Pelugion interview
Pelugion managed to win one of the most prestigious Metal To The Masses finals this year in Coventry. The band have been plugging away for several years and with that win of course, comes the slot on the Hobgoblin New Blood Stage. I caught up with the band to find out about them and their road to Bloodstock.
The band’s history is this: “We met in college roughly six years ago and then went on to form Pelugion one-two years later. Some of our highlights so far include playing Godiva Festival, Birmingham’s HRH Metal and now, of course, winning MTTM!” Pelugion is: Andy Sweeney (Vocals and Bass), Brandon Balou (Drums) and John Pittaway (Guitar)
The band’s Single Bide My Time is full of huge riffs which instantly get the head nodding. It’s a fine listen. So how would the band describe their sound? “Our sound is a blend of classic Sabbath and Metallica, but with our own modern twist. It feels fresh and unique to play and hopefully it also comes across that way!” And what about the main influences for the band? “Undoubtedly Sabbath, Metallica, Soundgarden and Black Label Society. The three of us also take influence from artists completely unrelated to our sound which may not come through in our songs, but if you were to ever be on a car journey with us, you’d be surprised at what you hear!”
So, with that teaser leading neatly into the next question I asked the band to surprise us with something they also like? What’s the guilty pleasure? “As previously mentioned in the last question, come on a car journey and you’ll definitely hear some! However, to name a few; Abba, Elton John, George Michael and Michael Jackson!”
We were honoured to be a small part of the South Wales M2TM this year. We covered the events with reviews and publicity and judged both semi-finals. Pelugion obviously worked as hard as every other band to get through to the final and I asked them to tell their road to the final story. “This was our fourth time entering the competition having gotten to the final the previous three times. Each heat/semi/final over the past three years has been an unbelievable and heart-warming experience for us. All the competing bands we’ve encountered have always been courteous and extremely helpful. So, all in all the road to finally winning M2TM has been a pleasure!” That’s great to hear and one of the consistent messages throughout these interviews is that camaraderie that exists between bands. Despite the intensity of the competition, this has been another year when metal has been the winner.
I know the scene in the Midlands and surrounding areas is strong. Did Pelugion feel confident they could get to the final? “We always like to have an inner self belief which I think is always good for any band to have but partaking in M2TM and coming up against the tremendous amount of talent we have on offer in the Midlands is daunting! Every time you’re waiting for a name to be called out is always nail biting!”
I moved on to the build-up to the final; how did the band manage to balance gaining support and avoiding saturating everyone? “The main thing for us this year was altering our set and introducing new songs. It felt like it helped to keep our audience engaged throughout the heats and finals as it was hopefully unpredictable!”
Next up we looked at that winning moment, when you get announced as the winners is something special and we’ve it all. I’m sure there were a range of emotions going through, but I asked the band to tell us a bit about how it felt. “It really, really was! Being in the final three times prior, we were expecting another name! When it was ours we were rendered speechless! An unforgettable moment for all of us”.
So onto Bloodstock itself, and the band have a Friday slot on the New Blood Stage. As I’ve mentioned before, bands on the Friday will share the stage with our Welsh brothers in Democratus. Are the band happy with the Friday slot? “We’re over the moon with the Friday slot! Heck, we would’ve been happy with any day but to play on the same day as Judas Priest is fantastic! The three of us will definitely be checking out Democratus!” There you are Steve Jenkins, that’ll be a fiver you owe me!
What about the festival itself. Who are the bands you are looking forward to seeing at BOA this year? “Judas Priest, Gojira, Mr Big, Suicidal Tendencies, Power Trip, Act of Defiance and Cannibal Corpse to name a few!”
For those who don’t know the band, this is the opportunity to sell their set. What can we expect from them and why should those who are undecided come and watch?
The honest answer followed “If you’re looking for a band that wants to reignite the old school balls to the wall Rock/Metal of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, come check us out. If you like Sabbath with a twinge of Metallica, hopefully you’ll love us! Also, we don’t swear so we’re kid friendly!”
I caught the band out with the next question which focused on Bloodstock. What about the festival. Why should you go?
“Well, embarrassingly we’re losing our Bloodstock cherries too! Although, Bloodstock has such a good reputation we know that it’s going to be a blast. There’s amazing bands, alcohol, memorabilia and best of all, Motley Brew; a whole vendor dedicated to TEA AND COFFEE!! What’s not to love!” Indeed. There is nothing not to love.
Pelugion have played with some decent bands in the past. What are the highlights so far?
“It’s impossible to name all the bands we’ve enjoyed great gigs with in the past few years, but it’s rare we gig with bands who aren’t awesome and polite. A big highlight was Hard Rock Hell where so many brilliant bands took part. The venue staff treated us great!”
And finally; the band have got plenty of UK gigs lined-up in the next few months including a fabulous looking M2TM showcase in Leicester the weekend before Bloodstock. What does the future for Pelugion look like? “The future certainly feels bright for us and hopefully we can feed on everything that will come from playing Bloodstock. With our upcoming video and EP more people will be able to check out Pelugion and show us some love”.
Many thanks to the guys for answering our questions and good luck to them. Be sure to check them out at the Festival on the Hobgoblin New Blood Stage on Friday 10th August
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