"ME AND ZO HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY!"

British guitarist Andy James on auditioning for the band, playing arenas and moving in with Zoltan

Good timing, joining the band right before the pandemic! How did you get the gig?

“I was in contact with Zo from about October 2019, and he asked me if I knew any guitar players who’d be good for a touring band with major management. I told him I wasn’t really doing anything, so he told me he was trying to hire a guitarist for Butcher Babies. I go to the studio with Butcher Babies and Zo shows up, then a couple of days later we go out to dinner, and I realise now that it was a job interview to see what I was like in the studio and what sort of person I was. I get a message in January 2020 saying, ‘Can you learn a whole live set in 24 hours?’ I already knew the songs from being a fan, but I crammed it all in and they flew me to Wembley.”

In at the deep end!

“Yeah, I’d been doing club gigs and stuff, and the only other gig I had was Fields Of The Nephilim, so I was used to playing bigger shows, but I wasn’t prepared for walking out onstage and having an arena full of people.”

Given the pandemic, what was the mood in the band?

“Those 13 shows we did were a lot of fun, but then the pandemic happened. It was the gig of a lifetime, and then nothing happened and I didn’t see anyone for a year, so Zo said maybe I should come out to the States and I lived at his house.”

What’s the best thing about being in Five Finger Death Punch?

“Have you ever seen the film Rock Star? I’ve been a fan of the band for ages, but I never thought I’d end up playing in the band. It’s great, because you get to do massive shows with pyro and all that. Ivan’s taken a little longer to get to know, especially because of the pandemic, but I’ve hit it off with everyone. Me and Zo even have the same birthday!”