Detroit party rockers Wilson are currently wow’ing crowds across Europe as they tour several countries with Halestorm and Nothing More. Prior to their trip to the European mainland they gained a new army of British fans with some fantastic performances across the length of the UK. Rock Sins caught up with Wilson’s leader of the party Chad Nicefield to discuss the tour, their new record deal and many other things too….
You’re currently about two thirds of the way through this UK tour with Halestorm and Nothing More – have the shows been good so far (and has it been party time a lot of the time after the shows have been finished?)
These shows have been amazing! The bands, the people, the venues, all of it’s amazing! And we’ve definitely had our fair share of debauchery partaking over here. HAHA! Especially after the London gig at The Roundhouse.
Did you know either Halestorm or Nothing More prior to the tour and are they good people to be on the road with?
We didn’t know them personally, no. We knew they were awesome people from the grapevine before the tour started, but didn’t know they would be THIS awesome!
What made you decide on your costume that you start off the show (on the UK tour) in?
I always wanted to be ‘Bass Drum’ in marching band, but was never good enough in school. So given the chance as an adult, I simply said “FUCK YOU, HIGHSCHOOL! LOOK AT ME NOW”. I like to have fun with stage stuff. It’s entertainment, not only for the fans of Rock music, but for me as well!
Congratulations on your new record deal with Razor & Tie – Were there other labels interested and if so what ultimately made you go with Razor & Tie?
THANKS! We had been talking to a few labels for a while and it ultimately came down to R&T’s straight love for Rock n Roll. And the fact that their team “GETS” us. Even as people, they understand the dichotomy of WILSON. It was a no brainer!
You’re giving away a brand new song (Hang With The Devil) from the upcoming album at the moment on your website, is that typical of what we can expect from the new album?
We chose ‘Hang..’ as a lead track because we felt it bridged our last record (Full Blast Fuckery) and our upcoming release perfectly. It’s a marriage of the two sounds!
Is there an ETA for the new album’s release?
So far, it’s looking like JUNE/JULY!
You’ve played a couple of the cruise ship festivals recently such as Shiprocked, with your live show being very much feel good rock and roll they must fit the band pretty well, was it a fun thing to do?
Shiprocked and Motorboat were by far some of the best experiences this band has had as of yet. The relationships we made on those boats will last us a lifetime! There’s truly no other experience for rock n’ rollers quite like it out there! Its a dream, really!
UK crowds are known for reacting to some bands in very different ways to those in the US – do you guys think the UK “gets” Wilson and what the band is about in the way you would want?
I think, just like us opening any tour, it takes a song or two before the crowd “gets” it…but once they are there, something special happens. It’s like we are on a whole ‘nother planet together. I see it nightly! If you don’t know what WILSON is about, it’s a similar situation to walking up to a friends house for a party and you’re greeted by a Doberman barking loudly at you from behind the front door, but once the owner opens the door to let you in, the dog jumps on you and starts licking the shit out of your face. And then you’re like “WELL, ALL FUCKING RIGHT! LET’S PARTY!”
What’s next for Wilson after this tour?
Going home for a wee bit and then up and at ’em again, fairly soon after…stay tuned!
I have to ask, who came up with the name Full Blast Fuckery for the last album, and was it difficult getting your label at the time to go with it?
Haha! It came to us naturally and we rode it out in true WILSON fashion. I was describing to our manager a song that we just wrote and I said “This thing sounds like FULL BLAST FUCKERY, man!” And then we just stopped and were like, ‘Welp, there’s the title of the record!’ Haha! We put it out on our own, so no one could tell us nothin’!
A standard last question that we like to ask all bands when we talk to them, are you a fan of The Simpsons, and if so, who’s your favourite character?
I am!! I love Milhouse! ‘Everything is coming up Milhouse!”
You can check out Rock Sins’ review of Wilson’s performance with Nothing More and Halestorm at The Camden Town Roundhouse right here – and what a fantastic show it was too. Wilson’s new as yet untitled album will be out in the Summer via Razor & Tie Records. Follow Wilson on Twitter at @WilsonParties for the latest updates.