar it can cause people to question the belief of reincarnation. His look, mannerisms, and above all else his unique vocals and screams are perfectly choreographed to the standard of a highly trained Hollywood actor.
Being
such a huge fan of The Doors I naturally jumped at the chance to interview this
talented tribute band at Manchester Academy, and was acutely aware that on some
level this would be what it would feel like to interview ‘The Doors’, and the
closest I’d ever get. When I made my way backstage there were a few doors (no
pun intended) to choose from which the band could’ve been behind. After
knocking on the first and seeing who answered, it was clear that I’d found the
right door as Jim Morri…sorry, Willie Scott opened the door, dressed in token
Morrison black leather trousers, chic belt, beads and a baggy plain white
buttoned shirt. Sadly though, this is 2014, and backstage antics are a little
different to what they were back in the 60s, but I settled for a beer when
kindly offered to me and assumed the role of a 1960s Rolling Stone journalist.
NIGE: Why did you
decide to go into a Doors Tribute Band?
WILLIE: The band started about ten years ago in Birmingham by a guy called Jason Field. The last keyboard player and Buzz joined, and they were looking for a new lead singer as the last one moved to Australia. There was an advert in NME for it which my sister saw and put me forward for without telling me. I had no idea and got a phone call from this guy asking me to come down on a Wednesday for an audition. I didn’t know what he was on about as I was already in a band. He ended up telling me about it but I didn’t really have time. I phoned my sister back and she said that these guys play some really cool gigs and could help get my band get places. I thought, “Well I loved The Doors anyway so yeah I’ll go for it.” I went in, did the audition and I didn’t think I got it. I was getting in the car ready to leave when I got a phone call. I thought I’d left my scarf in there or something but they said it’s no longer an audition it’s a band practice so get your arse back in there because we’re going on tour next week, and that was it. After that my mate Baz joined the band after the first guitarist left. So it’s been a bit like the Sugababes, a revolving door, but we’re exactly where we want to be now, and we feel like a proper unit.
BUZZ: In all honesty, it
was sort of an accident! I went along with a friend who was auditioning for
Jim. They needed a drummer to fill in for the day so I had a go. Don't get me
wrong, I was very excited about playing a bunch of Doors tunes for the day but
I never thought it would end up like this! Once the band started gigging I knew
that this was a great way to get out and play some great music.
NIGE: Did you realise before you joined that you had a similar style to John
Densmore and did that inspire you?
Actually,
no, I was inspired by Densmore's style and power, but never thought I could
recreate it until after the audition. I didn't think I did very well, but the
guys called me back! It took a long time to get the set together as you can imagine,
but the rest of the band were happy with my playing. It's a never ending
process though, as every time I listen to the Doors I hear something new, a
tiny detail that pricks my ears up. There is always something new to put into
the sound!
NIGE: What are the
benefits of playing in a tribute band rather than being original?
WILLIE: I think it’s seeing the audience reaction to the songs because these are songs that people hold dear. To be able to make it a realisation for people to see something they never expected to see live is a huge honour.
NIGE: What is it
about The Doors that you find so special?
WILLIE: The music itself behind Jim Morrison was massive with all these fusions and ideas that came from all members of the band with blues, jazz, and Latin influences. Ray Manzarek said himself that they took various ideas from the different genres of music, and they had this crazy, amazing and inspired poet of a singer, probably the most mystical, dark, interesting and different singer of all time I think. He wrote these incredible lyrics and they put them on top of these amazing verses and melodies, stuck it all together and then you had The Doors.
BUZZ: For me, the Doors are totally unique. They arose from a time where the term 'anything goes' fitted perfectly. There has not been a band since who have sounded like the Doors. With Densmore's Latin and Jazz influences, Krieger's flamenco style guitar playing, Manzerek's Classical and Jazz background, not to mention his instrument setup, meant that their sound was exciting and new. Now front that with a poet. Unstoppable! To pay tribute to these guys is an honour and a privilege.
NIGE: Do you ad lib
around the original Doors music?WILLIE: There is ad libbing, but it’s based on stuff The Doors did. For example tonight you’ll see on ‘Been Down So Long’ that Norbert (keyboardist), who’s a real blues player, will go all over the place and play stuff that perhaps Ray didn’t play exactly but will be his own interpretation, his own mojo I guess for want a better word.
NIGE: You continue to
sell a lot of tickets on a regular basis but are there any periods where
attendances have been up or down, maybe in conjunction with an anniversary etc,
or are they pretty constant?
