British hard rockers The Treatment are back with a new studio album and a new lineup to boot.
Earlier this year the band released their third album Generation Me via Frontiers Music SRL. Last year saw new lead vocalist Mitchel Emms and guitarist Tao Grey join the band. The Treatment are currently on tour across the UK in support of their latest offering. National Rock Review recently caught up with the band’s frontman to talk about life on the road, their new album and what they have in store for the rest of this year.
NRR: Thanks for taking the time to speak us here at National Rock Review, we really appreciate it. The last time we saw you was when you were opening for W.A.S.P at the end of last year. I was just wondering what was it like touring with those guys?
Mitchel: It was an interesting experience. For the rest of the band, they’ve done quite a lot of tours with some big names like Alice Cooper, Kiss and Motley Crue and the like.
Yeah it was interesting, it was my first tour with the band, so I think for me the tour was less about W.A.S.P, but it was more about for me honing in on my stage presence and how I’m like carrying myself across onstage basically, because it had been the first time that I had done a run of shows across the UK, before that I’d only done the odd gig here and there.
NRR: Did Blackie Lawless from W.A.S.P give you guys any words of wisdom?
Mitchel: To be fair we didn’t really see him, he’s a very elusive character. The only time we really saw him was when we were playing Nottingham Rock City and he came round and watched the whole of soundcheck. At a couple of shows, he was at the side of the stage. According to a few people, he really liked the band and would like to play with us again.
NRR: Obviously like you just mentioned there, you joined the band last year following the departure of Matt Jones, I was just wondering how did you come to connect with the rest of the guys in the band?
Mitchel: About three years ago I did a show called The Voice on BBC. I had been in a couple of bands and stuff after that and formed my own band and then that kind of fell apart. Just as I was preparing to basically say screw it I’m going to quit music, I got a message from Dan on Facebook who asked me if I was interested in coming down and trying out for the band and stuff. So that’s how I ended up being in contact with the boys and yeah then I went down … it worked out straight away since then we’ve been working together this past year.
NRR: You just started your headline UK tour in Norwich last night, how did the first show of the tour go?
Mitchel: Yeah, it was brilliant. For a rock band in 2016 to be able to pack out a venue on a Wednesday night is pretty awesome. We had a really good night. I just think that all of us were a little bit excited to start the tour, so we really played quite energetically last night, all very swanky and loud. Yeah, it was a really good start to the tour, we can’t wait to kick off in Birmingham tomorrow.
NRR: We are very much looking forward to your show in Newcastle at the O2 Academy 2 on the 9th May. What do you remember from your show there last year?
Mitchel: Yeah, we were playing with W.A.S.P I believe. It was a really good show. In the past I’ve played at the Newcastle O2 Academy, I’ve always had a really good show there in whatever band I’ve played with.
Yeah, it was really good and we just can’t wait to come back and do a headline show up there. I really do enjoy Newcastle to be fair, I’ve been there quite a few times, I’ve got family up in Newcastle who will come down, so it will be good to see friendly faces (laughing).
NRR: You’ve also got The Amorettes opening for you on this tour. It must be a lot of fun having them out on the road with you as well?
Mitchel: It’s really good to have quite a like-minded band on the road with us. The girls they play pretty hard to be fair. I mean we saw them live last night and they absolutely rocked it. They are a really nice bunch of girls, it’s just going to be really awesome to keep playing alongside a band who gives it as hard as we do.
NRR: You’ve just recently released your latest album Generation Me. I was just wondering could you tell us a little bit about the album and the inspiration behind it?
Mitchel: I mean the album started coming together in a very primitive form before I joined the band. They had already started testing out a couple of songs live like “Let It Begin” and “Bloodsucker.” I think the band wanted to write songs that were less about drinking and partying, and something a little more serious. A lot of it is still good time stuff, the band didn’t want to lose the original fans, and for what everybody knows them for, but I think with myself coming in and adding a little bit more of an alternative vocal to the tracks there’s been a lot more melody.
