Eagles of Death Metal Discuss Paris Attacks

It’s been two weeks since the horrific attacks of November 13th took place across Paris, leaving 130 dead, and many more wounded; a significant number of whom still remain in a critical condition. One of the multiple attacks to take place that night was the storming and hostage taking of Bataclan theatre, during an Eagles of Death Metal gig, which saw 89 of those attendance killed. For many of those who watched events unfold via social media, news of this attack was the first to break.

Aside from a statement posted to their Facebook a few days after the events, the band have now spoken for the first time on their experiences of that night in an emotional interview with VICE founder Shane Smith. Over the course of the interview, each member of the band goes into the harrowing details of how they managed to escape the theatre that night with their lives.

As well as this, the band also discuss the tragic loss of a friend and crew member in Nick Alexander, the fans they lost and the impact this has had on their relationship with their fans as a whole, the sheer bravery and camaraderie  of everyone in attendance that night, their thoughts and feelings for the families affected by those attacks, and what the future holds for Eagles of Death Metal; finishing the tour, and a return to the Bataclan theatre. As Jesse Hughes says;

‘I cannot wait to get back to Paris, I cannot wait to play. I wanna come back…I want to be the first band to play in the Bataclan when it opens back up…Because I was there when it went silent for a minute. Our friends went there to see rock ‘n’ roll and died. I’m gonna go back there and live.’

The interview is certainly heavy and heartbreaking, but the message of hope and unity expressed by the band, alongside the deep sense of love they have for each other and their fans, is both beautiful and inspirational in the wake of this tragedy.