Interview with Richard Silverthorn (keyboards, programming) from Mesh
Along with the last Blackfield Festival at the Amphi Theatre in Gelsenkirchen, we were doing several interviews, so we did also with MESH. This time I have asked the band’s fans on Facebook for help with questions. And I hope that in this answers maybe you will find info about the band that you wanted to know for a long time.
Reflections of Darkness [RoD]: Why don't you do more dancing music in the style of the video for ‘Trust You’?
Richard: Haha, I think the video itself answers that. We did that video whilst we were bored on tour. Mark thought it would be funny to use the footage on the huge screens that we have on stage. When the tour was over he edited into the final video. It was all done as a joke but it has become very popular since it was uploaded on YouTube. I hope people don’t think we actually dance like that.
RoD: MESH have been going to over 20 years now and have a fantastic catalogue of songs. Are there any songs from your back catalogue that you are tempted remix or do again in your current style?
Richard: Yes there are plenty that need revisiting. When we are preparing for a tour we usually re-do a few old ones in a new and more current version. It’s quite satisfying revive them and do something a little different with them. RoD: When will you launch a 'Best of' album?
Richard: Funny you asked that. We are in talks with our record company at the moment who is interested in releasing the whole back catalogue in some kind of different format. Maybe even repackaging them with some additional material. We get a lot of requests for the old singles and do we still have any stock. No is the answer, so maybe it is time to make everything available again. When you gain new fans they always want to delve back into your back catalogue and collect everything.
RoD: Is there any advice the current MESH would say to the younger MESH?
Richard: I am sure there are a lot of things we would do differently if we had the knowledge we have now. The best advice I would give is, believe in what you do whole heartedly. Don’t be manipulated by people until they prove themselves as worthy advisors. There are a huge number of people in this industry that are here today and disappear tomorrow. Work out your plan of attack and stick to it.
RoD: Do you have any regrets?Richard: No not really. We would possibly do things a little different now with hindsight but you learn something from every situation. It has been a long and interesting journey. We have taken our music from writing in our bedrooms in Bristol to a worldwide audience… So not too bad I’d say.
RoD: If you could perform with any other band who would it be?
Richard: Someone with a huge following for the exposure :) I don’t have any massive to desire to perform with anyone but I would love to work with a few. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), Craig Armstrong (Composer) and Rob Swire (Pendulum, Knife Party)
RoD: Does the continued lack of acknowledgement in the mainstream UK music media after 20+ years of fantastic music still frustrate you?
Richard: I really want to say “no” but “yes” it does. We have always tried our best to get mainstream exposure here in the UK but it is such a difficult market to break. The UK music press/ media are very blinkered and are like sheep. They really get behind certain bands whilst a huge amount of more talented and deserving bands slip through the net and get over looked. I guess it is the same in a lot of countries but here it seems more than most. The UK music media seem to think that the UK are world leaders in new music but from travelling and touring I can say that they have this completely wrong and are misinformed. I think we slowly gravitated away from the UK and more towards Europe as it was where we seemed to be more accepted. We then concentrated all our efforts on this market and turned our back on our home territory. We still do the occasional show here and get good audiences but press coverage is very few and far between.
RoD: Where does your songwriting inspiration come from?
Richard: We write in several ways but generally (not always) start with a piece of music that I put together in song form (verse chorus etc.). This sets the template/ mood for Mark to write lyrics to. Mark’s lyrics come from all different influences. Situations he has experienced himself or just something he saw on television. He writes from different peoples perspective as well as his own. For me his songwriting is ingenious and lets the listener make their own mind up about the meaning of the song. We can all relate to the sentiment without knowing the true meaning.
RoD: Do you feel any pressure to constantly try to surpass the previous album?
Richard: Oh yes, especially after ‘Automation Baby’. That album was so well received by the press and the fans it far exceeded our expectations. I think at the time we knew we had written something special but you never really know until you get the fans response. We are currently writing a new album now but I do feel a huge pressure to try and better the previous album without sounding the same. I think the key is to write what feels good and stop trying to compare it to previous works.RoD: This summer you were playing at Blackfield Festival in Germany. What did you expect from this show? Did you prepare something special for the event, like new songs?
Richard: We played Blackfield Festival 2009 and it was great. The whole event like so many festivals has an amazing atmosphere. For any band walking on to a stage with a sea of faces looking at you is an immense buzz. We usually try to do a mix of old and new with the good old favourites to finish off. We haven’t really had chance to get together a set list long before, but I’m sure we did our best to make it entertaining :)
RoD: Thank you for the answers and in closing please, say a few words to our readers.
Richard: Thank you also for the interview. As always without the support of the people coming to see us and buying our records this whole journey is pointless for that we are truly thankful. Hope to see as many of you as possible very soon.
Rich - Mesh.
Written Daria Tessa (Ukrainian Gothic Portal) in cooperation with Official Facebook Fan Page. The Russian version of the article is available HERE.
All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com / http://www.facebook.com/blackcatnet)
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