Growing up in England, Matt Jones was a huge fan of American hard rock icons KISS and Mötley Crüe.
“I grew up with posters of both bands on my wall,” he said. “I had one of KISS and one of Mötley Crüe. I used to listen to them all the time.”
So when Jones, the lead singer for The Treatment, found out his band had been picked to open for KISS and Mötley Crüe on their 43-date summer tour – which swings into the White River Amphitheatre on Aug. 18 – he and his bandmates were thrilled.
“We were actually travelling back from another show in Europe, so we were all in the van together when we got the call,” he said. “We just started cheering and high-fiving each other. It was such a crazy moment. It was unreal.”
Formed in 2009 in Cambridge, England, The Treatment – which released its debut album “This Might Hurt” this month – is a perfect fit for a tour featuring two bands that got their start in the 1970s (KISS) and the early 1980s (Mötley Crüe).
Although most of the lads in The Treatment aren’t even old enough to buy booze in the U.S., the band’s sound hearkens back to the hard-rock sounds of the 70s and 80s.
“We’ve all grown up listening to AC/DC, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, all of those classic bands,” Jones said. “I think it’s natural for us to play music that sounds like it’s from the 70s and 80s because our parents raised us listening to that kind of music. It’s natural for us.”
For Jones it’s all about the energy of the classic hard rock sound.
“Rock from those days had a kind of pureness and energy about it,” he said. “You can listen and picture the stories in your head. And when you watch it live, there is a raw energy about it. And that’s what we try to do with our shows, we try to put as much fun and as much excitement into it as possible.”
Jones said they’ve tried to pack just as much fun and excitment into their debut album.
“We worked on it for a year,” he said.
Jones said band members fine tuned the songs on the album in their home studio before heading into Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris’ studio to finish the album.
“He’d actually come in when we were there and listen and give his seal of approval,” he said. “That’s huge for us, being such big Maiden fans.”
The Treatment are hoping to get a seal of approval from U.S. fans on the tour as well.
“It’s huge, it’s massive exposure for us,” he said. “Every show is for 10,000 people or more. For us to come out to a place we’ve never been and play for that many people is fantastic for us.”
The Treatment kick off the music at 7 p.m. Aug. 18 KISS/Mötley Crüe tour stop at the White River Amphitheatre, so get there early.
