Interview: Aisles
The UK is a very special place for us because of all the bands and artists that we love and that have influenced us. Our music wouldn’t exist without the inspiration from these bands.
Chilean prog rock luminaries Aisles brought out their latest track ‘Blue Skies’ earlier this year, with the promise of a brand new album coming out in 2026, being fantastic news for fans of the band, and if ‘Blue Skies’ is anything to go by, it’s going to be another brilliant record from the band. Aisles are also imminently heading out on a tour of the UK, which starts on November 9th in Edinburgh and is rounded off with an appearance at the sold out HRH Prog festival in Great Yarmouth. Gavin Brown caught up with Aisles guitarist/producer Germán Vergara to talk about the single and tour as well as taking in other topics from prog rock to their native Chile.
E&D: How excited are you to be touring in the UK in November?
Germán: We’re very excited to be back in the UK. We played in 2017 in London when we were promoting Hawaii but that was only one date in the context of a European tour. Now we have 5 dates in total, Southampton, London, Sheffield, Great Yarmouth in England and Edinburgh in Scotland. The UK is a very special place for us because of all the bands and artists that we love and that have influenced us. Our music wouldn’t exist without the inspiration from these bands.
E&D: The tour concludes with an appearance at HRH Prog festival. Do you love playing at festivals like these?
Germán: We totally do, it’s a great opportunity to play with other bands that have a similar approach to music, an audience that’s open to hear new and progressive music, that’s amazing, we also love a festival ambience and atmosphere. It’s great that music has that capacity to connect people.
E&D: If you could curate your own festival bill, who would you love to have playing?
Germán: Of the bands that still play live I would pick these ones: Rush, Muse, King Crimson, Marillion, Leprous, Steven Wilson and Aisles of course!
E&D: Are you looking forward to playing dates on the tour with Dikajee?
Germán: We do, she’s an excellent singer and talented musician and we’re even inviting her to join us on the stage to sing one of the songs called ‘Mira Niñita’. She has the perfect sweet voice that song needs.
E&D: What other newer bands are you loving at the moment?
Germán: We love Muse, Leprous, Opeth, Haken, Animal as Leaders. The Danish band Vola are doing excellent music too.
E&D: What are some of your favourite memories from playing the UK in the past?
Germán: We played in Camden and the audience was amazing, it was the last show of our first European tour. It was a magic moment because of the energy we got from the audience and the band was happy for the release of our album Hawaii. I also remember I was happy to know someone travelled from Norway to see us and it felt really good to know someone would come see us from another country, he probably thought that was his best chance to see us live but it struck me in the sense of knowing that our music was important for so many people.
E&D: Who are some of your favourite ever UK bands?
Germán: So many, now I can remember some of them; Iron Maiden, Yes, Queen, Pink Floyd, Led Zepellin, Muse, Genesis, Allan Holdsworth, King Crimson.
E&D: Where else do you love performing over the world?
Germán: We love playing in Mexico, people are really nice and we felt the audience was really crazy and enthusiastic about our music. Food in México is amazing too.
E&D: What are some of your touring essentials that you can’t live without?
Germán: Books! I always need books, headphones, my personal in ears and more books.
E&D: Are you looking forward to playing your latest single ‘Blue Skies’ on these dates?
Germán: We will definitely be playing it on all our shows, it is the new song we are promoting and it’s the first one we release that will be part of our upcoming album.
E&D: Vocalist Boris joined the band a year ago. How has the newest lineup of the band been working out since then?
Germán: This line up is the best we’ve ever had, Boris came in with great energy along with his amazing vocal talent. Alvaro Poblete had joined the band on drums a year before Boris and the match was instantaneous, we got along so well both musically and as humans. Now it really feels like we are a cohesive group of musicians with a clear objective in mind and with a very interesting view of where we want to go artistically.
E&D: Have you been pleased with how ‘Blue Skies’ has been received since it came out in June?
Germán: The audience’s response was very enthusiastic, especially Boris’s performance in this song — it has led more than one fan to confess that they cried with Blue Skies. We’re going to play it live during our UK dates, and it carries the energy of the band’s new compositions.
E&D: Can you tell us a bit about the song and its video?
Germán: What I can share about the song’s theme is that the lyrics are inspired by the idea of not being able to see someone you love, and that due to external circumstances—such as wars, etc.—you cannot be with the person you want
E&D: Have you got live dates planned going into 2026?
Germán: We are planning a tour to promote the new album that will include continental Europe and the UK, the US, and Mexico, all scheduled for late 2026.
E&D: How does your home country of Chile influence your music?
Germán: Perhaps it has influenced us more unconsciously than consciously, because we have always listened to international music. Many of our influences come from British rock, fusion jazz, classical music. Still, bands like Los Jaivas and other progressive Latin American artists, such as Serú Girán, have also shaped us and all the universal latin American songs that are human heritage.
E&D: Who are your favourite ever musicians from Chile?
Germán: Los Jaivas, who carried out the musical setting of Pablo Neruda’s poem Alturas de Machu Picchu, is one of them. Another musician we respect and enjoy is Claudio Arrau, the famous Chilean pianist.
E&D: How was the experience of Aisles playing live with legendary bands like Marillion and Focus?
Germán: It was wonderful to be able to share the stage with artists whom we once dreamed of meeting as children. Playing alongside them made me reflect on those childhood dreams and realize that we hadn’t done so badly after all.
E&D: What live shows that Aisles have done have been the most memorable?
Germán: I especially remember the shows in London and New Jersey. There’s another one I hold very dearly—technically, the situation wasn’t ideal, but the band went on stage with such a level of commitment and cohesion that we said, “We have to overcome these technical challenges with the best show of our lives.” Musically, the result was amazing, and I remember that show very fondly.
E&D: Have you had any thoughts about new material at all? How did you first discover prog music in the first place?
Germán: We are working on a new album that we hope to release in May 2026. I think the direction our music is taking is unusual, but it’s full of our own identity, and we’re making music with a very renewed sound. To answer the second part of your question, we were introduced to prog music during our childhoods, thanks to bands like Yes, Rush, and Genesis
E&D: What albums would you recommend for someone just getting into prog to check out?
Germán: I would really recommend Close to the Edge by Yes, Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis.
E&D: What are the most influential prog albums for you as a musician?
Germán: I would say that I was mainly influenced by albums like A Night at the Opera by Queen and Fragile by Yes. Selling England by the Pound by Genesis. More recently, I fell in love with Muse’s album Absolution.
E&D: It has been twenty years since you released your debut album The Yearning. What are your main memories from that time?
Germán: I fondly remember that we were three siblings in the band, and at that time, the only thing that mattered was the art and the idea behind the song. We had no limits beyond the aesthetic and philosophical pursuit of our music.
E&D: What would you credit to the longevity of the band?
Germán: Without wanting to sound self-referential, in part it’s my own determination and tenacity, and on the other hand, the people I’ve met along this path have made this project real and powerful. They’ve brought it to life, filled it with creativity, and above all, the fact that we do it because we have things to say—Aisles is our vehicle for expressing what we want to share.
E&D: What have been some of the highlights in those two decades for Aisles?
Germán: We were nominated for Best Progressive Album at the Prog Awards in Italy. We’ve shared the stage with bands like Marillion, and some of our music videos have won awards for Best Script, Direction, and Best Music Video. We’ve also been invited to important festivals in the United States, Europe, Mexico, Argentina and Chile.
Photo by Ignacio Gálvez
