In case you haven’t heard, and if you haven’t, pray do tell WHY… The Narrow are back! They’re not just all together again to kuier and catch up with old friends and family. They have a much grander mission on their hands. Firstly, there is going to be the launch of a brand new EP, (JAAAA!) and secondly they’re going to be touring!
Their fourth full-length album, “Dream of Perelandra“, is going to be played at 7 venues around Mzansi, starting with the launch on the 15th of September at Sundowners in Alberton. You can find the tour dates and venues at the bottom of this article, but RIGHT NOW, we move forth to THE INTERVIEW!
Juan, one of the better-looking blokes at The Grind Radio, had the pleasure of interviewing The Narrow‘s front man Hanu De Jong, last week. This is how it went down:
JUAN: For your new album, Dream of Perelandra you make reference to “experiencing things for the first time, again.” Is this an indication of a new sound that The Narrow will be going for, or are you going back to the sound that you had for your first album, Self Conscious?
HANU: To play a song from Self Conscious for the first time can never be experienced again. That is the point… we only have one go at first-timing things. Our sound will never be like Self Conscious again, only the honesty and emotion in the tunes will be there.
JUAN: We’ve seen a lot of bands, like Slipknot and Korn, go back to their original sound. Do you think it’s important that bands experiment with different sounds or should bands stick with what they do best?
HANU: You do what inspires, that is all. There will always be some who crave the same sound and some who become new fans because the sound has changed. I love the process of innovation and creating something new… as long as it’s real and you believe in what you’re doing.
JUAN: It can be very tricky keeping fans happy! Do you keep them in mind while creating music, or do you believe you need to put out whatever comes to you, regardless of how it will be received?
HANU: We love feedback and always over-think what to do next with our music. But when we jam, we forget all about that and just do what works in that moment. If it gives me goosebumps, it stays!
JUAN: Goosebumps are a good deciding factor 🙂 What tracks or albums are you currently enjoying the most?
HANU: At the moment I love “Evil”. It’s simple and drives all the way through. It has also been stuck in my head for months! But wait until you hear “Earth rising” on the album… I cried the first time I heard it mixed 🙂
JUAN: Looking forward to hearing it! We all know that the crowd goes absolutely bonkers when Deon and Emile start picking away the intro to “Lonely-Lonely”, but what is the most underrated The Narrow song, according to you?
HANU: “She went away too soon”.
JUAN: I love that track live too… Mine has to be ‘Elation’ though! 🙂 If you could have had any artist, dead or alive, collaborate on Dream of Perelandra, who would that artist be and why?
HANU: Freddy Mercury. Unbelievably creative and what a voice!
JUAN: Who is the best Game of Thrones character and why?
HANU: Little Finger is by far the best player of the game and also caused just about all the drama in the entire story. But I like The Hound the best.
JUAN: How cool would it be to have your own ice dragon to go on tour with? (Ha! Bruce Dickinson and the Iron Maiden 747, will have nothing on The Narrow and their flying ice dragon tour transport).
HANU: Uhm… at this point we would settle for a nice Vito and a trailer!
JUAN: The rock ‘n roll community has experienced a lot of tragedies with regard to suicide over the last couple of months. The Narrow has always been a band with a positive message, is there a message that you’d like to relay to fans that struggle with depression?
HANU: To those going through a tough time: this also will pass. Reach out and tell someone you trust that you are not having a good time. You don’t have to carry this alone… your not alone!
To those who see a loved one in pain or stressed or just down… just be there. Don’t try to fix them, just be there.
JUAN: How does it feel to be coming back to south Africa to play new music, to eager fans, that can’t wait to have you home?
HANU: It feels pretty rad! Thank you all!
ENNNNND!
It’s such a rare and beautiful thing when these guys come around! Make sure that you catch them at a gig near you! Below are your options. SEE YOU ALL THERE!
Tour Dates
– 15 Sep: Sundowners (Alberton)
– 16 Sep: La Casa (Pitermaritzburg) & Winston Pub (Durban)
– 22 Sep: ROAR (Cape Town)
– 23 Sep: Aandklas (Stellenbosch)
– 29 Sep: Arcade Empire (Pretoria)
– 28 Oct: Roctober Rumble (Carnival city)