(Interview) Conjurer: " It's all about pacing, guitar tunings, and finding a balance between what we need to play for the audience."
- Kirsty Bright
- Jul 24
- 4 min read
Coming off a headliner tour contained many moments for Noah of Conjurer, so many that it's hard to look back on one specific. Although he humorously does recall Columbus being a standout, the reason? "That place gave me twice as many chicken wings as I ordered. (laughing) So, that was an amazing moment.”
Humble moments like this are what stand out throughout the brief chat with the drummer during Download. A place where, in the high-energy, chaotic atmosphere, it's nice to have laid-back chats such as this. Talking about the huge legacy that Download holds for many of those who came in the early days as fans themselves and are now up on the stages as musicians. We spoke to Noah about touring life, who he would have in his supergroup should Download ever ask, and the difficulty in compiling setlists.
So you guys have just come off your 2026 headline tour. Looking back, what were the standout moments for you, and how do they compare to other audiences in Europe?
Noah: There were so many standout moments. I mean, some of the gigs were just fantastic. In terms of, like, actual just kind of day-to-day moments, it tends to just blend into one a little bit. (laughs) What really stands out is the vibe of being together with all the bands on the tour. The community aspect of it felt special.
There was a show in Raleigh that I think was my favourite of the tour. The final show in Philadelphia was also amazing. We played a venue in Columbus. That place gave me twice as many chicken wings as I ordered. (laughing) So, that was an amazing moment. So yeah, that's got to be up there with those two gigs in particular. (laughs).
With the tours, do you know exactly what songs to put on the set list, and how do you compile one for festivals like today? Is there a different setup?
Noah: Yeah, with great difficulty! Because everyone in the band has personal gigging experience, and each one is different from a playing perspective. So everyone wants something slightly different from the show, we know there are the heavy hits that we want to play in particular. Then we just go back and forth arguing for days, weeks, you know, about how we're going to fill the rest of the set.
But today’s set was tough because we only had 25 minutes and a lot of our songs are quite long. We had to cherry pick the best and strongest tracks, especially from the new album. It's all about pacing, guitar tunings, and finding a balance between what we need to play for the audience and also what kind of enrichment our own gig experience has that we enjoy playing as well.
Talking tours, you're returning to Europe this October. Is there a specific city you're excited to play in or a new one that you haven't been to yet?
Noah: I need to actually check the cities properly (laughs). But think, firstly, it depends on if we get some time to kind of look around, but I'm excited because we're playing with Der Weg and Freiheit. They are just an incredible German black metal band, they're amazing. So playing in their home country with them is probably what I'd be most excited to play. Especially as it’s towards the end of the year, so it’ll have that more festive atmosphere across Europe as well, so that'll be nice.
Playing a massive festival like this is huge for any band and definitely has memorable moments. What does playing Download mean to you, and why do you find it impactful?
Noah: I think Download is such an important festival for the international scene but also for the UK to kind of represent the UK on such a big scale. So for us to be included in it, to be asked to play, it just feels great. It feels like being seen by and recognised by the industry.
So that's really, really great. From a personal perspective, I've come to Download as a team and as a fan, which I’ve had some great memories of. It’s definitely a full circle moment to come back and go, 'Oh, we're actually playing this now,' as opposed to just turning up as punters, and now we’re contributing to an amazing festival.
Yeah, the legacy of it all. That is a beautiful segue. Can you remember your first experiences with the festival, either performing or as a fan? And how does it feel now to be part of the whole Download legacy?
Noah: Yeah, that's what it’s about. To be a part of it is pretty fulfilling. In terms of memories, my first download was in 2012, which was drown mode (laughing). I think it was on the news as just the muddiest, grossest festival at the time. But there was the Sonisphere Festival the year before as well in 2011, which was my first proper festival.
And it turns out a few of the other guys in the band had also been to that festival that year.
For anyone reading this, I implore you to go check the lineup for Sonisphere 2011. Because it was crazy and so stacked. Bands like Gojira were playing on the third stage in the middle of the day. So doing that in 2011, then I came here in 2012, and just two years of festivals were kind of a big, big jump starting point and a big memory for live music. So today it’s not a loss for me to come and play stages like Download.
If Download said you had to start a super group with two other acts from today's lineup, who would it be and why?
Noah: Well, two other acts from today's lineup. I'm going to say Thornhill because they're friends of mine, and they’re great guys and a great band. I don't know what style of music we'd end up doing, but just being in a band with someone from that group, maybe Jacob – he's such a talented singer – that would be sick. I was going to say Alex Ruding from Trivium is playing drums, so I could step away from the drums in my band and I could play something else? (laughs) Because I would want to play guitar with him on drums, that would be amazing. So, yeah, my picks are Trivium and Thornhill.
Follow Conjurer
Written by Kirsty Bright
Interview conducted by Eden Callingham
