Interview by DJ Angel
With a sound often compared to bands like Gotthard and Whitesnake,
Coldspell hail from the chilly North of Sweden. New album ‘Out From the Cold’ saw Classic Rock magazine describing the
band’s music as having “subtle pleasures
& promising greatness” and “the
individuality to take pop-rock songs & give them sparkle” – Malcolm
Dome.
Angel caught up with Coldspell’s guitarist & songwriter,
Michael Larsson & drummer Perra Johansson prior to the band’s first ever
London show…
Can you tell me a bit about how the band came together?
“The history of Coldspell
starts in 2005, we had some changes in the line-up along the way. We recorded
our debut album, ‘Infinite Stargaze’ and then the bass player and drummer left
the band, they just didn’t have the time needed to dedicate to Coldspell. So we
found these lovely old friends from Uppsala, Perra & Anders. It’s a steady
line up now, we are 100% a solid unit and that feels great!”
I heard that you actually played a gig at the famous Ice
Hotel in Sweden?
“That was actually
before Coldspell. I played at the ice
hotel in the North of Sweden, where they built a replica of Shakespeare’s Globe
Theatre in ice. It was sub -zero
temperatures, playing guitar wearing fingerless gloves – a one off, not
something I would do again.”
When it comes to choosing a favourite Coldspell track
Michael & Perra are unanimous in selecting the title track of their latest
album, ‘Out From the Cold’. “I like anthems, and I feel like it has thatquality” says Michael.
As the bands songwriter, I ask Michael who he would like to
collaborate with…
“Hmm, there are so many…maybe Mike Slamer (Steelhouse, Lane) –I like the way he writes & produces”
It’s been a great year for hard rock & AOR, why do you
think that is?
“With Crashdiet &
Reckless Love the sleaze genre has become so popular again. People want to hear
this kind of music – AOR, hard rock, sleaze. It’s delivering the fans what they want”
Any band recommendations for us?
“Although we are
mainly based in the North of Sweden we do feel a certain connection to the
scene. HEAT are really good. Amaranth from Gothenburg have been around for a
while, but we really like them”
In closing, I ask the band what their plans & hopes are
for the coming year…
“We would certainly
love to play UK festivals next year – High Voltage, Hard Rock Hell, Firefest –
it would be great to have that opportunity. We have so many fans around the world, and obviously we can’t play
everywhere for everyone, but hopefully in 2012 we will be back in the UK
January/February time and will head to the US in March for ten shows on the
West Coast”.
