Eagles of Death Metal, the Californian heavy rock band caught up in the terrorist attacks at Paris venue Le Bataclan earlier this month, have said that they would like to be the first act to perform there when it reopens.

“I don't want to spend my life trying to appease assholes I want to spend my life smiling with my friends and entertaining them,” said the groups lead singer Jesse Hughes to Vice in an interview where he recalled the horrifying moments when the terrorists struck.

Eagles of Death MetalEagles of Death Metal performing live in 2009

“I cannot wait to come back to Paris. I cannot wait to play. I want to come back. I want to be the first band to play in the Bataclan when it opens back up,” he continued. “I was there when it went silent for a minute. Our friends went there and died. I'm gonna go back there and live.”

Gunmen, some with suicide vests, attacked targets across the French capital simultaneously nearly a fortnight ago on November 13th, killing 130 people in total, with 89 of those in the 1,500-capacity venue where the group was performing.

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Eagles of Death Metal returned to America in the aftermath of the atrocity, and broke their silence in a sombre interview, detailing the carnage from as soon as they were aware of what was going on. “Immediately, I knew something was wrong,” Julian Dorio, the band’s drummer, said. “I saw two guys out front and that might be just the most awful thing ever… them just relentlessly shooting into the audience.”

Hughes sadly revealed that “several people hid in our dressing room, and the killers were able to get in and killed every one of them, except for a kid who was hiding under my leather jacket.”

The attackers shot for 15 minutes before taking hostages and then detonating suicide vests during a police siege. An emotional Hughes also told of the heroism of the band’s merchandise manager Nick Alexander, an Englishman who was killed during the attacks.

“[Nick] stayed quiet and never called for help until he bled out because he didn't want anyone else to get hurt,” said Hughes.

More: Eagles of Death Metal confirm merchandise manager Nick Alexander is among the dead in Paris attacks