Interpol and Queens of the Stone Age

The band are currently made up of singer and guitarist Paul Banks, drummer Sam Fogarino and lead guitarist Daniel Kessler. Unlike many of their contemporaries, they are one of the few bands who came to prominence in the great indie rock boom of the early 2000’s to keep their creative spark alive into the new decade.

This is especially impressive considering that in 2010 the band's unofficial frontman, effortlessly suave bassist Carlos Dengler, left the band after growing tired of the touring lifestyle. Many thought that they would be rudderless ship after he left, but many were wrong.

Ever since they formed, the band had been an equal collaboration between every member. They’ve never had a main songwriter and still don’t have one to this day. With Dengler gone, a crucial element of that dynamic went with him but after a long break, they were able to return to their former glory with style.

They returned with 2014’s “El Pintor”, an album that went to the top ten on the album charts of both sides of the Atlantic and restored the bands mojo in thrilling fashion, with their icy, edgy post-punk never sounding more exciting and totally unique as it does now.

With experience and ability on their side, Interpol have quite simply never been a better band than they are today. They’re at their peak, and they’re only going to get better, so join the ride now, and you will not regret it!

After the breakup of his previous band, Josh Homme formed Gamma Ray in 1996, and later changed the name to Queens of The Stone Age; said to be named so because “rock should be heavy enough for the boys and sweet enough for the girls.” The band released their self-titled album in 1998, which was mostly recorded by Homme himself, with the appearance Alfredo Hernandez on drums and Chris Goss on backing vocals. Shortly after it’s release, Homme’s former Kyuss band mate, bassist Nick Oliveri joined the band, shortly followed by guitarist Dave Catching, as well as drummer Joey Castillo.

With the help of various other artists, “Rated R” was released in 2000, garnering a lot more attention than their debut album. Frequent touring helped the band gain more support, but they were still able to get time in the studio and released “Songs For The Deaf.” The record was extremely well received and saw to the addition of guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen (previously a part of A Perfect Circle). The band was on a constant tour, and due to issues, Oliveri ended up leaving the band in 2004.

Due to a leak, their 2005 album “Lullabies to Paralyze” debuted on the Billboard charts at the Number 5 slot, making it their most successful album to date. Later that same year, the band released a live album from their performances in London, England. With a slate of guest appearances, the band’s album “Era Vulgaris” was completed and released in 2007, followed by a tour where bassist Michael Shuman and keyboardist Dean Fertita took over touring duties.

During the span of 2009-2010, the band took a hiatus for members to work on their solo projects. While other members joined other bands, Homme suffered an unfortunate near death experience during a knee surgery, forcing him into bed rest for three months. This caused a plunge into depression where Homme almost considered quitting music altogether; however, once he recovered, Queens of the Stone Age re-released their self-titled album and included a tour and a few large festivals, one of which was the last show with drummer Joey Castillo.

With the loss of Castillo and a new album in the works in 2012, Homme announced that Foo Fighter’s Dave Grohl was filling in on the recording sessions for the drum parts, and by summer of 2013 “…Like Clockwork” was released, first in the UK, followed by a US release with the debut reaching Number 1. Homme announced that at the end of their “…Like Clockwork” tour, the band will return to the studio at the end of 2014 to start recording their next album.

Beginning life in 2004, The Black Angles derived their name from the Velvet Underground's song, "The Black Angel's Death Song." Comprised of the five members Stephanie Bailey (drums, percussion, bass), Christian Bland (guitar, vocals, bass, drums), Alex Maas (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards), Kyle Hunt (keyboards, percussion, bass, guitar) and Jake Garcia (guitar, bass, vocals), the band had their first recordings featured on a 2005 compilation of psychedelic music, titled "Psychadelica Vol. 1" from Northern Star Records.

Building their online presence, the band soon developed an underground following, with extensive performing helping to create growing interest for the band. Playing at the annual South by South West Festival in Austin, Texas, US in 2006 raised their profile significantly. In 2006, they released their debut full-length "Passover" which received a number of positive reviews amongst the underground rock community, praised for its dark atmosphere and lyric content, with nods towards bands such as Spaceman 3 and Black Mountain.Their use of drone and 'dirge' also reflected their love of The Velvet Underground. The success of the record landed features of their songs on a number of television series, including Fringe, Californication and o the soundtrack of the film "Death Sentence."

Their debut album was followed by "Directions to See a Ghost" in 2008 and their third, "Phosphene Dream" in 2010. The latter became a moderately successful breakout hit for the band, reaching the top 50 of the Billboard Chart following its release. They have gained many fans amongst fellow musicians, such as the artist Unkle, who invited them to collaborate on the tracks, "With You In My Head" and "Natural Selection," with the former being featured on the Twilight Saga soundtrack.

The Black Angels have gone on to perform at a number of high profile festivals and concerts, supporting the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, The Black Keys, Wolf Mother and many more.