The Boxer Rebellion: interview

Nathan Nicholson of The Boxer Rebellion is walking to his band’s own studio when he answers my call, and despite the roar of London traffic in the background, he chats comfortably, as though he’s been doing this for years. It comes as no surprise, then, when he mentions that The Boxer Rebellion were founded in 2001 and have been gigging and recording ever since. A tour-de-force live band – described by Absolute Punk as having to be “heard to be appreciated”, The Boxer Rebellion are all heartfelt lyrics, loud guitars and stirring choruses. Nicholson, frontman and guitarist, is lightly accented and speaks in bursts – as though he thinks every sentence through before starting another. Conversation comes in fits and starts – certain topics, it seems, are instantly preferable. Nicholson is keen to praise new guitarist Andrew, who has just joined after the departure of founding member Todd Howe last year. How has this changed things for the band, I wonder?  It seems as though it hasn’t been plain sailing: “the feeling [of the band] has changed” admits Nicholson, but is quick to ensure me that the split was amicable. Does it affect the band live to be playing with a new guitarist? “The sound can be replicated” says Nicholson, casually. It’s the dynamic and the energy that is different. New guitarist, Andrew, is playing “someone else’s chords” and that, of course, is an adjustment. For a band with sterling live reputation, this surely puts some pressure on them, yet Nicholson seems confident that they’re “in the swing of things”.

                In terms of getting into the swing of things, The Boxer Rebellion don’t mess around. After last year’s “Promises”, the band hasn’t stopped touring, with a European leg about to kick off in October.  As well as this,  the band’s live album, “Live at the Forum” drops at the end of the month – as someone who has never “got” the live album, I ask why record one. “We…wrote a lot of [2013’s Promises] while recording it…and learned from it” admits Nathan, who sensed that the music really evolved after it had been recorded. From this evolution sprung the release of “Live at the Forum” – or, as Nathan puts it “now seemed like a good time”.  The live album will hopefully introduce more people to their music, though the band seems keen to keep old fans happy as well. They have two upcoming gigs in London that Nathan describes as “a bit more intimate” – night one focusses on the first two albums, with the second focussing on the latter two. This way, explains Nicholson, the band can “play a bit of everything” even if it does mean re-learning some tracks!

I’m keen to ask more about the band’s fanbase – though not widely known, the band have a loyal following, particularly, as Nathan mentions, in Holland. The band do signings after gigs, and depend on the “strange beast” that is social media to connect to fans. The Boxer Rebellion’s website is a centralised social media hub, with Instagram posts, blogposts and playlists galore. It’s clearly a tool the band use effectively, and Nathan describes it as “massively” important. One of these playlists is the band’s own tour music – so, I ask Nathan, what’s on his playlist at the moment?

The casual question is the first he trips over in the whole interview. “Um…my mind is blank” he stutters, but he is the first person I’ve spoken to who has listened to the new U2 album that magically appeared on all our iDevices. Is he a fan? “I wasn’t blown away”, he says, jokingly. You and me both, Nathan, you and me both…The same cannot be said for me and The Boxer Rebellion, though. After a chat, and a shuffle through Spotify, I’ll see you all at the front of their Academy gig on October fourth.