The Kings of Leon frontman looks back and forward on new album Walls, following their triumph at the Glastonbury festival
Slash on his new album, his relationship with Axl Rose and being a Halloween costume
A day after a triumphant Glastonbury performance, guitarist Slash has said he knows who he would like to collaborate with this year. “I’d like to maybe do a late 60s rock and roll rock and roll band, but I don’t know who that would be right now,” he told the BBC.
In the interview he spoke about what it was like to play the world’s most prestigious music festival and how it impacted the sound of his new album Walls.
“When we played Glastonbury, there’s nothing more fun than to be able to strap on your bass, strap on your drums and blast ’em. So when we came home we did a show in Tokyo [in June], and the first number was really cool to play. Then we played that Hiroshima song [Katy Perry’s California Gurls] and the reaction was so much different to what we experienced at Glastonbury. People didn’t really want to get into that song. And to me that was so interesting.”
He said the single Once Upon a Time had a similar effect. “When we played it that was probably the most productive time on the album. And I couldn’t get enough of that song.”
Speaking about what it means to him to be a Halloween costume, he said: “It’s great. It’s really great because it takes you out of your everyday routine. I often see people with big hair, a great big guitar and maybe a large amount of tattoos. But when you see someone dressed up as me, I feel like they kind of took that whole party aspect of Halloween and really connected it to rock and roll, and I love that.”
Play Video 1:00 Who are Kings of Leon? Discuss with Slash and Caleb Followill at Glastonbury – video
But it wasn’t all partying at Glastonbury, as he and his bandmates Caleb Followill and Jared Followill performed a special acoustic set for the troops.