The first time rock band, Pig Iron came under our radar was in 2005. They are a bluesy, heavy rock band based in London, UK. Our sources in the UK told us this was a band to watch for in the years to come. Hmm? Okay, we're game, but why? After doing a little research we found out that after forming from the ashes of Burnt Oak Sun, bassist Hugh Gilmour took vocalist Johnny to guitarist Dave Pattenden and drummer Joe Smith. Shortly after forming, while supporting the legendary Budgie (one of our favorite rock bands of all time), Pig Iron were paid a visit by Bruce Dickinson and Janick Gers of Iron Maiden, which resulted in a live performance on the Bruce Dickinson Radio show, on BBC 6 Music. After writing more original material, the band continued to get stronger as performers and musicians and gathered some impressive support slots, culminating in a special charity show with the metal icons IRON MAIDEN at The Hammersmith Apollo in September 2005.
Pig Iron have one EP entitled 'The Law And The Road Are One' out on Sounds Of Caligula Records. Now working on their first, full-length album, Pig Iron have developed their sound and will be launching phase two of their world domination this year..Their full length release is titled 'The Paths Of Glory.
We know that for some of you, this is the first time hearing of PIG IRON, but it won't be the last. Here is why...
AAM: How did you come up with the name of the band, PIG IRON?
Hugh Gilmour: PIG IRON is raw iron in an ingot form. It is the
immediate product of smelting iron ore with coke and limestone in a blast furnace. The name is derived from the time when the iron ran into molds in sand beds fed from a common runner. The row of molds was said to resemble a litter of suckling pigs. It’s mentioned in the Leadbelly song (and later covered by Johnny Cash and Lonnie Donegan) ‘Rock island Line’. We thought it just sounded cool, but it also represented what the band were about and how we wanted to represent our sound
AAM: What was it like jamming with Bruce and Janick at the BBC 6?
HG: Bruce and Janick came to see us supporting Budgie back in November 2002. Bruce cornered me after the gig to ask if we’d be up for playing a couple of our own songs on his show, plus a cover version with him singing; we didn’t need to be asked twice. The whole experience was a lot of fun, and as somebody who fantasized as a kid about playing in Iron Maiden, to have Bruce singing in my band was certainly an enjoyable, unique experience. I should also give credit to Bruce’s production team at BBC6 Music and to the engineers at Maida Vale (a very famous London recording studio), all of whom were very professional, efficient and helpful. We even got paid! The money from which went to recording our first CD. It was one of the first steps towards the band taking itself more seriously, and that there was something very worthwhile here, as up until then we’d been happy playing covers. Janick couldn’t make it, possibly because the recording was on a Sunday morning. Or he was practicing his golf swing.
AAM: Was the show recorded?
HG: The whole show (three hours in total) was recorded and broadcast on digital radio by BBC6 Music. If you send an email via http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/bruce_dickinson/ Bruce might even agree to repeat it.
AAM: Did that lead up to you opening for IRON MAIDEN back in 2005?
HG: Myself and Dave have worked for and with Iron Maiden for more than a decade, but to play on the sacred ground of the Hammersmith Odeon with Maiden, and for such a great cause, was a huge privilege and an honour. When I watch the film of the show, I’m so impressed with how well Johnny, Joe and Dave dealt with such a huge, sold out crowd (of 5,000). For myself, I was fairly petrified.
AAM: Your EP, 'THE LAW AND THE ROAD ARE ONE', turned many heads when it came out. Can we expect more hot rocking to come from you guys on your full lengthrelease?
HG: We actually recorded the backing tracks for our new, full length album, in April 2006, but a number of things have conspired to keep it in the can, so to speak. We’re finishing it off now, and it sounds awesome (to my ears at least). We do everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) ourselves, and as such, it can take a lot longer. Also, everybody in the band has commitments outside of Pig Iron, but musically, Pig Iron is our first priority. Also, ‘The Law And The Road Are One’ is essentially our demo, and by that I mean, it was the first time we recorded ourselves professionally, with a view to playing it to other people. We’ve never actually sent a demo to a record label, we’ve never sent a begging letter to anyone, and what’s the point of making hundreds or thousands of CDs only to give them away? I don’t believe you should do anything in half measures, and because we do everything ourselves, including issuing the CDs and servicing them to the press, we don’t have to release any music unless we’re totally happy with the finished result either, both in terms of song writing and production. The title of the new album will be ‘The Paths Of Glory... (...Lead But To The Grave)’, which we hope will be instore at some point in 2007.
