Simon RushworthInglorious have given British classic rock a shot in the arm with their incendiary live shows and stunning debut album. RUSHONROCK editor Simon Rushworth got the lowdown on the fast-rising quintet from rhythm guitarist Wil Taylor.
RUSHONROCK: How did you seal your spot in Inglorious?
WIL TAYLOR: My Inglorious journey didn’t start until I left the North East. I grew up around the Darlington area and loved teaching music and gigging around there. Bu it was a move I felt I needed to make and a move the people kept telling me I should make. In the end it was the right thing to do.I upped sticks and pissed off down to London. That was a bit of a culture shock to start with but I just dived straight in. I said yes to every gig down there – I was working as a session guitarist and doing a day job and fitting in as many shows as I could.
RUSHONROCK: So how did you connect with Nathan (James, singer)?
WT: I said yes to a jazz gig and that’s how I first ended up on the Inglorious radar. One of Nathan’s mates was at the show and he told me that he was looking to put a band together. We went back to the flat after the gig and he played me some demos – straight away I knew I wanted to be a part of Inglorious. I reached out to Nathan via social media and he got back to me asking if I’d submit a tape. That got me the audition and I went to Manchester armed with about seven too many songs but it did the trick! I smashed it!
RUSHONROCK: When did Inglorious take shape as a band?
WT:It must have been around March 2014 when the bulk of the band came together. Colin (Parkinson, bass) has been playing with Phil (Beaver, drums) since they were kids but they hadn’t hooked up for a while before Inglorious came about. Me, Nathan, Colin and Phil have been a unit for more than two years now. We tried a couple of other guitarists who, for one reason or another, just weren’t the right fit and eventually we found Andreas (Eriksson) in Sweden. He came in two or three weeks before we recorded the album – in that time he had to fit in, learn the songs and record the album. For him to do that – and do it well – was absolutely insane but it just proves what an incredible talent he really is.
RUSHONROCK: The debut album is raw, authentic and classic in sound – is that what you were searching for?
WT: We recorded the album live and I think it shows. But the album that people have bought was never supposed to see the light of day! That’s the mad thing. We went into a tiny studio – literally ate, slept and lived in there for a week or so – and took the opportunity to practice like hell and record a few songs. At that time we felt like we could take some of the pressure off when we eventually went into the main studio. But it turned out to be the record we released. We always wanted to record the album live – we don’t believe in doing anything that we can’t pull off on stage. We don’t want to become a band that has to rely on tracks to get through a live show. So the debut isn’t as polished as a new Def Leppard record but it’s the sound of Inglorious. There are little mistakes and there are things we never intended to appear on the record but we’re proud of what we achieved.
RUSHONROCK: Your rise from virtual unknowns to festival staples and UK headliners has been rapid – does it feel like that?
WT: I suppose we have kind of come from nowhere. After almost two-and-a-half years it seems like a long time to me. But as far as everyone else is concerned it looks like we’ve come flying out of the blocks. When I look back I think about the gigs, writing the album, the label showcases and all of that. We’ve done a lot in a very short space of time. But the album only came out in February and we’ve already sold 10,000 hard copies – look at it in that context and I agree we’ve suddenly come up on the rails. But we don’t look back – we’re always looking at the next step.
RUSHONROCK: This summer will only increase your profile on the back of a full UK tour and a string of festival dates – what are the highlights?
WT: Due to my own shows, work commitments and the cost of going I’d never been to Download before. It’s crazy to think I played on the second stage on my first visit to Donington! We’ve got Ramblin’ Man next month and what an incredible line-up that is – Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy, Europe etc. – but the show I’ve been looking forward to most is The Cluny in Newcastle. It’s as close as it gets to a hometown gig for me and it’s been sold out for weeks. It’s a great venue and it will be buzzing in there.
RUSHONROCK: Your debut is still flying off the shelves but is it true album number two is well underway?
WT: Yes, we’ve already started work on the next album. The label wants it delivered sharpish which has got to be a good thing. We went to Milan a few weeks ago to play the Frontiers Festival and meet everyone at the label. They were so kind to us and so into what we’re doing and we can’t wait to get the second album done. We spent most of May writing songs – we’ve done around 20 and we’ll probably do 20 more. We’ve all been frontmen in our respective bands – all main songwriters – and so we find that side of things easy. The songs and the riffs just flow and we have so many great ideas flying around. We’ll do exactly what we did with the first album and record it live. It worked the first time!
Photo credit: Nedim Nazerali