Reuben

 
L-R : Guy, Jamie, Jess, Jon 

British trio Reuben recently tore up the UK on their 23 date tour, with support from Engerica, Happylife and Scenes. They've been making a name for themselves in various music magazines where they've received great reviews, and MTV2 have been openly supporting them since their first single, "Scared of the Police" came out in March 2002. I got the chance to talk to the band before their gig at the Sugarmill in Stoke. Unfortunately, technology failed me as the mic hadn't picked up any sound during the whole interview, so here is what I can remember. 

Guy: We'll just wait for Jamie, he shouldn't be long. 
(The van door slides open and Jamie climbs in, saying Hi and showing his band mates an envelope decorated in light and dark clouds, "Look! It's Night and Day!" There's food colouring round his mouth and dribbling down over his chin.)
Jon: Jamie's a bit more gothic today. 
Guy: Ok, we all ready? 

How's the tour been going so far? 

Jon: It's been really cool so far.
Guy: Yeah, it's been good. The bands we're playing with are really great. Engerica are really cool, we just hang out with them after every gig, they're great.
Jon: And our tour manager, Angus, is great. He's really cool. 

Do you have the same tour manager for each tour? 

Jon: Well, when we first started out we had a couple of different ones, but we get on so well with Angus, he's been our tour manager for about a year now.
Jamie: Shit! A year, really? That's like when the single came out. Shit! 

How has this tour been different to your other ones? 

Jamie: It's not that different really, apart from this van.
Guy: Yeah, we've gone from pulling up to gigs in 2 cars, to hiring out a mini bus, and now we have this. This little beauty!
Jamie: The Beast.
Jon: It's covered in chocolate and biscuits and it smells of bananas. We've been trying to eat more healthy things, so we've got bags and bags of bananas hidden under the seats.
Guy: And we're still eating chocolate.
Jon: Yeah, I'm so sick of chocolate now.
(Guy offers a bag of nuts to me and Suzi, and Jon offers some chocolate biscuits. Jamie starts drawing the Batman logo on his envelope, where the stamp should go.) 

Have you got any funny or random tour stories? 

Jamie: We don't really have any crazy moments on tour.
Jon: Angus, our tour manager, broke the petrol cap on our van earlier, just pulled it right off, that was pretty funny.
Guy: We don't have that many funny stories, we usually just play and hang out with the bands.
Jon: Yeah. There was this girl, though, the other night, who waited for us after the gig and followed us around. She tried to get jiggy with Jamie, then she tried to get jiggy with Guy, then she tried to get jiggy with me. I think she tried to get jiggy with Angus, too, she was trying it on with everyone. In the end I think she got jiggy with one of the guys out of one of the American bands. 

My next question was if you had any stalkers or obsessed fans. 

Jamie: We don't really get any obsessed fans. Our fans are really cool. 

Do you get lots of presents given to you? 

Jamie: Yeah, we get loads of presents. We've got these 2 rather large ladies who follow us up and down the country and who just bring us loads of food all the time.
Guy: Which is great! 

How would you describe your music? 

Jamie: BOOM!
Guy: BOOM!
Jon: BOOM!
Jamie: BOOM! Rock. That's all you need to know. 

What bands are you into at the moment? Are there any new or unknown bands you think deserve recognition? 

Jamie: Engerica, who are touring with us, are great.
Jon: Scenes are really cool, too.
Guy: Yeah, and an American band called The Start are brilliant, no one knows who they are.
Jon: Hundred Reasons, I still really like them.
(Jamie finishes colouring in the Batman logo and holds it up for everyone to see. "It's a bit special." He then figures out where to put the stamp so he doesn't cover up his artwork, deciding to put it in the left hand corner instead. "There we go.") 

If you could choose any 5 bands, past or present, to play a one-off gig for you, who would you chose? 

Jon: Nirvana, Vex Red, At the Drive In, Biffy Clyro, The Rolling Stones.
Jamie: There we go, that's 5. 

