The Joy Formidable – Sept 2011
Sophie Stratford talks to Ritzy Bryan, lead vocalist and guitarist for The Joy Formidable, about album number 2 and their up and coming UK tour. Originally from Wales, the band moved to London playing under the name Sidecar Kisses. A bassist and a drummer later, they renamed themselves to The Joy Formidable and the journey began. This year they have self produced a debut album titled The Big Roar which has heads turning on both sides of the Atlantic.
Are you excited for your up and coming UK headline tour?
I’m very excited, I think we’ve done a lot of festivals and we’ve been out in the States for a couple of months so we’re really looking forward to going back and doing a UK tour. It’s going to be the last tour of the UK for this year and a final celebration of our debut album The Big Roar. And we’ll be back next year with a new album, and were just really looking forward to celebrating the end of the year. We’ve also got a great fan base that has been with us from the very beginning, they’re very loyal and it’s always a pleasure to see them. We’re going to make it a really special tour.
Have you got any special live tricks in the bag to get the crowds dancing?
Well, I think we’ve got a very solid approach to just stepping out on the stage every night and just being completely committed. I think when you get up there you have to play every show like it’s your last. We love what we do and the songs have a lot of meaning to them and there’s a lot of truth in what we do - That’s why every night is different as there is quite a lot of natural emotion in the experience. We will keep it very truthful, real with no gimmicks. What’s your opinion on the city of Newcastle, have you had time to explore it? We love Newcastle. We always get a great crowd in the city. We’ve been to Newcastle a few times before and it’s always a show we look forward to playing.
Best thing about playing to a live audience?
I think it’s how it is so variable and every night can be very different. When you get up there you’re not quite sure what’s going to happen and there probably is a small bit of danger hiding in us where you get a thrill out of that sense of unknown. And how things can change over the hour and a half that we’re on stage; I think that is where the excitement really comes from. Playing a different show every night is what keeps us alive and I think that resonates in the audience that come to see us and probably why we get quite a few fans coming to every show!
How did it feel to play the main stage at Leeds & Reading this year?
It was really special. Reading & Leeds is quite a nostalgic festival for us because from being a very small band it was one of the first festivals we played on the BBC Introducing stage. And every year since then we have been invited back and it’s amazing how we have grown. It was really heart-warming and exciting. I liked our early ‘wake up’ slot, trying to cheer everyone up and cure their hangovers.
What do you want people to gain out of listening to your music?
As long as they are moved or awakened in some way – you don’t just want to be background music or just something that just sits nicely in the middle where it’s bland. If our music speaks to people that’s the power that you can’t always articulate.
Have you had any ideas for album no.2?
Yes, almost too many. We’ve got lots of chaotic threads at the moment, we have been writing obsessively. We’ve got that many options for it. We’re experimenting a lot and being very free with the writing – just having a really good mess about. In December I think we’ll have a bit of time to make sense of all of our ideas. We definitely want a new album next year.
How do you think your music has developed since you started writing?
It’s something that is very hard to pin point. It’s a very unconscious process. There will always be elements of the old record in our work, but I can see our new work going off in lots of different directions. Where do The Joy Formidable go from here.
What have you got lined up for the rest of the year and 2012?
Lots of touring! We’re also on tour with Foo Fighters in November and we’re back in the America in December. And next year it’s all going to be about the new record and probably lots of touring again. We’re not the sort of band that has limits on releasing so I’m not quite sure what we will put out next but I think obviously we’re working towards a body of material so we will just wait and see. Always thinking, always writing.
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The Chapman Family - Feb 2011
Sophie Stratford talks to Kingsley Chapman from Stockton-on-Tees based band The Chapman Family. After 5 years the foursome are set to release their debut album Burn Your Town on March 7th. Burn Your Town is the result of their hard work, and it is 50 minutes of big sounding songs and it's not all one-paced. Fast and frantic angry bursts of punk energy are paired up with more epic-sounding anthems.
Excited about the release of Burn Your Town?
Of course you don’t get to release your debut album more than once. But it’s been hard work, I’m not going to lie; we did our first gig in 2006 at the Ku Bar in Stockton and getting that was a complete struggle in a way I had to bribe the owners into letting us perform. I was best man for of the owner’s sister – I can’t remember the whole story. It was a struggle to get any radio play what-so-ever on local radio and a struggle getting into local papers and NME, so managing to get the album finished and sorted is a bit of an honour really. Seeing your record on a shelf in HMV is the kind of thing everyone in a band dreams of.
Where did you get your influenced from for the record?
