London – last week, Italian rock band Violet Blend came back to London for a day of national interviews and a showcase gig in Islington. During their London visit, Giada from Violet Blend sat down for an exclusive chat with the Connected news team.
Q- “We’re in London town with Florentine rock-force Violet Blend ahead of their showcase concert in Islington. I’m joined by Giada, singer from the band. I believe you’ve been writing songs for a new album, and you might be even playing a few songs for your Islington show?”
A – “Yes, we are actually recording and mastering the new the new songs of the new album, and we’re going to debut four new songs while we’re over in the UK. We are super excited about it, because this is the first time that we’re going to play our new songs.”
Q- “You did a long UK tour and some festival dates last summer. How does it feel to be returning to the UK again this summer?”
A – “Returning to the UK always feels like coming home. The energy, the people, the passion for live music – it’s unmatched. Playing London again is an honour. We can’t wait to fill that stage with fire again.”
Q – “OK let’s look further into the music scene in Italy. For a moment, talk to us about a couple of other Italian bands that readers might want to go and check out. As a band, you are Italy, you capture the essence of modern Italian rock, but you’re part of something bigger – part of a musical movement yourself in Italy. Talk to us about one or two other bands that our readers might want to go and check out.”
A – “Well, we have this band that we that we know well, that is called Sailing to Nowhere. They’re friends of ours in Italy. They are from Rome. They’re great. They do a kind of power metal, symphonic metal with two different singers, one female, one male. They’re great. They’re friends of mine, and you should check them out.”
Q- “In the build-up to coming over to the UK again, you’ve had some stories out. You’ve done a piece of research on AI. Tell us about some of the research you’ve done.
A – “Well, we wanted to understand the British situation of the audience, of the rocker viewpoint in the UK – a country that has always been the home of rock and roll. We surveyed 2,000 rock fans to better understand the situation here, because it’s very, very difficult, different from Italy. Whatever people’s personal views on the pros or cons of AI in music, 82% of people we surveyed expressed concern over the possible consequences of AI in music: 46% of people were concerned about artists having their music copied or used without royalties being paid to them; 40% said they feared more grassroots music venues would close because AI might result in fewer people going to see live bands – and 32% expressed concern over the risk of people deciding not to study music at school and college because they felt career opportunities were limited.”
Q- “You talked in your survey about the survey suggested that people’s fears that AI might have a knock on effect on people, less likely to support local venues, less likely to support grassroots music. Do you think that’s a real ground of concern?”
A -“Yes, I think that it is because music could be at risk if we go down this path. Music is not only entertainment, it’s art, and we have to treat it like it is something important, not something that is background and that we listen while we’re doing other things. It’s something that we should really listen to music, not just hear it and AI will have definitely a bad impact if we make a machine do the work of an artist.”
Q – “I can see you’ve also done some research on food and discovered that UK rock fans like listening to their favourite tunes in their kitchens. Tell us about that.”
A – “We did this fun survey to better understand the UK audience before we came over to the UK. The survey findings showed that the UK continues to be the home of rock, the vast majority of people love it, a new generation is getting into it – but also the kitchen is where the action is. I guess it’s uplifting music to inspire creativity in the kitchen, the soundtrack for gathering with family and friends and having a drink together. The kitchen, after all is the place when people meet, where they get creative and share quality time together. Rock music is a perfect fit being a genre that inspires and unites people – with its great anthems, soaring solos and power riffs.”
Violet Blend is an Italian band based in Florence, whose music spans modern rock and indie-Metal. Following their triumph named as Band of Year by Great Music Stories in 2023, they have appeared at a number of UK rock festivals and return to the UK this summer. Described as “one of the most exciting European acts to break into the UK scene in recent years – genre-pushing, theatrical, and emotionally real” – Violet Blend continue to gain international acclaim for their explosive live performances and genre-defying sound.
Discover more about the band at https://www.violetblend.cloud
Photo credit: Eric Duvet Photography