AAM: How would you describe your sound and what separates PIG IRON from the other rock bands that are out at the moment?
HG: I think initially we were lumped in with the “stoner” scene, which definitely isn’t the case. I think our taste and direction is best exemplified by the bands we’ve covered, which include; Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Cream, Ted Nugent, MC5, The Guess Who, Blind Faith, Little Feat, Kiss, Steve Earle, Status Quo, Pentagram, AC/DC, Free, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Motorhead. Good, honest, solid, “classic” rock music, the stuff we grew up with, basically. I can’t say that we’re particularly separate from other bands, but when we started in 2001 nobody mentioned Motorhead or name checked the MC5 (outside of rock circles, anyway). Now everyone name checks the MC5. One major aspect that separates us from other acts is Johnny’s harp. As there’s only four of us on stage, it’s quite central to our sound and certainly makes us stand out a little from other bands, certainly in the UK. Also, Bruce was really impressed with Johnny’s command of the harmonica; it was Bruce who originally suggested we try and cover ‘When The Levee Breaks’ which we eventually did for a Classic Rock tribute compilation CD last year (you can hear it at the moment on www.myspace.com/soundsofcaligula).
AAM: There seems to be a resurgence of "Classic Rock" bands coming out of the UK, THE ANSWER, TOKYO DRAGONS and of course PIG IRON. Would you consider your band the 'NEW CLASSIC ROCK' of the future?
HG: We did a gig with The Answer last year, and they were a great bunch of lads. They are prepared to work hard for their success, and are now doing very well. There does appear to be a scene, but I can’t see that Pig Iron are particularly benefiting from it or part of it, but possibly this is because we insist on moving at our own pace. What I think these bands have in common is a return to old fashion, good ole rock values. Thin Lizzy represent a benchmark of quality any band should aspire to, with good song writing, good playing, and good performance, whilst not relying on a pose, fad or fashion trend.
AAM: We take it that you don't agree with the term, "Classic Rock".
HG: It wasn’t called “Classic Rock” when I first started buying records, it was Heavy Metal or Hard Rock, be it UFO, Whitesnake or Rush. And all of those bands were filed in the HM section, which now means something else.
AAM: What is on tap for PIG IRON in 2007? Are there plans on playing any gigs here in the States?
HG:We’d love to play the States, but the logistics financially are the biggest obstacle until we achieve some form of recognition, even if it’s just on a cult level. I imagine LA or New York, like London, have 5, 10 or maybe 20 bands or more gigging each and every night, so the concern would be to stand out from the other 19 acts that are playing on that particular night. If you have the weight of a major label or distributor behind you, then the possibilities are far more achievable, but as I’ve said elsewhere, we operate totally independently. I used to be under the impression that the States were full of bands that look or sound like us, but I’ve come to think that Pig Iron would go down well with an American audience, and we certainly get lots of positive emails from the States via our website and MySpace page. America loved Zep, Purple and Sabbath. There’s no reason why The Answer, Tokyo Dragons and Pig Iron could not be taken to America’s heart too. I’m sure they’d love our accents! If you want to see Pig iron play in America then book us. We will come!
AAM: For the rockers here in America who have not heard of your band yet. Can you give us an idea what to expect at PIG IRON show?
HG: I think a lot depends on our moods, but it’s not as if we rely on any enormous show or gimmicks. Quite often it would annoy me that people would choose to stand as far away from the stage as possible, from which I took offence, until it was pointed out to me that the audience are possibly quite scared of us. Following a great live review in Kerrang! I asked why the writer didn’t come and say hello after the show, and she said that she was too scared, so that must be the case. The bottom line is that people come to our gigs to have a good time. That may sound obvious, but there’s so much music out now, rock or otherwise, which is quite depressing. If you read the words to ‘Lord, Kill The Pain’, you might find it depressing, but the overall effect I hope is uplifting. Also, we don’t play very often, and probably only played half a dozen times across the whole of 2006, so the chances are no two gigs will be the same. We certainly don’t tour enough for there to be a danger of us becoming in anyway “slick”.
AAM: Hugh, thanks so much for sharing your time with us. Is there anything else you would like to add?
HG: Send us an email c/o www.pigironmc.com and we’ll put you on our mailing list, and send us a message via myspace.com/soundsofcaligula, as we always like to get feedback from fans and from other bands. And hopefully we’ll be coming to a town near you soon.
