We catch up with House of Lights main man Jord as he faces the decision that could either make or break his career.

Alternative rock sensations House of Lights have decided to throw the towel in after 6 successful years as a band. Two times Grammy award winning trio called it a day last month after rumours that drummer, David Jones, had checked into rehab following a struggle with an alcohol addiction. Lead singer and guitarist, Jordan Dale (or ‘Jord’ to his fans), speaks exclusively to 42 about the band’s decision to split and what his plans are now that he’s officially a solo artist.

Let’s start with David, what was your reaction when he said he was checking into rehab?

‘’Well, I had no idea he had a problem. I suppose it was a surprise to both me and Ron (Ronald Lee), neither of us knew and we honestly didn’t catch on to anything. *Laughs* I guess you could say Dave’s a great liar. As far as the band was concerned everything was the same as it had always been. Of course we were supportive when he finally came clean but I was just amazed at how little we actually knew about each other. ‘’

So, is it true that it was because of David’s alcohol problem that House of Lights split up?

‘’Primarily, no. Things had been bad for a while. No one wanted to make the same music anymore. We had grown up as a band and always made decisions together. I think we’d just out grown our old stuff and we all wanted to change our style but no one could agree on what we wanted to sound like. I wanted to show our fans that we were the same band we’d always been and that everything was about the music, but Ron wanted to develop a more mature sound and David, for obvious reasons, wouldn’t take sides. So, no, David’s addiction wasn’t the reason the band split, but it did play a part.’’

What about David and Ron’s argument in front of the press last month? I’m sure that if anyone knows what happened there it would be you.

*Laughs* ‘’It was nothing compared to what the papers made of it.’’ *Laughs again* ‘’ They’d had this bet on for weeks, football obviously, and things got a little out of hand with who owed who money. It was such a stupid thing for them to get so wound up about, especially at a publicity event. Dave had only recently told us about his decision to go to rehab so that was the first thing that Ron brought into it. The next day the world knew and Dave was furious. Of course the rumours where there but because of Ron everyone knew for sure.’’

Is it true that you and David have turned against Ron and are planning small gigs together?

‘’No way. Just because we’re not a band anymore doesn’t mean that we are turning against each other. We’ve spent the last six years as best friends and I hope that just because we’re not House of Lights anymore we’re not going to stop being friends. That’s just a rumour that’s been spread over social media. Our fans know that it’s just not us to turn against each other and I hope they’ll stand by us no matter what happens next. Maybe we’ll do a comeback tour in the future, who knows, but there’s definitely not going to be any gigs between us as half a band.’’

That brings us to you then. What made you want to be a solo artist?

‘’Well, now I’m not in a band anymore that’s the only way I can go.’’ *Laughs* ‘’But seriously, I love the music, I love my job, I love the fans and I love this life that I’ve created with the band. I wouldn’t want to lose that and I don’t really have another option. The only way I can keep doing the job I love is to go it alone, so that’s what I’m going to do.’’

Should we be expecting your first solo album anytime soon?

‘’Not too soon, no. I want to take this slowly to let myself get used to the process alone. Then I want to be able to make the best music I possibly can. I want the fans to feel the same way about me on my own as they did when I was part of House of Lights. I know that they’ll be disappointed that House of Lights doesn’t exist anymore, but I don’t want to completely take the music that we made away from them.’’

You keep talking about ‘the music’, does this mean that you’re going to keep to the original House of Lights style

‘’As much as possible, yes. I want House of Lights to live on in my music. It sounds cheesy but it’s true. When we started in 2008 I never thought for one minute that we’d end up like this. If I can keep us going for the fans for a little bit longer, I will. The music I want to write will keep our style, the genre, everything, except it’ll only be my vocals on the track.’’

Is there anything you’re afraid of? Any regrets about leaving House of Lights and going it alone?

‘’It’s not a case of being afraid, more of beginning again and venturing into the unknown as a solo artist. As for the band, there’s nothing I could do. We tried everything to keep it going but in the end the best thing to do was to let go. We had a good run and enjoyed every minute of it but it was time to just put it in the past and move on.’’

Thank you for opening up to us, Jordan. I’m sure everyone, your fans especially, can’t wait for your music to amaze and surprise us like it always has.

‘’And thank you for listening to me spilling out my darkest secrets.’’ *Laughs* ‘’And as for the amazement, we’ll see. No one knows what the future holds. I can’t wait to start my next adventure.’’

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