As well, I think the album is a much more serious album, but at the same time it’s not losing any of that kind of feel-good factor, it’s still high octane rock and roll. I think there’s more of a comment on the generation that we do live in at the moment, especially our generation. I think all of us in the band are all 90’s kids, so you can see how our generation has become a little bit obsessed with social media, the album is just really calling out for people to ease up on the ego and have a good time and reconnect with people, that’s what it’s really about.
NRR: What’s your favourite song to perform live and why?
Mitchel: I would probably have to say “Cry Tough” to be honest, because you know it’s not my favourite song on the record, but it’s my favourite song to play live because when that riff comes in it’s like a punch in the gut. It’s such a really fast paced, heavy track and it’s just so much fun to play. It’s full of so much energy and that’s really what you want when you are playing a song live you know, to really bring out as much energy on stage as possible.
NRR: What’s the one album in your record collection that you couldn’t live without?
Mitchel: I would probably say something like “The Wall” by Pink Floyd. I think a lot of that album basically kick started my interest in music and you know it’s just a phenomenal record and it’s one of my favourite albums of all time.
NRR: What else do you have in store for the rest of this year?
Mitchel: I think after this UK tour we are just going to keep booking shows. Once we’ve finished the UK tour we are going to do a show in Denmark. After our London show, we are doing a festival out there in Copenhagen. Then we are playing in Paris which will be at La Boule Noire on the 4th of June. Then after that, I think we will see what the summer brings, get some festivals in, probably hopefully do a couple of tours before the year is out.
We are almost like starting again really with the brand new lineup and the new album, so these next twelve months is going to be a lot of delving and you know seeing how many shows we can play and hopefully by next year we should be all booked up on the festival circuit.
NRR: That all sounds great, and like I said we are really looking forward to your show on the 9th of May in Newcastle and good luck with the rest of the tour and we will see you soon.
Mitchel: Brilliant, good to speak to you, mate.
The Treatment
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Photo: © Robert Gershinson
The Treatment Generation Me UK Tour
April €“ May 2016
With Special Guests: The Amorettes
Norwich Waterfront
Wed 27-Apr-2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 01603 632717
139 King Street, Norwich, NR1 1QH
Tickets | Website
The Asylum 2
Fri 29-Apr-2016
Tickets £10
Box Office No: 08444 77 1000
38-43 Hampton St, Birmingham B19 3LS
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Cardiff – Clwb Ifor Bach
Sat 30-Apr-2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 029 2023 2199
11 Womanby Street, Cardiff, CF10 1BR
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Sheffield Corporation
Sun 01-May-2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 0114 276 0262
Milton Street, Sheffield, S1 4JU
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O2 Academy2 Oxford
Mon 02-May-2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 01865 813 500
190 Cowley Road, Oxford, OX4 1UE
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Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms
Wed 04-May-2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 023 9286 3911
147-B Albert Road, Portsmouth, Southsea, PO4 0JW
Website | Website
Leeds – The Key Club
Thu 05-May-2016
Tickets: £10 advance
66 Merrion Street, Leeds, LS2 8LW
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Wolverhampton Slade Rooms
Fri 06-May-2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 0870 320 7000
Broad Street, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV1 1HP
Tickets | Website
The Sugarmill – Stoke-On-Trent
Saturday 7 May 2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 0115 896 0163
Brunswick St, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 1DR
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O2 Academy Newcastle
Monday 9 May 2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 0191 260 2020
Westgate Road, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE1 1SW
Tickets | Website
Glasgow Stereo
Tuesday 10 May 2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 08444 999 990
22-28 Renfield Lane, Glasgow, G2 6PH
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Satan’s Hollow in Manchester
Wednesday 11 May 2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office Phone Number: 0871 220 0260
101 Princess Street, Manchester, M1 6DD
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Nottingham Rescue Rooms
Thursday 12 May 2016
Tickets: £10 advance
Box Office: 0844 871 8819, 0115 896 4456
25 Goldsmith Street, Nottingham, NG1 5LB
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Academy Islington
Friday 13 May 2016
Tickets: £14 advance
Box Office: 08444 771 000
N1 Centre, 16 Parkfield Street, Islington, London
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