Pretty much everything, I don’t really go for musical references or anything like that. I think you can’t help but be influenced by every time you open your eyes at any part in every day. I think you should always keep your eyes open and always continue to be influenced. I’m influenced by where I come from, my way of life etc. For an easy answer I could say David Bowie because he is my favourite person in the world.
Is there a stand out track on there for you?
Our new single Anxiety and it’s out on the 28th of February.
How do you think your sound has developed and changed since you first started writing?
Well when we first started out it was just me and the guitarist, Paul, bashing some silly songs out when we got back from town really drunk messing about till the early hours of the morning so we didn’t know what we were doing. So when we calmed it down we were more serious about writing and all had a clear vision of where we wanted to go, we clicked more then. We didn’t want to write the same 3minute long shouty, noisy, pop punk stuff as everyone else, we wanted to develop it more. I didn’t really enjoy Leeds Festival this year because I hyped myself up so much and when we eventually got to play I made it a lot bigger than it was, I wanted it to be perfect but things went wrong on the day, guitars stopped working ect.
How would you describe your sound to people that haven’t heard you before?
Well I’m not sure. Because in some articles that get written about us we come across as cartoony and one dimensional and that all we do is moan, shout, play too loud and smash things up, and that’s the expression we want to eradicate. There are a few ballads on the album and we wanted to show that we can throw in a lot of atmosphere. We wanted a reflection of the world we see at the moment not the imaginary world where everyone’s happy.
What’s the best song to play live?
I think we all have our different favourites in the band. I really enjoy playing our last song called Like A Million Dollars, I think every band should have a song that’s like no ones else’s, I mean you can’t re invent the wheel but we try to push the boundaries a bit in that song.
How does the UK compare to other places you’ve played?
We got to play in Japan last year and America, which was unbelievable. I think you generally get better food, like they buy you sandwiches and stuff! I still think it’s a massive honour and privilege to go to these countries for free, these are places I wouldn’t have dreamed of going if I want in a band. Tokyo for instance when we played to a 5,000 packed out arena supporting Stereophonics – things like that blow your mind. When we went there, 12 hour flight, purely jetlagged, had 2 hours sleep, and our record company over there straight away took us to a karaoke bar, you kind of don’t get that when you play at the Georgian Theatre in Stockton.
What artists are you listening to at the moment?
Well for the last year I’ve been very self centred listening to various mixes and connotations of our album to try and get it really right. And I hate blowing smoke up The North-East’s a**e but I think we’re in such an amazing time for culture and music, we’ve got Little Comets, Frankie & The Heartstrings, Detroit Social Club, Young Rebel Set, all these really cool bands that are getting recognition, especially when the region is struggling economically and culturally we’re fighting back and that makes me very proud.
Have you got any obsessive fans?
We get a few and again it is odd because when you start a band you never expect people to analyse your every word or connect that much with your songs. We have this weird fan group in London, there’s quite a few of them; one has got one side of her hair black the other white, covered in tattoos and she sometimes does our mailing list when we go up there, then there’s this great big guy who wears shorts and sparkly converse who stands at the front of the gigs getting in everyone’s way. But it’s great to speak to them afterwards, some have had some hard times in different periods of their life and when they mention our songs have helped them it is really rewarding and humbling.
Where would you like to be in 10 years time?
Hopefully not looking back on our debut album thinking we should have done something better. At the moment we haven’t got any regrets at all, but again it was another reason we started, I was watching bands thinking I can do that. I never had any musical knowledge of how the music industry works or how to book a gig so actually having the drive to do something was the biggest challenge, and I remember thinking back then I didn’t want to think in ten years time I could have done that.
What have you got lined up for 2011?
At the moment the album is coming out and we have a tour with Old Children in March. We’re playing a fair few urban music festivals such as Sound City in Liverpool and Dot to Dot festival in Bristol and Manchester, Camden Crawl and Great Escape. Hopefully on the back of the album getting released if enough people like it and various music industry people like what they hear and come to see us live then with any luck we can play some bigger music festivals.
Single Anxiety is out on the 28th of February and album Burn Your Town on 7th March 2011
Professor Green - Nov 2010
Sophie Stratford talks to Hackney boy Stephen Manderson aka Professor Green about his Live & Lost tour with Blackberry, working with Lilly Allen and 2011. Littering his lyrics with wry pop culture references, a sharp sense of humour and an honesty rarely found in rap music right now, Professor Green is one of the most exciting talents to emerge in 2010. Having already amassed single sales of 500,000, with album ‘Alive Till I’m Dead’ which debuted at number 2 has now been certified Gold. Green is most known for stand out tracks, I Need You Tonight and Just Be Good To Green – featuring Lilly Allen. He is about to embark on Live and Lost tour with BlackBerry - a challenge where he is dropped in a remote location with just £20 in his pocket and a smartphone to find his way to gigs hundreds of miles away. His endeavours will be screened on T4 this December.
