1. AMPLIFY! CAUGHT UP WITH ANAR-
CHY LEAD SINGER JONNY HAM-
MOND TO ASK HIM ABOUT THEIR
EUROPEAN TOUR!
Q. THIS IS YOUR FIRST TOUR THAT WILL BE OUTSIDE
OF THE UK, ARE YOU EXCITED?
A. VERY, IT IS GREAT PLAYING IN FRONT OF OUR
HOME CROWD IN THE UK BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE
ARE A LOT OF FANS IN OTHER COUNTRIES WHO
WOULD LOVE TO SEE US PLAY, WE WANT TO PLEASE
ALL OF OUR FANS. WE START THE TOUR IN THE
UK SO THAT IS GOING TO GET US PUMPED UP AND
EXCITED TO TAKE OUR MUSIC ACROSS EUROPE.
Q. IT WAS A YEAR AGO WHEN YOU PERFORMED YOUR
FIRST UK TOUR, DID YOU EXPECT THINGS TO MOVE
THIS FAST?
A. IT’S NOT THAT I DIDN’T EXPECT IT, WE HAVE
WORKED SO HARD TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN AND THE
FACT THAT IT HAS HAPPENED SO QUICKLY SHOWS
THAT HARD WORK PAYS OFF, NOBODY HAD HEARD
OF US A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND NOW WE ARE
GOING ON TOUR IN EUROPE, ITS OVERWHELMING.
Q. YOU CERTAINLY HAVE SURPRISED US ALL, IT’S
ALWAYS GREAT TO SEE A BAND BREAK THROUGH
INTO THE LIMELIGHT.
A. I THINK IT’S THE WAY THAT IT HAPPENS, YOU
SPEND ALL OF YOUR TEENAGE YEARS MAKING
MUSIC, PLAYING IN PUBS HOPING THAT SOMEONE IS
GONNA GIVE YOU A CHANCE.
Q. WHEN WOULD YOU SAY YOU GOT THAT CHANCE
AND KNEW THIS WAS GOING TO BECOME BIG?
A. WE MADE AN EP IN 2010, THE WORD GOT OUT
AND IT ENDED UP GETTING INTO THE TOP TEN
ON THE ALTERNATIVE iTUNES CHART, THAT GOT
US SOME ATTENTION AND KICKSTARTED US INTO
MAKING AN ALBUM, WE HAD HELP FROM A LOT OF
PEOPLE AND THEY SUPPORTED US, THE ALBUM WAS
A SUCCESS AND THAT TURNED INTO OUR FIRST
UK TOUR. I THINK OUR EP GETTING INTO THE TOP
10 WAS THE MOMENT WE REALISED PEOPLE LIKE
OUR MUSIC ENOUGH TO BUY IT AND SUPPORT US,
THAT IS WHEN I HAD A FEELING WE COULD MAKE
SOMETHING OUT OF THIS.
Q. GOING ON TOUR CAN TAKE A LOT OUT OF SOME-
ONE, IT MUST HELP THAT YOU ARE DOING IT WITH
YOUR BANDMATES.
A. BEING AWAY FROM HOME FOR
SO LONG CAN GET TO YOU
SOMETIMES, BUT I HAVE
ALWAYS BEEN SOMEONE
WHO IS INTERESTED
IN TRAVELLING SO I
GUESS GOING ON A
EUROPEAN TOUR TO
PERFORM KILLS TWO
BIRDS WITH ONE
STONE. I FORMED
THE BAND WITH
FRIENDS I KNEW
SINCE SCHOOL SO
WE HAVE AL-
WAYS BEEN CLOSE,
ALTHOUGH BEING
WITH THEM EVERY
DAY CAN GET QUITE
ANNOYING, WE ARE
LIKE BROTHERS.
WE JUST NEED
TO FOR-
GET ABOUT
HOME FOR
A WHILE
AND
FOCUS
ON OUR
MUSIC
AND HELP
EA-
CHOTHER
THROUGH
EVERY-
THING,
BEING
AWAY FOR
SO LONG
JUST MAKES
IT THAT BIT
BETTER WHEN
WE ACTUALLY
GET TO SEE
OUR FAMILIES.
Q. WHO IN-
SPIRED YOU TO
MAKE MUSIC?
