Interview: Manuel Kohlert (Guitars) of Future Palace (Written/Audio)

It has been an incredible couple of years for the post-hardcore trio Future Palace, expanding out of their native Germany, and taking the whole world by storm, both on record and live. 2022’s Run was a masterpiece to all who heard it, and we said that:

It exceeded expectations, proving to be a statement from Future Palace. They are no ‘flash in the pan’ band, they’re here to dominate.

You can read our full review of the record here.

Capitalising on that release has been the goal since it came out, and Future Palace have toured far and wide. Including a quick stop over to the UK for three dates on October 10th, 11th, and 12th. One of which was in London, where we saw them:

Come and conquer. London loves Future Palace, and for good reason.

You can read our full review of the live show here.

Before they took to the stage that night though, we sat down with guitarist and songwriter, Manuel Kohlert. Talking about this tour, playing live, how they got here, Future Palace goals, the future, and so much more. You can read a transcript of the interview below, but also listen to the interview via Soundcloud, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this, particularly on a day when you’re going to be playing and you’ve got to do all your preparations. So let’s start this off really simply, how are you doing and has London been treating you okay so far?

Well, thank you for inviting us or inviting me, and yeah, London’s been great so far. We arrived yesterday, slept here, I don’t know, somewhere around London and just had a little tourist tour, I would say. Yeah, Primrose Hill, nice view, weather is great and yeah, we really like it and everything’s fine for us. We haven’t toured so much on this tour yet. It’s like the 5th or 6th date, I think, so we’re doing fine, actually.

Has it been a smooth ride into the country? And I ask that because a few years ago this place decided to make it so much more difficult for bands to come and go from these shores.

It definitely has. I mean, we’ve been here in the last, I think two and a half years. It’s the third time in the UK and we’re getting used to Customs and everything around crossing the border. Our drummer, he’s also doing our management and now they know everything about Customs, about GMR numbers (Goods Movement Reference) and carnets. So, yeah, it’s been fine. I mean, it could be better without all this, but it works.

It’s an area I don’t want to delve too much into because it’s an argument that’s been nonstop, ongoing since 2016, but anybody that knows the music industry knows that we effectively put up a load of roadblocks. Has the ‘B’ word, the Brexit situation, influenced your decision to come here more regularly?

Actually no, I would say. I mean, it’s not easy, but we’re also touring Switzerland and that’s kind of similar. We have to do the same things because it’s going outside of the EU and then we tour Switzerland because we’re from Germany and it’s just around the corner, you could say. We love coming to the UK. It’s been so great. I mean, it’s surreal for us that we can play a headline tour. So, it’s so very cool. It could be easier. I won’t deny that I don’t like it or that we kind of think it could be better, but this won’t stop us from coming here.

You’re working within the limitations that have been placed upon you, ultimately. It’s interesting you say that you think this headline tour has come fast. Why is that? Is that because of the pandemic years and not really been able to do much, previously?

Yeah, I would say so, because we started right before the pandemic, had our first headline tour in Germany, very small. And then two years, the pandemic and we wrote the album, released the album, and then everything, for us, went very fast. We haven’t been around for such a long time, but we played so many tours that we would have never thought we would have played.

Last tours were big night liner tours and coming around all over Europe and to the UK and then even coming here for a headline tour would be something that we would have maybe expected years later, I think.

Well, it is spectacular that you’re at this stage, because this is the 6th date of this tour. This will be the 6th one. A tour that takes you all over Europe. Has the tour vibes set in nicely now?

Yeah, that’s a good question because I didn’t think about it yet. So, I have to maybe contemplate for a little while. I mean, we aren’t traveling with a night liner this time. We’re doing it with a van and hotel overnight, and that’s different. But it works because our kind of route is so the cities are not so far away from each other. So that works for us. It’s also cool for our vibe as a crew because we are staying in the van. We hang out all the time and talk, get to know each other. I mean, we know each other, but it’s still bonding.

It’s a different vibe, say, sitting at home in Germany in a pub and chatting, to then being on the road.

The thing is, when you go with a night liner, sleep in there and you wake up in the next city in the morning, like early midday or something. Then actually you don’t have that much time together. It is a bonding experience. This van tour is really cool for us. So, this tour is also something, for us, a social event. You could say, and it’s good.

London tonight, Sheffield tomorrow, Glasgow on Thursday, then that’s it to the 31 October, although that’s Halloween in Nuremberg, which should be fun. That sounds like it’s going to be blast. I have to ask, though, why not a few more UK dates? You’ve got this big gap, which almost feels like you’re planning something in those few weeks. Or am I jumping to conclusions?

I actually don’t know why it is like that, but I think it’s connected to the fact that we wanted to play this tour earlier this year. It was planned to be in March, and now, we we didn’t expect it to be this big. We sold out quite a few shows and today the numbers I got; the number of people that will show up are crazy. You could say it is like a test run, and next year will be definitely bigger.

Dip your feet in, choose three major cities. I mean, it’s the UK, you could easily spend two weeks here and still not visit every major city. How’s it been touring with Venues so far?

