{"id":18001,"date":"2012-02-08T05:44:30","date_gmt":"2012-02-08T10:44:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=18001"},"modified":"2013-02-05T17:55:16","modified_gmt":"2013-02-05T22:55:16","slug":"nick-holmes-of-paradise-lost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2012\/nick-holmes-of-paradise-lost\/","title":{"rendered":"Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Cameron Edney<\/span>
\nGuest Staff Writer —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Paradise Lost\u2019s Nick Holmes Talks Soundwave, Recording and Drinking!<\/h3>\n

Nineties death\/doom metallers Paradise Lost are about to embark on their first Australian tour in more than fifteen years. Hitting our shores later this month as part of the traveling Soundwave Festival, Paradise Lost are sure to make up for lost time playing a fantastic set to suit fans all of eras of the bands past.<\/p>\n

Hailing from Halifax, England the band knew early on that they were creating music that would change not only their lives but the life\u2019s of hundreds of thousands of music lovers around the world. Releasing albums like \u2018Shades of God\u2019, \u2018Draconian Times\u2019 and \u2018In Requiem\u2019 showcased just how talented and phenomenal this band really is!<\/p>\n

In April Paradise Lost will release their twelfth studio album titled \u2018Tragic Idol\u2019, an album which sees the bands return to the heavier and darker sound they are known and loved for portraying. I had the pleasure of speaking with Paradise lost front-man Nick Holmes to talk about the bands long over-due return to Australia, their upcoming album \u2018Tragic Idol\u2019 and no longer partying like a “Rockstar” on the road… here is what Nick had to say!<\/p>\n

\"\"Hardrock Haven: Nick, thanks for speaking with us tonight, how\u2019s everything going?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: Really good man, we finished the album and now we\u2019re just going to hang around and wait to start the tour. We start off in Australia and then we\u2019ll carry on through Britain and the rest of Europe after that, we\u2019re really looking forward to it.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: I thought you guys actually just finished a run of shows….<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: We did a lot of festivals but we\u2019ve been writing the album over the last year so we haven\u2019t done too many shows recently. We\u2019ve done the odd bits and pieces but the full tour is going to start when we kick off in Australia. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: You were only recently added to the Soundwave Bill, you must be really excited to finally get back to Australia for some long overdue shows?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: I think we\u2019ve done five more albums since we were last down there; we have a lot more songs to choose from! We\u2019re going to do a good proportion of \u2018Draconian Times\u2019, we did a special tour where we only played that album and it was really successful; we know that people really appreciated that album so we\u2019re going to do a few songs off that one. We\u2019re going to do a brand new song; we\u2019ve got a hell of a lot more songs to choose from since last time. I\u2019m not too sure how long we\u2019re going to play for so we\u2019ll just do a best of type set.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Fans have been waiting a long time for your return and it\u2019s great to see that you\u2019re on the Soundwave Line-up, how did you become involved with the festival?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: I don\u2019t know… there was a lot of talk about it ages ago. The thing about Australia is that we\u2019ve wanted to come back pretty much since we left fifteen years ago. There\u2019s always something that gets in the way or something that falls through, luckily it seems like its definitely happening this time so we\u2019re absolutely thrilled, it\u2019s great! <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: When you look back on your previous Australian visit what comes to mind?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: Last time I came in early and did a charity bike ride through the outback. I did that for a week prior to the tour so that was already like a holiday; it was absolutely brilliant. I have such good memories from that Australian tour it was probably one of my favourite trips, I\u2019m really looking forward to coming back!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: One of the great things about festivals for punters is that they are thrown into one place with many bands they\u2019ve never seen, never heard of before and there is always plenty of curious music fans wanting to discover more great music. For those people how would you best describe the band live?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: Well it\u2019s not sunshine rock that\u2019s for sure [laughs]. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: [Laughs] you can say that again [laughs]. Nick whilst on the road who\u2019s given you the best advice and what was it?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: Um I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve heard any [laughs], I always give advice to people. I\u2019ve probably had advice from other people that I\u2019ve ignored and now I give advice to other people who probably ignore me [laughs]. If there was any advice I was probably too drunk to remember it anyway [laughs].<\/p>\n

