Silent TriGGer are a rush of fresh air 'BRIT-ROCK band'. Matt, Addie, Greg and Al are four lads from the same area of the world that has given you Black Sabbath, The Wonder Stuff, Diamond Head, Robert Plant and Slade! Half of the foursome have just left school and the other two are still at school. They write all their own material......usually during double maths.

Q: Some people would say that Silent Trigger are the first post-Darkness inspired band. Is this the case or did you always listen to the originals?
A: We were all inspired by many different bands and came together from various individual viewpoints. What really 'lit the blue touchpaper' was  Addie and Matts' love of classic rock music, showmanship and the lure of  stadium type appeal. I guess The Darkness are the nearest latest band to  have made a major impact in this area and so they were obviously an  additional influence and more 'up-to-date' point of reference.
 

Q: You've got an average age of 15. There used to be a time when younger  bands were just pop fodder, but with bands like Silent Trigger and Linchpin  there's some credibility. How do older bands react when they see you guys  are on the same bill? Does there reaction change after they've seen you  live?
A: Yeah, we know what you mean about teenage pop-fodder, however we try to  play credible, mature rock music. For the first 6 months two of the band  (including Matt the frontman) were still only 14 years old!! the expression  on fans faces when they were told was a picture as they were usually  gobsmacked! (In fact our dads have at times had to discourage the  advances of amorous females who must have thought they were 19 or 20).Generally when we are on the same bill as an 'older' more established band when we turn up for the sound check etc we get the impression that they are thinking 'Oh! great we are being supported by a school boy rock band'. However without exception after we have played they are always impressed and complimentary. In fact this has allowed us to get more opportunities to support many major bands more than once as they asked for us specifically to support them.
 

Q: How hard is it getting gigs at venues and do you tend to play different venues than the usual indie venues?
A: Hasn't really been a problem locally as at the moment our momentum and the buzz around ' a credible, teenage, rock band' allows venues to get an idea that we can put on a good show. Also our website has been a great source of contact and interest and shows a record of all the venues we've played.
 

Q: As a band you write your own songs? What was the first song you wrote and how have you progressed over the last year or so?
A: The songs on their EP were all written when we were only 14 and 15 and this is worth noting when listening to us. Get Up!!! was our first song and it immediately got air play on two local BBC Radio shows following a DJ happening to see us playing at his local pub.

Over the last year we have just tried to play live as often as possible in order for us to gain experience and mature. Our later songs have included some 'ballads' and included far more guitar 'thought' and vocal maturity.When we started playing live we were always well down the playing order and usually part of 'local music showcases' and school type bands. Now we are getting far more headline slots and if we support bands they are usually 'about to get signed, signed or major tribute bands who command massive audiences.

Q: The live shows are where it's at with Silent Trigger? Tell us about an average Silent Trigger show? Don't you get lycra'd up 80s style?
A: We always get asked about the lycra and catsuits however this is only a small part of our 'show', in fact some shows we dont even wear lycra etc. The 'lycra thing' is something we love to 'turn on' now and again if the crowd and occasion suit it. We get loads of feedback about Matt's catsuits  generally ALL good as its obvioulsy a fun thing, the only downside is that it immediately means that we get compared to The Darkness. Our shows are where its at for us, we like to engage the audience with banter, get out off  stage with our wireless units for guitar solos etc and always dress for the  occasion. We've also done some mad stuff involving Space Hoppers, mini scooters and pogo sticks!
 

Q: How was it when you got played on Kerrang Radio?
A: Getting played on Kerrang was ace as we had to work really hard just to get  the guys there to get around to listening to our EP. They get thousands of  requests and finally got an email saying .." we listened to your stuff and  love Why Does Love Despise?, we'll probably play it on our show". We all tuned in and it was a major buzz as well as a kind of milestone that 'we had been chosen' and 'had made the grade' with a song written by a 14 and 15 yr  old kid! Even better than this they played us again a week later!!!!!

We'd actually been played afew times before on BBC local rock shows and one  time it absolutely freaked us out  when we were played after 'Black Dog' by Led Zeppelin and before Def Leppards 'Animal". Both of these bands are our  IDOLS and have influenced and inspired us to take up playing instruments.
 

Q: What other bands are there in Birmingham at the moment and which ones  should we look out for?
A: There are some great local bands and we get on real well with them we have mates in Riot Core, JJK, Lazy J in particularly we also really like The Skeekys, My Girl Sleeps and Casino.
 

Q: Have you got any gigs planned outside of the Midlands?
A: Yep - we have a 'biggy' in Swansea towards Christmas however at the moment we've had to turn a few offers down as we are all either at school or college so playing locally suits us at the moment.

Finally just to add our families are 100% behind every single member, this is so important to us as individuals and as a band entity. Without their support we would suffer, equipment, rehearsal and transport wise. Silent TriGGer is very much a 'family run' business with transport, admin, management, website, costumes etc all currently being handled by various family members.