WILLIE: We played in Paris for the 40th anniversary and there was a load of people there for that reason. There are spikes but it’s mainly down to the places. We find that in the UK the further up north the more people you get as a general rule of thumb, so in Manchester we’ll get a load of people. London is an exception to the rule. It’s usually between London and Manchester where it’s difficult to get people in. We might get a good crowd but not as much as we would in Manchester or Liverpool, and certainly not as much as when you get up to Newcastle and Scotland where there’s loads of fans.
NIGE: What was the
inspiration behind the Perception Light Show you did in the summer?
WILLIE: I’ll hand you over to Buzz for that as it was his idea.
BUZZ: It was basically to try and give an extra element of our show. We’ve been doing the rock show for years and we thought how can we develop and add to it. The main thing really was visuals so we added the projections and a choreographed light show, which hopefully will give people an extra element of ‘perception’. With there being such a visual element surrounding The Doors anyway, we looked to give people a different experience by hearing the music and seeing the visuals fit together for that era. The main thing is to give the current show a new lease of life so we can keep it going.
NIGE: Have you ever
had any recognition from any of The Doors?
BUZZ: We haven’t had any direct contact with any of them. We’d love to! We’re very active on Facebook and Twitter and I know John Densmore is very active on his twitter account, but we haven’t had any contact with any of the remaining members. We’d love to hear their opinions, be it good or bad, but we’d like to hear what they think.
NIGE: How about
people who were in the scene in the 60s and saw them at the time?
BUZZ: Yeah maybe once every two or three gigs we’ll have some guy come up who was around, possibly in his teens, at the Roundhouse in Camden in 1968. When they say, “I saw The Doors and you guys are doing a great job!” That means a lot to us. For them to have seen them and to think we’re doing good, that’s why we keep doing it.
NIGE: You’ve played
all over the world but where’s the most random place you’ve played?
BUZZ: Dubai was weird! I wasn’t a massive fan of the place though.
NIGE: What’s been the
most memorable gig?
BUZZ: Paris in 2011 for the 40th anniversary. It was a fantastic weekend and an electric audience and atmosphere. We were so nervous beforehand because we didn’t know how it would go down and what people’s reaction would be, but they just embraced it and went nuts because everyone was there for the same reason, to celebrate the life of Jim Morrison and the music of The Doors. We played our arses off and it was probably the best performance we’d ever done because of what we were getting back from everyone.
NIGE: Have you
performed in LA?
BUZZ: I have played a couple of gigs in LA, just not in The Doors Alive, but we’d love to!
NIGE: Which place has
had the most ardent Doors fans?
BUZZ: It has to be that same gig in Paris again. The extreme extreme fans took the time to actually travel there and that potentially could’ve been our hardest audience, but they embraced it.
NIGE: When you were
in Paris did you visit the grave? If so, what feelings did it invoke given your
close connection to The Doors. Was it inspirational, or was there sadness?
BUZZ: We've visited Pere Lachaise twice now and will do so again in February. It's a beautiful, enchanting place filled with incredible sculptures and very inspirational geniuses who have passed. There is an eeriness around Jim's grave. It's not easy to find and you can be within 10 feet and not see it, but when it comes into sight you can definitely feel a chill. Then when you look around and see the other Doors fans, of which there are always many, you feel a calmness and like you are amongst friends. It is inspirational but it's also quite sad. Thinking about his young age, unfinished poems and 'what could have been' is quite overwhelming.
NIGE: What’s your favourite
Doors song individually and your favourite to perform?
BUZZ: Peace Frog to listen to and Roadhouse Blues to play, just from the crowd reaction because it goes mad.
WILLIE: LA Woman, to listen
to and to perform.
NIGE: What do you
think people would’ve made of Jim if he was still alive today?
WILLIE: I would’ve loved to have seen that and see what he would’ve come out with. The guy predicted techno music in the 1960s. He talked about a man in a room with one particular instrument that can lay down different instruments, which was incredible to predict, such a vision.
NIGE: What is your favourite
Jim Morrison/Doors quote/lyric?
WILLIE: The one that sprung into my head is the “Let's swim to the moon, Let's climb through the tide, Penetrate the evening that the City sleeps to hide” because that was the very first instance of The Doors that he said to Ray. It might not be the best lyrics, but it was the spark!
NIGE: And finally,
there has been the confirmation that you will follow in ‘The Doors’’ footsteps
and play the Isle of Wight Festival in 2014. How did that come about and what
does it mean to you?
WILLIE: The Isle Of Wight is a festival we've been super keen to play since we started out as a band. For us it's the most exciting festival to play, due to The Doors playing there in 1970. I have the show on vinyl at home, and I've almost worn it out. Some argue that it's not their greatest work on account of Jim's Miami court case hanging over him at that time, but I disagree. Some also say that the show was tame and even boring because Jim just stood there with his eyes closed, singing and not doing much else, but I think the fact that he just stood there amplifies just how great a singer he actually was!
