Having spent a week on the road feeling the brunt of UK thrash fans from around the country, Myspace heroes Job For A Cowboy take a break from bottle-dodging to talk to Soundshock about their touring experiences, and what the future holds for a band who seem to defy all criticism in their wake. Grab your helmet…
   

“Megadeth fans can be pretty militant” concedes Job For A Cowboy axeman Bobby Thompson. The young shredder isn’t wrong. Over a week into the Arizona quintet’s UK support slot with thrash gods Megadeth, the crowds don’t seem to be getting any friendlier. Whilst bottles and other such missiles haven’t exactly been in abundance each night from a notoriously cynical fanbase, the hotly tipped deathcore newcomers have not always had an entirely generous welcome either. “This tour has been particularly different” muses frontman Jonny Davy, “as it’s such a different crowd from usual. We’ve been playing to thousands of people each night who have either never heard of us, or have heard of us and don’t like us!” The comment provokes chuckles from both band members, though it is clearly one that stems from a tough week for the boys. Placed on a bill that also includes the far better-received Evile, it is an impressive feat in itself that they’ve even made it to Brixton tonight. Then again, in spite of their experiences on Gigantour, Job For A Cowboy are one of the most exciting metal propositions of the last few years.

    Taking the death metal aesthetics of legendary US acts such as Morbid Angel and Obituary, JFAC have nurtured their own take on the genre through mixing in hardcore sounds and a defiant attitude that has seen them rapidly rise through the ranks of the metal scene like few other extreme acts before them. Through word-of-mouth hype and their now infamous growth on Myspace, the band – completed by guitarist Ravi Bhadriraju, bassist Brent Riggs and drummer Jon Rice – became one of the most hotly tipped acts of 2007, and whilst their inclusion as support to Dave Mustaine’s merry men has raised a few eyebrows, it is hardly surprising to see them command a prestigious spot on a popular metal tour. Now, sitting in Evile’s dressing room as the British thrashers take to the stage themselves, Thompson and Davy remain positive as they look forward to following Gigantour to the US, where European heavyweights In Flames and Children of Bodom and Californian bruisers High On Fire will be added to the bill.

    “High On Fire, In Flames and Children of Bodom are all heavier bands, so that should be a lot better for us” adds Davy who, as a singer, is naturally a significant target for any abuse – something that isn’t helped by his large physique. Not that this has stopped him and the guys frequenting their usual haunts since returning to England. “We love going to Nando’s!” intersects Thompson, who then adds; “There’s one just down the road from here, which is always good. A lot of the places we play also turn into dance clubs after the shows, so sometimes we stick around and hang out at those…” So Job For A Cowboy are actually closet techno fans? “Nah nothing like club music!” he hastily adds. “Sometimes they play Muse or something like that which is cool, but we’re not really into the techno stuff.”

    Regardless of any glo-stick shenanigans, the guys admit that with their constantly hectic touring schedule, there is never much time for hobbies, especially when it comes to discovering new music for themselves. “We tour so much that we don’t really have time to hear new bands” broods Thompson. “We played with The Black Dahlia Murder, they were awesome. Gojira were awesome too.” With such an impressive lineup of touring partners already embedded well within their résumé, one can only wonder what ambitions there are left for a band that has achieved so much at such a young age. Davy concludes; “In a couple of months we’re going to Japan for the first time, I’ve always really wanted to go there. I really want to do more South American dates, and we’d like to go back to Mexico too.” “I’d want to go a little bit further east” adds Thompson. “Czech Republic, Russia, places like that, somewhere crazy!” It’s clear that JFAC are far from done, and with the US leg of Gigantour immediately pending, it looks like their work is more than cut out for them. Having said that, if they can take the brunt of the venom from Megadeth fans in their stride, then anything is possible.