DEVIL'S ISLAND featuring Shipwrecker
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 find Shipwrecker sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, 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.
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?
Adam - I’d pick 'Back In The Highlife' by Steve Winwood, used to listen to it loads in the car as a kid: Lots of fond memories!
Eve - 'De-Loused In The Comatorium' by The Mars Volta. I listened to this album to death when it first came out and can't believe it's now 20 years old (makes me feel really old!) I re-discovered it again the other day and I'd forgotten how insane it is, it would definitely keep me entertained whilst I wait to get rescued.
Matt - Queen: 'News of the World'. A few Queen albums would contend, but this edges it. The sound of a band at the top of their game. Queen could hit diverse styles across an album whilst somehow still sounding like Queen, something only the likes of the Beatles could do as successfully. They nailed it here - from bombastic anthems, through heavy rock, to piano blues.
Jo - I'm going for Free, 'Fire and Water'. Not only a great album that means a lot to me, but also a handy reminder of what to prioritise in my survival attempts on the island.
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?
Adam - I’d go for ZZ Top - 'Eliminator', I like old cars and the image of that image of the hot rod with the headlights on looks amazing.
Eve - Cream 'Disraeli Gears', something trippy and colourful to brighten the place up.
Matt - Soundgarden: 'King Animal'. There’s something mysterious and unsettling about the animal bones in the snow that’s always appealed to me!
Jo - Thinking practically, the Monkees soundtrack to the film 'Head' had a shiny silver foil cover, I think I'd cheat and use that to aid in attracting any passing planes or boats.
There's also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What's your tipple of choice?
Adam - I’d have to go with whisky
Eve - A pint of cold IPA (specifically Neck Oil)
Matt - An Old Fashioned. Undefeated champion of cocktails.
Jo - A cup of strong tea for me. Being stranded on a desert island would be stressful enough without my inevitable caffeine withdrawal headache.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
Adam - I’ve only ever owned one piece of band merch which was a T-shirt for Traffic, really liked the street image design on the front of it, so that.
Eve - Is there a band that's got a branded rubber dinghy? You'd want something practical, otherwise I'd probably go for the Nirvana hoodie I lived in as a teenager to keep me warm when the sun goes down.
Matt - Kiss did branded everything, didn’t they? So there must be some Kiss Suncream. That’d be a lifesaver on a desert island - look how burnt Tom Hanks got!
Jo - A Rival Schools frisbee that I saw at the Leeds Festival. That would keep us entertained on the beach.
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?
Adam - Ray Mears or some other survival expert, I wouldn’t have a clue how to get by on there
Eve - My cat, Chief, she'd probably be quite entertaining and she could do some hunting for me (although I'd have to develop a taste for mice...)
Matt - Some sort of raft-building expert. Or Florence Pugh.
Jo - To be fair, this island has a bar with unlimited drinks and great music. I'd be pretty happy if I could wile away the hours with my bandmates. I am married to the drummer, after all.
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?
Adam - Jack Bruce at Canterbury Fayre 2002, he had such an amazing band at that time. Saw them in Manchester sounded incredible
Eve - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard at Alexandra Palace, just because it was the last gig I went to and they were incredible, it would bring back great memories
Matt - Genesis: Live at Knebworth 1992. My Dad taped this off the radio and it’s a killer performance, nicely traversing both their prog-heavy catalogue and their poppier moments.
Jo - Do Me Bad Things at the Lexington. I absolutely love their (one and only) album, but missed out on seeing them live first time around. I saw their reunion show at the Lexington in 2015 and it was staggeringly good. So much fun! I remember the quote that "They started out supposedly not intending to be a band, and admit to having no aspirati?
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?
Adam - Geezer Butler, don’t even think he’d be much use in a rescue attempt but he's a great bass player and seems like a nice guy
Eve - Paul McCartney after watching the Beatles Get Back documentary he definitely seems like the organised one so I reckon he'd be able to coordinate a good rescue attempt. Plus hopefully he'd bring me tea and toast!
Matt - Who was Sting hoping would find his? I’ll say Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, as he could fly the search and rescue plane.
Jo - I think I'm with Eve on this one. I know Macca's got a helicopter as well. So we'd be out of there in no time.
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?
Adam - I'd volunteer myself for the sake of the band
Eve - Probably me, I'm just the drummer I'm easily replaceable!
Matt - oh god, it’s me isn’t it? You wouldn’t get a decent meal out of the others.
Jo - Given that these three have already volunteered, I guess I'd have the Shipwrecker charcuterie board. Eve as an appetiser, Matt for main course, and Adam for desert. They wouldn't want to eat me anyway - I have no nutritional value due to my traditional diet of custard creams and dark beer.
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?
Adam - Paul McCartney, his bass lines were some of the first I learnt basic versions of. Later I appreciated how great they are: so melodic! I have no idea how he plays them and sings all at once.
Eve - Mitch Mitchell, I've always been a huge fan of his laid back drumming style, he's definitely been a big influence on the feel that I have as a drummer. He's a really creative and expressive player and my favourite drummers are always one's where you can instantly recognise their playing. Plus all the Jimi Hendrix Experience albums just sound like they're jamming and I really like that approach to creating music.
Matt - I’ll pick a living one, as sadly many of my biggest influences have already gone to Davy Jones’s locker. I’ll go for Robert Plant, who is still putting out strong art and following the wind musically at 74!
Jo - This is tough. Despite being a comparatively recent influence, (and a couple of years younger than me!), Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard is an inspiration to me: The quality and variety of the band's music is incredible, but it is the sheer work ethic that sets his band apart. Writing and releasing an album almost every 2 months on average, and still finding time to tour, despite suffering from Crohn's disease, is an unbelievable accomplishment. It sort of puts every other band in the world to shame really! Plus I'd get to hang out and play music together on the island. So we'd never be short of ideas.