As we don’t share a night liner, we just meet up at the venue. Venues at the venue.

They’re really nice and we like them, we invited them, it’s been our choice and they fit for us. Everything’s cool. I hope that people also like the line-up, because for us, it’s very important that people who come here really like the whole package. I can’t say anything bad, actually.

Absolutely not. An incredible band and a great choice, as you said, to be on the road with. What do you think of this particular place? What’s your impressions of it so far?

Very cool, extremely cool. I mean, I like Camden, this part of London. The last time we played London, I came here to just see the place and I really, really liked it. What I also like about it is that it has got some history. I’m in the backstage, I see stickers of While She Sleeps & Bring Me the Horizon. It’s always cool to see who played in a venue.

…and to see where they are. You mentioned While She Sleeps, it was only last couple of weeks ago they sold out Alexandria Palace, which is an incredibly big venue.

They blew up. We are fans of so many bands and always seeing that they played the same stages as we do now is something that gives you goosebumps. I saw last year; we played the same venue as Nirvana did for their first Germany tour. Slipknot played there and they had like these posters and signatures and everything. I was just thinking, we’re going to play there too tonight. It oozes memories and history, I would say, and that gives me a really good feeling.

I’ve been checking out the setlist you guys have been playing so far on this tour. You’ve got a lot of favourites in there. Defeating Gravity, Roses, Dead Inside, Wounds, and even Malphus, the new single, which is great to see. You got any surprises for London tonight?

We always have surprises. We surprise each other. We’re doing stuff that we never did before, on this tour. We’re play songs that we never played live.

Oh, wow.

I mean, it’s called the Run Tour, so we play almost the whole album. Of course, people can guess or can look up which song we don’t play, but we actually play almost the whole album. But we also got some gimmicks or, I don’t know, surprises. Little things for people to enjoy. And for us, it’s also very cool to experience that we have got a set that people can enjoy and that they can really feel through, without losing interest. I don’t know how to say that, but that’s a cool feeling. It’s not so easy to connect our albums together because they’re kind of different, I would say, but it works.

Yeah, I get what you’re saying. It’s not so much that it’s different, it’s the evolved state that Future Palace is in. Two albums that show your progression and it’s incredible. I think that Run is, what, 16 months old tomorrow.

Really?

Tomorrow. Yeah. feels like it just kind of came out yesterday. Are you satisfied with the success Run has brought the Future Palace?

Absolutely. I mean, not being satisfied is something that I wouldn’t even dare to say because I’m overwhelmed by what we experienced after releasing the album. We didn’t think that people would like this album so much. And really, we tried new stuff, like you said, it’s like an evolving process. Also, there’s Malphus, the newest single, which is not on the Run album, but is also something that is even more different than Run. We’re totally overwhelmed by everything that has happened.

It’s success that is more than deserved as well, because it is an incredible release. Do you feel that there is still a ton of momentum behind Future Palace as we end 2023, going into 2024?

Yeah, I think so. I mean, we have many things planned and we’re working so hard. I can’t say what will happen, of course. I mean, I can just say that things WILL happen and you should keep your eyes peeled, eyes and ears.

My expectation as a fan, as a listener, is that 2024 will be another significant year. We just have to watch this space and see what happens. Right?

Exactly.

What does London need to bring to this show for you to walk away satisfied?

For me, one thing that I kind of learned during touring, like heavily touring, is that I have to be satisfied with myself, actually. Not so much with something that a city or people give me, but if I got a good feeling with myself, then I can deliver a good show and I have got a good feeling about myself today.

So I think everything will be fine. But yeah, other than that, if I get the feeling that there’s a real connection with the people, then it’s more fun. I can say that every show on this headline tour, there has been this connection, and that’s crazy for us. We go out there and people are so excited, and that’s very cool. That also makes really good show. And London, for me, I mean, I’m a big fan of London, so the city itself just satisfies me.

I hope we do not let you down. Okay, aside from making music with Future Palace, because of course, that’s the major thing. What other aspects of the band do you personally find creatively satisfying?

That changes, for me it changes a lot. I mean, I read a lot. I like to take walks and take in new inspirations from everything. When I feel satisfied it is often that I got the time to contemplate everything. Just sit down or walk around, just look around. It sounds very simple, I think, but just to have time to really take your time. I would say that inspires me creatively.

It seems impossible these days for people to be able to stop and take time. It’s one of the hardest things to do. Not just because you’re in a city, but because of how life is.

Absolutely. I mean, technology, everything, you’re overexcited, over, I don’t know, stimulated. I don’t want to blame anybody or anything on making life harder or something that can make life easier. But it also takes away a lot of inspiration, a lot of dreaming, I would say, for me, creativity and just making your mind blank is like the hardest thing to do. But it also is a very healthy thing, I think.

I have to ask, do you meditate?

I wouldn’t say I meditate. I only do it when I feel not so well. And that just helps me to release any kind of bad feeling I have.

How does that work in conjunction with a show? Do you have anything that you specifically do to help either calm yourself down, get your head together, that kind of thing?

