Rock Radio Northern Ireland - NI ROCKS interview with THE TREATMENT

NI ROCKS interview with THE TREATMENT

Published: Thursday, 24 January 2013 00:00 | Written by NI ROCKS | Print | Hits: 6069

The Treatment are five young guys from Cambridge in England who have taken the rock world by storm with great live performances, a fantastic debut album and support slots with some of the biggest names in rock. They’re currently working on a new album and head back out on the road again in February and March to support Slash on tour in Nottingham, Blackpool and Dublin. On their “day off” from the Slash tour they play a headline show in The Diamond Rock Club in Ahoghill on Saturday 2^nd March.

The band consists of Matt on vocals, Ben and Tag on guitars, Rick on bass and Dhani on drums.

NI ROCKS – Thanks for taking some time to answer a few questions for Rock Radio NI. I wanted to start by asking about your musical influences. The Treatment play a brand of rock music that appeals to the older generation of classic rock fans like myself as well a younger audience. In fact you probably do classic rock better than some of the classic rock bands back in the day! What music did you grow up listening to and what inspires The Treatment’s sound?

THE TREATMENT – We all grew up listening to a huge range of bands. Anything from The Beatles to Judas Priest. We were all raised on classic rock, but that's not to say that we don't appreciate the more modern bands to. We're all big metal fans as well, but classic rock is the music that really connected with us.

NI ROCKS – The covers EP “Then & Again” that was originally released in April 2012 was re-released in January and the initial print-run sold out again within 24 hours. How did you pick the five tracks to include on the EP?

THE TREATMENT - When we first came up with the idea of doing a covers E.P, we specifically stated that we didn't want to do the songs that people would maybe expect us to do. We wanted to do songs that maybe people of our generation haven't heard before and put our own Treatment twist on them.

NI ROCKS – I was reading an interview with your manager Laurie Mansworth when I was doing some preparation for this interview and I noted that the first gig he went to was a Bon Scott era AC/DC concert, whilst mine was an AC/DC gig on the “For Those About to Rock” tour. But we’re giving away our age there! What was the first band you saw play live?

THE TREATMENT – Dhani and Ben's was Status Quo, Tag and Matt's was Deep Purple and Rick's was U2.

NI ROCKS – Over the past couple of years you’ve managed to land a few absolutely fantastic support slots to huge bands. We’ll talk about Motley Crue and Kiss later, but looking ahead you’ve got the tour with Slash in England and Ireland. As a music fan I watch Slash on stage in awe of his rock god status! As performers and fans what are your feelings about playing on the same stage supporting him?

THE TREATMENT – Slash is a huge hero of all of ours. Guns N' Roses are obviously a huge influence on our music, and to be given an opportunity to open up the shows for such a legend is going to be amazing. We have been very lucky to be able to play with some incredible bands, and the Slash shows will definitely be a highlight for us.

NI ROCKS – Was getting the support slot purely the result of great work by the band and your management or did Slash have any involvement? I have a vague recollection of him mentioning the band when you were on tour in the USA but maybe I’m wrong!

THE TREATMENT – When the shows first came about both ourselves and our management were very keen to push for the shows. We are very fortunate to have what we believe to be the best management in the business at the moment and they pushed very hard to make this a reality. Paul Marshall from Marshall Amplification has also been a great supporter of us and pushed for Slash to check out the band.

NI ROCKS – The Diamond Rock Club in Ahoghill has thankfully managed to hijack you mid tour to play a return show for us on Saturday 2^nd March; following on from your last appearance there in February 2012. Having played some really big venues in the past year, is it still nice to play that more intimate club performance as a headliner?

THE TREATMENT – We absolutely love the more intimate shows! There's something about the 'in your faceness' and sweat dripping off the walls that you can't beat. By the end of our last headline show at the Camden Underworld, there was over 100 people on stage. That to us is what rock and roll is all about.

NI ROCKS – The first album “This Might Hurt” has been a huge success. You’re currently working on the second album. Tell us a little about where it’s being recorded, who is involved, when it’s due for release and what fans can expect.

