Strangers in a strange land

30 Seconds to Mars seemed to burst onto the music scene from nowhere. Although the band was formed in 1998 by brothers Jared and Shannon Leto, it wasn’t until their first album in 2002 that the band found their way on the success they now know.

Their new album, This is War is the first album since their well publicised legal battle with record company Virgin Records (which we’ll get to later). For those who haven’t heard the new album, the record is different from the bands previous output. Were these changes a deliberate move of the band going their own way? “No not at all,” says drummer Shannon Leto, “It was just a very natural thing. It [the album] fit into everything that was going on in our lives.”

Following the recent earthquake in Haiti, 30 Seconds to Mars have continuously encouraged their fans to donate money to relief funds. “Well, we lived in Haiti when we were younger… It just felt like an automatic reaction to help out. Why not? We have the opportunity to help… the people there are so nice.”

So is the band aware of the influential position they have? “We try to help. It really does just feel natural and automatic to do that. The more we grow as people the more we evolve. We want people to be a part of what we do. It really is an amazing thing.”

In terms of the “Mars Army”, Shannon states that it isn’t a disguise. “It’s something we started… just a group of people that have shared beliefs, ideas and experiences… but yeah, we’re going to take over the world!”

While the band may not be taking over the world just yet, they’re not unfamiliar with how to fight their ground following their legal problems with Virgin Records. The label sued the band over claims they had refused to deliver the three albums that had been agreed in their contract. “That was a pain in the ass. We were trying to create art and this big monster was just looming over us. Then again, if we didn’t go through that we wouldn’t have the album we have today.”

Unusual experiences are something the band is not a stranger to. They were the first band to ever record an entire music video in the People’s Republic of China. “When we arrived [in China], we were eating in this restaurant and I looked up and I could see all these red flags everywhere and I saw all these guards with guns. It was pretty different. It was as heavy experience you know? Going into the Forbidden City, being a part of it, all the buildings and everything… it was pretty surreal.”

Despite their single The Kill being voted the top alternative song in the past ten years, Shannon still seems quite shy and humble about the band’s success.

When asked what he thought of the band being described as “rock’s best kept secret”, Leto showed a coy side. “I dunno what that means,” he mumbled, almost embarrassed before saying, “What does it mean? What DOES it mean!?”

“We have our own interpretation. People think we’re rock stars like… we just do what we do. It started with me and my brother playing guitar together… we started recording, we thought it would be cool to share the experience.”
Shannon says the band can’t wait to play to an Irish audience.

“Absolutely, we can’t wait. With our fans, we really do care about them. It’s a shared experience.”

30 Seconds to Mars play the O2 on February 26. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster outlets.