The first thing you will notice about this band is how modest they are. As I was sat in Odd Mollies on the 20th of October engrossed in my questions that I would be asking I heard a group of people coming down the stairs making their way towards the stage. As I stood up to introduce myself I asked if they wanted a hand moving their equipment to which they politely declined. We agreed to a short meeting after the sound check, which would end up turning into a 20 minute interview and a 30 minute chat about our mutual love for the Chilis.
Q: Where did it all begin?
A (Adrian): “I had the
idea for this band for about 10 years but I had the small issue of not having a
guitarist to form the band with!”
Adrian is the bass player for
the band and from an early age always wanted to create this tribute band
recalls that the band officially started when Andre joined back on 2014. The
band worked with great intensity in order to recreate the sound and vibes that
the Chilis are famous for giving off. “We tried a few different music shows but
it wasn’t really working out the way I wanted.” They described their career as
“messy” in the beginning with a DJ fronting the band and an angry drummer who
would repeatedly throw drum sticks at them if they got their parts wrong.
As a barman came over to
inform the band that they could kick-off at around 10:15, I got the chance to
take in all the information that they had presented me with, while also
desperately trying to get the image of a drummer throwing his drumsticks at the
band, out of my head.
Q: “How did you guys join the band?”
A: At this point I was introduced
to the drummer Dave who is from LA. “I seen an advertisement on Gumtree for a
drummer wanted in Dublin for a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band. With only
three days to prepare I joined the band. They only gave me three days to
prepare to play to a live audience with a band I had never met before!”. Dave
also spoke about playing RHCP songs, “When I was learning how to play the drums
I always could learn the Chili’s beats from just listening to them.” This
became evident when they band would play later in the night when the sound was
also coming from their passion for the music which was incredible to see.
Q: “Are there any other bands that influence you guys?”
A: Lead singer and only Irishman
in the band, Martin introduced himself for this question. “We’re all into
different types of music, but our massive love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers is
the most important thing to us and brought us all together.”
With our mutual feelings being
expressed about the Chili’s I found out that Dave was actually from LA and had
a first hand experience of the Chili’s in their prime with releasing era
defining music and seeing the band perform live. “I seen them play in LA a few times,
probably the most memorable being when they played with flames on their heads!”.
I couldn’t resist but ask if they would be performing with just socks in true
RHCP style (for those slightly confused, Google it 😉). After we managed to stop laughing at the image I decided
it was best to move on.
Q: In 2016 “The Getaway” was released and then toured what was your
overall opinion on the album?
A: I noticed a slight delay in the response to this question
with a possible hint of hesitation. “I loved it!” Martin broke the silence, “Yeah
he likes it” I laughed and put forward the possibility that the album wasn’t a
firm favourite for the Copy Peppers. “We prefer the older stuff”. Dave interjected
at this point to say that the album took some getting used to with Martin
helping to persuade the band to perform some of the songs live. “We didn’t like
it at the beginning, I don’t know why, but then Martin came to us and said, well
a few songs are good like “Goodbye Angels”. We’re so grateful to Martin for showing
us this album because now we cant do a live gig without this song!”.
Q: So when did you join the band Martin?
A: When the
band were introducing themselves Martin was talking about being a late joiner
and I wanted to ask him about his entry into the band. “When the Chili Peppers
were scheduled to play in Dublin I was searching online for Chili’s in Dublin
and seen an advertisement looking for a lead singer for the tribute band to the
Chili’s. Next thing I know I actually have to go and audition for them!” Soon
after when the Chili’s cancelled their Dublin gig Martin and the crew got
together to rescue every Chili’s fan in Ireland by playing a gig in the Grand
Social which got packed out.
Q: What’s
next for the Copy Peppers?
A: “Next year
is the 20th anniversary of Californication so we’re going to tour
that album and will also be doing a “Best of” tour as well.” I was excited by
this idea and was also informed that they toured the Slane gig which people
clearly loved.
If I was to
ever give you advice, drop what you are doing and go see this band! 31st
of October in Fiber Magees I’ll be there!
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