Here is the recent interview Rachel did for the Polish site Rockella.pl. March 2011.

In 2010 you had three releases, "Adverse Camber", "Acoustically Speaking" and DVD "Highway to High Voltage". Is this a summary of a certain stage in the history of the band?

2010 was a period during which the band were able to experiment a little in terms of our approach to songwriting and performance. The two albums, respectively, enabled us to explore our heavier, rockier side and also a mellower, laid-back sound, and both together give a multi-dimensional perspective on The Reasoning’s strengths, I think. Re-arranging the tracks acoustically was a really enjoyable process as well. The High Voltage performance was a fantastic experience and a great success, and I think the DVD captures it perfectly. It’s a great showcase for our progress up to that point.

Dylan Thompson left the band shortly before the release of the DVD. What was the reason? You will now act as a quintet? We will no longer have to deal with your outstanding duets with Dylan...

Dylan’s reasons for leaving were personal to him. It became clear almost immediately, however, that the band worked incredibly well – better, in fact – as a five-piece, and there was no question of us not continuing! We’ve found that each of us can really shine in our own individual roles, largely because there’s now so much more space (musically and physically) in which to do so. The team dynamic of the band has also improved immeasurably: the five of us are very focused on doing something that we’re passionate about, and are committed to making it a success.

There will still be plenty of vocal interplay, so we certainly haven’t lost anything in terms of our ability to perform duets or multiple harmonies! Everyone in the band now performs backing vocals, in fact, which means that our potential for exciting vocal arrangements is actually more exciting than it was before. We’ve been able to re-arrange the older material to suit the new line up, so that it sounds fresh and exciting.

During the festival at London's High Voltage you have played with Joe Bonamassa, Opeth, and ELP. Thus you had the opportunity to reach a new group of fans. How was playing with such a company?

We enjoyed the entire High Voltage weekend enormously. It was a real privilege to be a part of the very first High Voltage festival, and to share the bill with some incredible acts. We played to an audience of about 4,000, and the response was fantastic – we still continue to receive messages from people who saw us there for the first time and have since become Reasoning enthusiasts! The band always put on a great live show because we really know how to entertain: there’s far more to a good performance than just skilled musicianship…although it helps that we’re lucky enough to have both, of course…

The album, "Acoustically Speaking"is the acoustic versions of songs from your previous releases. You showed there your delicate face. Where did the idea for this record?

We included a short acoustic set during our shows on the Adverse Camber tour in April 2010, and were inundated with demands for more acoustic material. Our fans really seemed to enjoy listening to more delicate, “stripped-back” versions of the songs, and it was a real pleasure to follow the release if the album with a short acoustic tour.

Let's go back further in time to first last year's record. "Adverse Camber" is more severe and acute disc. Such was the intention?

With Adverse Camber, we were taking a (long overdue) opportunity to demonstrate our musical capabilities, in terms of performance and songwriting. It was an inspirational time for the band, and we wanted to make an intense record, which would capture the sense of excitement that we felt at being able to incorporate lots of different influences and ideas. I also enjoyed writing and recording more challenging vocal parts than some of those I’d attempted previously, so it was a great voyage of self-discovery for me personally! The entire album was written and recorded within about 3 months, and it’s a piece of work that I’m very proud of.

Let's go back for a moment to your debut. "The Awakening", when he appeared, was a great event among the art rock releases. You have managed to combine your experience from Karnataka with Matthew's experience from Magenta and create a completely new quality . Can you say a few words about your experience with the recording of "The Awakening"?

I actually came to be involved with The Reasoning only after Awakening had already been written! I had initially planned just to help out with some song arrangements (and maybe contribute some backing vocals to the album), but found myself feeling so excited about the project that I decided to take on a permanent role as a key vocalist. It was a fascinating time of bringing together our shared previous experiences and applying these to something brand new: I still think of Awakening as an experimental record in many ways, and we were delighted with the enthusiastic reception that it received.

How important for the CD had the appearance of Steve Rothery?

Steve’s guest appearance on the album certainly helped in terms of its appeal to a wider fan base – and our friendship with him also meant that we were invited to perform live with Marillion on a couple of occasions, which were very valuable opportunities. As a huge Marillion fan myself, it was an honour to work with Steve, and we welcomed his contribution as a guest on the album.

Let us return to the present. It's hard after such a busy publishing year to ask about plans for a new disc. But are you thinking about it already?

We’ve already written plenty of material for our next album, in fact! We’re aiming to release this in Autumn 2011, and promote it with some intense touring: both in the UK and abroad. The writing process has changed quite dramatically this time around, and has enabled us all to take on a more active role in this context. We’re focusing on bringing together the intensity of Adverse Camber and the space and fragility of Acoustically Speaking, to produce an album that’s true to the spirit of The Reasoning (as always), but really quite different from anything that we’ve done before.

In May you have plans to show at RosFest jointly with the Polish band Quidam. Do you know their work? (If yes) How do you like their songs?

We’re very much looking forward to RosFest this year! I’ve only heard a little of Quidam’s work so far (and liked it a lot), so I look forward to hearing some more during the festival itself.

Does it involve the performance of any special hopes?

RosFest will be a fantastic opportunity for The Reasoning. Whilst Matt and I have performed live in the USA with previous bands, this will be The Reasoning’s first American concert, which is very exciting. We’ll be able to showcase our new five-piece line up to a brand new audience, and will also be performing some material from the forthcoming album. I’m sure that it will be a memorable experience for all involved.

The Reasoning for this has never occurred in Poland. I can assure you that you have a lot of fans in Poland. Is there a chance that we saw you live?

The Reasoning would absolutely love to perform live in Poland. We are making plans for a European tour either later this year or in 2012, and so we’re in the process of looking for suitable Polish venues. All suggestions will be considered!

I love the translations! Great interview Rachel.