Are you excited for your Live & Lost tour with Blackberry?
Yes, I’m very much looking forward to it. I’m excited about all the stuff that is going to happen, because you don’t really know do you? And also getting to meet fans and spending enough time to get to know them. I’m a little bit apprehensive though, I’m not going to lie.
Where did you get your influence for your debut album?
Just things that I’ve been through in my life. Musically I listened to a lot of different stuff from rap to dub step to grime. There are a whole lot of influences in those genres. I think it was good for my first album because it was quite diverse but what I’m going to do now is take a few of the parts that I kind of laid out on the first record and just concentrate on one of those for the next one.
What was it like working with Lilly Allen?
Incredible. She’s the favourite person I’ve ever worked with, just because of how we bonded and the friendship we have now.
Which artists do you look up to, if any?
Definitely Lilly. I think honestly she speaks volumes of something that is really missing in music. There is also another artist, one that I worked with on my debut and it was one of the most humbling studio session I had with a guy called Fink, he featured on Closing The Door, and I’m working with him on the next record too.
In your opinion which is the best song you’ve ever wrote and why?
Do you know what, that probably changes from day to day for me because every song has a different mood and purpose. The song that means most to me is Goodnight because of the emotion it conveys and the point it gets across.
How would you describe your sound?
British. Because I am British and because of the attempted wit, sarcasm and the self deprecation in my music; yeah I do laugh at other people but I’m not shy of laughing at myself either.
Is there anything you want people to gain out of listening to your music?
Yeah, depending on which song they listen to. Just something the listeners can relate to.
Best thing about playing to a live audience?
The instant – you get the response instantly, you’re not waiting for someone to hear the record and contemplate their thoughts on it. With a live audience they react instantly. The spontaneity too because every show is different, people often say to me if I ‘get sick of performing the same songs’, but I don’t because its different every time, it’s not the song it’s the crowd and the venue; it’s a different story every time.
Have you got any obsessive fans?
Yeah, weirdly enough. They Facebook and Twitter stalk me, thankfully not stalk me to my home. I’ve had some very weird offerings which I don’t really want to go into. It is weird what fame does to other people, I think that’s what has changed the most, just other people’s perceptions. Where would you like to be in 10 years time? I’d like to have a bit of stability but all in good time.
For your new album, do you have any ideas already, is it going in a different direction to Alive Till I’m Dead?
There will be differences but I haven’t really got my teeth into it yet; I’m not really in a position to say just yet.
What have you got lined up for 2011?
I have to finish my next album in Jan-Feb, in March I go off to Australia; I think I’m there for 2 ½ weeks, then I play South by SW in Texas, Austria SnowBombing Festival, then I’m in Miami, I then come back and I have an arena tour with N-Dubz and the first single from my next record comes out then. Then there will be festivals and probably another October tour. So lot’s of the same – hard work and sleepless nights.
Enter Shikari - Nov 2010
Sophie Stratford talks to Rob Rolfe drummer from English four piece Enter Shikari about, supporting 30 Seconds To Mars, their third album and their development as a band. 2010 has been an eventful year in the life of Enter Shikari. Four of the twelve months will have been spent in North America, first as guests of A Day To Remember for six weeks, then for a successful month-long jaunt aboard the Vans Warped Tour, and finally for a six week headline tour through October / November. Also on the travel itinerary has been two Australian tours, a Japanese headline tour, a plethora of European festivals and the band's first ever visit to Russia. Also headline slots at Surrey's Redfest and Newcastle's Evolution Festival, and an eardrum-bursting slot on the Radio One / NME Stage at this year's Reading & Leeds Festival. Enter
Excited about the new release, Destabilise?
I’m very excited yeah, we’ve been playing it at quite a few shows now and it seems to be going down really well. It’s a good one to play live and the fans love it. Everyone’s really excited about it.
How do you feel about supporting 30 Seconds To Mars?
Yeah it should be good. I’ve never been a massive fan of them band themselves but it should be a fun tour. With support gigs there isn’t as much pressure on us; we just go on stage, we’ve got half an hour, and do our thing to someone else’s audience and if they like it that’s great if they don’t oh well. And especially with this tour being so big, as 30 STM have a massive following in the UK, I’m looking forward to it, it should be a good tour.
Are the other band member’s fans of 30 STM?
Well we just haven’t heard much of their music but I’m sure that will change over the course of the tour when we get to hear them perform.
Are you modifying your usual sets, for the arena dates?
