EMQ’s With FUTURE RADIO

EMQ’s With FUTURE RADIO

Hello everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with South African Rockers, Future Radio. Huge thanks to them for taking part. 

What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

We are Future Radio and we mainly play rock music. Johnny (J): Vocal and lead guitar, Drikus (D): Rhythm guitar.

In the autumn of 2018, Future Radio was born in the imagination of its frontman, Johnny Future. Up until this point, he had predominantly worked as a full-time music teacher and a session guitarist.

Johnny; “I knew that the visual element was still lacking in order to tell the whole story, but I have absolutely no talent in this department. I, however, had a guitar student who went on to study design and for some reason, he came to mind so I called him up!

Drikus Roets, now the other half of Future Radio, completed his design studies in 2019 just before he received the call from Johnny. They met up and the rest is history.  

How did you come up with your band name?

The name’s meaning is twofold. “Future” pretty much speaks for itself but it is the radio part that brings context and meaning. Radio is mostly associated with music and therefore could imply the “Future of music”. However, ‘Radio’ can also be associated with something that’s old and in the past. It is in the contradiction that we find the nucleus of Future Radio. Throughout our art lies traces of the past interacting seamlessly with the future and it’s within this combination that we find ourselves, in the here and now.  

What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?

We are based in Pretoria, South Africa. Here, there is very little rock talent around us and therefore we mainly take our inspiration from international bands.  

What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)

‘Something To Believe In’ is our latest release and the first single for this year (2022).  

Who have been your greatest influences?

J: I think it’s a combination of close friends, family and my music heroes like Noel Gallagher.

D: Currently one of my biggest influences is Johnny, mainly because of his spirit and strong work ethic. Every day I strive to be more like him. 

What first got you into music?

J: I loved music from a young age and I knew from the first time that I picked up a guitar that that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 

D: I have had a passion for the art and music industry since I can remember, and have always dreamt of becoming a part of it.  

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

We would love to collaborate with the Foo Fighters.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

Glastonbury! It’s one of our biggest dreams, if you get to play there you know you’ve made it. 

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

It’s weird that we have not received a weird gift from a fan; yet.  

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thank you to each one of you, without you none of this would be possible.

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

J: Freddie Mercury

D: Jimi Hendrix

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

J: I love everything about it, it’s literally the best job in the world. If I have to single out something specific, it’s the creative part of it. I love being creative, I love writing, I love thinking of new concepts. Anything that has to do with creativity is what I enjoy the most. 

What I dislike is: Nowadays you have to be very active on social media, for obvious reasons. Although it’s part of the game and I’m taking my stride, it’s not necessarily something I enjoy.  

D: To me, it’s also the creative part – thinking of new ideas and seeing them come to life.

I dislike having to deal with the unpredictable part of technology, like my computer lagging or software just crashing on me.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

We want to communicate the idea that we as artists should support each other more. We are all in this together and there is enough room for everybody in this industry.  

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

J: Damien Rice – “O” 

D: Aking  – “Morning after”

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CDs, or Downloads?

J: Nothing beats the sound of a needle on a record a.k.a Vinyl.

D: Download; mainly because you can reach a huge amount of people faster.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

We started the band just before the Covid pandemic hit, so thus far we have only played online shows. We are planning a big tour this year. 

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

J: I always joke about it, but I actually have no other hobbies or interests apart from music. I’ve recently started exercising and I quite enjoy jogging but besides that, it’s just music for me and I love it! 

D: I would most likely be a nature photographer.

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party? 

J: Bob Dylan, Vincent van Gogh, Carl Jung, Winston Churchill and Jesus.

D: Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer, Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet and John Paul Sartre

What’s next for the band?

We hope to drop our second album at the beginning of next year, as well as the upcoming tour of course.

What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

Website: https://futureradioband.co.za/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/futureradioband/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/futureradioband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/072SqMAxf3dxwWoa2aTTH7
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@futureradio 

Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?

In South Africa we don’t really have Jaffa Cakes. After a google search we’re guessing it is the best of both worlds. It’s a cake in a biscuit. 

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

This was one of the most interesting interviews that we have done and thank you for the opportunity for being featured on your platform.  

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.