Exclusive Interview: 20 Questions with Al Bristow from Weaponry!

Rounding off a year with Post-Hardcore heroes Weaponry that included us witnessing first hand their recording sessions for upcoming EP “Forever Nothing” with Producer Daly George at The Ranch Production House and a stand out set as part of Rabidfest in Oxford, we figured it was time to try a new interview style with a game of 20 questions with frontman Al Bristow. You know. Just for s***s and giggles.

1. Mince Pies or Chocolate covered Flies? “Mince Pies are the greatest. I eat about 3 mince pies a day from November 1st to Jan 1st. Also who the hell eats flies???”

2. Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie? “Yep definitely”

3. As a band what was your highlight of 2021? “Recording our new EP was so much fun! The madness of me having a week to learn all the rhythm guitars, the fuel crisis almost causing a weaponry crisis! Listening to employed to serve and turnstile while travelling there and back everyday, coming up with little bits to add in to the song on the spot (and those bits being some of the best bits!), almost passing out laying the vocal takes to My Name Is Glory and just spending a week having a great time. So many memories that’ll last a lifetime”

4. What are you looking forward to most in 2022? “Releasing the EP!”

5. What was your favourite gig of 2021? “I didn’t actually go to any gigs outside of our gigs because I had a pregnant wife for most of it and the world was infected etc…. but our best gig was a tie between Royal Holloway and Rabidfest. I’m gonna go Royal Holloway though because even though it was socially distanced and everyone was sat down it sold out and we sold all our merch. It was mental”

6. Your much loved long running documentary series no lasting memories has been as fantastic watch. What inspired you to start it in the first place? “We’re just always trying to think of new things we can do to help promote the band. Because of the virus we couldn’t gig so we just started filming our rehearsals to see if we could get anything fun out of it, then that became other stuff – doing photoshoots, practicing, creating our cover art and merch etc. Then we just really enjoyed doing it so we carried on. It was a weekly reminder that we existed for the followers of our socials. I’m sure we’ll start them up again! Some people really enjoy them and they are a right laugh to film”

7. What’s your new year’s resolution? “Read more books! I gotta beat my best of 25 in a year. Becoming a dad has really dented my exercise regime too. How can I go crazy on stage if I can’t last 2 songs!? I used to run 4 or 5 times a week… so that’ll be on the list too”

8. What has been your anthem of 2021? “Grimes – You’ll miss me when I’m not around. I’m OK I swear I just LOVE that tune”

9. If you could do one reality show and the choice was a return of Big Brother or I’m a celebrity get me out of here, which are you going on and why? “Hmmm do horrible stuff and eat barely anything or get drunk every night for 10 weeks BUT I’m not allowed to see my family. Toughie. Gotta be Big Brother but I’ll be annoying so I get kicked out after a week!”

10. You’re a massive wrestling fan. Who is your all time favourite wrestler? “IF YOU SMELLLLLLLL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKING. He’s not the greatest technical wrestler but god damn that man was the greatest on the microphone ever and he was around when I was a kid and I liked it mostly just for the stories and the excitement. Now I love the actual wrestling too and Kenny Omega is just incredible”

11. If you entered the ring yourself, what would be your wrestler nickname of choice? “Haha I dunno, probably a rubbish alliteration like Al ‘The Bruiser’ Bristow. Maybe I could tag with Andy Williams from Every Time I Die who wrestles as The Butcher!”

12. What has been the strangest moment Weaponry have experienced? “Whenever people ask for our autograph!”

13. Watching the Bret Ratner directed, Nicolas Cage starring “Family Man” is a household tradition at Christmas for Metal Noise (although you can’t really go wrong with The Grinch), what’s your Christmas film of choice? “Elf all day long! I do usually watch the Christmas episodes of TV shows I love like Bottom, Black Mirror and Peep Show too”

14. Our other major Christmas tradition is a family gathering Chinese takeaway on Christmas Eve; what’s yours? “Christmas Eve is pretty big in my family. The women and kids do the christingle at the church, the men have a beer or two and get the dinner ready! Gammon (or vegan gammon…) and potatoes and cabbage and then a few little gifts for the kids”

15. Pizza and beer is a sensational award winning combination so what are you favourites? “Papa johns for pizza and my only 5 out of 5 rated beers on Untappd are Guinness and Cranbourne Poacher by Badger Brewery!”

16. What’s your Christmas song of choice? “Step Into Christmas by the legend Elton John”

17. As a band who knows the local scene and has played with a lot of other bands in all genres of Metal, who would you predict a bright future for? “Post Hardcore 3 piece Masquerader have a great sound and live show. Another post hardcore band who we were meant to play with at Reading Rising was Lastelle. If they keep up their current trajectory they wont be stopped. Pop punk band Slackrr play about 200 shows a year, the ability to do that and the work ethic to keep it up is a huge plus!”

18. What’s your favourite venue to play? “Any place that is very happy for me to go as crazy as I like. When they ask for you to calm it down or not go in the crowd or whatever it can put a bit of a dampener on things! I do like it when the stage is quite high up like at the Bullingdon in Oxford or the Joiners in Southampton”

19. What would mean more to you as a band, a huge one off festival appearance at Bloodstock (United Kingdom), Wacken (Germany) or Hellfest (France) or a 20 date European tour supporting opening for a band like Stick To Your Guns, Stray From The Path or Counterparts? “I think they’re quite comparable! Both would be amazing experiences”

20. Who would you thank in your Grammy Award winning speech? “Thank you to the person that wrote, produced and played on this grammy award winning calibre song and then allowed us to pretend it was our own!”