We
played a venue in Petersfield last weekend called the Festival Hall (..!), and
we didn't really know what to expect from it. The show had been arranged by a
very good friend of mine, Simon Hawkes and his business partner, Tony Cooke
from Scream promotions. We were slightly nervous, as always, when we play a new
town that the turnout may not be amazing. We were wrong to worry! The show was
amazing! There were posters ALL over town. There must have been close to 500
people there in the sleepy town of Petersfield.
Recently
we've been asking the audience to crouch to the floor during Roadhouse Blues,
and spring up on the line "Got myself a BEER!" It's proven a great
little trick and it hasn't failed yet! Tony, who hadn't seen us play before,
was blown away by the show, and very generously offered to help us promote the
band through Scream Promotions. His first move was to text a picture message of
the crowd crouching down to the Isle Of Wight organiser John Giddings, and John
thought it was great, so he checked us out online after Tony's recommendation
and booked us right away!
We
were and are absolutely ecstatic about playing the festival - it really is a
dream come true! We'd like to say a big shout out to Simon Hawkes, Tony Cooke
and John Giddings if we can.
The
show was announced on The Isle Of Wight Facebook page yesterday, and then it
really started sinking in. We're opening The Isle of Wight Festival!
END OF
INTERVIEW
----------------------------
The
Manchester Academy show was again a reminder as to why The Doors music has had
such longevity! The band blasted out a series of hits that highlighted just how
impressive the back catalogue really is; especially when we were treated to it
being played live in this raw style. Tonight’s show was different to the Lowry
performance in that it was all standing, no light show this time, just an all
out assault of rock n roll in a more impromptu and energetic environment where
people were bunched together to create a pulsating and unified appreciative
rock atmosphere.
Jim/Willie arrived onstage and lunged at the mic as they opened with ‘Hello I Love You’, and that set the tone as more than twenty anthems in a little under two hours of nostalgic rock graced our ears. It was staggering to see a complete range of ages bellow the lyrics at full throttle, demonstrating just how influential The Doors music has become, touching the hearts and minds of this overwhelming, packed out crowd.
Again, the vision of Willie Scott was a bewildering sight to behold. The Scottish accent I’d been used to for twenty minutes during the interview was nothing but a myth as he transformed into the L.A. tone. It had been mastered so well that I think the Scottish accent was the fake! A barrage of screams and shouts, snarls and growls showered the show that was true to Jim’s style and character, played to beautiful yet terrifying perfection, perhaps even giving Val Kilmer a run for his money!!
After boarding the ‘Crystal Ship’, breaking on through to the other side, lighting the fire, and riding the storm, amongst many other weird and wonderful trips, we eventually arrived at ‘Roadhouse Blues’, arguably the highlight of the set as the band have suggested. We were told by Willie to crouch down, wait, and then jump up like an explosion as the lyric “Got Myself a Beer” arrived, one which I and the crowd screamed along to that nearly brought the roof down.
The
final song was ‘The End’, a song that the real ‘Doors’ refused to play after
Jim’s death due it being too personal. The same constraints didn’t apply to ‘The
Doors Alive’ as they gave much of the crowd what they’d been waiting for, even
singing the infamous and probably the most controversial lyric in rock history,
“Father, I want to kill you! Mother, I
want to fuck you all night baby!”
It pays testament to both ‘The Doors’ and ‘The Doors Alive’ that the venue was packed, and that venues continue to be packed across the country and throughout Europe more than forty years after the death of Jim Morrison. The recent news that ‘The Doors Alive’ are due to open The Isle of Wight Festival in 2014 is an exciting prospect, but also one that compounds just how spectacular they are live. They are a must see for all Doors fans, and it’s a breath of fresh air to see a band keep ‘The Doors’ fire burning, keeping their legacy intact, and prolonging the memory for fans of the time, fans of the present, and the inevitable fans of the future.
Set
List
HELLO, I LOVE YOU
SOUL KITCHEN
LOVE HER MADLY
STRANGE DAYS
BREAK ON THROUGH
CRYSTAL SHIP
LOVE STREET
BACK DOOR MAN
BEEN DOWN SO LONG
NOT TO TOUCH THE
EARTH
LIGHT MY FIRE
ALABAMA SONG
PEACE FROG
FIVE TO ONE
LA WOMAN
RIDERS ON THE STORM
LOVE ME TWO TIMES
ROADHOUSE BLUES
UNKNOWN SOLDIER
WHEN THE MUSIC’S OVER
TOUCH ME
THE END
No comments:
Post a Comment