Conjurer at Download XXIII Donington Park - PipemanRadio Interview

0:04 Hi, you have done to censure? Wow for you you. This is the pipe Man here on the Adventures pipe Man W four c Y Radio, and I'm here with. Danny from Conjura. Nice here at download. How's it feel to be at download? Yeah, it feels pretty good. I'm glad it's not raining. Oh my god. That's because i'm here. I'll tell you why. It's funny because my friend over here, who's a photographer, he he brought it up. I've been coming here for years. There's only one year I haven't come since I started coming that you're at COVID.

0:49 That was a drownload year. Yeah. Every other year we have. Not had drownload that I've been here, So I'm gonna take credit. You're the magic Man. I know, right. But yeah, it is a lot better when it's not raining, right, Yeah. What's it like when you're a band and it's raining like that? Everything's just worse. Everything is just work Like. I mean, I'm not good with like sweltering heat, as I suppose no one is really, but like this is a really nice temperature, Like it's nice and bright, but there is a breeze. You're not too like or anything like that. So yeah, it's a little chill in the air. I love a bit of a breeze. Yeah, I love it, and I don't even know. Have you played Download before?

1:35 Yes? The first time was twenty nineteen. The second time was when it was the Download pilot. Oh yeah, when it was opening up for after COVID and everything. That was twenty twenty one, and then this one. Nice. So what have you seen change so far of what you know of Download since your first time playing here? It feels like a different festival every time I come here. I mean, I know, it doesn't help. The last time we were here five years ago, was it was like ten percent capacity or whatever? But yeah, every time I come here, I never remember like any of the spots or anywhere anything is like. So yeah, it always feels different, but it always feels fun.

2:20 That's the important Now. As an artist with that attitude, could I go through that too? Because I do festivals all over. Do you feel it's better because it's like, oh, we're playing a new place mindset, or do you feel it's more stressful because you knew where everything was and now you guys start over. I suppose it's not particularly stressful for me. Whereas my bandmate Brady, he may say otherwise, he's the one that deals with all the logistics and everything. But now it always feels pretty smooth. It never feels like particularly chaotic or anything like that. Everyone seems to know what they're doing. Everyone knows the rules of the game sort of thing. So yeah, it's always it's always quite a breeze come in here.

3:07 So do you. Feel too like on what you're saying? Well, how do you feel the people that run down load treat you as an artist very well? There's not much more to add to it, like they treat us very well. They sort out catering. Everyone knows like where to send you if you need to go to different areas and whatnot. No one's ever mean, no one's ever like rushing you around. It's all very chill, considering how big it is and considering how you know the cogs of the machine at work and all that. Like, it is a very chilled atmosphere. I think that's so key for an artist, because nothing's worse than having stress from loading, from sound check and everything else. You're a enough going on. It's much easier to really give a great performance if you have none of that stress.

4:03 Yeah, Like you just want to be able to turn up, know exactly where you're putting your stuff, know exactly when you need to be at whatever area. Like, yeah, So your next festival is one that I love too, that I normally do every year. This year I'm not because I'm doing some Father's Day thing, which is more important. But that's something I've heard about. That one too, hell fest. Like I went to one with three hundred and sixty bands right after COVID, Yeah, and not one band went on late. That was the one. It was two weekends. Yes, Oh it was brutal. It was brutal. Yeah, Like it was fun too, don't get me wrong. Yeah, but you know, two weekends. I was like, okay, can I rest now?

4:48 Yeah? I struggle after like two and a half days of a festival, let alone like virtually a whole week of it. Like, right, you know what's fie about that. Sometimes I'll bring my youngest daughter to a festival and she's thirty, but like halfway through the first day and not even halfway, like a couple hours in, She's like, Dad, I don't know how you do this. Every weekend I'm done already. Yeah, it's it's a very I say to people a lot when they ask me about like the band and touring and all this kind of stuff. All of this stuff is a very very weird thing for humans to do, Like it's not normal, like whether it's camping out in a field for however many days of the week, or if you're in a touring band, like going from city to city, all this stuff, like it's very strange for humans to do. And it's it's very taxing, but it's kind of high risk, high reward, like you're gonna get run down, but you're gonna have a great time.

5:42 No doubt. Well let's say, like my viewpoint, like yeah, there's other things, but I just love it, like it's a it's a drug almost, you know. And it is funny because a lot of times clean today, no chance to eat, haven't eaten yet, And I right, And I know a lot of artists that they never make it on time to catering because no time. Yeah, you know. So I don't think people realize that's why bringing. Up how hard it is to do this, you know, and how hard an artist works, Like they think, I'm sure you get it all the time. Oh, you're living the dream life. Part of that's true, and then there's the other part of it, like anything else in life. Yeah, you know, so I like people to know that you're not just gaying up.