\"\"Hardrock Haven: Do you still enjoy a drop or two whilst on the road?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: I think drinking and being a travelling musician is the worst combination on earth! I discovered that in the last ten years, it just doesn\u2019t work. I think drinking and staying awake is a bad idea, I just can\u2019t do that anymore, I can\u2019t do a show the next day. In my early twenty\u2019s it wasn\u2019t a problem but now, forget it, I try to be semi-professional! The whole rock n roll lifestyle is a bit of a mess really; most people I know, they don\u2019t party as much as perhaps they\u2019d like people to believe. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: I\u2019ve always been curious to know how bands deal with living together on the road, I mean no doubt at times it can become frustrating when you share buses rooms for weeks sometimes months at a time, how do you personally find the best way to deal with other members on the road especially during those harder not so pleasant moments that occur?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: It\u2019s just a matter of putting your headphones on and switching off. Everyone knows everybody else\u2019s tolerance levels so you can see an argument coming very early on. Usually it\u2019s me and Steve [Edmondson] our bass player that argues, it\u2019s usually when we\u2019re tired too so when we arrive in Australia we\u2019ll probably be bickering then [laughs].<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Mate you\u2019re certainly great vocalist and as we know vocalists usually do less interviews on the road, don\u2019t party as much, stay out as late etc to keep the voice in great shape, when travelling do you do anything specific to keep your instrument in the best shape possible?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: Just don\u2019t talk, which is annoying because I do like to talk. I\u2019ve started to listen to audio books cause when I start, I get engrossed in that and I won\u2019t start a conversation. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: I want to talk to you about life in the studio also, in 2009 you released a great album in \u2018Faith Divides Us, Death Unites Us\u2019 and the follow up will be released this year, what can you tell us about that?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: The new album is called \u2018Tragic Idol\u2019 the album has ten songs on it. I think that people seem to think that we\u2019re going into a more Gothic direction, but it\u2019s a very \u201cMetal\u201d album! I think it\u2019s a lot more metal than the last one to be honest; it\u2019s very dark, it\u2019s got to be expected, we\u2019re not going to do anything out of the ordinary. We\u2019re really pleased with it, I was listening to it last night actually… I can\u2019t wait for people to hear it and let us know their thoughts.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Tragic Idol… I love the title; tell us where that came from\u2026<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: \u2018Tragic Idol\u2019 is about how if someone is put on a pedestal and they somehow start to believe it, really they\u2019re not. With the internet and the way that media are now at the end of the day we\u2019re all human beings nobody\u2019s better than anybody else some are smarter but that\u2019s about it! In England people love to see people fall from grace, the bigger people get and the more successful that people get, people like to see them fall! I find that to be really sad, people help to get people to where they are and once they get there they just want to tear them down! It\u2019s a real Northern England thing in particular, everyone wants you to fail in Northern England, and you never get encouragement for anything in your life. <\/p>\n

\"\"Hardrock Haven: Having recorded twelve studio albums now, I would imagine the creative process in some cases would be a breeze and yet it must at times be a nightmare to come up with fresh material! <\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: It\u2019s weird… I found this album quite hard to write. Lyrically I quite enjoyed writing this more than some previous albums; overall though I didn\u2019t find it all enjoyable which is a weird thing. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Nick since first forming, Paradise Lost has been able to achieve many great things, what do you feel are your greatest achievements to date\u2026<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: Well we always say this but when we headlined the Dynamo Festival in Eindhoven in 1995 there was one hundred and twenty thousand people there. Headlining that was a pinnacle moment for the band professionally, that was a real high point!<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: There\u2019s no doubt as time goes you\u2019re always learning more about all aspects of the industry from touring to recording and the all-important business side as well. What do you feel has been the single most important lesson you\u2019ve learnt to date?<\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: To never take it for granted! If you start to expect people to like your music or people to stay with you then you can just forget it cause it doesn\u2019t work like that. You have to work hard, I\u2019m going to go into a Kiss song if I don\u2019t keep quiet… \u2018God Gave Rock N\u2019 Roll To You\u2019, that song is really quite inspirational, the lyrics in that song are true, you don\u2019t get nothing unless you work for it and I think that\u2019s good advice for life really.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: It certainly is… Just before we wrap up, you will be back in Australia later this month for the Soundwave Festivals; \u2018Tragic Idol\u2019 is out soon also what other plans do you have in place? <\/p>\n

Nick Holmes: We\u2019re looking into going to America this year and were long overdue to go to South America as well so we will be touring most of the year. Like I said it starts in Australia and we\u2019ll carry on through from there and see where the touring take us! <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Well Nick I wish you all the very best with it and hope you have a fantastic time back here in Australia. Do you have any last words for our readers?<\/p>\n

We\u2019re looking forward to coming and playing, I hope that everyone comes out to see us and enjoys it!
\n\u00a9 Cameron Edney Feb 2012. Not to be used without written permission. <\/p>\n

Currently writing and shooting for: Hysteria Magazine, Junior Magazine, Reverb Magazine, Disciples of Metal, Wicked Pix, Loud! Online, The Metal Forge, This is Rock Magazine, Utopia Records, Hardrock Haven, Rock Confidential<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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