Well it’s going to be a shorter set than our headline shows obviously, so we usually go in with a quick, short, fast, loud everything that we’ve got track to set the tone. I don’t know whether we should lighten up the set a bit to accommodate 30 STM’s audience, but we’ll see. We usually just play what we want to play, we don’t want to give anyone any false impressions of what we are. And so we’ll just play the usual tracks that do well live and we’ll see what happens really.
What are you looking forward to most about the tour?
It’s going to be great getting back to the UK as we’ve been spending a lot of time in American this year. It’s not a very long tour it’s only 8 gigs but it should be good; going around the UK is always fun as we have a lot of friends and family dotted around so every place we go there will always be someone to meet up with which will be nice. I think it’s going to be a very relaxed tour, as I’ve said before being in a support slot you never have much pressure on you so it should be just a bit of a laugh.
Who else would you love to tour with that you haven’t already?
To be honest we’ve toured with our favourites bands. The Prodigy and Rage Against The Machine are the two biggest ones for me. We did the Prodigy dates in Europe with them and that was absolutely amazing and we did The Big Day Out Tour around Australia with Rage Against The Machine which was also fantastic. Other than that I’d love to tour with some of the more hardcore bands like Sick Of It All and Comeback Kid but I don’t know how their audiences would quite fit with ours.
How does the UK compare to other places you’ve played, because this year you’ve played a lot abroad?
Yeah, especially in America it’s very different but the audiences still go nuts and get just as excited as crowds in the UK. It’s always very fun for us to play to different crowds.
You’ve been right around the world this year, how has that been for the development of the band?
Well we’ve been kind of put in our tour bubble, you get on the bus, play shows and move from one city to the other. You don’t really have time to explore and get a feel for it. When you’re in this bubble it’s almost like time stops for a little bit, it’s the time where we start writing new material or see how much we’ve developed recently from our last productions to our current one. So when we get in the studio and start working on a new album that for me that will show just how far we’ve come and how much we’ve changed since the last album which was about 2 years ago nearly now.
How do you think your music has developed since you started writing?
Well you can’t really tell unless you take a step back and relate it back to what we have now. It’s like seeing your Auntie every Christmas and every year she goes on about how you’ve grown and you don’t really realise it. It’s kind of the same with the band and music, we’ve certainly been getting into a lot more different music and listening to more styles, electronic stuff mainly and Rou Reynolds (lead vocalist) has been coming on leaps and bounds with his producing of electronic dup-step stuff so I’d say that’s the biggest development in our music. Individually we are all progressing as musicians and getting more skilled and our taste and styles are maturing all the time. It’s hard to judge until you take the step back.
Have you had any ideas for album No. 3?
In America in the back of the bus we set up a mini studio just to get down a few of our ideas. Rou Reynolds (lead vocalist) is the main writer in the band and he comes up with the majority of the lyrics and he shows it to us and we’ll work on it as a band. There have been loads of ideas we’ve been playing about with for a while; when we get in the studio there is never any shortage of ideas and songs. On the last album we had 25 songs we had to cut down to get a good album size. There is certainly good feeling about the 3rd album.
What have you got lined up for 2011?
Well work on the next album. We’ve got a Christmas Show in Hatfield, near to our home town coming up and it’s going to be really good fun. We had one last year where we got a load of bands and DJ’s we enjoy down and we partied until the early hours of the morning. We have a massive guest list this year so we can get all of our family and friends there. We aren’t looking to do too much touring next year probably do quite a bit in America, it’s obviously a hard nut to crack but we’re doing our best.
Darwin Deez - Oct 2010
Sophie Stratford talks to Darwin Smith aka Darwin Deez about his new acclaimed fame, touring and his debut album. He is an American indie folk artist from New York City, who not that long ago used to wait tables at a vegan restaurant called Angelica Kitchen. His songs are mostly stripped down, kept simple and unadorned which is his style as he recorded his album in his own apartment using only a PC and a mike. However they also pulse and throb deliciously with life and rare wit. His dance moves are a key part to his live performance and really engage the crowd into the show and the music. This year he has been in the charts with single Radar Detector from his debut album, Darwin Deez.
What do you think of being branded as “the bodypopping Zen guru for a new generation of cool kids”?
Well what does it feel like when someone tells you you’re cool? I guess you’re not supposed to care, right? Because when you start caring you’re not cool anymore.
When did you decide that music was the thing for you?
When I was about 11 I first decided that music was my favorite thing and I got my first guitar and started writing songs right away so I think composition was there from the beginning. As a teenager I made a lot of electronic music so I got into the production and recording side of things.
Do you think the NME Radar tour and Reading and Leeds has been a big help to your growing success?
Yeah well The NME has been really supportive, they are a good magazine to be favoured by. The tours were great and I think they did the job. They played an important part of convincing people that we are something.
