Def Leppard‘s Joe Elliott and Ghost‘s Tobias Forge, who have recently collaborated on a reworked version of ‘Spillways’ have come together to do an interview with NME about the track and the ‘resurgence of rock.’ Elliott shared that Def Leppard and Bon Jovi, coming in the 80s and putting it on full gear, showed that rock wasn’t an underground genre.
Although it comes in waves where any form of rock and metal is more popular than in other years, for Elliott, the genre has always been here along with its fans. For instance, in the 80s, when they and Bon Jovi gave it a push, it had become a big deal, followed by grunge and emo, but the genre is ever-following, so it’s always exciting to see what is coming next.
Tobias shared that even though rock has always been considered the underdog in the industry, the resurgence everyone is talking about with new artists like Måneskin has shown everyone that organic music lands above everything else. So the singer doesn’t think it’s about the classic bands returning but more about the new generation coming with their version of rock to the industry.
Joe Elliott’s words about rock music read:
“I’m in Mexico City where Def Leppard just played to 56,000 people. Ghost are playing to huge crowds as well. Metal, pop rock, soft rock, hard rock, whatever-the-f*ck-rock has never really gone away in the eyes of the fans. It comes and goes, though. It wasn’t big in the ’80s until we and Bon Jovi came along and kicked it up the arse. Then it went underground again before it turned into grunge, then emo. Who knows what’s coming next.”
Tobias Forge’s words about rock having a resurgence with up-and-coming artists read:
“Look at a band like Måneskin. That’s a sign people don’t shy away from organic music. When we speak about the well-being of rock, there’s a common misunderstanding that if there’s going to be a resurgence, the classic bands will come back around. I’m counting on bands we don’t know leading the way.”
“In the early 2000s, I was completely estranged from a lot of popular music until bands like Franz Ferdinand, The Strokes, and The Hives made it feel interesting again. That’s what we have ahead of us, I think – a whole slew of 18-year-olds listening to [‘Spillways’] and feeling like they should go out and play music.”
As musicians who have been in the industry for many years, their contribution and even their recent collaboration can inspire the new generation of artists to make the music they want. Not being on daytime radio doesn’t mean you can’t sell tickets and be successful. But, indeed, the new wave ahead for the genre is up-and-coming musicians coming up with a unique sound that lands them in with the popular music just like Måneskin.
