Logan rock. Really, they do. And they are one of the UK?s best kept secrets. Steadily rising up the ranks in the underground rock scene, these five Glaswegians are now one of the hottest bands in Britain and are tipped to be the next big thing to come out of Scotland.

Their debut single spent seven weeks in the Official Rock Charts last summer and their new album Cruel Little World has been selling well on both sides of the Atlantic. They?ve played all over the UK in sold out venues and have toured with the mighty Alter Bridge.

Recently, they played a special ?evening with? style gig in their hometown of Glasgow and afterwards, the whole band - Kenny Collins (vocals), Mick Coll (guitar), Al Reilly (guitar), Iain Stratton (drums) and Michael Wilson (bass) - took some time out to speak to us here at RockOnTheWeb:


You?ve just played a special gig in Glasgow?s Renfrew Ferry which incorporated an acoustic set ? how did that go?

Iain: It was amazing to be honest. The crowd reaction was unbelievable. It was a great night. The acoustic set was probably the best thing as it was really different for us.

Michael W: A lot of work went into it. We obviously did a lot of preparation for it because we?ve never done an acoustic show. We didn?t have a support band and were essentially supporting ourselves. The night was all about us and a lot of work went into that. Glasgow is one of these really difficult places to play and it?s always great to play there but the expectation is always that little bit higher. It?s gratifying playing anywhere else and seeing that you?ve had an effect in other parts of the country but at home there?s an awful lot more pressure because these are the people who have been there from the beginning and you feel that you really have to give them everything.

Al: So many fans had asked for songs off the first album that don?t necessarily sit with what we do live when we?re playing electric so we thought ?Lets just do this for the fans and give them what they want? because they really want to hear songs like With Me and Last Goodbye and some of the older ones.

Kenny: Hey Mary is always nice to do live and we did it acoustically and it was really beautiful. I?ve always enjoyed playing Hey Mary live but it was even better to include it in the acoustic set as well.

Al: The set seemed to go down really well. It was a big thing for us and it?s the first time I?ve pretty much been on a stage with an acoustic guitar. So it was pretty nerve racking but we really enjoyed it.


The last year has seen Logan achieve quite a bit of success. Were you surprised at the reaction to your first single When I Get Down?

Mick C: It was amazing to get into the rock charts and stay there for so long. It really showed us how much support we had from the fans

Al: Yeah, getting to #12 in the rock chart with nothing ? no press, no help.. just fan support. We?ve got the power to do it on our own and it just shows what you can do. It?s not just about playing gigs ? it?s just hard work. Gigs are only a part of it ? they are like the cream on the top of it. All the hard work comes underneath, that nobody else sees.

Michael W: I suppose it just reinforced what we believe. Having that in the charts and the length of time that it stayed in showed us that people care ? the fans care and that is the most important thing. Before we brought it out, we weren?t sure how well we?d do ? it was the first time we?d released a single and without any effective promotion. But we realised that this is something that we can do and it probably did spur us on to make another single and video.


So what can you give away about the new single?

Mick C: Well it?s called Hallowed Ground...

Iain: And the video was filmed in the creepiest place I?ve ever been in! In the video there?s a part where I?m sitting on the stairs. That staircase was really narrow but it opened all the way down into this creepy basement. It was like a horror movie.

Kenny: It was filmed in a place called Overtoun House near Glasgow. A few weeks after we had finished it, there was a documentary on tv about a spooky bridge called the Dog?s Suicide Bridge. For some reason or another, when people were walking their dogs, the dogs just used to jump off the side of the bridge and it just so happened that it was the exact bit that we used in the video. So it added this kind of eerie feel to the surroundings and it complemented the video quite nicely.

The idea behind the video is basically we?ve shown up at this house to rehearse one day and there?s this strange spooky entity floating around that?s been there for years and has been waiting for somebody to come by and she?s trying to communicate with us. But we can?t see her so in the video she is getting really frustrated as we can?t communicate with her.


The singles are both from Cruel Little World which is actually your third album. Do you feel your music has changed over the past few years?

Kenny: I think we?ve evolved but we are still staying true to what we?re supposed to sound like. As we?ve become closer as a band, we?ve learned how to complement each other?s different roles so whenever somebody comes in with an idea, we?re not always rushing to get something down just for the sake of getting something down. We talk to each other about it and if we don?t like a certain bit then we can say it. So that?s helped and it?s how we?ve evolved into what we are just now.

Michael W: The one difference with this album is the amount of work that was put into it. Some songs didn?t make the mark and some we didn?t expect to be any good, ended up on the album. Definitely this one really was a labour of love. We made the decision that we were going to make an album of how Logan sounded now and we just felt that we?d spend as much time on it as possible. We?ve got straight out rock, a bit of speed metal in there, and some pretty atmospheric stuff with Hallowed Ground. We?ve got some ballads, Goodbye and Tell Me ? melodic rock kind of things and the acoustic With Me. I mean, really it was a mix that we were very happy with.


So how would you describe your style?

Mick C: Melodic rock but a bit heavier... with our own spin on it.

Al: Yeah, there?s a lot of melodic rock in there and sometimes I like to make it a bit heavier. Because Kenny is a singer, not a shouter, it always pulls it back a little and even though the riffs are a bit heavy, he can always pull it back down to a level that makes it a bit more accessible.

Kenny: It?s ?feel good? but has its dark moments. It has a theme lyrically that runs through all the songs about not letting things get you down and always kind of rising above people?s expectations of you. And really just to take things on the chin ? you?re as good as anybody else out there. That?s always what drives the songwriting for me. Melodic hard rock ? it?s really difficult to put a label on it.
(laughs) Sinister feelgood rock!!


And what can we expect from Logan in 2007?

Mick C: Well we?ve got quite a few things happening in the new year. We have a gig in Glasgow in January and have a few more up and down the country in the next few months. There?s also the release of Hallowed Ground which is starting to get radio and tv airplay. And our last gig was professionally filmed so we are working on releasing a dvd and live album in the very near future.


Logan are playing the Glasgow Barfly on 12th January 2007 and their new single Hallowed Ground is released on 26th February 2007.


For more details visit:
www.logan-net.com
www.myspace.com/loganmusic

Tickets for the Glasgow gig are now on sale from:
www.ticketweb.co.uk

Logan

Posted By: Alex
Comment: I look forward to hearing more from this band in 2007. After reading this interview and checking out the websites, they have a new fan in me.
     Posted at 08:49 on 30/12/06