Photo by Neil Chapman.
Salvation have been putting out their own brand of post punk rock since the early 80s. Following a hiatus in the 90s the Leeds based outfit have been touring consistently, putting out a live album at the end of last year, showing off their best tracks from past few decades.
Tomatrax caught up with the band to ask a few questions.
Where did the name Salvation come from?Salvation is all about bringing a little light to those in darkness! In other words, we were never over-the-top-gloomy or pretentious like many of our contemporaries... we won't mention any names! (laughs!).
You recently put out a live album from your 2020 tour with the Mission, what inspired you to put out the live album?Working in the studio is great but can also be frustrating as it's hard to capture the essence of the band on record. On stage, there is a different dimension to the sound and the best way to capture this live energy is simply by recording the gig as it happens.
Purple vinyl and in a limited edition Tote bag! It's just something special for the fans as we are all record collectors ourselves.
Given you large back catalogue is it hard to pick what songs you'll play at a concert?It's hard because they're all classics! (laughs). No, seriously we like all of them. We try to play songs from different eras and vary our set. We also update old songs that we haven't done for a while.
Are there any plans to release any new material?We're always coming up with new ideas and melodies so yes, that is the plan.
Your bio talks about how previously, constant touring saw the band reach their breaking point, what did you change after reforming to address this?Less alcohol, less chemicals... but just as much Rock'n'Roll (laughs). Also you become more tolerant as you get on generally so that must be one of the reasons as well.
When writing what comes first, the words or the music?We write together but it also depends on the song. In fact, there's no general rules. Anything can trigger an idea and it really is a joint effort with everyone contributing.
Do you ever listen to your own music?We don't want to annoy the neighbours! (laughs!) No, we do if we need to.
What other music do you listen to?Bit of everything. The classics: Bowie/Roxy/T.Rex. Evil Blizzard. The Mission, of course, as we have played with them so many times and they have become good mates.
What does Salvation have planned for 2023?More gigs! Hopefully going back to Europe which was an amazing experience for us.