Medication For The Nation

For some bands, learning that you wouldn’t hit the stage ‘til ten minutes to two in the morning would probably bring about more negative attitudes than positive ones. However, thankfully youth and eagerness are on The Treatment’s side, and while they arrive into the pressroom - fresh faced on a Friday morning at Hard Rock Hell - we can’t help but wonder if their enthusiasm will hold out until the early hours. “It’s great!” they chirp, seemingly completely satisfied with the time slot they’ve been given. “It’s only another 14 hours ‘til we play…it’s all alright!”

They seem just as excited to be in the depths of Prestatyn in the midst of winter as we are, and I’m not being sarcastic. 2011 has brought about one of the strongest line-ups Hard Rock Hell has seen, and the long list of musicians playing this weekend certainly hasn’t passed by the boys.  “We really wanna see Ginger!” the boys say eagerly, as the Wildhearts frontman performs earlier on in the evening over on the main stage. “If we have the time, we also want to catch our manager’s band: Airrace” adds Ben. “Hopefully we’ll also be able to watch Million Dollar Reload and Voodoo Six.”

This isn’t the first time they’ve played here. When asked what brought them back, the boys laughed, simply saying “at least we have a bed to sleep in this time! At least its not as cold as it is in Germany!” We can only wonder what they meant by the first part of their answer, but it’s obvious what the latter is referring to.

It definitely safe to say that 2011 was definitely The Treatment’s year. Although we’re already sure of their answer, we asked them what the highlight had been for them over the past 12 months. “It’s got to be Alice Cooper” smiles Ben,  “Going on tour with him across the UK and Europe was just amazing.” Considering the band are still in their late teens to early twenties, the chance to support the king of shock rock was too good an opportunity to miss. Fresh off the Welcome 2 My Nightmare tour where it came to a close in Germany, surely with a long and prosperous career in the music industry ahead of them, they picked up a few helpful hints and tips from the music legend…

“Yeah - how to put on eyeliner!”

They laugh. “The whole show was really professional, so I say we’ve taken away a bit of that professionalism” offers Tag. “They were all really nice guys too.”

If you haven’t come across The Treatment yet, it’s about time you did. Playing in February alongside fellow label mates Jettblack and Reckless Love as part of HMV’s Next Big Thing, they’ve also recently been announced as support for everyone’s favourite Sunset Strip cock rockers Steel Panther on their upcoming European tour. Not bad for a group so young. Despite their age, they’ve honed their musical style and jumped onto the music scene with qualities of a band that are much older. “I think it’s because we know what we want to do,” explains Rick. “We play what we want to play and we work hard. We all live together as well, so we have that connection that not many other bands have.” Sounds like they’re doing everything right so far, and its paying off.