DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring ...Of Concrete Gods
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 ...Of Concrete Gods sat on the beach. The island is far from their Luton home, but 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?
Nik: I’m one of those annoying people who can never settle on an album. Ask me any other day and I’ll give a different answer, but today I’ll go for 'Evil Urges' by My Morning Jacket
Boulder: Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' because it's just perfect, all killer and no filler whatsoever
Paul: 'Quadrophenia' by The Who - it’s so good, even The Who struggled to play it live
Simon: Difficult, but I'd go with 'In Absentia' by Porcupine Tree as it's got a good mix of music to be stuck on an island with.
Rich: I'd choose whichever album could be used as a makeshift life jacket because I can't swim! I'd probably grab 'The Great Southern Trendkill' by Pantera if I had time but that album is so heavy that it might weigh me down and I'd sink!
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?
Rich: 'Number Of The Beast' by Iron Maiden. I spent many years staring at the gatefold LP artwork for that album when I was young so it would remind me of my youth. And it's a killer bit of artwork and a true classic cover.
Simon: Gotta be 'Master of Puppets'. It's a great album with a great cover and if we all die, there's crosses we can be buried under
Nik: Probably the original album cover for 'Slippery When Wet' by Bon Jovi. That would come in handy…
Boulder: Iron Maiden's 'Somewhere in Time', a great cover and has lots of Maiden song references hidden amongst the artwork
Paul: The Beatles’ 'White Album', so that if I manage to find a pen, I’ve got something to write on
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?
Nik: Canadian Old Fashioned, it’s a game changer
Boulder: Doom Bar, I've not been drinking ale for long but so far this is my favourite
Paul: Either Doom Bar or Asahi
Simon: I've gotta be lame and go for my decaff Mocha
Rich: Guinness, because it's tasty and you don't actually need food after a few of them because you'll feel full up!!
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?
Simon: Opeth hoodie. I've just replaced my Opeth hoodie of 10 years plus with another Opeth hoodie. I'll probably die in an Opeth hoodie!
Paul: I’ve got a Beatles ‘Through the Years’ T-shirt I’d be quite sad to lose
Nik: Probably my classic Avenged Sevenfold tee, because it’s the only one that still fits well after some lockdown excess!
Boulder: My Alice In Chains Dirt t shirt because it’s one of my favourite albums
Rich: I own surprisingly little band merch but I do have a Bill and Ted's Wyld Stallyns World Tour t shirt which is really comfortable so I'd probably save that.
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?
Rich: Bear Grylls? I mean, he's got survival experience and I think I'd probably need his help surviving! Or is that cheating? Maybe Bill Bailey if Bear isn't allowed. Bill could entertain me with music and comedy until we get saved.
Paul: Bob Mortimer - I think he’d naturally keep the atmosphere lighthearted
Boulder: I'd like to be marooned with Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue as he would have stories to tell for days
Simon: Well other than wife and kids, can I say my guitars and amps??
Nik: Scarlett Johansson. Why has no one said Scarlett Johansson?
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?
Nik: The secret show Pearl Jam did at the Astoria in 2006. That was the perfect show at a very difficult point in my life
Boulder: Probably a recording of the very first big gig I went too which was Metallica at Milton Keynes bowl in 1993, amazing experience
Paul: The Who at Shepherds Bush Empire, 1999
Simon: Devin Townsend at the Royal Albert Hall. Was bizarre seeing the ziltoid stuff happening on one of the most prestigious stages in the UK but was an awesome night, and the second set of Devin classics were amazing!
Rich: Van Halen's Live: Right Here, Right Now album. It's got banging rock songs, ballads and end with Top Of The World, what more could you want out of a live show!
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 most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
Rich: Dave Grohl because I have a feeling he could get the word out there to get us saved and he seems like a nice guy so would probably help us out.
Simon: Well it's gotta be Bruce Dickinson. He's an airline pilot, so got to be good at navigation and can fly us out of here!
Paul: Well seeing as Simon has already said Bruce Dickinson, I’ll say Dave Rowntree from Blur for the same reasons.
Boulder: Gotta agree with Simon and say Bruce Dickinson, he's a pilot so he can come and rescue us once he finds the message.
Nik: Well, if we’re getting Bruce to fly us out, I’m gonna ask Steve Harris to come along so he can play a galloping hero bassline to make our escape feel epic.
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?
Boulder: Well I like to eat quite healthy so I'd go with Simon as he's a lean guy. Sorry Simon.
Paul: Boulder - he’s annoyingly healthy compared to the rest of us.
Rich: If it's survival of the fittest, I'm a goner because I have plenty of crackling on me to keep the other guys going for a while and they are all a lot taller than I am so I'm not likely to be able to fight them off...
Simon: Couldn't kill my band mates. I'll jump in the fire and they can eat me!
Nik: I dunno, that Rich crackling is sounding pretty tempting
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?
Nik: Eddie Vedder. All the other grunge singers are gone, and I’d love to have a face to face chat with him about his approach to fame.
Boulder: Dave Mustaine, he's the reason I picked up a guitar and started playing so I'd definitely save him.
Paul: Animal from the Muppets.
Simon: Ted Theodore Logan.
Rich: Dimebag Darrell. I know he's not with us anymore but his music changed me and was a major catalyst for me getting in to heavier music which has helped me through a lot in life.
