Ellie and Alan caught up with The Black Spiders back stage at Bloodstock to talk about being their forthcoming album, Jagermeister parties and much more.

How did Black Spiders form?
Basically we were at a wake party playing for a dear friend of ours that passed away playing songs to celebrate his life and we thought it was fun so we decided to carry on.
Like a phoenix, death creates life.

How did the name come about?
Our singers name is the black spider. So we thought that it sounded a good motorcycle gang type name.

Who would you say are your major influences?
Our influences are definitely 70's orientated bands, who use guitars. Anybody who's got a bit of groove and a bit of blues about them. ACDC's good, Sabbath's good some modern bands, I think we draw on a lot of rock bands throughout the ages really. We all listen to different stuff and I think that's filtered down into the stuff that sounds like we've ripped them off really.

What made you want to be in a band or start playing your first instrument?
It was definitely heavy metal music. My brother had all the Deep Purple records and Motorhead and all that kind of stuff and my brother had a guitar and I started picking it up and playing it, I thought it was amazing. I did not want to play chords or anything I just wanted to wiggle around, I never got there!
It was the total opposite for me, my brother got a guitar and I thought he was an idiot for a whole year, but then I kept on seeing it in his room so I picked it up and I just wanted to play rhythm.

You've been teamed up with Jagermeister for a while, how would you say they help ypu and other bands in the music industry?
They help out in a lot of ways, mainly money. Jager are prepared to step up and help young bands, they can see that there is a benefit for them because their product gets advertised. They are stepping up where a lot of record labels can not as they have the money to invest in the band. I think if it were not for Jagermeister a lot of bands would not be here, for one both our EP's would not exist, we would not be anywhere near the level we are at now if it were not for them helping us out.

Do you often find yourself having Jagermeister parties on tour?
Oh man we are all Jagermeistered out, yeah we get a lot of that stuff delivered. There a few Jagermeister inspired songs, it makes you feel a little tipsy when you have had two or three.

Are there any plans for a new record?
The album is finished, all recorded now and ready to go. It's just a matter of getting it released which will be this year. Again it's just getting people to get the balls to get behind us and release it, we have not got a record label. We dont really have anyone to step up and say we believe in what you do, apart from companies like Jagermeister. But it will be out by the end of the year.

What do you think of the hard rock/metal scene as it is at the moment?
Its in revival right? Well that is what the press are saying anyway. A lot of bands are being re-born and cashing in on that. New interests are a bit difficult.
I think it's great to see a lot of bands by their used date getting back onto the stage, but I have not seen much evidence of many younger bands coming up like around the small clubs that we have played, its still thrash based metal sort of privalies. So it will be interesting to see what younger people bring up and make it a bit more interesting.

Where do you see Black Spiders in a few years from now?
Standing on top of the empire state building smashing out jumbo jets to a back drop of retro hard rock and maybe be a prize in the jaws of a tyrannosaurus rex. Swimming in loads of money in a swimming pool of money.

What made you want to be in a band or start playing an instrument?Do you have any funny stories from your time on the road you would like to share with us?
Bloody loads, things we can not tell you. You know what, all the good stories I have forgotten. Funny stories, we are not very funny people really.

FInally out of being a giraffe or a zebra what would you rather be?
Ahh its the strips versus spots question, they both use very interesting ways of camouflage to disguise their shape.
I dont think its about camouflage, when you're a giraffe your about 30ft tall with a neck and a zebra is not camouflage either unless it lives in a forest of black and white trees. I would rather be a zebra because I don't like long necks, not to be neckest though.

Interview By Ellie Pockley