Dinosaur Pile-Up are due to release their upcoming album Eleven Eleven this Friday via SO Recordings (26th August). The three piece Matt Bigland, Michael Sheils and Jim Cratchley, have really emerged themselves on to the rock scene as of late recently played three big gigs this month including a set at O2 Forum Kentish Town. The three piece band are now set to perform at Reading & Leeds festival this weekend (26hth – 28th August). However these guys just don’t stop as they will have hardly no rest before playing nine gigs in America. Dinosaur Pile-Up will then just keep on touring the world as they embark on a massive European tour including the UK lasting until December. You can listen to Nothing Personal from the upcoming album below.
I managed to catch up with the lads about the upcoming release, playing in America and more!
So Eleven Eleven will be released this month, how proud are you of the album?
We’re super proud of the album! It’s the closest representation to where we’re at as a band that we’ve ever been able to capture, so we’re stoked. We’re really happy that we can represent ourselves live with a record like this.
How different is it to your previous releases?
It’s actually really different to our previous releases if you get into how it was recorded. The two previous records I actually recorded on my own, playing all of the parts in the studio. This was due to timing, circumstance and line up changes in the band etc. But since those two records Mike, Jim and I solidified as a band and toured for like two years straight – so at the end of that we went into studio together and made this record. So it’s the first time that our live energy has been captured on record. Thus, the record is a lot heavier in many ways than the previous two.
It’s been nearly 10 years since the band formed, what has been your best moment?
There’s been a lot of great experiences that we’ve gained as a band since we started – but honestly most of those have been in the last two years. Getting to tour the States fully extensively has been one of our highlights. Maybe the first time we played Summersonic festival in Tokyo was the best. Hard to pick one moment, but walking on to that stage was a pretty crazy moment for us.
How has the release of Nothing Personal gone so far?
Awesome! People are really connecting with the song and a lot of people are getting down with us since NP’s been out there. Which is so encouraging for us.
If you could perform with any artist who would it be and why?
I’d be really stoked to perform with the Deftones. Just because they’ve always been one of our top ten bands and they’re still releasing great music, and they’ve kept their integrity through such a formidable career, and that’s something we really respect. Also getting to hear My Own Summer every night would be the best.
How pumped are you to be playing over in America in the next couple of months?
So pumped. We love touring the states. The drives are huge. The fans are great. And it it’s actually sunny sometimes. Like, real sun! It’s one of our favourite places to tour by a long way. And we feel like our music is in many way more at home there than in the UK. So yeah, I’d say we’re pretty stoked.
So you have a Reading & Leeds coming up too, how much does that festival mean to you guys?
Yes we do – and it means a lot. I’m from the north of England originally and I started the band in Leeds. So it’s always been about Leeds and Reading for us. I’d go every year in the early years of the band. I’d see bands climbing the bill that were local bands to me, or friends of mine. I’d see the Foo’s headline it, Rage headline it. And the whole time I just wanted to be playing it with a band that I was proud of. So yeah, it’s pretty cool for us that we get to do it now.
What is the venue you are most looking forward to play at on tour this year?
Honestly, I have no idea. I’m pretty stoked to be playing any of them to be completely honest. We all are. We don’t really take any of this for granted so all of the shows and all of the venues have value to us. I’m really excited to play the US festivals that we’re playing this year too. US fests are pretty new to us so I’m really excited about that.
Have you got a goal where you want to be in the next say 5/10 years?
I mean, yeah I guess – our goal is to be able to be surviving and doing this. Paying rent for instance. Play bigger and bigger shows. Communicate what we’re doing to more and more people without sacrificing our integrity as a band. It’s a difficult world to survive in doing what we do since the market and everything has changed. It’s hard to make a living – but would I change it for the security of a job that I didn’t care about? No I wouldn’t. I want to live my life and achieve something meaningful instead of just exist through my time here, so my goal is just that.