Where did you meet your backing band?
I met Cole and Greg at the restaurant I was working in, Angelica kitchen in NYC. Sometimes my friend Michelle plays bass and we met through tap dancing in North Carolina. At the moment my friend Andrew plays bass and we met on the music scene, I played in his band for 2 years, now he’s playing in mine.
Do you prefer New York or London?
New York. I hate trying to navigate London, even Manchester is better. For example, I know where I am going to buy a certain thing I want; it is not trouble to find it. Where as in London all the streets are totally everywhere, it drives me crazy a little bit.
How does the UK compare to other places you’ve played?
The UK has been the most supportive. Germany is equally psyched now they’re informed about Darwin Deez. Australia are also pretty psyched at the moment. It is interesting that the UK like us so much because I never really designed the live show for the British audience I was very much thinking about Americans when I first wrote the lyrics and music. It’s nice to be appreciated and I’m getting a good flavour of what English people are like.
What are the main things that influenced you on your debut album?
The music I was exposed to whilst writing. Two songwriters. Basically they just blew me away with their melodies and lyrics.
Is there anything you want people to get out of listening to your music?
I want them to connect with it on an emotional level. I think people derive the most enjoyment and satisfaction out of the songs that they not only listen to, but know the words and they sing along – I just want to give that to people, you know?
Where did you acquired your dancing skills from, or are they natural?
They’re natural. I think I must have got them from the Black side of my family. I have all the tribal genes.
What are your plans after your UK/Europe tour, and into to 2011?
After the touring I will have finished the album cycle. I want to really try to write some more records.
Have you written anything for your second album yet?
No, but I wish I had.
What do you think the future holds for you? What is your big dream?
Just to carry on making music that people like and respect. I wish I had written Hey Ya – Outcast, not because of the way it is written but because of the people’s reaction to it.
Heinali and Matt Finney - Sep 2010
Sophie Stratford talks to Matt from alternative duo Heinali and Matt Finney, about their EP Lemonade, musical inspiration and about what’s next. The band is a collaborative effort from Ukrainian composer Heinali and American poet Matt Finney. Matt is a word artist from Millbrook, Alabama, and makes his music with the help of composer Heinali. Their new EP Lemonade is a dark mysterious six tracked creation and it breathes fresh air into the indie market.
Firstly how did it all start for you two?
We met each other through myspace. We both really loved each other's music and I brought up the idea of working together. It turned into our first EP and we've been doing this since.
Is the band your passion or a side project?
It’s a passion. My band Finneyerkes has been inactive for a while so I’ve been putting all of my energy into this and it seems to be paying off. It’s become a full time project for both of us. I love the music we make and I think we're going to have a long future doing this.
How did the group name come about?
It’s just our names. All of the good ones are taken!
Who are your main musical influences?
Nirvana, Brand New, counting Crows, Joy Division, Explosions In The Sky, My Bloody Valentine, The Smiths, The Cure, Bruce Springsteen, The Twilight Sad.
Where do you get your unique song writing inspiration from?
Trying to be honest. Trying to make up for how unserious I am in person, it’s my way of dealing with what's happening to me and the people that I hold dear. Heinali's approach has always been to take all of these raw, immediate emotions and try to translate them musically. It works pretty well with what we're doing.
You sound very much like The Smiths, The Cure, Brand New, how do you feel about being compared to artists like these?
It feels great. The Smiths, The Cure, and Brand New are three of my favourite bands of all time. They’ve all influenced the way that I write lyrics and how I think about music. It's an honour that people can hear those comparisons.
How would you describe your music to someone that hasn't heard it?
Cinematic, eclectic, dark.
What can fans expect from one of your live shows?
We’ve never played live because of the distance between us but it is one of our dreams. We’re hoping to maybe bring that to life one day. It would be amazing. Probably like a joy division show on account of my nerves.
Tell me about your debut EP Lemonade?
Lemonade is actually our 2nd EP. It’s about all of the awful things that happened over the past year. They’re spelled out over the record. Heinali used the same set of instruments on all of the tracks unlike our first album Town Line. You get to hear how talented and varied he is and even though he limited himself. We named it Lemonade because it came out in the summer and what a brutal one it was.
Where would you like to see yourselves this time next year?
Making another album full of exciting material and promoting it. Hopefully more press will want to help us out.
What music are you into at the moment?
I’ve been listening to this shoegaze band from California called Whirl. Their album is called Distressor. It’s the best 10 cents I have ever spent. The Twilight Sad's new EP has been playing constantly as well. My friend Yawning has a new album coming out and I already have it on my iPod. It’s going to blow everyone away.
