Sam - Blast Reporter

After4 @ Aloud 2b Loud, Huntingdon - Sat 14th August 2004

I went along to 'Aloud 2b Loud' in Huntingdon on Saturday 14th. The sun was shinning and the atmosphere seemed really good, especially with the bouncy castle and free burgers (which I had three of... whoops). I wanted to interview the main three bands which consisted of After4, Lightning Jack and Linda's Nephew. As the guys were going on one after the other I thought it would be best to wait they were all finished and then take it in turns to interview them.

So there I was at the front of the set, taking pictures with my digital, and I was really impressed with the first band I saw… After4. Here's the review…

The band are: Joe – Lead vocals/rhythm guitar, Jack – Drums, Tony – Bass guitar and backing vocals and Phil – Lead guitar/backing vocals.

The band has such a buzz and they started their set really well. Lead singer Joe, has a really unique voice and I definitely started moving to the sounds of their music. The band is young at the average age of 14 but yet they started gigging in May 03 and have had over 30 gigs and festivals which is an amazing amount. They are very entertaining and have a great group of fans as well as people that follow their career. After the lads did an excellent set, including a song from The Darkness, I managed to get them to one side and have a quick little interview with them:

Who thought of the name After4?
"Last year we went to RockTech, we just needed a name, the drummer used to always do 1,2,3,4 so I thought of After4."

Who are your influences?
"Anything really, ACDC up to modern day stuff."

What genre would you say your band was?
"Melodic Rock."

How many gigs have you had recently? You've done quite a few!
"Yeah, we have had loads, but we must have done 25-30 gigs all in all."

Can you see yourself doing this in the future?
"Yeah definitely, if we get a chance to go away then we will, if not then it’s just something for fun.

Would you say you have an image on stage?
"Not really, just us, nothing really interesting."

Would you say you have a front man?
"Yeah, Joe is, he really knows how to get the crowd going."

You write your own music obviously, do you all have an input for that?
"Joe writes most of them, but as we develop were all getting into writing and all help each other out, whether it’s starting finishing or in the middle."

Do you practise a lot?
"Once or twice a week, whenever we can."

Have you got an album out?
"We are going into a recording studio on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, so hopefully that will be out soon."

What would you say to people to encourage them to come and listen to you?
"Good time, sit and have fun, we're entertaining."

I’ve watched After4 before, and I can honestly say these guys have got what it takes to go far. To think, at the average age of 14, they are playing huge Rock gigs such as the Big Gig in St. Ives which happened in July this year, then think where they will be in a couple of years time. The drummer Jack has really got some special talent and at the age of 12, he really does impress me with his drum solos. The band looks like a band, there is no doubt about that, and they have no fear of playing in front of lots of people. They have gigs lining up, so make sure you go see for yourself what they are like. I personally would recommend them.

Want to know more? www.after4.co.uk – is the place to look.