By Giorgio Di Marzo
We met the Lacuna Coil on the 13th October before their London concert, and we had a chat with the band’s leader Andrea Ferro (A).
We deal with Italian art and culture in London, so the first question we usually ask is: “what is Art”?
Art is a pretty abused word: not all that is entertainment is art, on the contrary in many cases, especially on TV, we see the opposite. We have not started making music in order to make art, we have started for passion; if art is passion, then we make art. We are ourselves and we do what we like, if someone considers it art, that is great; but being considered artists is not our priority, and it is not for me to say what art is. It probably is a too big word to be restrained in a small concept.
Making music means communicating: what do you communicate?
We have never written political lyrics or songs explicitly for or against something. They fundamentally are very personal songs, deriving from our life experience but also from considerations about what surrounds us. For example, we have written a song about war, but underling the sufferings of the victims, not war itself: it was neither a song for nor against war, but for all those that have lost without being culpable. It is Angel’s Punishment, from the album “Comalies”, made of a spoken part like TV news, while the chorus explodes with screams exactly to highlight the contrast between the way war is seen on the TV and how it is lived by whom who suffer, instead. Our message is about our reflections on life, this is what we want to transmit and communicate. Our music is made both of more emotional, slower and atmospheric parts by which we transmit more reflection and intimacy, and of more energetic songs by which to give vent to aggressiveness, make people move and communicate a message with stronger impact. There is a strong duality in our music, also represented by having two completely different vocalists: one singing in a more melodic and atmospheric way, and one with a more aggressive voice [Andrea himself – Author ’s Note], because since the beginning we wanted to be able to use a more complete range of sensations and emotions.
As communicating is a two-way process, what do you obtain from the audience?
Of course there is the last-minute audience due to the single, the clip or the radio listening, but a lot of people follow us since the beginning. Anyway it has not been a success arrived all of a sudden but built up in time, in almost 10 years of activity. Our audience is very attached to the band: somebody has our logo tattooed, somebody asks for an autograph on the body to get the signature tattooed afterwards, there are people writing to us that their children healed from dyslexia by listening to our music… It is something that involves them more than the distracted listening while driving or having a shower, there is more attention, they listen to us in more intimate and reflective situations. Ours is not a “disposable music”, and from what they say and write to us it has such a strong meaning – it almost seems more important to them than to ourselves – that it surprises you that something yours, that you make, could be so important for someone else, too. It is not so automatic that people feels the band in such a strong way. But no doubt our music has much emotionality, and this can be told by the great reply of passionate people following us.
Letters or emails: what do you get?
Now mainly emails; when we started there were more letters and the demos too were sent by post, now they send us directly MP3s. This is also the concept dealt in our last album, “Karmakode”, the concept of the shift between virtual and real life, of the digital era that in the last years has literally exploded and that we are living on our own skin.
What are the differences?
For example, we of the band, we all have a laptop, we always are in search for the wireless connection to the Internet and to keep in touch, things that we did not use to have or do: we used to stay in the dressing room, have a beer, play football… Now, instead, there is the Internet, skype, this obsession about being reachable 24/7. When I was a child, if I had gone to play football and stayed out all day long, when the phone at home rang and no one picked up they just called back in the evening; now, if you do not pick up your mobile for twenty minutes, they will think that something bad has happened and everybody is panicking. This has changed our lives so much, better in one sense because everything is more comfortable, but on the other hand there is an abuse of technology, too: you can see all these youths spending all of their time in front of a computer instead of going out and playing football, that at least is a real-life experience and not a virtual life: virtual everything, virtual friends, virtual girlfriends and boyfriends…
This is the problem of being lonely…
Of course! If you chat all the day on the Internet you can not make real friends. We have also noticed this in the youngsters coming to our concerts: they all say that they are attached to the band as if it was a human thing, like a substitute for a friend. This has made us reflect, so I have written the fundamental theme of the album – around which all the lyrics have therefore been constructed, even if do not talk specifically about the subject – that is exactly about this concept, about the conflict of modern life between technology and reality.
How does it feel to make a living with what you like?
It is wonderful because there are many satisfactions. The negative side is that it is your job too, so you have to do it even when you do not feel to: if you used to play for pleasure only, now sometimes you have to play “by force”. Yesterday we did a great concert in Manchester, tonight you know that there is a sold-out date – 2,500 people, press and so on – but maybe you are tired, you know that you can not do your best because you sang the whole previous evening, slept on a bus, ate nothing or so… But you know that there is a concert tonight, it will be fine because by now you have a standard of energies and qualities that allow you to do a good show tonight too… but despite you are in London – it is a damn good chance! – you may not feel like playing, because you did it yesterday, the day before, and you will tomorrow, too!
Perhaps this is something you say now, but when you are on stage it turns different?
Yes, and in fact you do the show anyway, but sometimes it takes the passion out: it is not that everyday you feel like having an interview, but maybe it has been arranged for that day and you have to do it. Let’s say that the “working” part is the least enjoyable, even if there are good earnings, but this is a wonderful job anyway and it is much better than going everyday to the office doing things that you do not like. The problem is that it takes you long away from home. What you miss is not being physically at home: home is not that much Milan but your parents, your girlfriend, your beloveds, so when I am at home I try to get the most out of it going always to the same pub, meeting the same friends. At the beginning the tour was an event, but now we are always touring. Anyway, better this job than another one! I am not here to complain!
