Interview by Kris Peters
Janet Gardner is a name most hard rockers and metallers have etched into their black hearts.
Since fronting legendary outfit Vixen, Gardner has epitomised the spirit of metal with her distinctive vocals, influencing generation after generation of music listeners and performers while always maintaining an approachable and down to Earth attitude.
Since going solo in more recent years - with guitarist and husband Justin James - Gardner has revitalised both her music and her brand, touring constantly and continuing to churn out high-quality albums.
Gardner is just one of a host of international acts such as Slaughter, Lynch Mob, The Cruel Intentions, H.E.A.T and Jetboy who are descending on Melbourne and Sydney this weekend as part of Glamfest 2024.
HEAVY caught up with Janet and Justin to find out more, and we start by pointing out there is well over 100 years of experience in just the headliners alone.
"Wow," James exclaimed. "That's crazy when you look at it that way. But what's so cool is, it's bands from the day that we all loved - and still love - and then there's some new acts that are part of this bill that are great, and I'm excited to see. Like H.E.A.T and The Cruel Intentions that we don't get to see here in the States."
"This is a good opportunity to see them," Gardner added.
We ask what it is both of them like most about playing festivals such as Glamfest. Is it the music or catching up with old friends or the atmosphere?
"All of the above," Gardner and James replied in unison.
"You just nailed it," Gardner said.
"A lot of these bands are friends, so it's great to see them," James continued. "Obviously playing on stage and playing music and seeing the fans and friends and crowd… the whole thing is almost overwhelming. We are so excited about this."
"And there is a sense of community with our genre of music now," Gardner took over, "that didn't exist back when we were all at the height of our popularity. Other than the bands you're touring with at the moment… like, I didn't get a chance to see a lot of those bands because we were always touring. This is such great opportunities to see other bands and share a stage with them. It's an honour and it's amazing."
In the full interview Janet and James talk more about Glamfest and what to expect, what bands playing they may not have played with before, how the band has changed since their last visit in 2020, the other members of the band, the Australian bands and which ones they are familiar with, their recent album No Strings and how it was received, if they are still getting new fans or if their core base is existing listeners, future plans and more.
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