"IT WAS APOCALYPTIC"
Drummer Jason Bowld on an riotous Knotfest Mexico, joining Bullet and why drummers are like goalkeepers
WHAT CAN YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THE LAST BULLET GIG BEFORE THE WORLD SHUT DOWN?
“It was November 2019 at Knotfest Mexico. The fans went crazy. They’d been dismantling the barrier waiting for Slipknot, then they set fire to Evanescence’s drum kit, so it ended up being cancelled before they could play. It was quite apocalyptic. A portent of what was to come.”
HOW WAS DOWNLOAD FOR YOU? NERVOUS?
“No. I was so focused on playing. Being a drummer is like being a goalkeeper – no one ever praises you if you don’t let any goals in, but if you suck you’re to blame for everything. That’s all that was on my mind: don’t suck. I think the crews were getting more emotional than the bands, understandably.”
YOU JOINED THE BAND FULL TIME AFTER THEIR SECOND LINE-UP CHANGE IN TWO YEARS. WHAT WAS THE MOOD IN THE BAND LIKE?
“Everyone was knackered, ’cos I joined in the middle of a tour. I turned up going, ‘[Energetic voice] Hey everybody, I’m really excited to play!’ Hopefully that gave them a bit of an energy injection. Then when we were working on this album, it was, like, ‘Wow, this is the best album Bullet have done!’”
WHY?
“Gravity was difficult, plus it was mine and Jamie’s first time in the band. We didn’t know how it would be received – even though the reception ended up being great. But this time we’ve created something that sounds organic and natural. It could spawn another three or four albums in this direction.”
WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT BEING IN BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE?
“They’re my kind of people. There’s no pretension, no egos – drummers don’t have the time to deal with egos anyway. And it‘s the most professional band I’ve played in, for sure.”
WHO’S THE LEAST PROFESSIONAL?
“Ha ha! I can’t tell you that!”