www.facebook.com/ironbastardsrocknroll
From: Strasbourg, France
Sounds like: Fast Rock N' Roll
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound? Who thought of the name “Iron Bastards” and is there any meaning behind it?
Iron Bastards is a three piece Rock band from Strasbourg, France. The band have been existed since 2013, but before we used to play together in a Motörhead coverband. The Bastards are Anthony Meyer on drums, David Semler on the guitar and myself David Bour on bass and vocals. We are mainly influenced by 70's Hard Rock but also by 60 years of rock'n'roll, from the roots to modern stuffs. We play our music fast, hard and loud. Since January 2014, we played 150 gigs in 6 countries, released two albums (« Boogie woogie violence » and the new one « Fast & Dangerous) and shared the stage with bands like Overkill, Phil Campbell and the Bastards sons, Sodom, Soulfly, Eddie & the hot rods, UDO, Rage... We also played at festivals like Hellfest Open Air, Rage against Racism, Neuborn Open Air...
The name IRON BASTARDS comes from our friendship and our attitude : we're three guys joined up to play rock'n'roll with no compromise or focus on the future. See us live and meet us, you will understand.
2. What do you want people to take away from your "Fast & Dangerous" album?
If you're looking for 11 tracks of fast and dirty music, not looking for something « new » but something good and well done, you need to listen to that album. We're playing vintage Rock on the modern way, with a good sound, the lessons learned from our influences and the feeling we've got together.
3. What can people expect from your live show?
People can expect for energy, headbanging, fun, smiles and barrels of sweat. Our music is made to explode in concert. That’s the reason why we tried and are still trying to play as much as we can! Give us the stage, we’ll know what to do.
4. What's your favorite track to play live?
I like to play many of them but I'd like to play “The snake in the sky”, for the 60's part in the middle of the song.
5. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
Two years ago that would have been Motörhead, of course, but unfortunately this will never happen. So I would say AC/DC as number one and The Vintage Caravan and Death Alley for the new bands with a sound we like.
6. Any crazy show stories?
I would have many stories to tell, but one of the coolest was in June 2017 when we opened for Phil Campbell from Motörhead. I spent a few hours to talk with Arnie, Motörhead's sound engineer for 11 years. It was funny to talk with him as two fans, even if one of them is just a frenchy fan and the other their sound engineer for years. And you can't imagine how our sound engineer was happy and proud to mix us in front of him!
7. What’s your take on the current state of Rock?
A lot of bands, many different kind of music from Rock to Metal, but not rock'n'roll enough. In the music and in the attitude. Our musical scene is a mirror of the entire society, and I see bands who exist because of social networks without any fanbase and die a few years (sometimes months) later. This new wave changes the rules and you've got to play with some of them. But « only the strong survives ». I love Rock'n'roll as a musical style as well as a way of life.
8. What’s the current music scene like there in France both locally and country wide?
I love my country, but definitely not because of my experience as a musician. We've got many good bands but not the good stages to make them play, not the structures (label, booker, etc...) to make them growing up and no help from the mainstream media. But some things also come from the attitude and the way some people see musician and rock bands. Nobody ask me if I've got a job beside my music career in Germany, if you see what I mean.
9. What’s your take on legal/illegal music downloading?
As a young band, it's a good way to promote our music. It's a lack of money at the moment, but it helps a lot the band to grow up. Today, people buy stuffs directly to the band at their concert or with the Internet. They've got so many bands to listen to that they can't buy all stuffs and need to choose. So if you want to sell a lot, you need to be better, lucky or mainstream.
10. What’s next for Iron Bastards?
In September we're gonna move in England for 3 months. The idea is to spread our music and promote the band all around the UK for 3 months and then we'll see. I think the kind of music we play is gonna be loved by English people. Then next year we're gonna work on the 3rd album.
11. Any shoutouts?
Thanks to all the people from everywhere who support us. It's such a pleasure and a good surprise to receive messages from Mexico, Brazil, China, Greece, Sweden, etc... when you're a young rock band from France. That’s why we want to do more and stay focus or our way : Live fast, rock hard !
