You declare yourself to be the “finest vocalist in Oxfordshire”. Is this a serious claim?

Errrrmmm... (I’m struggling to explain exactly how long this ‘erm’ is...) tongue-in-cheek claim. Out of all the metal singers, I am taking proper vocal tuition. I don’t know how many others are. But I do say that with tongue very firmly in cheek!

How many metal vocalists are there in Oxfordshire?

There’s quite a few bands around Oxfordshire at the moment, to be honest. Most of them do more kind of ‘cookie monster’ vocals, than actually singing. I’m not saying I never go cookie monster, but when I do, it’s more because I’ve forgotten the words, so...

I’ve never heard it called cookie monster vocals before...

Oh, you know... (Dan makes a sound like a troll clearing its throat) death metal, that sort of thing. It’s fun! I’ve nothing against those sort of vocals, they are fun to do.

You are quite versatile, vocally. Your style can change even within a gig. What do you prefer?

I’m a big fan of power metal vocals, I love all the higher pitched stuff. Rob Halford was probably the first to really go with it, and my favourite singer’s Tim “Ripper” Owens, who succeeded Halford for a few years (in Judas Priest) and I love all that kind of stuff: Iced Earth, Blind Guardian. But it’s not quite what’s required in Back Pocket Prophet, so I’ll get the odd scream in here or there, but it’s more standard thrash vocals, which i’m better at anyway, to be honest.

So how did you originally hook up with BPP?

I actually worked in the same building as Vic (Barton, the bass player), and I knew the band for a while anyway because they’re from Bicester, and so am I. It was while I was singing with a different band that Vic was running that I sang the song “Halo” by the band Soil, and he thought, “Oooh! That could work with our stuff!” or so he told me... he more recently told me that he’d known for six months that he wanted me on board anyway. God told him I was supposed to be there, but i’ve only found that out recently!

So how do you react if someone says, “God told me you’re gonna be in the band”?

It’s an odd feeling... it’s a good one, but I don’t really know what to say to that, because I’m still quite new to the whole Christianity scene, so i’m still learning a lot. This is only my second Meltdown, so things like that still leave me a little... speechless!

You say it’s your second Meltdown, but it’s your first at the new venue, Cefn Lea. What do you think are the main differences between this Meltdown and the last one?

I’d say, first of all, there’s more freedom where we are this Meltdown. It’s a bigger site, everyone seems happier here. Maybe it’s the fun of being somewhere new. Maybe it’s the fact that we missed a year out. But there seems to be a much happier atmosphere where we are now than where we were. And the fact that it’s April, Spring, rather than November, Winter, might also help!

Do you play any instruments, or are you strictly a singer?

I can play basic guitar... i used to be pretty good at guitar, but in all the bands I’ve been in, I always ended up being the singer anyway, because I was always good at remembering the words. I couldn’t actually sing, but I could remember the words. So I’d play guitar, and i’d be guitar/singer, then just the singer, then I’d be the bassist, then the bassist/singer, then the singer. Then I realised I actually quite like being able to run around the stage without an instrument, just a microphone, ‘cos I have a lot of energy on stage.

I’ve noticed you don’t like to stay on the stage the whole gig.

I actually now have a rule with Back Pocket Prophet: I like to lap the venue at least once during a set.

You’re not the original vocalist for Back Pocket Prophet; did stepping into someone else’s legacy affect how you approached the opportunity?

I’m the third singer, if I remember... when I first started, I wanted to put my own spin on it, but stay within the constraints of what the old singers had done. I was very much like Adam, who was the singer before me, in how he approached the vocals. And Vic was saying, “If you can’t do that, don’t. Do it your own way.” It took me a bit of time, and i’ve also tried to sing how I would like to sing; i’d like to sing more like Ripper Owens, for example, but I haven’t quite got the voice. I’ve realised that it’s not the range you have that makes you a singer, it’s how you deliver what you have as a singer. And upon realising that, i’ve been able to use my own voice more with Back Pocket Prophet, and putting my own spin on it.

So do you think there should be more emphasis on entertaining the crowd than being great at singing?

Yeah! We’re a live band, we love being on stage. I’m not the best singer in the world, I never will be, that’s cool. I try and be more of a frontman, more of a... I don’t want to say more of an “image” on stage. Sometimes there are some songs that I’m hit-and-miss with, but I think as long as I put on a good performance, I don’t care if I miss a note here or there, and it’s the same with the band itself. We’re not the tightest band live. We’re not! But I think that’s ok because of the energy we have, as long as we have fun on stage and get the message across, that’s what we want.

On the point of getting the message across, how is fronting a ministry band different from fronting the other bands you’ve been in?

I have to be more careful of what I say on stage! I mean, I’m not a singer who rants and raves on stage anyway, I never have been. I think that look quite unprofessional. But i’m quite lucky, actually; Vic, even though he’s the bassist, he does most of the communication with the audience. He’s just so good at it. when I first joined he said he’d deal with that so I wouldn’t have to, so it’d be easier on me, and he said, “you can take over, with time,” but he’s so good at it, I just pipe in here and there accordingly. I’m quite lucky on that front. I realise being in a ministry band, there are more people looking to me than in a secular band, because in a ministry band there are more people looking at you to express their own faith as well, and they’re trying to express their faith through what you’re doing on stage.

