A Dirty Dozen with NEAL MITCHELL from TEMPLETON PEK – March 2025

According to a recent press release: “British band TEMPLETON PEK have announced their signing with Austrian label SBAM Records. As part of the deal, the band will also release via Double Helix Records in the US. To celebrate, the band will release a brand new song “Paradigm” on February 27, 2025, which will be available on all good streaming platforms. “Paradigm” is part of a new album to be released via SBAM and was produced by George Perks (Enter Shikari, Skindred) at Vada Studio in the band’s hometown of Birmingham and mastered at the legendary Metropolis Studios in London.” We get singer / bassist Neal Mitchell to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release. What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through? Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

“Paradigm” is the first song released on our new label, it’s about using the power of being an underdog as fuel to move forward. It was produced by George Perks (Enter Shikari, Skindred). There’s no real hidden surprises other than a good song and it should give you an idea of what’s coming with our new album later this year and I urge everyone to listen to it then share it with everyone they know immediately.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Probably my older brother, he got me into rock music as a genre when I used to steal his music which was largely 90’s alt rock from Bon Jovi and Guns N Roses to UK bands like Thunder and The Wildhearts. What made me want to be a musician was going out with our friends drinking, watching bands at our local venues in Birmingham and thinking we could do this, so we did. Our goal was to just get a gig, I certainly didn’t think we would be around to release our 6th album.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

I think maybe more a movement swayed our initial direction and specifically the Californian Punk sound with the old school Epitaph bands and Fat Wreck Chords compilations, we’ve obviously expanded on that over the years but that was probably the kickstart.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

It would probably be a producer over an artist, maybe someone like Gil Norton, Rick Rubin or Bill Stevenson as it’s always fun to get the fourth members input and we’ve been really lucky over the years to work with great producers.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour? What do you like to do to unwind?

Usually a toss up between riding a motorbike because no one can get hold of you, or walking the dog with a beer. The whirlwind of a band is great but you need that opposite zen to keep sane, I can totally understand why a lot of people in bands go nuts.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Passionate, uplifting with a punk influence and melody driven. We haven’t had any weird comparisons that I can remember but we have had many people get our names wrong, we were once announced on stage as Temptation Park which was amusing, still to this day they get it wrong.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Jon (Drums) would probably want to smoke or BBQ something to eat as he is a country boy, I don’t think any of us would get the guitar for a singalong so myself and Kev (Guitar) would most likely be at the bar with an array of fermented beverages.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I was actually in the same place as president Zelensky a few weeks ago, that was a pretty weird feeling after seeing everything going on in the world, and even more so especially now seeing him in real life. Musician wise most people we’ve admired have always turned out to be really nice to us from Fletcher in Pennywise, Dexter and Noodles in Offspring, the Rise Against guys, the Ignite guys, Millencolin, the Zebrahead guys are some notable mentions.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Creating something that didn’t previously exist into something that tangibly does, working in the studio, and obviously playing live, but also the experiences that money can’t buy in places you normally wouldn’t visit. If not a musician I’d probably like to be working in film in some way.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I’m always happy to answer any questions if an interviewer has researched you, if they haven’t even read a press release it’s hard work. A reviewer from a very large publication once reviewed us at a show and hadn’t even watched us, that drives me crazy. A question I’m tired of answering?… “What does your band name mean?”

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Probably hiring our manager around the Signs album era, for a million reasons that didn’t work out mainly because he was quietly screwing us over in the background and the damage he left within the industry affected us for many years.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I would probably go back to our first record and do it better, we probably were too naive on the process and enjoying ourselves way too much but it will always be our first record which of course I am still proud of as we wouldn’t still be going if we hadn’t made it.

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Category: Interviews