A. THERE HAVE
BEEN A NUM-
BER OF DIF-
FERENT BANDS
AND ARTISTS THAT INSPIRED ME TO DO WHAT I
DO TODAY. I AM A BIG FAN OF 30 SECONDS TO MARS
AND FALL OUT BOY. IT IS AN HONOUR TO NOW BE IN
THE MUSIC SCENE THAT THEY HAVE DOMINATED SO
WELL OVER THE PAST YEARS.
Q. SO IS THIS LIKE A PASSING
OF THE TORCH?
A. I WOULDN’T SAY THAT, I
DOUBT THEY HAVE EVER
HEARD OF ANARCHY AND
THEY ARE STILL MAKING
GREAT MUSIC. I WOULD SAY
THAT I TRY TO TAKE WHAT
THEY HAVE DONE SO WELL
IN THIS INDUSTRY AND
IMPLEMENT IT INTO MY
MUSIC ALONG WITH
MY OTHER BANDMATES.
Q. IS THERE ANY
PARTICULAR PLACE
YOU ARE LOOK-
ING FORWARD TO
PERFORMING AT
DURING THE
TOUR?
A. ON OUR
FIRST UK
TOUR WE
NEVER
PERFORMED
IN NEW-
CASTLE,
WE ARE OPEN-
ING THERE
THIS TIME
ROUND SO
THAT IS VERY
EXCITING
BECAUSE IT
IS MY HOME-
TOWN, THE O2
HAS A GREAT
ATMOSPHERE
AND I KNOW
IT IS GOING
TO ROCK. AS
FAR AS EU-
ROPE GOES I
DON’T KNOW,
I’M JUST EX-
CITED TO SEE
EVERY ONE
OF OUR FANS FROM EUROPE AND I CAN’T WAIT TO
PERFORM FOR THEM. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN KEEN ON
TRAVELLING AND THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT I WILL
LOVE EVERY SECOND OF THIS
EUROPEAN TOUR. IT IS A GREAT
CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE
DIFFERENT PLACES AND CULTURES
AND I’M VERY EXCITED.
Q. WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR
AFTER THIS TOUR?
A. CONTINUE DOING WHAT WE DO
BEST, WE JUST WANT TO FOCUS ON
THE TOUR AT THE MINUTE BUT WE
CAN NOT WAIT TO GET BACK INTO
THE RECORDING STUDIO AND MAKE
MORE MUSIC. I THINK THERE IS
GOING TO BE A SHORT PERIOD
WHERE WE CHILL AND SPEND TIME WITH OUR FAMI-
LIES BECAUSE WE WILL NOT HAVE SEEN THEM FOR A
FEW MONTHS BUT AFTER THAT WE ARE GONNA GET
STRAIGHT INTO OUR SECOND ALBUM!
Q. FINALLY, CAN WE EXPECT YOU TO TAKE A
DIFFERENT APPROACH TO MUSIC LIKE WE HAVE
SEEN FROM MANY OTHER BANDS, SUCH AS THE
ARCTIC MONKEYS?
A. NOT RIGHT AWAY. WE ARE JUST STARTING OUT IF
YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WE HAVE ONLY RELEASED ONE
ALBUM AND THAT HAS GONE DOWN REALLY WELL.
LET’S KEEP DOING WHAT WE DO BEST AND THEN
THINK ABOUT GOING DOWN A DIFFERENT AVENUE.
I HAVE AN AMBITION TO INCORPORATE SCREAMO
INTO MY MUSIC, WITH MY BEST FRIEND BEING A
VERY TALENTED SINGER CURRENTLY
SINGING IN A LESSER KNOWN BAND CALLED NO WAY
FOR THE YOUNG. HE HAS ALREADY EXPRESSED HIS
INTEREST IN BRINGING HIS OWN STYLE OF MUSIC
TO THIS BAND AND I WOULD SAY THAT THERE IS A
BIG CHANCE THAT HE WILL BE JOINING US AT SOME
POINT IN THE FUTURE.
EUROPEAN INVASION!
AMPLIFY EXCLUSIVE! 2015 BREAKTHROUGH ACT
31 32
ANARCHY
‘caveman’s
bus stop’
NEW ALBUM
OUT NOW!
ANARCHY LEAD SINGER JONNY HAMMOND TALKS ABOUT THEIR UPCOMNG EUROPEAN TOUR.
“WE ARE LIKE BROTHERS”
ANARCHY HAVE BEEN NOMINATED FOR
BRITISH BREAKTHROUGH ACT AT THE
BRITS 2O15.
