Fire For Glory is one of the most revered names in the Auckland punk-rock scene and has been kicking around Auckland for over half a decade now. The band went on a brief split earlier in the year and quickly reformed, recorded new material and hopped right back into playing live. Paul T Gheist caught frontman Josh Pinho for a few sneaky questions about the past, the present, and dogs!

Quick-fire introduction! Summarise your band in ten words or less.

Weird, sweaty, sing-a-long party.

First rounds on me – What are you drinking?

Your cheapest beer from your finest shoe.

Fire For Glory regrouped after splitting in May this year, and we're glad! What brought you guys out of 'retirement'?

The night after our "last show", we had a wave come over us of "oh man, that was dumb, why would we do that?", then in traditional FFG fashion, we did nothing about it for a few months, and then BANG, we are back.

Line-up changes aside, in what ways has Fire For Glory from six or seven years ago changed to become the 'FFG2018' we know now?

We stopped taking ourselves so seriously. When we started this band, all we wanted was fame and for everyone to love us. Life is constantly frustrating when you are looking at it through that particular lens, so these days our approach is 100% about us and our friends having fun at all times, and we are loving it way more.

Your band wasted no time in putting the new crew to work; how was the new song Stray Dogs written and put together?

Stray Dogs came together super quickly, Brian and I were recording some of the other new material we have. We were mucking around on a break, and Brian pretty much wrote the music on the spot, and I had lyrics and a melody fairly quickly after that.

What's the chance we'll see a music video unleashed for Stray Dogs? And how likely will it feature actual dogs?

There aren't any immediate plans for a Stray Dogs video (unless of course people want one?), but we do have plans for other videos for new songs we have coming. If we were to do a Stray Dogs video though, yes, there will be doggos.

Many songs seem based on some personal topics; what draws you to writing lyrics on these themes?

For me, as much as this band is about letting loose and having fun, it's also about sharing important messages and looking after our friends and whanau. I have a microphone, and people who want to listen to me - there's not better platform to share my messages. Sometimes people think I'm full of shit, and that’s okay, and sometimes people are really impacted by what I have to say, and that’s great!

What about your hit song Frog Prince? Surely there was a personal story behind that one?

Frog Prince is all about learning to be comfortable in your own skin, something that I have always struggled with. It's my way of saying to the listener that no matter what the monsters in the mirror tell you, I think you are pretty fucking neat.

Despite being in a pop-punk-metalcore group, what non-rock bands or artists are you guys also inspired by? The more odd and unexpected the better!

Speaking for myself, I LOVE theatre music. There is such a magic to the singing in theatre music that just gives me chills. Brian and I have a joint passion for any music written for Disney as well. Between us the taste is pretty eclectic, Brian's big into hip-hop, Cam's an old school punk guy, Bex comes from a metal background, Grant comes from a pop and metal background, and that’s not even scratching the surface really. Maybe we can make a Spotify playlist of the odd tunes we vibe!

Favourite song(s) to perform live?

Phantoms, Ghosts and Monsters is always such a special song to share with our audiences, and Little is always a treat to share with people. Buuuut, I think Frog Prince is the winner. People always let loose for that one – It’s a blast.

Do you guys have any pre-gig rituals? Anything to psych up before jumping on stage?

Haha, yes. All I will say is it involves a Family Guy quote that makes no sense to anyone around us out of context.

Which three bands would you guys most love to open for and party with backstage?

A Day To Remember, Neck Deep, All Time Low.

Wildest and most memorable show Fire For Glory has played so far?

Hmmm... We supported Motion City Soundtrack in 2016, which was pretty bonkers. Getting to play on a bill with a band that held the lease to your iPod in the late 2000's is very surreal, and we were so kindly received by the audience that night.

How has New Zealand's rock scene changed since your band started?

The first thing that comes to mind is losing The Kings Arms. That hit Auckland HARD. It still has a sting. Places like Ding Dong Lounge and Galatos are doing a wonderful job filling that void for us, and giving Auckland bands a new home, which is great. I also think the way people consume music has changed. When we started it was all about getting out a new EP or LP into the stands of a record store, now it's more about getting singles out frequently and getting the stream counts up (which, to be honest, I prefer, as it means we get to release more material more frequently, and it's easier to access).

What's the toughest thing about being in a punk-rock band? And how have you guys worked around it?

At least speaking for a pop-punk band, it's fitting the bill of a show. For us at least we find we are always waayyyy softer or waaayyy heavier than everyone else on our bill. It's tricky to find a middle ground, especially when there aren't that many other pop-punk bands on the NZ circuit right now. That said, we don't really care, we just like making friends and having fun. We will do shows with anyone.

Now that you guys are back, what can Aotearoa expect from Fire For Glory in the next 12 months? Any exclusive news of tours or new releases we can get our ears on?

We haven't got any tours booked YET. But there will be some coming in early 2019. We have two new tunes coming in December, which we are mega excited about, and we have a massive amount of singles in the production line for the first half of 2019. It's shaping to be a pretty busy one for us. We will be travelling Aotearoa again, and are hoping to make it across to Australia for the third time as well, which will be awesome.

Fire For Glory’s latest hit single Stray Dogs is available for purchasing and streaming across all platforms. Keep an eye peeled on Muzic.net.nz for news of their next show near you!

Photos courtesy of Ginny C Photography

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