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In anticipation of the Natas Loves You performance at Ancienne Belgique on February 25th, we joined the five members of the Luxembourgish band backstage to hear their takes on their achievements in their international career. The band is among the most represented bands currently touring venues supported by Liveurope, boasting among the fastest growing fan bases in this genre. They have been a regular act in Luxembourg’s Rockhal, and will be visiting Dortmund’s FZW for the first time on March 7th, 2015.
Guys, welcome to Belgium! Could you tell us shortly who you are?
We’re Natas Loves You from Luxembourg. We’re based in Paris. We’re really from all over: Virgil, the singer and bassist is French/American; lead singer Alain is Spanish/French; PH is the only real Frenchman here; He’s the keyboardist and singer. And Joonas is the drummer, from Finland. The guitarist, Joachim, isn’t here today, but he’s also French.
How did you meet?
When we were all younger and just starting out, we were based in Luxembourg, and that’s when we all got together and made a band – playing music with people who wanted to achieve a similar sound we were all going for. Then afterwards, we made our way to Paris, and now we’re based there.
Describe your style.
Our style would be like a mix of old-school classic rock with psychedelic sound and good lyrics and beats. Something different but original that reflects us and our backgrounds.
What is most important for an emerging band to succeed in Europe?
For a band to succeed at all you need a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. Writing good songs is really important as well as meeting people and socializing. Letting everyone know of your sound and your band that’s starting out – so a lot of hard work. If success were a soup, hard work would be the potatoes – the main ingredient, and love is the water in that soup…with a a pinch of carrots and ginger for luck ! (laughs).
What are your favorite countries and cities to tour in?
There’s no country or city we don’t like. But anywhere with a lot of sun and a great atmosphere is perfect. We played a show in Bologna last summer and the atmosphere and the vibe there was just amazing. People were really warm and welcoming. We also had a great time in Estonia while on tour. Barcelona is fantastic as well. Although, the one country we just love going back to is Germany; Hamburg, Berlin, and Cologne are always great. This is our first show in Brussels and we’re looking forward to it. It’s safe to say that there is not a place we’ve been to that we didn’t like.
How does such a young band like you attract new fans while on tour?
You play for a famous band and people see you while they wait for this band. Like this time in Czech Republic, we played before Steven Seagal. The man is so big. We don’t know how they film him – they must have huge lenses (laughs). It was definitely one of our highlights. It’s great being that band that people discover live. Playing at festivals where no one knows you, when you’re squeezed in between famous artists – you have to convince the crowd to like you; and it’s going well.
As you know, Ancienne Belgique, Rockhal, and FZW are all part of Liveurope. How has this initiative helped your international career?
It’s great that platforms like Liveurope exist for artists like us. They serve as bridges and spread the word. As for Liveurope venues, it’s our first time at Ancienne Belgique, but we’ve grown up in Rockhal in Luxembourg – in their rehearsal spaces, and that’s a venue that recognizes a young band's drive for success. We were booked several times there, and then afterwards we played at Sonic Visions and Eurosonic where we met so many music industry executives, and now we’re here. We’re also really looking forward to going back to Germany, to Dortmund’s FZW.
What are your plans for your future career?
Making some money and getting a tan… and playing with Steven Seagal again! (laughs). We hope to tour more internationally. We’re writing more songs, playing more shows, and meeting more people and fans.
