We like playing smaller venues, but we know how many people want to come and see us so we don't ever want to stop anyone who wants to come to a show from coming. "It's about giving back to our fans," says Bennington. In the country for just a few days, the three are keen to emphasise their reasons for playing two small shows before their arena tour later this year. Equally skinny, he wears a baseball cap sideways, sports chipped black nail varnish and looks barely 16, though he's actually 25. Nelson grins, radiating laid-back cheer, in contrast to Bennington's barely disguised wariness. And they need a rug," he notes earnestly, shaking his head. "And that picture should be at eye level, not hung in the middle of nowhere like that. "That wall treatment is bullshit," he frowns from the sofa opposite, unaware of the implications of a fierce nu-metal band expressing interior design concerns. There are patterns on every surface, brown leather sofas and strange pictures hanging at peculiar angles, all to the obvious distress of Shinoda. The room itself is decorated in the style of a particulary tasteless English living room, circa 1976. The band's requested, distinctly American refreshments are laid out on a table at one end bagels, bags of pretzels, bottles of Snapple.
He is joined today by rapper Mike Shinoda and guitarist Brad Nelson, while bandmates DJ Joe Hahn, drummer Rob Bourdon and bassist Dave Farrell remain downstairs in catering, glued to The Simpsons and eating mashed potato.īennington, Shinoda and Nelson are trying to work out how to turn up the primitive electrical fire. He has a shaved head and thick black glasses that seem less rock star, more nerdy student, and is polite but guarded, intent on answering only the questions he chooses - whether they are asked or not. Preposterously skinny, he is wearing a light grey woollen zip-up top (some might even venture to call it a cardigan) over a white T-shirt and dark blue jeans. He's the owner of the almighty, angry roar that characterises Linkin Park songs, the one most likely to be pinned on teenage girls' walls and the one inclined to scowl exasperatedly at the prospect of an interview. We can only say how we feel, and that's excited that people are hearing the record," vocalist Chester Bennington says finally. "Well, obviously, the record label feels that's what needs to be done. Backstage at their Manchester concert - one of two low-key UK dates before the release of Meteora - there are amused smiles and a telling silence when security is mentioned. The band members themselves will not be drawn into defending or even discussing this secrecy. Unofficial estimates suggest that figure would have been 20m were it not for internet piracy - which goes some way to explaining the security surrounding its follow-up. When they finally released their debut album, Hybrid Theory, it sold a staggering 14m copies, making it the world's bestselling album of 2001. The six twentysomethings from southern California nurtured a flourishing internet fan base before signing a record deal. Linkin Park are a truly modern success story.