Five proved they can still “rock you” at Download Festival – and in a surreal backstage chat, Scott and Ritchie opened up about ghosts, mediums and even life on Mars
In a parallel universe, Five believe that there may be life on Mars, the aliens like to mosh and watch EastEnders. This week, I headed to Download Festival, adorned in a black velvet ball gown, caged haunted dog in hand, for an interview with Five that delivered on its promise to be out of this world.
The other thing Five promise is to rock you, and any metalhead who was at the Dogtooth Stage last Thursday night would find that a hard point to argue.
Genre aside, thousands of Download fans don’t lie, so it’s official: Five certainly know how to rock. When I met them that evening, I declared that they were the most metal band at Download this year, an honour they seemed happy to accept.
Pre-interview, I had been ghost hunting under the Apex Stage, trying to stage an intervention for my haunted dog and discover more about its potential backstory, while pinpointing any reasons for the odd happenings that had been occurring. Approaching one of the ’90s’ most famous boy bands holding a caged pink nodding dog was a slightly surreal moment, but they got into the spirit of things and indulged me with a spot of paranormal chat.
Apart from Abz, who declared, “When you’re dead, you’re dead”, and checked out swiftly. I thought it would be unlikely that all five of Five would be believers, but with two and a half members believing in ghosts, I was halfway there and living on a prayer, as Ritchie wittily pointed out!
Scott and Ritchie were both believers in the afterlife, Sean was on the fence, but my Download dog bobble-head was freaking him out. Sean said: “It’s scaring me.
“It’s really freaking me out. I don’t know what you’re doing, there’s something weird going on here.”
I explained how it’s been known to move on its own… “Shut up!” Ritchie proclaimed.
“Is it gonna fly forwards?” J asked. I explained that it’s secured in its cage for everybody’s safety, as I didn’t want the dog to take a chunk out of Five.
I couldn’t have that on my conscience. “Of course, yeah,” said Ritchie.
“Im telling you now that’s scary!” Sean remarked, looking at the dog.
“I’m not scared of it at all, it’s pink!” Scott said. “Don’t goad it Scott.” – Ritchie laughed.
At this point, I really wanted something to happen, and I was vocal about this. “Smash him (Scott) over the head with the cage, you could say it the dog!” – J expressed.
I mean, after all, it’s possessed; nobody would blame me, right? They’d, of course, blame the dog!
I thought the chat was getting a little Carry On Camping, so I brought it back to the land of the living — or not, as the case may be. I genuinely wanted to know if any of the band had encountered anything otherworldly or unexplained.
Both Scott and Ritchie shared experiences with psychic mediums that had left them with no doubt that some people have connections with the dead and are able to communicate with them. It’s hard sometimes, as the reality of ghosts is death, and even though ghost hunting and haunted objects seemed to be greeted with a wink by some, encounters with ghosts often conjure feelings of loss and sadness, which is why psychic mediumship is a precarious subject for me at times.
I sensed Ritchie was sensitive to spirituality, and I knew he had heartfelt things to share. I asked him if he believes in ghosts and whether he had seen or sensed anything.
Ritchie explained: “I’ve not seen or sensed anything, but I have had sort of like a medium say something that’s been freakishly weirdly, like I had a family member die. I was out having a couple of pints about a year later, and they said the exact name.
“They were like, does the name “blah blah” mean something to you? And I was like, it couldn’t mean more and I started welling up.”
Scott also confirmed his experiences with psychic mediums had left him with no doubt that people could communicate with the dead. This was five minutes with Five. I wasn’t sure if there was time to deep dive, but I knew there were so many questions I could’ve asked and fascinating conversations we could’ve explored.
You know how somehow you can tell by people’s eyes that they have a lot of words to say? However, J somehow, right on cue, lightened the mood before it entered a period of proverbial mourning by asking if I was, in fact, a ghost.
At this point, I was starting to feel like one. If I was, I would no doubt have a lot of fun haunting Five! Before I released the boys — or should I say men — to their army of adoring fans, there was just enough time to squeeze in a little alien chat.
Again, both Scott and Ritchie are convinced we are not alone. In fact, Scott believes in life on Mars, or at least a parallel universe where the aliens are watching EastEnders.
My imagination was unleashed, and I found myself wondering about the possibility of a cyborg version of Five singing “Everybody Get Up” on the moon as an invitation to space, with their hollowed-out eyes and fingerless limbs punching through the atmosphere! I’m not sure if I left Five perplexed, believing in the afterlife, or running scared.
But I’m quite proud to say I gave Five the weirdest interview of their career. I will wear that like a badge of honour, whether it’s intended to be a one-off or not!
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