Q&A – 2000 Trees 2022 Artists: PEAKS! – August 2022

Hi! You guys played the Neu stage earlier today. How did your set go?

Luca: It was a great experience. There was a great crowd, and the sun is out. It was cloudy all day, but now the sun is out which always makes things better. We played at 12.30pm, which is quite early; but still a lot of people came down to see us. We weren’t expecting that.

It looked like a good turnout.

Luca: Yeah, definitely.

Have you had the chance to watch many other sets while you have been here or are there any other artists that you are looking forward to seeing?

Lorenzo: We can’t wait to see Dinosaur Pileup; in fact, we were talking to the guys about ten minutes ago. Of course, we are also looking forward to the headliners, Jimmy Eat World. They’re one of my favourite bands.

Luca: We’re also looking forward to seeing Tigercub, Airwaves, Anti Flag and Cassyette. There’s loads of good bands to see.

I believe that you guys formed in 2019, which was just before Covid hit. Was it difficult having that disruption so early in the creative process and how did you stay creative throughout lockdowns?

Lorenzo: We formed in the October, and it was just before Covid was a thing. Yes, it was massively disruptive. We were basically just a digital band until this May, and then we finally had a show after all that time. We played the Great Escape in May, then supported Placebo last week. During lockdown we had to work really well on the internet and social media. It’s not easy when you have a new project, and then you can’t play but it’s the very beginning, so it was a bit tough; but we made it work, somewhat.

It all seems worthwhile with the release of your excellent new EP Futurephobia last month. Can you tell us a little bit about the EP?

Luca: The story behind the whole EP is to do with the last few years. When we started the band we’d written a few songs and then the pandemic came. We were suddenly by ourselves, stuck at home, stuck in this sort of lean run, kind of depressed about what was going on. We had plans for 2020, and we suddenly couldn’t do them, so we started making songs about that. It reflects many sides of the pandemic; the psychological and the desire and the revenge, and because of that, all of the songs are connected to that topic, and to the pandemic itself. We wrote the whole thing in completely different places by sharing our screens on zoom.

Lorenzo: I told you that we were a digital band…

That’s insane really. How do you feel that audiences have reacted so far to the new music?

Luca: We didn’t expect the reaction to be anywhere near as good as we have had. It’s great. Last week we played in front of an audience of 9000 people with Placebo, and it was incredible. The audience reacted brilliantly. Also playing here, this early, has given us the opportunity to do even better for the people that came down to see us. It’s a case of so far, so good.

Is there much of a difference between the Italian live music scene and the British live music scene, or are they pretty similar?

Luca: There is a huge difference. Italy likes really different things. We don’t have this kind of culture, or anything like the UK alternative scene. It’s more like pop artists. We don’t disagree with pop music or whatever, but Italy doesn’t really have genres. Pop music is the main genre, and then there are local bands who play different things; but they are generally too local to become something. We used to have an alternative scene back in the 90s, but now it’s all pop and we don’t really have festivals like this, where the music is so different. I grew up with American and English music, so it’s a natural process to write songs in English and compose a certain type of music; so it came pretty naturally to do this and look for opportunities in the UK rather than Italy.

A few of your songs; Fired Up and Dead, focus on mental health struggles. How do you think mental health support within the music industry could improve?

Lorenzo: Yeah, it’s always good to talk about it. Artists need to talk about it. It always helps others when artists use their platform and discuss it with a crowd. We do not have such a big audience yet, but those that do have a big audience should talk about it, as they know first hand from experiencing those issues and struggles. If we openly talk about it, then at least it is accepted, and will help others to not be ashamed to talk about what is happening to them inside, physically or mentally speaking. We’re always open to talk about whatever.

You guys are playing the British Summer Time gig with Pearl Jam in London tomorrow, and last month you supported Placebo in Italy. You’re also hitting the festival circuit. Is it nice to finally get out on the road and play some big gigs after not being able to do so?

Lorenzo: Absolutely. We can’t wait to be there. It’s going to be huge. We’ve been waiting for this moment; for the opportunity to play for two years. Our booking agent had hinted that maybe there were opportunities to play here and there once the pandemic had settled, so it was very, very hard to wait. Now, having the chance to play at all these beautiful festivals and gigs that are coming in is lovely; we feel blessed. It is something that we will not take for granted, because it doesn’t happen to everybody. It is so good to meet people in the industry and have the opportunity to talk about our project and put out music in front of people. We can’t wait.

Are there any particular artists that made you realise that you wanted to become a musician growing up?

Lorenzo: Growing up, for me it’s Green Day. I grew up listening to them and Dookie and all the early albums. I started playing the guitar because of them.

Luca: I am a massive Metallica fan, as you can see from the t-shirt. I think that I was watching a Queen concert on TV as a kid, and I was like yeah, this is what I want to do with my life. I think that the band that made me pick up the guitar and start playing and not be ashamed of playing, as a shy kid, was My Chemical Romance. They came out with the Black Parade and I started to feel like it was time to start a band and do something with my life.

What are your plans as a band for the rest of this year?

Lorenzo: We want to try and play as many shows as possible. We think that it is the only way to get real fans and talk to people. People want to get to gigs again, physically. We’re just so sick and tired of just talking with people on social media; we need to see a face. Maybe we are going to release a single after the EP, and work towards an album or something like that. We are going to try to find the best approach to release music. We would also like to tour as much as we possibly can. This is the main point of making music.

www.peaks.komi.io