OOC: Basically, everything and anything that you write is amazing.

OOC: Thank you both so much! It really means alot to me that people are reading my stuff, and seem to be enjoying it. Next part will be be up in a few hours. :)

“I’ve never really known how to act at a rock concert,” Quillington admits as his band gets ready for an imminent performance at the 02 Arena, “I used to go out of my mind, and just jump around like a madman, singing the band’s tunes on the top of my lungs. ‘Course, it pissed everybody around me off, so then I had to go through the phase of acting all cool and casual. But, then I just seemed like a jaded, uninterested hipster. So I never could find that happy medium. Now that I’m the one on stage, I can act however I want. What really amazes me is that people actually pay to see that.”

Remarkably for a band newly arrived at superstardom, there hasn’t been any major tour announced, even to promote Insomnia. Instead, several of these one-off gigs at arenas and stadiums are the only chance to see Infinite live, helping make these events all the more special. This once-in-a-lifetime feeling is extended to those lucky enough to be invited backstage; various celebrities can be spotted chatting with the alternative trio, including fellow superstar Glamazon, who was recently announced to be dating Quillington. Surprisingly for such a public couple, little has actually been leaked about their doings. “It’s something that’s been said time and time again by various ‘celebrity’ couples, to the point of it being cliché, but we’re not dating for the boost in fame,” explains Quillington, “My personal and musical life are two distinctly different things, despite what some might think. And, she falls squarely into the former category, so I really have no intention of flaunting what’s going on between the two of us. She really is amazing, though, and I could see some sort of musical collaboration in the near future. It’d just be a wasted opportunity if we didn't.”

Yesterday was an exercise in mediocrity, a rare occasion for a band used to flashes of genius in the recording studio. A humbling experience, as well, one that could make even Eric Quillington feel talentless. Today, however, is an entirely different story. Playing before 20,000 screaming fans for two hours would be, to most people, one of the most nerve-wracking experiences on the planet. Greg Oldson, Matt Roberts, and Eric Quillington are not most people. Perhaps it’s the sheer number of awards and praise bestowed upon their live shows, or maybe it’s just a matter of getting used to such an exaggerated event as the stadium show, but the three of them walk backstage for last-minute preparations with a swagger and self-assurance not expected from three men barely into their late twenties.

“We carried ourselves with this type of confidence even back when we were playing the shitty little pubs around London,” Quillington explains with a self-depreciatory laugh, “The trick is to carry yourself like you’re in the world’s greatest rock band. Sooner or later, you’re bound to convince at least one bloke.”

A quick, fleeting glance into this evening’s crowd is all you need to see that there’s more than just ‘one bloke’ that believes in Infinite. The massive venue is filled to the brim with fans, many of whom are expressing their admiration through T-Shirts and slogans written on banners. After just three albums, it seems as though Infinite has arrived at the highest possible peak. Still, it’s impossible to view this level of popularity without some cynicism. Hype and over-exposure has been the sword that slew many bands in the past, and this one could be no exception. Without true skill or meaning behind the bluff, the band is just an empty spectacle.

However, all this hysteria suddenly makes sense the moment the band begins performing. A close, personal feeling can be lost between the band and audience when the group is big enough to move away from clubs and towards the epic, hundred-thousand seat venues. Some often feel like they’ve lost something special during the transition to stadiums. Infinite are lucky enough to be excluded from that group. The band has managed to combine the two extremes of a rock concert into an appealing form; a mix of the epic, theatrical performances of Muse and Queen with the intimate ones of U2. There are still the balls-to-the-walls insanity of such songs as ‘End and Begin’, but it’s often coupled with mass sing-along’s in the forms of ‘Problems with Pluto’ and ‘Shades of Grey’.

“There’s an emotional and intellectual undertone to everything we do, and it’s always a big part of our songs,” Oldson says moments before he is scooted out of the room and onto the stage, “It’s a goal of ours to try and communicate that in a live setting. The stadium gig can be quite daunting, and quite a bit of the meaning behind the music can be lost among all the hullaballoo, but we never want to just become noise.”
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OOC: The final part will be up in another couple of hours, I just wanted to space it out a little bit. It's always a little awkward when somebody asks for comments, but what the hell; let me know what you think, please!

