Firstly, tell us a bit about the band, how long have you been around? Who does what?

Metro Manila Aide has been playing as a band for 7 years and done over 400 gigs in the UK. We've played with bands like SSS (Earache) Fuct up (Canada) The DeathSet (Baltimore) Eighties Matchbox B-line Disaster, The Hot Melts, Multi Purpose Chemical, Profane, Exit Ten and The Drellas.

Saul McBride sings and plays guitar,

Adam Keegan has been playing drums since he was 3,

Danny Rogers is a guitar teacher,

Mark Jeffries played bass in a jazz band in school.

Metro Manila Aide, that’s an interesting name, what’s the story behind that? What does it mean?

Metro Manila Aides were workers during the Marcos era in the Philippines. They thought it was ironic that they get paid like the dirt they had to sweep. The band is a musical tribute to working people everywhere. We want to help people through music the way music has helped us in life.

How would you describe your sound, it seems quite psyc-alt-rock inspired to me.

There is a diverse sound on the album because we all like all styles of music as a rule and like to see them all as one. Life Metal as a genre is a term that is the opposite of death metal but still heavy and immortal.

Who/what would you say has influenced you to create this sound?

We're just going for the sounds in our heads and trying to put that into reality. There is a great feeling comes from playing and of course listening to music. People can say Radiohead crossed with Slayer but it's more than bands that influence music.

The vocals have a tendency to be either spoken or shrieked, is there meaning behind this juxtaposition?

The vocals have always had to be loud to fit over the band and maybe thats positive and negative although we're actually pro-positive, its the MMA PMA.

Speaking of which, what is the lyrical concept behind the band?

Love and justice are the concepts of the lyrics and the band we play music for the love and sing things we love. We ARE peace loving hippies haha its true! There are songs that are co written with great leaders and inspirational figures like Winston Chruchill, Martin Luther King and Albert Einstein. Their words are relevant now.

It seems to me like you guys have an interest in spirituality?

People have said that before but decide for yourself, you'll have to get an album.

After a look over your videos and I want ask, are you guys fans of the anti-video?

Just like anyone can strum a guitar or bang a drum, anyone can make a music video. You don't need cranes and cars. The best music videos can be the most simple. MTV doesn't play music videos so we don't make them, but these kinds of videos could end up on 120 Minutes.

What’s all this stuff about “The Devil’s Handbook”?

Spanning four discs and lasting a mammoth two hours, we submitted our debut release to the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest album ever. There is a lot of red tape  around that, so we will claim the record until someone wants to take it back.

The Devils Handbook is [according to Saul] 'a guide to vacuuming' but the detailed lyric liner notes say otherwise.  There is a curse on the record that if not listened to under he right conditions will be placed on the listener.  A ton of things went wrong during the recording. The track 'God' was removed, files were corrupted, the tracklisting mysteriously changed. It's like a painting, you look at it and decide if you like it then if you want to study it and learn about the artist there is world and a story behind each piece.

You have a reputation as quite a fierce live act; do you enjoy playing live?

Metro Manila Aide only play live haha! The only way to beat music is to have a few hundred people sharing it with you! When the crowd chants 'Metro' that is spiritual.

How is Antipop treating you?

Antipop Records in our opinion is one of the best labels in England at the moment, they're part of everything and even come down to the room for a jam. There is a completely different vibe than where we were before. The ethos is a collective of bands now instead of being alone or part of a dysfunctional scene. The Dead Class and The Drellas are unique also. Fraktures, The Institution, Eighth Day Army, Hollow Point, Brass Neck, Bow & Arrow and The Bendal Interlude are all important bands to watch out for.

What can we expect from Metro Manila Aide in the future?

We are touring this year as much as possible. There will be a dvd release of the record and we're writing a prequel to The Devils Handbook for the next record, also Danny is working on a Bollywood trilogy without giving too much away!