THE TREATMENT – The album recording process is very much in full swing now. The drums, guitars and vocals have all been completed, and we now only have the bass to do and mixing and mastering. The album is being recorded at Steve Harris' Barnyard Studios, and is being produced by our manager Laurie Mansworth. As release dates and titles go, we're still unsure, but we will keep everyone updated and as soon as we know anything we will let you know. We honestly believe this album is a huge step forward from 'This Might Hurt,' and cannot wait for all our friends to hear it. Expect high energy, balls to the wall rock and roll.

NI ROCKS – Is there such a thing as a typical writing process for a track by The Treatment or does each vary? Is it something that all five of you contribute to?

THE TREATMENT – All five of us are very much involved in the writing process. We all live together at our managers house and have the luxury of being able to record any idea's that we have at home. This enables us to be able to keep revisiting songs and fine tune any parts we're unsure of.

NI ROCKS – As well as the tour with Slash, you’ve just been confirmed for Ozzfest in Japan in May. Any other plans for 2013 yet?

THE TREATMENT – We have a lot of plans for 2013 and 2014, but unfortunately there's not a lot we can say at this moment! Keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages and all will be revealed soon.

NI ROCKS – In just five years the band has done a lot, but one of the highlights must be the tour with Motley Crue and Kiss in the N America during 2012. Is it possible to pick out an outstanding moment from that tour?

THE TREATMENT – That tour was such an incredible experience for us, it's almost impossible to pick out just one moment. Every show was absolutely insane, and the American crowds were very receptive to us. Getting a chance to hang out with and learn from some of our heroes was great for us as well. All the guys from all of the bands are honestly some of the nicest people we've ever had the pleasure to meet. The whole thing was just insane!

NI ROCKS – You must get asked a lot about what it’s like working with such legends of the rock scene! Was there much interaction between the two headlining band members and who from each band would you have had most contact with?

THE TREATMENT – All of the guys were great! Nikki Sixx has been a huge supporter of ours for a while, so it was great to be able to meet him and hang out. He was a great guy and really looked after us. Gene Simmons is an absolute gentleman and honestly one of the funniest guys we've met. Eric Singer would always gave us a pre-set pep talk and Tommy Lee pranked Matt SO bad. Honestly all of the guys were absolutely great, and we really learned a lot from them all.

NI ROCKS – We all presume that there must be some great road trip tales you can tell from being on tour with Kiss and Motley Crue. Have you a favourite story that you like to tell?

THE TREATMENT – Don't ever let any members of Motley Crue know what you're afraid of! There will be consequences! Matt found out the hard way!

NI ROCKS – I think that I recall from your Facebook and Twitter accounts that you played a few headline gigs in America whilst you were tour. Have you seen a big increase in the fanbase in America as a result?

THE TREATMENT - Absolutely. The response we got in America was unbelievable. We cannot wait to get back and see all the friends we made out there again.

NI ROCKS – Speaking of Twitter and Facebook, how much do you all get involved with the social media sites?

THE TREATMENT – We are very active on both Twitter and Facebook! It's such a great way to stay in contact with our friends and fans no matter where we may be in the world. We also pride ourselves on trying to respond to everyone that contacts us.

NI ROCKS – Going back to musical tastes, I always like to find out what bands are listening to. What would we hear playing on The Treatment tour bus or on your iPods if we borrowed them?

THE TREATMENT – We listen to a huge range of music whilst on the road, but normally we end up listening to bands we've toured with. We listen to a lot of Kiss, Motley Crue, Steel Panther and Thin Lizzy, but it really depends on what kind of mood we're in. AC/DC is always great music to warm up to.

NI ROCKS – Any particular bands out there that you would recommend to the people reading this interview?

THE TREATMENT – There's a lot of great rock bands out there! If you're fans of our kind of music then make sure you check out Jettblack, Buffalo Summer and Four Wheel Drive.

NI ROCKS – Finally, another question just for a bit of fun. If you were to be given the opportunity to play in any rock band over the past 40 years or so, which band would you have wanted to be in and why?

THE TREATMENT – That is such a hard question! There's so many great bands, but if we were to replace one member, then the band maybe wouldn't have been the same. To be honest, we're such a tight bunch of friends, and we have such a laugh doing everything we do, there's no other band we'd rather be in than The Treatment.

NI ROCKS – Thanks again for taking some time to answer a few questions for Rock Radio NI. Best of luck with the tour. We’ll see you in the Diamond Rock Club on the 2^nd March.