In a parallel universe, Five believe there may be life on Mars, and aliens enjoy moshing to their music while watching EastEnders. This week, I attended Download Festival dressed in a black velvet ball gown and carrying a caged haunted dog, ready for an interview with Five that promised to be out of this world.
Five also promise to rock you, and any metalhead present at the Dogtooth Stage last Thursday night would agree. Thousands of Download fans confirm that Five knows how to rock, and I declared them the most metal band at the festival this year, an honour they happily accepted.
Ghost Hunting Under the Stage
Before the interview, I had been ghost hunting under the Apex Stage, trying to intervene with my haunted dog and uncover its backstory. Approaching one of the '90s most famous boy bands while holding a caged pink nodding dog was surreal, but they indulged me with paranormal chat. Abz quickly declared, "When you're dead, you're dead," and left. Scott and Ritchie believed in the afterlife, while Sean was on the fence, freaked out by the dog. Sean said, "It's scaring me. It's really freaking me out."
I explained the dog sometimes moves on its own. Ritchie exclaimed, "Shut up!" and J asked if it would fly forward. I assured them it was secured in its cage for safety. Scott joked he wasn't scared because it was pink, but Ritchie warned him not to goad it. J suggested smashing Scott over the head with the cage, blaming the possessed dog.
Encounters with the Otherworldly
Returning to serious topics, I asked if any band members had encountered the unexplained. Both Scott and Ritchie shared experiences with psychic mediums that convinced them some people can communicate with the dead. Ritchie recalled a medium mentioning a deceased family member's exact name, leaving him emotional. Scott confirmed his own experiences left no doubt.
J lightened the mood by asking if I was a ghost. I felt like one, but before releasing the band to their fans, I squeezed in alien chat. Scott believes in life on Mars or a parallel universe where aliens watch EastEnders. I imagined a cyborg version of Five singing on the moon, leaving them perplexed or running scared. I'm proud to have given Five the weirdest interview of their career.
