Interviews: Toys That Bite

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Heavy Rock band, Toys That Bite, from England. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name?

It’s from an Alice Cooper song - Lullaby - the lines “My toys were my friends. Until you taught them all how to bite.”

2. Where is the band based?

Bristol, UK

3. Why did you want to play this genre?

It reflects the band’s predominant musical taste

4. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Adam and Karl are long-time buddies, and Dave and Shep were playing together in another band previously. Tezza, we just found it at the side of the road.

5. What is each band member’s favorite band?

Adam - depends on what mood I'm in, and which band I want to listen to. I like discovering new bands, though.

Karl - so many, but Muse just blows my mind

Shep - Nightwish

Tezza - I often come back to Five Finger Death Punch, or The Veer Union. But it all depends on what kind of day I’m having, really

6. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Adam - I like to take inspiration from everyday life and observe behaviour, but I also take a lot from movies and try to think what would make a cool theme for a song that matches a particular scene.

7. Where was your last gig?

Illfracombe

8. Where would you like to play?

Now the album is out, we’re looking to break into the festival scene, so any / all of the UK and European rock & metal festivals

9. Who would you like to share stages with?

The Darkness because they have such a great stage show and really connect with the audience, plus their tunes kick ass!

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

I don’t think so, per se - a few of us have that initial apprehension, but it’s a good thing to focus, so advice - just embrace it and accept you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone

11. Which bands/artists have inspired you the most?

Karl - Led Zeppelin started my guitar obsession, and I’ve had one hell of a musical ride since. Hence, my first tattoo was the ZOSO sign. Having said that, EVH turned my (along with a lot more guitarists) playing upside down. Still nowhere near his level, but I can do a few tricks he did.

Adam - I love GNR & a lot of Slash's playing, and I like a lot of Foo's for their catchy songwriting.

Tezza - Metallica and Iron Maiden have been big influences for me since I started to pick up instruments

Dave - My big four are Priest, Maiden, Sabbath, and Metallica. Also, a bit shout out to Ozzy as all the guitarists he’s worked with have heavily influenced by playing

12. What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

Karl - Not weird so much, but I swapped T-Shirts with a lady at a gig once. The shocker was that she had nothing underneath her top. I had to let her have mine after that. Luckily, I had another T-Shirt as hers would have only gone over one of my arms. Funny how I’ve never forgotten that one LOL!

Adam - Had a girl ask if I wanted to come back to her place with her mum once…perhaps it was just for coffee?

13. What do you think of your fans? How important are they to you?

Karl says, “Without fans, or Biters, as we call them, we would be nothing. The whole point of what we do is to make people rock out at gigs, so they go home knowing what a great time they just had. That’s job done, isn’t it?”

14. What do you think of our website?

Loads of content. The layout is well set up for a mobile device.

15. Anything to add? New music, gigs, etc.?

Karl - We have some new songs we are working on, along with a few gigs already lined up, one Home gig in Bristol to help promote our first album. The early part of 2026 is prepping the release of the album; let’s see where that leads.

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