Are there any bands you'd really like to tour with? 

Guy: The Start. If they ever come over here, we'd love to tour with them.
Jamie: Yeah, definitely. I'd like to tour with The Darkness, I think that would be really funny. Although I would have to kill them as soon as they started playing one of their songs, so maybe not.
Guy: Thursday would be good.
Jon: Funeral for a Friend, everyone seems to like them at the minute.
Jamie: Biffy Clyro, Muse.
Jon: Hundred Reasons, there are loads. 

Do you get to meet a lot of bands? 

Jamie: Yeah, we do. We went to the Kerrang! Awards and met loads of famous people, it was mad. We were just going up to people we've never met. I walked over to Jack Osbourne's table and challenged him to an arm wrestle!
Guy: We manage to get backstage at places, too.
Jamie: Yeah, the backstage passes! We got backstage at Reading and stuff, which is great, but everyone tends to talk to you like this, (kneels down next to me, still talking, but looking to either side of me.) They're always looking over your shoulder for someone more famous to talk to. 

So you went to the Kerrang! Awards, could you remember anything the morning afterwards? 

Jamie: Yeah, we're not big drinkers at all. 

Was it funny watching other people get really, really drunk? 

Guy: Yeah, it was, thisGIRL were really out of it, completely wasted.
Jon: So were Hell is for Heroes.
Guy: This is Fin's (from HIFH) hat, actually. I stole it off him when he was drunk! 

Do you often steal things from drunk band members? 

Guy: Yeah, actually! I got this shirt off someone, too. Oh, and I got a Rupert Bear waistcoat, too.
Jamie: Not a waistcoat with Rupert Bear on it, one in the style of Rupert Bear's waistcoat.
Guy: The thing is, if people are THAT drunk, they'll give you anything. I just walk up to people and say, "I really like your jacket", and they'll be like, (in slurred, drunken voice) "Sure man, take it!" It's great, I'm getting quite a collection. 

Next year, would you like to be nominated for a Kerrang! Award? 

Jamie: Of course we would! 

Do you think you will be? 

Jamie: No! (Laughs) Not at all.
Jon: It'd be nice, though. 

What was the first gig you ever went to? 

Jamie: Queen: A Kind of Magic! When I was really young, it was great. I saw them a couple of months ago, though, and they were totally shit!
Guy: Mine was MC Hammer with Vanilla Ice supporting!
Jamie: Yeah, you always win that one.
Jon: Mine was a band that Jamie's cousin was in, in a tiny pub.
Jamie: That was your first gig? I didn't know that. 

What's the best advice you've ever been given? 

Jamie: Don't eat yellow snow!
Jon: Don't run with scissors.
Guy: Damn, I can't top that.
Jon: What was your answer going to be?
Guy: Don't hit drums too hard.
Jon: Well, that's good. Otherwise you'd end up breaking them all the time.
Guy: Yeah, that's not all I'd break either. 

Your new single is "Stuck in My Throat". When is it out and what can people expect to hear? 

Guy: It's out November 3rd.
Jon: It's November 10th now.
Guy: It's out November 10th,
Jamie: I think it's quite a bit different to our previous stuff.
Guy: Yeah, I'd say it's a lot heavier. I think people will like it. 

What have you got planned after this tour is over? 

Jamie: Lots and lots of sleep.
Jon: And no bananas.
Guy: Yeah, have Christmas off. Then early next year, hopefully the album, and another single, and touring, and another single, and more touring.
Jamie: Lots of touring, basically. And I think people will like our new stuff, there's something for everyone, a lot like my dress sense. 

I'd like to thank Jamie, Jon and Guy for taking the time to do the interview and thanks to Angus for finding them all for us! I can honestly say they are the nicest band I've ever met, so if you have the chance, go and check them out! You can find more info at www.wordsfromreuben.com and check out their new single out on November 10th. 

Originally conducted for www.justwannarock.com