All Mankind Interview October 2011

Having spent the summer on the UK festival circuit and just yesterday finishing their latest UK tour, Australian four piece All Mankind certainly seemed to have developed a connection with our country. We caught up with the band to learn more about their International touring schedule and why Australian acts are making an impact over here…

MTTM: How were you feeling about embarking on Festival season in the UK?

All Mankind: Very excited. Most people in the UK haven’t heard of All Mankind, so festivals give us a great opportunity to get ourselves in front of lots of people.

MTTM: You have toured a lot in the past three years, has this helped on hindered you writing new music? Do you like to take time out to focus on creating a new record?

All Mankind: We spend enormous amounts of time on songwriting, and so we try and make sure even when we’re touring, that we set aside time for writing new songs & focusing on where we are heading with the recorded side of our music. Then, once we start introducing new songs into the live show, some work really well, and others we decide never to play again…

MTTM: Your debut LP, Simple Desire, was produced in Liverpool. Do you feel this offers you a real connection to the UK?

All Mankind: Yeah it sure does! Just spending so much time immersed in the culture, language, architecture and vibe of the country I think really rubbed off on us in a positive way. As well as that, 3 of us have UK passports, so this place truly feels like a home away from home.

MTTM: With fans all around the world, is there one country where you enjoy playing the most?

All Mankind: I think the thing is, it doesn’t matter which country you are in, if we are playing well,  and the crowd is ready for a good time, then the show will most likely be a great one every time.

MTTM: With the rise of social media, do you think that the likes of Facebook and Twitter have helped you to create a sense of familiarity for your worldwide fans even when you’re elsewhere in the world?

All Mankind: Totally. It makes it so much easier to get your message across to people all around the world and keep that message consistent no matter where they live. I think the internet has really made this world smaller in a way and for bands and businesses in general. It’s awesome having fans across the globe who all speak different languages, but we can all come together now in a way that was never possible In the past.

MTTM: You’ve worked with Grammy and ARIA award winners. How does it feel to work alongside people who have achieved great success who are now turning their attentions to supporting your work?

All Mankind: It feels amazing! When you get to work with true professionals who know what they’re doing, who are full of ideas, who are passionate about our music and committed to bringing their A-game and bringing the best out of us, it’s both humbling and exciting. Pretty much when you get to do what you love, with great people, everything feels right with the world.

MTTM: The video for Break The Spell is really creative. How did the idea come about?

All Mankind: We have a friend in Sydney, Brian Zou, who was working on an animated short film, and he showed us the clip and we were pretty blown away by it. What really grabbed our attention was that we thought that the short film really fitted the theme of ‘Break The Spell’, which is the idea that love can overcome any obstacle, it felt like a perfect fit. So we both decided to work together and edit the short film to fit our song, and the rest is history. We haven’t told anyone yet but we have an update version of the clip with a live component in it, coming soon (check www.allmankind.com for more soon…)

MTTM: You list your influences to include Australian acts such as The Temper Trap and Empire Of The Sun. With their recent success in the UK, do you feel that UK audiences are particularly receptive to Australian artists at the moment?

All Mankind: What The Temper Trap and Empire Of The Sun do really well is create music that really resonates well with an international audience and I think if bands do that, no matter what country they are from, they will gain fans all over the world. This is the same thing we strive for when we are writing music and have found people all over the world are reacting positively to our music. The fact that we as well as The Temper Trap and EOTS are Australian, that is just a bonus.

www.allmankind.com