Roadtrippin': Orange Goblin

DID YOU EVER EXPECT TO BE CELEBRATING YOUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY?

Ben Ward (vocals): “I don’t think any of us did. Martyn [Millard, bass], Joe [Hoare, guitar] and myself started this band as a way to alleviate the boredom of being on the dole. Other than Joe and our old guitarist Pete, none of us could play any instruments and had no experience of being in a band. It was just a hobby that continued to snowball.”

Do you have anything special planned for the tour?

“I’ve bought some new underwear! I needed a change of luck so I hope these new pants are the answer. They’re really expensive designer ones so I have high hopes! But there isn’t really much we can do with an Orange Goblin show. There are no lasers, no tanks or Viking ships onstage. We’ve always preferred to let the sheer power of the riffs and the songs be the focal point and try to make sure that everyone has a fucking good night.”

Tell us something we don’t know about your three bandmates…

“Our drummer Chris [Turner] has a degree in astrophysics. He’s one of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met yet he’s ended up playing drums for Orange Goblin, the poor sod! Martyn used to be one of the best footballers I’d seen when I first moved to London to play for QPR with him. He should’ve been offered a pro contract at the end of our apprenticeship but thankfully he wasn’t! Joe is not only the funniest, kindest person I’ve ever met but he is also the most talented musician I know. He can sit down with any instrument and within 10 minutes he can play it. Talented bastard!”

What would the perfect Orange Goblin Xmas be like?

“Lots of family, lots of food, lots of love and our children having fun and, of course, shitloads of booze. Slade and Wizzard on the radio, Only Fools And Horses on the telly and then QPR, Liverpool and Wolves all winning on Boxing Day!”

Dom Lawson began his inauspicious career as a music journalist in 1999. He wrote for Kerrang! for seven years, before moving to Metal Hammer and Prog Magazine in 2007. His primary interests are heavy metal, progressive rock, coffee, snooker and despair. He is politically homeless and has an excellent beard.