We caught up with Sid Glover And Rob Ellershaw back stage at the Academy in Bristol before their show supporting The Black Veil Brides to talk about their amazing journey in 2013, plans for the future and much more.

You released your debut album ‘Filthy Empire’ back in February are you happy with how the album has gone down with your fans and the press?
Rob Ellershaw: The response has been really positive I tend to not read reviews but I haven’t seen any scathingly bad reviews as everyone seems to like it.

Sid Glover: Yeah it has been positive all across the board review, not saying there hasn’t been a bad review but I haven’t come across one.

How did you find the whole writing and recording process for ‘Filthy Empire’?
Sid Glover: It was fun and fast paced

Rob Ellershaw: Yeah it was a bit like a whirlwind doing it as we tracked the whole about in 8 days because we were in the states and had to come back to Download festival and we had a vibe going on that was really fun and creative and it was like we had the cat by the tail so to speak, we didn’t want to lose that energy and come back and try replicate it so we was like let’s just do it so we worked 24 hours a day and we had to play it good as there was no time to go back and re play it, and doing that helped us keep the live energy on the record.

You have been touring all over Europe with the Black Veil Brides how did this come about and how have you found the shows?
Rob Ellershaw: We were suppose to tour with them in April we did a couple of dates in France and Spain and then it got postponed until now so when they came back over they asked us to tour again and the bonus was there was some extra English dates as there wasn’t any in April.

Sid Glover: The album had just come out and we were looking for bands to tour with and we love going around Europe as we did it a couple of times towards the end of last year but this is our first proper full European tour and it’s great because it’s put us in front of completely difference audience who haven’t really heard of us before, and that’s where we cut our teeth we started out playing in front of people who knew absolutely nothing about us and that’s the best because if they don’t know you and your not good they won’t clap or join in because they don’t care, so it’s good to go on and win people around towards the end of the set and hopefully make them a fan of the band.

Rob Ellershaw: We do love a challenge it makes things more fun.

You are in Bristol tonight for the second date of the UK leg of the tour, what can we expect from your show tonight?
Sid Glover: Full of loud noises

Any climbing up pillars at all?

Sid Glover: Yesterday I nearly knocked the PA over which was embarrassing.

Rob Ellershaw: Aaron weighs about 2 stone and will be like a beach ball going around the crowd at times.

Sid Glover: We were playing the Roundhouse at Camden and I looked over and saw a really inviting looking stack of PA systems so I walked over to say hey to the crowd and started to do a solo to one of the songs and as soon as I kicked into it the whole stack went forward and I was like Shit! And I really thought I was going to take down a really expensive PA and wipe out the first five rows.

Every time I have seen you live there is always something hectic going on.

Rob Ellershaw: Yeah that is pretty standard, I bust the shit out of my knee last night as I was on the kick drum and I landed and took all the skin off of it.

The tour comes to an end on the 20th December and I am guessing you are going to take a well earned break over the festive period?
Sid Glover: I don’t really know what to do off tour anymore.

I guess it has become routine for you now.

Rob Ellershaw: Yeah it will be good to go back catch up with my mates, see everyone and it will be good to have nothing to do the next day but within 4 days I will be bored as fuck and missing touring.

2013 has been a massive year for you as you have released your debut album, done various headline shows, played many festivals across the UK as well as touring across America and Europe but what you say your main highlight of the year has been?
Rob Ellershaw: Today’s pub quiz, No Download’s second stage was good that was back in June, also Kansas City rock festival as we opened the whole thing and they don’t do clashes you just play one at a time and the sea of people was mental.

Bit like Sonisphere then?

Sid Glover: Yeah but fucking huge and the fact that we opened it we thought there wouldn’t be that many people there for us but everyone was there and even the people at the back waiting for the other stage would see us beamed on the main screen so you had capacity audience so that was a mental experience for us.

You recently performed live on Radio 1 and did a cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Do What You Want’ how did this come about and what was the reaction like from your fans?
Sid Glover: We were in America and they were like do you want to come and do the live lounge and you have to do a cover, so we looked around and there were a few bands we thought about doing and people were suggesting various different indie bands for us to do but we thought it was a bit boring and decided if you’re going to do something fucking do it, so we heard that Lady Gaga song and thought this is a banging tune we can do something with this.

So were you put on the spot there and then when you chose the song?
Sid Glover: Yeah pretty much we chose the song and the reaction from some people was quite funny as they all thought it wasn’t the best idea.

It actually sounded really good.

Sid Glover: Yeah it was great she even tweeted it out, it was good as I got to do an R Kelly rap in the middle, fucked that up live on radio 1 so I will never get to look R Kelly in the eye again.

2014 is already looking like a busy year for you with shows in Australia and a lengthy headline tour of the UK and Europe announced for March and April, how much are you looking forward to these tours?
Sid Glover: Everything but we have never really been to Australia so that’s going to be good and also our first ever European headline tour and we are going to be stepping things up on this tour as it is going to the biggest one we have ever done, there will also be a lot of firsts next year.

Rob Ellershaw: We plan on being as busy next year as we were this year and hopefully towards the end of the year we will start to look at another album, but the first 9 or 10 months of the year we plan on hitting it hard again.

Where do you hope to see Heavens Basement in a year’s time?
Rob Ellershaw: Sitting on a masterpiece of an album would be a good thing, but just a lot more touring under our belts would be good.

Sid Glover: Feeling like we gave Filthy Empire a good run and then being excited about the new stuff.

One last random question that we ask every band, if you could be an animal out of a zebra or Giraffe which one would you be and why?
Rob Ellershaw: Have a been asked this before?

I am sure you have by Rob

Sid Glover: Well I will go Zebra for the paint job.

Rob Ellershaw: I think I said Giraffe but I can’t remember

I will look back on the previous interview and let you know.

Rob Ellershaw: Yeah you will have to and if I have changed my mind we are obviously talking shit or I have gone through some kind of life change.

Most people say Giraffe.

Rob Ellershaw: I’m intrigued see what I chose as I’m such a different person these days.

Thanks for your time is there a message for your fans reading this?
Sid Glover: Thanks for the support over the year and thanks for such a mental year.

Rob Ellershaw: We have just come out with a new deluxe version of Filthy Empire with loads of live recordings on it from our last London headline show so pick that up if you want to hear some of that stuff and also check out the dates for our headline Welcome Home tour which will be in March next year and it will be awesome to see you there.

Interview by Trigger