6:30 There and have a good time. There's a lot more things involved that it is a job, you know, Like people think that their job doing something else is more work than what you're doing. It's really not. Yeah, I've had it before where people are like, oh, you're off gallivanting seeing the world and this and that, and it's like, no, we see like. The two block. Radius that the venue is in and there's usually like someone shooting up drugs behind or like it's you know, it's just there's it's not glamorous at all, but it is very very fun. No doubt. And you don't always get to see the bands you want to, Like I think I had like twenty bands between yesterday and day I had on my list that I was gonna see.

7:16 And did it. Yeah you know, and oh, I'll catch them next time, and then next time it's the same thing, you know. So I like to paint that picture to the listeners, even like when I got here, I got done with Milwaukee Metal Fest flew here with jetlag, no sleep for those four days. And I got here and I was like very happy about the rain on Wednesday because I got here on Tuesday. I was gonna come here. On Wednesday. I saw the rain, I'm like, fuck it. And I slept like the whole day and thank god, because I would probably be even more dead now. Yeah, you know, and that is the lifestyle. It's like sneaking to sleep when you can, sneaking the food when you can.

7:59 Yeah. But that we wouldn't do it if we didn't love it exactly. And that's the point. So are you looking forward to hell Fest? Oh? Yeah, I love going to Hellfest. It's amazing, so weird because it's like it's kind of in the middle of nowhere, but it's so big. It just feels like its own kind of city. It's like it is like they've pretty much taken over Clisson. Yeah, you know, it's wild. And I remember the first time I went there, and I do festivals all over to the US, UK and Europe. I'm like, holy shit, and I'm like, this is like amazing. I found like. Multiple stages that were hidden like on top of a merch building, you know, and stuff like that, and like and then I remember one night they were doing grocery court races in the campground of Like it's just it is amazing that any of these festivals like that, like Download can put on such a big production. It runs smoothly. Yeah, Like hats off to whoever runs everything, because how do you do that?

9:10 Yeah? I mean the last time we played Hellfest, it was I think twenty twenty three, and I remember us going on stage. It was at nighttime and there were tons of people in the tent, which was already like astounding, but they have all the like fire and stuff going off in the background. Like I was playing the set and I found myself just zoning out and looking at all like the flames and the pyro and all this stuff. Was just like this is awesome. Oh wait yeah right right right yeah. The first time I went, I'm like, holy shit, I am in Hell. Yeah, it's like wild and that. What was funny that first year after COVID is the first weekend it was in fair Night one hundred and four degrees, which I think is like almost fifty or something like that, somewhere somewhere I think above forty. Yeah, I live in South Florida where it's seriously hot and humid, and I'm telling you, I was praying to go back home so I could cool down. Yeah, I couldn't even do I couldn't even do interviews in the press tent and a black press ten and you know, I was interviewing John from Skillett and literally we couldn't even see each other.

10:24 Like the sweat was coming into my eyes. My eyes were burning, and it was like, oh my god, this is like this is Hell. You're painting a very attractive picture. I know, but it's still one of my favorite festivals in the whole world. With all that, and that's my point. These places. You know, a lot of people around the world will complain about stuff, but you know what, at least we have live music. We didn't have that for a while, and focus on the fun stuff. And like for you as a band, you know, yeah, it's a lot of fun to get up there and the whole crowd is singing back your songs and everything else, you know, So that's amazing. Yeah, it rules anything else you.

11:06 Got coming up that you want to talk about that we haven't covered that the listeners need to know. So after Hellfest, we have another festival in France called rockin Ballong. After that it's Brutal Assault in the Czech Republic. After that, I believe we have Arcs and Gent in Bristol the UK. Nice. After that, we have a short run in the UK with a band called Korea. I think it's great. I know them, Yeah, they're great. Yeah, it's a great line and. It's all like my favorite UK venues, which is really nice. It's only like a week, but yeah, it'll be great. And then finally to close off the year, I believe in November we're on tour with de veg Eine Freiheit, who are German blackmail band. That's a much longer one in Europe, and then that's it off for Christmas.

11:56 Nice. It's funny you mentioned Korea because I I don't. I think it was blunt Stock. I don't remember. But I had an interview with them and there was this female standing like right behind me and we started talking talking, and she's like, oh, I gotta go. I got an interview. It was the interview with me amazing, right, you know, because sometimes you don't when there, when they look like that on stage, you have no clue what they look like when you're talking to them, so anyway, I'm so glad you're here a download. You guys are badass, and thanks for being on the Adventures of pipe Man. Thank you very much, Steve.

12:36 Thank you for listening to the Adventures of pipe Man on w for CUI Radio.