OOC: Thank you! I was worried it was too dramatic a transition from the first part, so I'm really glad you think it's been consistent so far. I've always been extremely nit-picky and perfectionistic (not totally sure if that's a word) when it comes to my RP's, haha.

OOC: i agre with laurelles...

Ooc: I'm planning a similar magazine style thing for Katie tomorrow. Hope it'll be even nearly as good as this one.

OOC: Top fucking notch!

There is a quote by a nameless source, and it states, ‘Writing about music is like dancing about architecture’. Infinite have, over the course of recording three albums, come to realize just how accurate this statement is. There are two radically different approaches to songwriting within the band; Greg Oldson and Matt Roberts always look at the melody or rhythm, like musicians typically do, while Eric Quillington always views it in the same way one would write a book; ideas and words are always the most important. Essentially, the famed musician dances about architecture while making music, hence the name of their fourth album.

“It’s beyond infuriating to get Eric to write something even vaguely resembling a chorus,” says Roberts, “I’ve always been involved in the actual music, because I’m a godamned bassist. But, with him, it always has to be so much more, to the extent that I’m terrified of boring anybody who just wants to get lost in the rhythm. Sometimes a melody should just be a melody, y’know?”

Regardless of the differentiating views in the studio, the band’s work on ‘Grinning like a Jackal’ has finally come together. Last night’s concert seems to have reinvigorated the somewhat stagnant mood from earlier, and also served as inspiration for a different outlook on the track. In a live performance on the scale of ‘O2 Arena’, the meaning can become lost amongst the clutter, to the point that lyrics and music can become a completely separate thing. No matter how poignant or meaningful the words are, they’ll only be sung by a mass audience if carried by a catchy melody. For a man like Eric Quillington, who regards lyrics as the most important part of any Infinite song, it’s infuriating. Once a song about loneliness, ‘Grinning like a Jackal’ has instead become a somewhat sarcastic commentary on the previously mentioned ideas; the emotionally revealing lyrics are contradicted by the rocking, arrogant style of the riffs and rhythm.

“I know Coldplay’s never been the ‘cool’ band to like, but what they did on their first album is a major influence for what we’re doing now,” says Quillington, “To have a striking contrast between the lyrics and music. I want Dancing about Architecture to be a representation of passive aggressiveness; to be saying really bitter and angry things, but covering it up with chilled out tunes. There will be an oriental influence; sitars and the like, beautiful melodies hiding these cynical words. But there will also be moments such as ‘Grinning like a Jackal’, where the lyrics and music are one and the same. So moments of truthfulness are hidden beneath the ones of smoke and mirrors. Three steps backwards for every one that moves forward, in a sense.”

The improvised guitar riff from earlier is still incorporated into the tune, but the rhythm section has finally caught up with it. ‘Grinning like a Jackal’ has become much more gritty and distorted than its initial form, a marked difference that becomes even more pronounced when compared to the often otherworldly tunes Infinite has made in the past. Just like ‘The Fly’ was the sound of U2 cutting down the Joshua Tree, ‘Grinning like a Jackal’ represents Infinite falling from the Midnight Skies. Quillington’s enthusiastic reaction upon hearing the final mix shows his true nature; beneath the bluster of superstardom lies a rather innocent young man who just wants to be heard. “That’s one small step for man,” he remarks, with a smile on his face worthy of the track’s title, “One giant leap for mankind.”
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OOC: It's shorter than the other parts, but that's okay. Everything that I wanted to write about has been communicated in those 5 paragraphs, so there's no point stretching it out. Here you have it; the final part, and I hope it's decent.

Edited by user 22 June 2011 09:57:48(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

OOC: Wow.

OOC: I was initially hoping for it to be quite a bit longer than this, but it only took up 5 pages in Microsoft Word instead of the 10 I was hoping for. There just wasn't much need to artificially lengthen it, since I'd already gotten across all the ideas I wanted. Thanks so much, I'm really glad you liked it!



OOC: I shall take that 'wow' as a good thing. Haha, thank you!



OOC: The first two parts were just kind of build-up to this one, so it's good to know that you liked the last part the best!