An interview with Guy McKnight, lead singer of Brighton-based rock band The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster. Guy, who currently lives in Kemp Town, discusses the turbulent ups and downs of life in the rock business as well as his ventures outside of music, and the band’s latest album which is released today.

Jian: So, Guy, please tell us about your new album.

Guy: The new album is called Blood and Fire and comes out on Black Records on May 17th.

Jian: What was it like making it?

Guy: Well, it was an absolute miracle that we held together long enough within ourselves mentally and, er... emotionally (laughs). And also as a group.

Jian: What can we expect from the album?

Guy: I’d say, over the years, we’ve scrapped probably about 70 songs and Blood and Fire is a kind of embodiment of, you know, the best bits of the last five years. So there’s a lot of stuff on there... Most of the stuff on there most people won’t have heard yet, but for people who have known about us for the last ten years, I’m sure there’ll be some tracks on there that they’ve heard us play live. But there’s nothing on there that’s been, you know, officially released before.

Jian: How many tracks are there on Blood and Fire?

Guy: There’s twelve tracks on the album, and, um, I’d say it’s kind of a testament really to persevering.

Jian: How come?

Guy: Well, we got dropped from Universal Records at the end of 2004, so...

Jian: Why was that?

Guy: Um, I think they just have unrealistic expectations and they wanted us – or needed us – to sell 80,000 more copies with our second album than we did with our first. But actually I think getting dropped was amazing because it really served us an opportunity to remember why, you know, why we were doing it in the first place. I think, a lot of our friends – a lot of our peers – split up in the last five years if they got dropped, you know, and I think for a lot of young musicians in bands it can spell the end if you get dropped from a record label. But yeah, I’m really proud to be able to say we persevered against all odds. We split during that time with our management of seven years, our publishing deal expired and two guitarists left at different times. But it’s still me, Sym (Sym Gharial – Bass) and Tom (Tom Diamantopoulo – Drums) as the original three members with two new guitarists now.

Jian: So you look upon leaving Universal Records as a good thing now?

Guy: Yeah. Personally, I felt very spolit by having a record label and I kind of lost touch with why I was ever interested in playing in a band to begin with. In fact I stopped listening to music for a good year at least.

Jian: Really?

Guy: Yeah, I think I was just, er, kind of really unhappy with myself at the time and kind of having free reign, you know, to spend as much money as I wanted on drugs and alcohol, so it didnt really help to forward my life or career.

Jian: What do you think the secret is of sticking together after such a history? What’s the secret to your success and cohesion?

Guy: I think we were able to stick together because we had a shared, inherent sense that we hadn’t yet completed the mission.

Jian: Good answer.

Guy: (Laughs) And, er, yeah, no matter how bitter and... resentful (laughs again) I – and we – became at points, I think we’ve always had that determination to go beyond and, you know, really believe in each other’s infinite potential, and not allow ourselves to get too caught up in the past.

Jian: So aside from recording the album, where have you guys been?

Guy: We’ve been fortunate to have been invited on tour by bigger bands that we really like, like Queens of the Stone Age and System of a Down, among others.

Jian: As their support acts?

Guy: Yeah. We were on the European tour with System, opening up arenas for them, and then the UK tour for Queens of the Stone Age.

Jian: Impressive... By the way, would you like a coffee?

Guy: No, no. I quit caffeine a few days ago actually.

Jian: Really?

Guy: Yeah. I’ve quit all drugs actually.

Jian: Really?

Guy: Yeah.

Jian: Can you tell us why?

Guy: Because I want more energy. From my late teens to kind of my late, well – the whole of my adult life really – I kind of experimented and, um, used and abused a lot of drugs, ultimately to my own detriment. And, you know, I caused suffering for the people around me. And I think, um, yeah I’ve definitely made steady progress in leaps and bounds. I’d say it’s still a work in progress but, yeah, I think my main concern is being happy and striving to help other people around me, to enable them to become happy, and I think drugs and alcohol... It’s a kind of cliche that, you know, a lot of young people get attracted to and get sucked into... I don’t buy into that kind of studenty argument that man has used drugs since time began... Even if some cultures have used drugs for that long they really didn’t do it in the way that people do it now.

Jian: As in ‘abusing’ them?

Guy: Yeah, and I think that the youth drug culture in this country, or in the west in general, is really just an expression of people’s desire to become happy because they’re not happy.

Jian: So do you think being healthy is important to being happy?

Guy: Yeah. I don’t think that drugs lead to... happiness. (Laughs.)

Jian: Lastly then, I hear that you and some of the other band members have been branching out into broader artistic ventures. Like you’ve been doing some film work, and Tom’s been doing some painting. Can we discuss that?

Guy: Yeah. I think Tom’s probably the most incredible artist that I certainly have ever met. He draws and paints. He’s been devoting a lot of time to painting so, yeah, it’s sort of awe-inspiring. I’m always flabberghasted when I see his painting.

Jian: Really?

Guy: Yeah, seriously.

Jian: Is he going to be exhibiting any?

Guy: I don’t know, but he was doing a painting recently for some kind of national competition that he wanted to enter, but yeah I’ll have to show you some time.

Jian: What kind of painting does he do?

Guy: Portraits. People mainly.

Jian: How does he choose his subjects?

Guy: I think he just likes to choose sort of unusual-looking people, or, you know, people of unique appearance. Yeah.

Jian: And what about your forays into film?

Guy: Well, I had the opportunity to play the leading role in two films by the same director, F. J. Ossang (the French filmmaker). One at the end of 2007 and one in May-June of last year. They’re both in French, so it was a great challenge for me because I don’t speak French.

Jian: Were these short films or full-length features?

Guy: The first was a short but the second was a feature (La Succession Starkov). They were both excellent, and, yeah, really exciting. And shot on actual 35mm film, not digital.

Jian: How did the director end up choosing you?

Guy: We, Eighties Matchbox, played a gig in Paris in about 2003, and then in 2004 he just came over with a script and offered me a part in the first film. Just went from there. But, yeah, I really enjoyed it.

Jian: Do you prefer acting to singing?

Guy: Well, I always wanted to perform, whether it be acting or singing. I enjoy both. Right now though, I’m really very excited about the album.

Blood and Fire is released on Black Records today.