It’s actually music. We have this kind of ritual that we listen to music together. It’s mostly party music to get us in the mood. We’ve been touring with Electric Callboy and they are a party band and they listen to hard techno backstage. We were like, okay. I mean, they have to get in this kind of heavy party mode, they can really get into this mood and deliver it.

They did it by listening to music before a show, and we also do it now and try to get this kind of group thing together to be a band. Because when you’re on tour; somebody is there and somebody else is there, everyone doing something, but then right before the show, we get together and listen to music. We also have the ritual that right before a gig, we put our hands together and say a sentence. Everything that’s scattered, unites.

When you come back here in the future, is there a venue that you know of that you think, yeah, one day we want to play that?

The O2 arena!

Hell yeah!

It would be cool. I mean, they got smaller venues in there, I think.

Of course. The Indigo.

Yeah, Indigo. We were there last year. No, this year. Sorry, this year. We were there the day before the Electric Callboy show and saw Tokio Hotel, it’s a nice venue.

Electric Ballroom would also be nice.

We wanted to play Brixton, but that was shut down.

Oh, yeah, of course.

That would also have been cool. There’s so many venues, but, yeah, we’ll definitely return and then we’ll see.

I can’t wait. Let’s get tonight out of way first. It’s going to be a spectacular show.

Are You A Londoner?

Now, we do this section at the end of these ‘in person’ interviews with bands who aren’t from the UK. It is basically about London, and as you might already know, you can be from any country in the world and still be considered a Londoner. A Londoner is a state of mind. It’s not where you’re from. So, with that in mind, I have a list of questions to see if you are a Londoner.

Okay, let’s see.

It’s a mix of very straightforward and challenging. Right, we colour code our tube lines on the tube map. What colour represents the central line?

Grey or orange? I don’t know.

It’s red. Okay. What is the London Eye?

It’s like a Ferris wheel.

Yep. Big old Ferris wheel. What is illegal to feed in Trafalgar Square?

Bread.

No, we give bread to something.

Bread to pigeons.

Yeah. Pigeons.

Illegal to feed pigeons.

Yeah. Two of the most famous bridges in London are London Bridge and Tower Bridge. But which of those two is a suspension bridge?

Tower Bridge.

It is. Oh, you’re killing it. True or false, more than half of London Underground actually runs above ground.

I don’t know. True?

It is true, yeah. More than half of it does run above ground.

I was thinking about the District line!

How is your cockney rhyming slang?

I actually heard about that, it’s a nightmare.

Well, I’m going to ask you one then, and see if you know it what it is. Lion’s lair?

Lion’s lair. Bedroom.

It’s a chair, but hell, that’s close enough, because I didn’t even know that. All right. Two major events occurred in London in the 1660s that both killed many people and also destroyed massive amounts of the city. Can you name either?

The grand fire.

There it is.

Or the plague. I’m actually a historian.

Oh, my goodness. Okay, then what is Big Ben?

Yeah, it’s the parliament, right? Or is it, no, it’s the bell in the tower.

You nailed it. Oh, nobody gets that. Yeah, absolutely. It’s the bell. Because most people obviously say the clock tower. Okay. London has a lot of stadiums, but which is the largest?

The new Arsenal one?

No, Wembley.

Still Wembley. Okay, maybe we’ll play there some.

London’s diversity is something to be incredibly proud of. According to research conducted, how many different languages are spoken in the city? Take a guess.

23?

300. Over 300.

Okay, that was a very bad guess.

Finally, what is your personal favourite thing about London?

My personal favourite thing about London is the parks. I really like the parks.

(I think we can all agree that Manuel is definitely a Londoner)

Ozzy Osbone Presents – The Random Round

How do you like your steak done?

I’m actually vegetarian. So, I don’t like any steak.

Did you ever eat meat?

I did, but I’ve never liked steak in my whole life.

What is the most disgusting thing you think you’ve ever eaten?

Mouldy salad. It was salad that was white, like a creamy salad. I couldn’t see the mould and I ate it and almost threw up. I remember that.

What is a memory that always makes you smile?

My first holiday, which was also my second date with my girlfriend in Prague.

Fantastic.

It’s our anniversary today. she’s in Africa, actually, at the moment.

Oh, wow.

Yeah, she’s doing some university stuff.

Okay, what is a horror movie scenario that you would hate to find yourself in?

When I have to eat a lot of steak. That would be really bad.

Okay, we’ll do one more. What is your favourite Disney animated movie?

We actually talked about that on tour, like, a few days ago. I really liked as a kid, Anastasia.

Anastasia. Okay. Wow. It’s the first time anyone’s ever said Anastasia. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.

No, you should. I mean, it’s a little bit creepy.

Also, it’s quite historic. Right?

It’s also historic. The story behind it is not so cool, but I really like that one. Yeah, that’s a really cool one. Most Disney films play with heavy themes. Disney is not just about glitter, princesses and princes. It’s can have very heavy social and political themes that are very excellent nowadays. It’s a cool thing to watch.

It is. It is indeed. You know what else is really cool to watch? Future Palace. Cannot wait to see you guys perform tonight. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this.

Thank you for having us and having me.

Links

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website | TikTok