Voodoo Child Interview

Its been a busy year for the guys from Johannesburg, they are currently touring the country to promote the release of their debut album "Attack, Don't Panic". We were able to track them down and ask them some questions.

So has it been a crazy year for you guys? How have you been coping with the adulation?

It HAS been a crazy year, but more for how busy we’ve been with finishing the album and doing everything around it to get it out there. Fans of our music have always been amazing with their support and we’re continually appreciative for it.

Could you tell us a bit about the forming of the band and what you were up to beforehand?

We’re all pretty much interlinked through Brendon (guitarist). He had worked with Lebo and Alan separately in theatre and with Fuzz in a now defunct band. These proved to be the natural elements needed to try out this new band and after several drummers, Hendrik (who had just finished playing with Underbelly) and Voodoo Child found each other in awesome matrimony.

The reaction to the album seems to have been really positive- could you tell us a bit about its creation and recording etc.

The songs on the album are anything between a year and four years old and some of them were on our EP “Good Times”, so it’s been a long time coming. We really just tried to stay true to ourselves and our sound and mostly show respect to the people that have followed the music through the years by giving them the best representation of the product possible. 

Did you have any idea how well the album would be received?

Before we’d even started recording, we agreed to follow a process that would guarantee pride in our work no matter how it was received. The fact that people responded positively served as a bonus at the end of the day, but we were never banking on it. 

Living in SA, and more specifically JHB, what influence has geography had on your sound, if any, or is the record the sound of travel?

Not that much really, except maybe that the life experiences we draw inspiration from for our content happen where we are.  The sound is more a result of the journey we’ve taken as individuals trying to merge our different tastes within the band set-up while hopefully growing as musicians.

Why did you decide to name the album "Attack. Don’t Panic"?

It’s actually paraphrased from “Megalomanic Attack”, our second single off the album. We settled on it because it was a little quirky and hopefully memorable – but also cheeky reassurance from what is widely considered a “new band” that the sonic unknown you’re about to venture into is not cause for panic!

What is the songwriting process like with Voodoo Child?

It usually starts with an idea… eg. a line, concept, simple melody. This gets brought into the rehearsal room, bandied about for anything from a few days to a few months with everyone tweaking it in their respective area of expertise, and then it gets played live to gauge response and feel until we’re happy with it or we scrap it.

How do you feel your live show has evolved?

Like anything, the more we’ve done it, the more we’ve settled into our own skins. There’s been no drastic change visually in the last four years, but sonically we’ve grown tighter and we’re a lot more comfortable with being on stage.

How do you feel your album has been received by your fans?

Like we said before, the response from fans has been amazing. They’ve been to all the shows, hundreds of them bought the EP and our attitude with the album was that they deserved nothing but the absolute best we can give them to show our appreciation for their support. It’s rewarding to know that the people we put in the extra time, money and effort for are happy with what we have presented.

Are there things you would do differently with the album if given the opportunity?

No. Nothing at all.

Who are some of the band’s biggest musical influences?

We all obviously have different ones, but included In there are Stevie Wonder, Tool, Skunk Anansie, Red Hot Chilli Peppers…

What bands are you currently listening to?

The latest Muse album… Karnivool… Butterfly Effect…

Do you have a particular favorite track on the new album?

Once again the votes get split, but recurring names are: “I stay Up”, “Shining Light” and “Child of the Sun”.

When you were writing songs for this album, were there some specific themes that you were exploring?

Not particularly – we tried to keep everything in the sphere of what we know through experience or extremely intimate association… to ensure that our discourse on it would be well-informed and not too surface level. The general theme is really just being 20-something and dealing with life.

What are you aiming to achieve with this record?

There were multiple goals. The first was to give the people that already knew us and had been pressing us for an album for years a good product. The second was to give the people who’ve never heard of us a good introduction to Voodoo Child as a band and as a sound. The third was to create an album we can proudly play for anyone, anywhere and still be able to dust it off years from now and play without cringing. And lastly, we needed to purge ourselves of the old material so we can move on, write more, and keep growing.

Does this album, like a novel or a film, need to be experienced as linear work?

Planning the track-listing was one of the most debated topics in the final stages of production, so yes!! We’ve also linked the tracks quite specifically through the use of interludes to allow you to have a smooth “one-sitting” experience if that’s what you want to do.

What's the best new band you've seen?

They aren’t new bands by any means, but more people are waking up to them and they’re currently two of our favourite South African bands: Isochronous from Pretoria and 3rd World Spectator from Cape Town.

Do you feel positive about the current state of music in SA?

Definitely. South African music itself has always been good enough – but now the support from the general public is more active and with the global village shrinking – our understanding of and adherence to international has increased tenfold. It can only grow from here and that in itself is exciting. 

What is down time like for the band? Does everyone hang out or hibernate and then regroup?

When you see people through rehearsal and gigs on an average of three days a week, a little hibernation from the band is recommended. But we all do hang out from time to time outside of “band work” because we actually are friends! 

If you were sitting in my seat, what one question would you ask? And what would the answer be?

Tell me something you've never ever done in your life.

Never stripped on stage. 

Tell us something that you’ve done once, but never again.

No regrets!!!  

Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years down the road?

Still making music, but on a wider scale to a bigger listening audience while staying true to the reasons we started doing this in the first place. Generally just being able to carry on doing what we full love full-time… and having a few more albums to show for it!  

I want to thank you again for the time put into this interview. Are there any last words you would like to share with the fans and readers?

Thank you for the opportunity to chat to you! Thank you also to everyone who has looked with approval on our work and taken the time to go out of their way to see us play and support what we do. Beyond the Voodoo, let’s keep supporting South African music and its hard-working protagonists in the way they deserve.