How is the relationship with your partner when you are away?
Well, it is hard! Today they have had the chance to come here because we are staying two days, so it makes sense. It is a relationship that depends mostly on the other person, I mean that we always have something interesting to do, today you are walking in London and tomorrow who knows, you never get that bored. For those who stay at home is different, they have to live the routine and, what is the more, not even have the loved ones beside: is no doubt harder. You can text them, be faithful, but it is up to the person who stays away, at home, to accept the situation whilst it is not due to do it. Who does, and for years, does really care. I have friends who have problems in staying away one week, while I can be away even for seven, eight months if there is a new album out.
What is your girlfriend’s name?
It is Paola.
The last 5th of March you presented the new album “Karmacode” here in London: is there a particular reason for this choice?
Yes, the first official date with an audience was here in London, because it is a meeting point between Europe and America, and our band does very well in America and now in Europe, too. And London also represents the fact that we are an international band, not merely Italian: our market is not just the Italian one; on the contrary, Italy is absolutely not our best market.
Why does this happen?
Perhaps because we sing in English, because we make metal rock, which is not mainstream music in Italy. Rock in Italy is Vasco, Ligabue [both Italian rock-pop singers – Author’s Note], and that is it, but it is a kind of rock that in America was in during the Seventies, we are still behind the times in these perspective.
Is it a matter of taste?
It is, but the fault is also of the media that have not supported another type of music, and this determines the audience’s taste, too. We have lately had a great support from MTV Italia, a support that no other Italian metal band has ever had in history. Things are therefore changing a bit, for us at least. Obviously there is a big difference from saying that Italy is a rock culture country: America is, England is, Italy is not. Not yet, at least. In Italy there is always that rockettino [Italian pop-rock, Editor’s Note]that is in fashion anywhere, apart from rare cases of bands that do well even though not being mainstream: to give an example, the Cold Play are a band famous all over the world, like the U2, they do not need a country with rock culture to be appreciated, it is a very soft rock. Bands like Rob Zombie, which in America go straight to the Top 10 with a new album, in Italy will never go to the Top 50. Italy only appreciates the Iron Maiden, the Metallica, those greatest names that are inevitable, but there is a huge difference between what is in chart in America and what is in Italy as far as rock music is concerned.
Have you gone international for will or for need?
Well, we started like this, our music is super-underground and we have never tried to make Italian music: we did not even send our demo to the Italian labels, because it would have been a waste of time, there were no labels that could produce that kind of things. Therefore, we have sent them directly to Germany, England, to places where we could have a chance, and we had it, indeed. Even because it was a demo in English, it was metal, something a bit “extreme”. But sincerely, in Italy EMI or Virgin… what could they have done with that demo?! We have never thought about that as a possibility; even more, at an international meeting of Sony, the Italians did not even know that the Lacuna Coil were an Italian band! Yet, we had already been playing for 6-7 years, and been selling more a few discs around the world… This makes everybody understand what the attention of the market is towards this genre.
I must say that there is no interest at all! Maybe things now will change; as we have been in chart in Italy too, there could be more interest. But it is always the old story that you have to get there, knock the things on the table and say “Look, this album sells all around the world, perhaps we can sell it in Italy as well”… This means always be the last, of course the Italian discography is in bad times! As long as you wait for the next Pupo or Ligabue [Italian pop singers – Author’s Note], where do you think to get to? With all the respect for this music genre, if there is that music there can be something else, too.
What are the best places, where there is a better feeling?
We have a good feedback everywhere, but there are different markets. America is one market: a big country, full of people, with the same currency, the same mass media, if you are on TV you are on air in the whole America. Europe, instead, is a sector market and it is more difficult to be widespread as there are differences in language, culture, everything is different, you can work in a country, not necessary everywhere. Japan is an island on its own, Australia is another kind of market: large territory but few people. Then, there are other huge markets like Russia, China, Latin America, were CDs are not sold legally, and where the labels do not even invest the money to make you go on tour, legal discography is little or nothing so your label has no interest in promoting you if you will not sell. If you go there is because you have a mega-offer from a promoter that spends to make you have a concert, so you go there just to get the money. Then maybe a lot of people who knows you and like you come to see you, but have all the material illegally. Unless you have a great economic offer it does not make sense to go there, because you do not go there to recover the expenses, you go there to promote nothing! Markets are very different, but America and Europe are no doubt the main ones; as for the cities, we talk about big names such as Madrid, Rome, Milan, Paris, London, Manchester, Glasgow… big cities bring more people, but we can not talk about a particular one as the “Mecca”…
Can you feel the difference among different audiences?
Of course, but it depends more on the concert than on the city. Sure, maybe it was a bit more “boring” to play in Germany or Sweden, because the public is a bit colder, it is not that dos not appreciate the music but is like this by nature. It is more fun to play in Italy and Spain, or in England, which is a crossroads of people and cultures and therefore here is a varied and much opener audience. America as well is a very warm place.
What is you reference country?
Well, probably America, that is where we have sold more and gained more success, and there are more opportunities for our music. But Europe is developing, for example in Europe we do better as a headliner band, while in America we have always been in tour as a support band or on the occasion of festivals. In America we need to grow much as headliner band, while in Europe we attract more people on our own and especially this tour is the confirmation.
Thanks Andrea, and I hope to see you back, and mainly to listen to you all, soon in London!
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