I suppose as the words are coming out of your mouth, they’ll naturally gravitate towards you.

Yeah, I think being the singer, being the frontman of a band, you’re automatically the first person people look to, even though Vic does most of the talking on stage, because that’s just how it is. In any band, the singer is always the one people look to first and foremost. So out front i’ve got a bit of a burden. I’m not the most vocal with my faith anyway. Vic and Tom are very open about it, but I’m not so much. I’m not so good at speaking out about it, I’m more “just me and Him”. That’s something I need to work on, but I don’t feel too pressured to elevate that yet.

Fronting a band: is that something you can learn, or are you born with it?

Hmm... both, and neither, I think. To front a band, you’ve got to have the showmanship and the energy for it. and you need a healthy amount of vanity! But at the same time you can always learn. Stage-wise, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, he’s a great frontman, he’s one of the ultimate frontmen, in my opinion. His showmanship has helped get Maiden where they are. Just the way he works up the crowd. Vic does a lot of the speaking between the songs, I do like to jump into the crowd myself and run around with a wireless microphone, and i’ll join in the moshpits, i’ll just run around and get everyone pumped up, so to extent, I think you’re born with it, but you can always learn from others.

You’ve been places with the band... you’ve played throughout Europe. But you’ve very well in Europe on personal level, too.

Me personally, yeah... I met my now-fiancee in Switzerland when we played the Elements of Rock festival last year, which was great! In fact two weeks before we flew over there, I had a... premonition, if you like... that I would meet a red-haired young lady that would change my life. So this is one of the first real... I’d never had that feeling before in my life, but I knew... and Andrea (pronounced Ann-DRAY-a) helps Elements of Rock every year in welfare and hospitality for bands. If you’ve got a problem, you speak to one of them. And when we were introduced, I just thought, “Wow!” I just followed her around the festival quite a lot... it was great; we spoke on Facebook for about a month and, there you go... we just got together.

Andrea is Swiss, right?

Yeah. She speaks good English. I’m trying to learn Swiss German, but it’s difficult. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but one of the first things I learned was quite a naughty word. I asked what was the naughtiest word the Swiss know. That was almost my chat up line!

The other place the band has taken you is the recording studio.

Yep. The new album, we’re going to be releasing it officially at Greenbelt on 29th of August. I believe as it stands, we’re going to be opening up the Meltdown stage on the Monday (the programme changed since then, and BPP closed the stage instead) and I think we’re also going to be doing an acoustic set somewhere on site. I’ve never done an acoustic set before, I don’t think the band has. It’ll be interesting.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to sing in a Christian band?

It’s not considered “rock ‘n’ roll” to take singing lessons, but it does help. It’s definitely helped me. Like I said, i’m not the best singer in the world, but i’m much better than I used to be. I know I can put a lot of that down to my singing teacher, Joe, he’s a great guy. He’s actually a jazz musician; i’m the only metalhead he teaches. Any musician getting lessons, even for a short while, it will help. Coming into the Christian rock scene, I think the best way is to be vocal about where your faith lies, but don’t ram it down their throats. In Back Pocket Prophet, we’re not aggressive with our faith. We do say on stage, “We are a Christian band, if you want to know more, come see us after the show.” Some bands are very aggressive with it, and that’s fine, but I don’t personally think that’s the best way to go about it. Let them know where you stand, and let them come to you, that’s how Back Pocket Prophet work. We do play a lot of secular shows, and we think they’re more important than playing Christian shows. Gigs like Meltdown are great, it’s great to see all your friends again, but you can’t keep preaching to the same crowd, you’ve got to take it out there. Playing a secular show, we think it’s how you are after the show, before the show, that’s the most important time, ‘cos that’s when people come up to you and ask you about things. I’ve had a lot of people say, “How can a metal band be Christian? How does that work?” We get that all the time. “You’re a Christian but you have tattoos. How does that work?” and it’s quite fun actually, because people are actually very interested in it. so number one advice, let people know you’re a Christian band, but let them come to you. Sow the seeds and see who comes your way.

Final question: Dan Random of Back Pocket Prophet and Dave Boyle of Conduit, in the soft play area, being beaten up by children with foam cushions. How metal is that?

Ah... erm... well... I want it on record that at one point it was five kids against Dave and me. So five against two... erm... it doesn’t get much more metal than beating up children with big toy cushion things... this is one thing I like about Meltdown: it’s a very relaxed environment. I know when to be serious, but I am a big kid. In fact, everyone in Back Pocket Prophet is a big kid with a lot of energy!

Thank you very much for your time Dan.

Thank you!

(For the record, despite Dan’s assertions to the contrary, he and Dave came a distant second in the cushion fight.)