MIKE HRANICA OF THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA CHATS WITH BN1

When one of the world’s top metalcore bands played an intimate show at The Haunt, BN1 couldn’t resist seeing them at such close quarters.  Before the gig, Gary Marlowe caught up with Prada vocalist Mike Hranica. Their conversation covered everything from the effect piracy and social media is having on the music industry, through to how a band used to playing huge festivals copes with being in a venue where they’re shoulder to shoulder with their fans.  

You’re used to playing some huge arenas and festivals, how do you approach playing a small venue like The Haunt?  
This isn’t anything new for us because we’re a band that’s been touring before we even had a booking agent. It’s always good to be back playing shows like this. As a matter of fact, about a year and a half ago, we did a tour in the United States called ‘Back to the Roots’ where we played several nights in small rooms to try and bring in that intimacy. Of course, it’s a little bit of a different performance compared to where I usually have the whole front of the stage, but you still have to give that emotion and passion.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve seen at one of your gigs?
I get asked that a lot, but nothing ever comes to mind. We’re a pretty relaxed band, you know. We have a good time drinking beer, watching movies and just relaxing. We’re not into anything too wild!  Although I’m sure there have been some moments!

For those that don’t know Prada, how would you describe your sound?
It’s very plainly modern metal. For those a little more informed, it’s metalcore which is the tag it’s given nowadays. It’s definitely not metal or thrash. We’re influenced by older bands like Slayer and early metal and punk. I’ve always tried to find whatever the heaviest thing was!

Some may say all metalcore bands sound the same, especially with the screaming vocals and the breakdowns. How do you respond to those who say you’re just a screamer?
I don’t really care. I’m never one to say I’m a groundbreaking musician pushing the envelope of modern art. To me, what’s important are the lyrics I write and the performance I give. Honestly, while screaming for a band isn’t the most difficult task in the world, with the way the scene is nowadays I think a lot of bands do fall short and aren’t making music for the right reasons. I don’t think every metalcore band is the same. We put a lot of effort into what’s important to us and the things we think should be important to other people. To us, that’s the priority and they’re the things we focus on.

You once said “We'd write differently if we were purely trying to sell albums: that’s just not how it works for us.” What did you mean by that?
Well, many metalcore bands nowadays follow trends. It’s so over-saturated and there are things that always pop up. Like something that’s cool. Dubstep for example. A lot of kids really buy into that, but to me, it’s just a trend. If we just wanted to sell records we could jump on those things too. But fortunately you can still sell records if you write what is meaningful to you. We don’t subscribe to what’s hip and then make something based upon what kids are buying, we just write about what we’re trying to express. We’re blessed we’re still able to do what we want to, come tour around the world and achieve a certain level of success.

Have you played Brighton before?
We have. Last time we were here was early 2011 and we were with Bring Me The Horizon and Architects. Before that I believe we’ve been here with Enter Shikari and I think we also played here a very long time ago with A Day To Remember. Last time we were in Brighton we had an off day and it was sunny so we spent some time on the pier and the beach and had a good time.  It’s a little bit chilly for that today!

What’s your favourite English band?
I like The Horrors who put out a record last year called ‘Skying’ I saw them in Chicago and they’re probably my favourite UK band at the moment. Another band I like are The Joy Formidable. I absolutely adore them!

What new music are you listening to?
I don’t listen to many up-and-coming bands!

Piracy? How big a problem is it for you?
You know it’s monotonous for musicians to sit around and say down with Napster and stuff like that. I don’t speak for the whole band because some of the guys download their music, but I’m a vinyl collector, I buy everything I own. Sadly though that’s becoming a lost medium and that really sucks. I know it would help my career if more people bought our album rather than pirate it.  Back when I started going to shows and got into metal, a part of the reason you loved a band was because you went to the record shop to buy their CD. You were a fan because you gave them your money. That’s what we’re losing right now. But that said we owe a lot to social media. We tweet and we run a Tumblr so we can put up cool photos. The thing is you have to find the line. You have to be online because it’s very important - fans need that sort of connection with bands - but at the same time, I personally value a lot of privacy. I want people to know me for what I do with The Devil Wears Prada, not because my Twitter has X amount of followers. You want people to have that connection, to know the members and who they are. I follow lots of bands on Twitter because I like their music. As a fan, I like seeing photos and I want to know what they’re doing.

Where were you when you heard about Whitney Houston?
I heard about it last night.  We were watching ‘The Big Lebowski’ and Dan checked Twitter and said something about it. To be frank, it doesn’t have much of a connection with me because my parents never listened to her a lot, but I’m sure it’s going to have an impact in the same way Michael Jackson’s death still does to this day.

So no Whitney covers tonight, but have you ever covered other band’s songs?
Sadly, we did once. We did a rap cover for this album and soon everyone was covering rap songs and we felt it was becoming rather like a publicity stunt so we will never play that song again!

How does your vocal style affect your voice?  Do you have to protect it or does it just come naturally to you?
I do have trouble. At the beginning of this tour, we did four shows straight, which is always really tough for me. So my voice was giving out. Rest is the most important thing, but we haven’t cancelled a show in a long time. When I first started I never did warm-ups, now I have a routine I go through.

What can we expect tonight?
Our band, you know. From the get go we’ve considered ourselves a live band and not so much a recorded band. And thankfully on that note we’re now mastering our sound on record. That’s why we’re so happy with the way ‘Dead Throne’ turned out. But primarily we’re a live band and I’d love for anyone who buys our record to see us at a live show because I think it reaffirms what we are. We don’t go out and do shows half-assed. If we did, it wouldn’t be The Devil Wears Prada. Playing live is a specific science which earns a lot of attention from us!

By Gary Marlowe - Ideas Out the Ordinary