What have you got lined up for the rest of this year and into 2011?
We have a series of videos coming out through The 405 with our friend/director Nane from France. We’re very excited to see how that comes out. All of our music is going be available for purchase through iTunes and a dozen other music stores pretty soon. We’re ready for of that to get set up. The main thing is working on new material. Keep an eye on our myspace/twitter. We’ll keep you updated.
http://www.myspace.com/heinaliandmattfinney
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Two Door Cinema Club - 09.09.10 [Interview not written in Q and A]
Sophie Stratford talks to guitarist and vocalist, Sam Halliday from electro indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club about their new album Tourist History, music influences and being on tour.
Recently there has been a lot of buzz around Ireland’s newest exports, Sam Halliday comments “Well we’ve had a steady progression I guess. Even when we started the band, we spent a few months writing songs and then put our demos up in Myspace and from that we were playing gigs all around Belfast and you just play bigger and bigger gigs. It has got crazier since the album came out, we’ve had a lot more press too.” When asked what inspired the formation of Two Door Cinema Club, “Well we’ve all been in bands together before so we’re friends from high school and we all play guitar so it didn’t take long until we were all hanging out in my garage making music. That was when we were 13, and we formed Two Door Cinema Club when we were around 17. We saw lots of local bands perform in Belfast and it made sense for us to be doing that” Halliday says.
The Irish threesome released their debut album this March named Tourist History, they chose this name because, “We wanted our first title to mean something from where we come from and it was written in our home town Bangor. It’s an old tourist town from the days when people used to holiday in their own country and now we are tourists everywhere we go because we’re always on tour.” And Halliday describes their music as “Fairly accessible, upbeat, fresh, danceable and not so sensitive to the ears.” On influences “I think we’re all very different and we first bonded when we were teenagers over alternative rock music such as Idlewild and Biffy Clyro. I guess our taste has just broadened from dance music to folk music and the only think I hate it is reggae and ska but I’ll dabble in almost anything else really. I guess in terms of gutairs The Strokes and Idlewild made me want to play guitar” Halliday mentions. Sam reveals the band have some obsessive fans, “It’s not me personally, it tends to be more Alex. One time someone gave us this little box with a weird figure of Alex on it. A few things can surprise you but nothing too bad apart from the shrine, but when people make T-shirts and stuff that’s cool.”
The best and worst things about touring “It’s good always having friends you get on with really well around you. And the worst is you’re ever alone because you’re always with people! Sometimes you forget the rest of the world and your friends and people from back home so you have to remember to keep in touch.” Two Door Cinema Club have already played with Metronomy, Foals and Delphic and played Reading & Leeds, and T in the Park Festivals this year. Crowds differ from country to country says Sam, “They’re all very different, I think Japan was the weirdest one. When we had finished playing a song people would clap and then stop and there would be an awkward silence where they would anticipate when the next song was going to be, whereas in other places when there’s a silence people tend to scream or shout things. There are also similarities where most people want to have a good time and get drunk.” When asked if you could share the stage with any artist who would it be, Halliday replied “Beyonce. Because it would be phenomenal, I’m a big fan of her tunes, she’d have a big production which would be cool to get involved with even though we’d have to squeeze in a few costume changes there (laughs). Big crowd and massive backing band with brass section.”
“In the future we just want to keep having more albums out and to still tour the world. We embark on a massive tour next week too. “ He says.
Q and A
What inspired the formation of Two Door Cinema Club? Well we’ve all been in bands together before so we’re friends from high school and we all play guitar so it didn’t take long until we were all hanging out in my garage making music. That was when we were 13, and we formed Two Door Cinema Club when we were around 17. We saw lots of local bands perform in Belfast and it made sense for us to be doing that.
When did you first notice the buzz around the band? Well we’ve had a steady progression I guess. Even when we started the band we spent a few months writing songs and then put our demos up in Myspace and from that we were playing gigs all around Belfast and you just play bigger and bigger gigs. It has got more crazy since the album came out, we’ve had a lot more press too.
How did you choose the name for your album Tourist History? We wanted our first title to mean something from where we come from and it was written in our home town Bangor. It’s an old tourist town from the days when people used to holiday in their own country and now we are tourists everywhere we go because we’re always on tour.
Where do you get your music influence from? I think we’re all very different and we first bonded when we were teenagers over alternative rock music such as Idlewild and Biffy Clyro. I guess our taste has just broadened from dance music to folk music and the only think I hate it reggae and ska but I’ll dabble in almost anything else really. I guess in terms of gutairs The Strokes and Idlewild made me want to play guitar.
Have you a particular favourite track on it? Not particularly.
