Neonfly – Power Metal – UK
By special collaborator: Ivo Yordanov
Is it possible to find a good new Heavy Metal band in London? This is no Scandinavia or Germany but yes, it is possible and it is called Neonfly, a band achieving big success since it was created.
Ivo Yordanov: You just came back from your first tour in Europe. Tell us about being on the road and the response from the people.
Frederick Thunder: It was a great experience, we were really happy to have the opportunity to do this and play in countries like Slovakia, Hungary and Austria. We won a competition to play at a festival in Austria and decided to book some gigs in the area. We didn’t know what to expect because we’d never been to most of the cities where we played, but when we got there the reaction from the crowds was really positive and a lot of people took a genuine interest in the band, which was great. We also realized that thanks to the internet and word of mouth quite a few people actually already knew who we were. It’s usually quite difficult for an unsigned band like us to do this kind of thing, but I think playing live is really important, that’s where you get to meet the people and prove what you’re worth.
IY: Still you don't have a permanent drummer in the band, is it difficult to find or is it a question of time?
FT: Actually we have one now! Boris who joined at first as a session player for the tour decided to stay in the band as a permanent member and we’re all really happy with this. He is a great drummer and a great guy as well. Our previous drummers were also great players but their style didn’t always fit what we had in mind. I think in general it’s quite hard to find good musicians that have the necessary dedication and commitment but it’s not impossible, there are great people out there and eventually you end up finding them.
IY: Any major supporting acts coming soon for Neonfly?
FT: Yes! We’ll be supporting Adagio and To-Mera in October in London at the Purple Turtle. It’s going to be a one off date followed by a metal club night. It should be great fun, we are very excited to have the opportunity to do this as both bands are great and it’s always a pleasure to share the stage with such top-class players. We’ve also been confirmed to play at a big festival in France in September called I Raismesfest, together with MSG, Epica, Pain, Axxis and other great bands. We should hopefully also be organizing a small tour in France and Belgium to go together with our festival appearance.
IY: Anything planned for America and Canada? We all know it is the biggest market for the bands and music in general.
FT: Nothing planned for now. Obviously we’d love to do it but right now the investment would be too big for us to afford with no support from a label or a sponsor of some kind. If we find a way to do it without losing too much money we will do it, it’s most band’s dream to tour America.
IY: Any plans for recording a full album? Got a studio or producer in mind?
FT: I don’t think we will be recording a full album until we get signed, however we have written some new songs and we hope to record a new EP soon. We still haven’t chosen a studio or a producer yet but we will look into it very soon as we really want this album to be much better than its predecessor in terms of production and sound quality. We really want the new EP to showcase the band in it’s best light and we also owe it to the people that have supported us to release a good product after all.
IY: Your favourite musican and band?
FT: Too many to mention… Some of my favourite musicians and inspirations are Tobias Sammet, Bruce Dickinson, Kai Hansen… As for bands it changes every time, there’s too many bands out there that I love…
