The stage is like a second home.
On the occasion of his upcoming visit to Mexico City during this year's edition of the Hypnosis Festivalwe talked for a while with Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince of The KillsThe British/American duo took our call from Belgium and, in the middle of their tour God Games, to tell us a little about his return to the stage and his expectations about coming to Mexico.
It's been a long time between albums (studio at least), leading up to her 2023 album, Ash & Ice 2016 was their last release and that was also the year they visited Mexico during a very exclusive event, so the wait for their Mexican fans has been long.
“It’s been great to see our friends again, to travel and there’s nothing like experiencing a live audience again,” he says. Mosshart about his return. The band's guitarist describes it as a lesson in humility and would never have imagined that, 20 years after starting his career, people would still be going to his clubs. shows.
A long wait for Mexican fans
For Alison The pressure has always been there because he loves playing in Mexico, he describes our audience as romantic, full of energy and bright, and he loves the Mexican culinary tradition. For his part, Jamie remember the time they played for the first time in Mexico with their album Midnight Boom (where they premiered it live) and he treasures the memory of that first encounter with Mexico City, which he is very fond of.
The duo is familiar with the artists headlining the 2024 edition of Hypnosis since they have encountered Slowdive and AIR on several occasions during their current tour, appropriate accompaniment during festivals. This last French band, which recently performed during the closing of the Paris Olympic Games, will play their album Moon Safari complete in Mexico, the members of The Kills They describe this move as a trend that is on the decline. They themselves did it a few years ago with their second and third albums, but it is not something they wish to repeat.
I think I prefer to explore our journey from the beginning, I like to alternate between our early songs and then play the new ones,” Hince says.
TO Mosshart He is excited to bring the songs of God Games Mexican audiences, as well as their classics. The reception of the new songs has touched the hearts of the duo and they describe it as a wonderful feeling when the audience sings back the songs they just released and doesn't just live in the past.
Two creative minds is all it takes
The Kills is one of those bands that sounds like so much more than what you see on stage. “I want people to see simplicity, depth and how loud we can make it,” he says. HinceWith just two members and no drummer (usually a drum machine does that job), the duo builds a huge, immersive and powerful sound, and they have found the formula to complement each other perfectly through two decades of experience: they share vocal duties and Alison He sometimes accompanies a second guitar or a keyboard. For his part, Hince He has the ability to play for two people on one guitar, you can clearly see him playing the lead melody with three or four fingers while his thumb does the bass work, which I find very original.
Despite being known for being a band without a drummer, in the past they have been accompanied by drummers such as Jonny Scott (CHVRCHES) and Patrick Keeler (The Raconteurs), but for his tour God Games They returned to being a power duo on stage, so during their visit to Mexico we will see them back to their essence: with samples and drum machines as accompaniment.
It's easy to stay in the popular consciousness for two decades these days, especially as a rock band and with the constant changes in technology and trends, but it's a challenge. Alison Mosshart He cannot conceive of life without making music and sees himself in this world for the rest of his life –doing it to death?-, not only for the love of art, but also for survival. Jamie Hince He thinks the same way, but fears that in two more decades people will no longer leave their homes because of technology.
Production is something that draws his attention mainly in terms of rhythms, for guitars he prefers a more traditional and old school approach. “It has taken me years to admit it, but I have a skill, a talent for playing guitar like no one else and I intend to continue doing so,” he concludes. Jamie before the band takes to the stage once again to continue bringing their music to the world.
The seventh edition of the festival Hypnosis will take place on November 2nd at the La Campana Sports Club. Since its inception in 2017, it has been a paradise for lovers of psychedelia, garage and rock with a lot of fuzz. With names like AIR, Slowdive, The Kills, SUUNS, Mild Lifeamong others, the 2024 edition promises an unforgettable experience.