How would you describe your music to someone that hasn't heard it? Fairly accessible, upbeat, fresh, danceable and not so sensitive to the ears.
How do other countries you’ve played in compare to the UK? They’re all very different, I think Japan was the weirdest one. When we had finished playing a song people would clap and then stop and there would be an awkward silence where they would anticipate when the next song was going to be, whereas in other places when there’s a silence people tend to scream or shout things. There are also similarities where most people want to have a good time and get drunk.
Have you got any obsessive fans? Not me personally, it tends to be more Alex. One time someone gave us this little box with a weird figure of Alex on it. A few things can surprise you but nothing too bad apart from the shrine, but when people make T-shirts and stuff that’s cool.
What’s the best thing about being on tour and the worst? It’s good always having friends you get on with really well around you. And the worst is you’re ever alone because you’re always with people! Sometimes you forget the rest of the world and your friends and people from back home so you have to remember to keep in touch.
If you could share the stage with a current artist who would it be and why? Beyonce. Because it would be phenomenal, I’m a big fan of her tunes, she’d have a big production which would be cool to get involved with even though we’d have to squeeze in a few costume changes there (laughs). Big crowd and massive backing band with brass section.
What do you think the future holds for Two Door Cinema Club? Just having more albums out and still touring the world. We embark on a massive tour next week too.
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The Futureheads - Leeds Festival 2010
Sophie Stratford talks to North-East four piece The Futureheads about them playing the main stage on Friday at Leeds Festival. Hot on the heels of their fourth album The Chaos it finds the band reinvigorated with a bold new sound.
I caught up with The Futureheads after they’d played their afternoon slot on the main stage to find out firsthand how they thought it went.
What does it mean to you performing at Leeds on the main stage? One of the reasons you get into a band really is obviously you want to make good music but you want to play great festivals because that’s what you see as a kid and it’s great fun.
Is it your favourite festival? Or what is?
Glastonbury, the first time we played there was great. Also Fuji Rock in Japan was a good one. All festival are good!
What sort of reception do you think you’ll get or are hoping for?
Err yeah, well it’s hard because you play your own shows and your headline gigs and you come to a big festival and go on in the afternoon and people are a bit sluggish, but I thought we did the best we could and people were singing and clapping by the end and that’s what you want to do really.
What’s the best song to play live?
Heartbeat goes down well, the last hit single and Hounds Of Love.
What other acts do you hope to see over the weekend?
The Maccabees, The Libertines, Arcade Fire. Arcade Fire are amazing live.
I’ve heard you’re friends with Frankie & The Heartstrings will you be catching up with them this weekend?
They’re friends with us! No we’re on different days this year but unfortunately I had the bad luck to see them just yesterday (laughs)
What do you think of the headliners this year?
They’re obviously huge bands, because they’re headlining Leeds and Reading! Arcade Fire are an amazing band, Blink-182 are on a comeback and Guns N Roses are also on a comeback; not my favourite band in the world but people like them.
How do other countries you’ve played in compare to the UK?
Crowds are the same usually wherever you go. It’s not like you go to Germany and the crowds are insane. If it’s a good gig it’s a good gig. South America is meant to be wild, but we’ve never played there but it’s meant to be a whole new step in terms of crowds.
If you could share the stage with any artist who would it be?
Freddie Mercury
What do you think of the North-East music scene at the moment?
Well we’re not really part of it to be honest, and we never play there. I hope it’s doing well, when we started there was loads of DIY gigs going on and it was really cool so I still hope it’s like that now and people aren’t getting too big for their boots, and remember playing gigs is cool not being in a band.
What have you been up to these last few months and what can we expect from you for the rest of this year and next?
We’re playing Split Festival in Sunderland which should be a really good one. Then we go to America and Europe and then we’re supporting Biffy Clyro so we’re going to be busy bees!
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Tiffany Page - 06.05.10
Sophie Stratford talks to 23 year old rocker Tiffany Page from London about being tipped for success, The New to the Q Tour and music influences. With Page the rock and roll, feisty element is present in her stage presence and music and this gives her an edge on other highly predicable female solo acts of 2010 such as Ellie Goulding. Her music has a contemporary feel however holds traditional grunge beats, and the strong roar of Courtney Love. Page is part of the line up for the very first New To The Q tour, playing alongside Detroit Social Club and Goldhawks.
How do you feel about being tipped for 2010?
Kind of cool, no, really cool! I’m really excited. Things are moving pretty fast and I don’t quite know what’s going on but we keep playing more and more shows and more people are coming to see us. We’re also playing festivals now and that’s all of our dreams.
You recently supported The Noisettes, how was this?
Yeah that was really amazing, I think we did 12 dates with them, and we became really good friends and we missed them when it was over. It was also a great experience because we got to learn from them .
