THERAPY? will be headlining this year’s 2nd day of Chania Rock Festival so we took the chance to interview Michael McKeegan, the bassist of the band. Read what he had to say about this upcoming festival and his other interesting answers to our questions.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. How is your tour going so far?
The shows have been going great! We’re just starting a summer festival run and before that we did an “Infernal Love” tour and prior to those we did two runs of the “Disquiet” tour. Lots of shows and lots of energy, I don’t think there has been a bad show so far.
You are playing in “Chania Rock Festival” in July and this will be your seventh performance on Greek ground but first on an island. Have you ever been to Crete before?
Correct, first show on one of the islands. Never been to Crete as a performer or a tourist though I have a few friends who visited Chania this year and loved it. We’re all pretty excited about the trip and show.
You‘ll be headliners of the first day of the festival. Your co-headliners is the most famous Greek metal band; Rotting Christ. Are you familiar with their music?
Yes, of course! They are probably the biggest Greek metal band here in the UK and I have known them for many years as I like black metal. I’ve been following them from “Thy Mighty Contract” to the present day, only saw them live once a few years ago so looking forward to their show.
If you had to suggest only one of your 14 albums to a teenager that has never listen to your music, which one would it be and why?
I’d probably say the latest one “Disquiet” as it’s got all the classic Therapy? elements in there as well as a nice energetic contemporary production,
“Infernal Love” is one of my favorite albums of all time. I’ve always thought the lyrics in all songs of the record were connected, like a concept album about… infernal loves! For example; “The Bowels Of Love” for a stalker’s love, “Me vs. You” about a sick man’s love for the one he infects, “Loose” for the love for a transsexual, even the cover of “Dianne” about the rapist’s love for his victim. Am I right about my thoughts?
I think the lyrics on Infernal Love are quite open to interpretation but indeed the main theme is ‘love’ and the good and bad side of it. I think everyone has their own ideas or perception of the songs and I think that’s cool.
I really enjoy listening to “Disquiet”, I think it is one of the best albums in your long carrier. What was the reception you received by your fans for it?
Thank you, that’s very much appreciated! And the reaction from the fans has been great, I think they all ‘got’ what we were trying to do with the songs and they have been going down great live. We played quite a few of them live before the album was released and the reception was fantastic so we all had a good feeling about it.
What should we expect as it comes about your setlist for Chania Rock Festival? Will it be based on “Disquiet” or do you think a ‘best of’ setlist would be more appropriate for this festival?
First time in Crete and a festival means we probably do a ‘best of’ set which now includes a few “Disquiet” songs. It’s a good mix and rest assured we will be playing a lot of the classic.
Will we get to hear one of your covers in Chania too? Is there a chance for “Iron Man”?
The main focus is our own material but there might be a cover or so. Not “Iron Man” though, we need Ozzy for that…maybe now Sabbath is coming to the end he will be free sometime?
Have you ever thought about making an album with acoustic versions of your songs?
We’ve recorded a few songs over the years for B-sides and radio sessions but never a full album. We’re doing a proper acoustic tour later this year so it’s likely we might record something to go along with that, maybe some reworking’s in that format.
“Trust us to fuck it all up when we get near the top…”Being in the scene for more than 25 years you have witnessed the rise and fall of the popularity of alternative rock a few times. Where do you think is its place in today’s music?
To be honest I don’t think we’ve ever been in any scene, let alone the ‘alternative rock’ one! I think our influences and sound is a bit too wide just to be lumped together with a load of other bands. I see us as a ‘rock’ band…drums, bass, guitar & voice and we’re lucky in that we have fans from many different scenes…rock, metal, punk, hardcore, goth, even some ‘pop’ fans who like the melodies in the songs. But yes, I see a lot of scenes come and go and then return, it’s like a cycle and we’ve been lucky that we’ve always been doing our own thing so when certain scenes fall out of favour we keep on going. I think ‘scenes’ are an elitist concept anyway, all music should be for everyone!
Which is, currently, your favorite song to play live and why?
It changes every gig but last show we did at Stone Free festival in London I really really enjoyed playing “Deathstimate” from “Disquiet”.
What are your future plans for Therapy? Are we getting a new album soon?
Festivals, then the acoustic tour and also beginning to work on some new material. We have some ideas and the plan is not to rush it. We always want to make a better album than before so we’ll take our time and make sure it’s as kick-ass as our loyal fans deserve!
A message for the Greek readers that will join the festival?
We’re all big fans of Greece, been quite a few times for shows, holidays and honeymoon! Thanks for all your support over the years, we’ve got some good friends there and we’re delighted to be coming back to see you all again.