DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Ali In The Jungle.
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil's Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It's not your average desert island and we'll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil's Island we found Ali In The Jungle sat on the beach. Their home is far from our Island, so how did they end up here? And how did they cope with life on Devil's Island? Find out now...
Welcome to The Razors'e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don't worry about it's name I'm sure it's not as bad as that would suggest.
So you're marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn't live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
CA: Band on the Run by Wings. It’s got a great hit rate of tracks and they’re all so different that you’d have a song for every mood. Or you could just listen to the title track on repeat for probably a year or two without getting bored of it. Plus, to the outside world, AITJ would have vanished into thin air, so we’d kind of be ‘on the run’ ourselves.
TH: The White Album by The Beatles - not only has it got everything on there genre wise, but it’s one of my biggest influences in how I approach songwriting, with each song being its own world. Also cos it’s a double album, I imagine that’d give me an extra float, as well as a means for getting coconuts down from trees
AE: Every Kingdom by Ben Howard. Just purely as it’s one of my all time great go to albums.
SK: In Rainbows - Radiohead, has some amazing acoustic guitar work so it’s easy to get lost in the ambience.
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
CA: Is This It by The Strokes (USA edition). It’s a funky blue/yellow colour combo which should make an interesting contrast to the sea and sand. Plus it’s the most waterproof of all album posters [fact-check pending].
TH: Sgt. Pepper… It’s gonna get lonely, and “I’ll get by with a little help from my friends” on that cover.
AE: Not Waving But Drowning by Loyle Carner. Will remind me that trying to swim to escape this island is a bad bad idea.
SK: The Beatles, Yellow submarine - it’s colourful: I like that... It’s also quite an aggressive poster so would be a good motive to get you going for the day.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to chose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
CA: Water. Sorry. It’s the best thing to drink to stay hydrated. I don’t often drink alcohol so this is probably the only beverage I could drink every day. Unless the bar only has sparkling water, in which case I will die of thirst after a few days.
TH: Orange juice and lemonade
AE: Guinness. Full of nutrition and happiness. Will also fill you up when hungry.
SK: Probably Pepsi Max.. Although if I found a hidden chest with alcohol then i’d have to have a Thatchers Haze.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. Whats the merch and for what band?
CA: My Arctic Monkeys T-shirt. It’s the classic black on white ‘ripped-off-Black-Sabbath’ logo, and I got it when watching them live at Finsbury Park.
TH: I’ve got a McCartney II t-shirt, I could talk to that and imagine I’ve got a face as my stomach. Things would be coming up Tim!
AE: I’ve got a car air freshener from the band ‘Jungle’. Would be very practical when you’ve got to put up with some of the others in the band…
SK: I don’t actually own any band merch ... Probably The Killers’ classic Las Vegas T-Shirt as it looks like something i’d wear now.
You're sat on the island thinking "I'm stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity"... who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
CA: Richard Ayoade. He would be absolutely no help at all, but I reckon he’d lighten the mood.
TH: My first thought was Tom Hanks, but actually I’d want to be shipwrecked with my Grandpa. He’s got actual real life skills, and could make a good breakfast from anything.
AE: Virgil Van Dijk.
SK: Gordon Ramsey - I’m sure he could cook a 5* everyday on a deserted island.
There's a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
CA: Arctic Monkeys headlining Glastonbury in (I think) 2014. They were really in their element that night & put on a great performance of all the hits. It’s the only recording of a live show that I’ve watched multiple times, so I’ll have a headstart when I’m listening to it for eternity. And if it’s just the audio then I won’t have to look at Alex Turner’s gaudy suit.
TH: I saw Keane do a pretty chill set in Hastings in 2019 before they got back together, and I embarrassingly shouted that they should get back together. It was awkward at the time, but look what happened. Also it was so special, because there was such a narrative that they didn’t like each other, and by the end of the evening they were so in love with what they were doing, it was seriously special.
AE: Would agree with Chris, class performance and one that I have also watched numerous times.
SK: Queen - Live Aid 1985
You're getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the one musician most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
CA: Gordon Sumner (a.k.a. Sting). I think he’s the only person who could really get the joke. And I bet he owns a helicopter.
TH: Haha, Chris is stealing all the good answers! Probably Flea or Anthony Kiedis, they know how to Get Away…
AE: I think Van McCann might have some expertise as he’s one of the bottlemen.
SK: Kanye West, one of the Kardashians must have a helicopter somewhere to save us.
You've been stuck here for a while and food supplies are running low. There's only one thing for it... which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
CA: Floor Chris. I can survive without my alter-ego (ask the others).
TH: Sam because he’s got a good amount of muscle on him and I reckon there’s a good Nandos there.
AE: Fat Tim.
SK: Chris, he’s a semi-vegetarian so he’s most likely to be free range like a good free range chicken... Tasty
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
CA: It would have to be Alex Turner. Arctic Monkeys were the first band I really got into back in my teenage years, and I’m still convinced that their initially-reluctant frontman is a shy guy hiding behind a huge veneer of arrogance. I learnt through Alex that a lot of being famous involves shooing away the press from your private life, and that you’ve got to make whatever music feels right for you and your bandmates at the time. I just hope he’s not wearing his gaudy Glastonbury suit.
TH: Lou Reed. That guy was brutally honest in his songs, and a lot of the time, he doesn’t waste a lyric (or a chord). The music often reflects how he feels and it’s got a real truth to it. He also doesn’t underestimate his audience. He writes what he connects with and trusts that someone else must be feeling that way. His music is also really really cool, I love how he incorporates literary ideas into his music and draws inspiration from all sorts of places, and most of all, I love it when he uses jazz. See ‘Goodnight Ladies’ from Transformer - I have spent so many evenings singing that, standing on my bed, and swaying all over the place. Also, he proves the tone and character of a voice is more important than any other aspect of a voice.
AE: As the drummer it’ll probably have to be Helders. For his drumming ability, the way that he matches the rest of his band, but also knowing when to keep it simple. And he makes it looks effortless.
SK: (Assuming they can be of any era), Beethoven. Growing up I listened to a lot of classical music. The way he uses scales to add harmonies to his pieces has rubbed off on me, although we are not an Orchestra, it’d be interesting to see what our pieces sound like played by an orchestra.
Thanks for your time. We hope you get back to dry land before you're next due out on tour!
CA: Avast ye, my hearties... I mean, thanks!
TH: You too! You can use our raft if you like!
AE: I thought it was last man standing?
We pass up the offer of the raft, it doesn't look like it would survive long, and instead sail away on the boat we rode in on. Last we heard the band, or what remained of them, were still on the island awaiting rescue.
Hopefully we'll see you back on dry land soon!