How do you feel about being part of the New to the Q tour?
I think it’s really cool, I’m really excited to meet the other bands. I’m also very excited to play at Koko in London. It is the first New to the Q Tour and hopefully if we do really well and it goes on for years, we can all say “We did the first one!”.
Are you fans of any of the other bands that are playing alongside you?
I haven’t really had enough time to have a good listen, but from what I’ve heard from their MySpace’s they all seem really good. I could never really say if I like a band or not until I’ve seen them live and heard most of their songs. To be on The New to the Q Tour I think there has to be some sort of high expectation.
Have you got any special live surprises for the tour?
Well we’re going to be playing two new songs, which are pretty ethic, and they have orchestras. Obviously we haven’t got an orchestra but we’re making do with guitars and stuff. They are pretty huge heavy songs so it will be interesting to see how they go down live and with the crowds. It will be fun to incorporate pop with darker heavier music too.
Where do you get your music and song writing influence from?
I listen to all sorts of different artists and all different styles of music. Say I’m listening to one particular artist a lot, I might think oh I want to write a song like theirs. And if I am feeling in a certain way and I want to get it out, I’ll write a song, and then try and sing it like another singer. My influence really comes from different artists and songs and what is going on around me.
If you could work with any artists in the future who would they be?
I was thinking about this on the bus the other day! It would be really cool to do some sort of mash up with a rap star, such as Lil Wayne – I think it would be really fun. But If I had to write with anyone it would be Brody Dalle from The Distillers, I think she’s really cool; I’m listening to a lot of them at the moment. However there would probably be lots of “This is my idea!” or whatever, but her voice is incredible.
When did you decide that music was the thing for you?
Probably when my Mum kicked up a fuss about me not doing anything. She was like “you have to do something, and you’re not particularly talented at anything else other than music, and you’re not really that intelligent and I know you can’t hold down a job or be on time!” So music was the way for me, I’ve always wanted to be on stage. I have always been confident and as I’ve got older I’ve thought I can actually do this. But I’ve always wanted to do something in music.
What is the best thing about being a music artist in your opinion?
Not having a 9-5 job, but we don’t get set holidays and we have no idea when we are going to get home so there are downsides. The best side of it is that it is something I really love doing, it doesn’t really feel like a job. It is really weird because in a 9-5 job people know what they are going to do, they have a routine, I think that’s boring but then I think do people who do jobs like that do it because they love them? It feels quite like a school trip that is never ending! Like taking as break from a job, but it is very hard work but its fun so I don’t mind.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard of you before?
Well when people ask me this I always say rock/pop and then people say like whom? And I say people say it sounds like The Pretenders. I was with my manager on the train and this woman says excuse me are you a musician? I say yes, and she says what sort of music do you play, and I say it’s like The Pretenders, and she says oh brilliant I get that! And that’s how I describe it now.
What are your plans after the New to the Q tour, and into to 2010?
Well we are playing quite a lot of festivals, which is exciting; we have Glastonbury, and we have just confirmed V Festival, I think I’m playing on the same stage as Peter Andre! And we’re just getting as many gigs under our belt before we can really show off and the most important thing for me is to be a really good live artist as well as recording artist.
What do you think the future holds for you? What is your big dream?
Well the mini tour at the moment is my biggest dream come true. Also to see and meet Courtney Love and to see her sound check was pretty amazing. I really want to go on Jools Holland that is thenext step now.
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Daisy Dares You – 24.03.10 [Interview not written in Q and A]
Sophie Stratford catches up with 16 year old Daisy Coburn better known as Daisy Dares You to talk about her feelings towards being tipped for 2010, her musical history and her hit single with Chipmunk. She is an all Essex girl ready take over the pop industry by storm. Her debut single Number One Enemy addresses her sister's jealousy and features hip-hop sensation Chipmunk, and now signed to Sony Daisy is striving for bigger and better things.
Daisy was tipped hotly for 2010, she says “It is really really exciting but kind of strange to be put on a list with some quite established artists. Also when people tell me they are aware of me it is kind of odd, but it’s a really good thing and it has really helped me.” 16 year old Daisy is from a very musical family, “I’ve been playing since I was younger and my dad taught me how to play guitar and piano. I’ve been brought up on music and I’ve always had a big interest in it. It was never something I wanted to do for a career, it was just a hobby. I started playing at 9, writing at 12 and until last year I didn’t realise it was something I was going to do, obviously being quite young. It is quite refreshing as something I did for a hobby has got me somewhere” says Daisy. She is still at school doing her GCSE’s but in between her studies she’s busy writing and producing her own music, an eclectic mix of brilliantly wilful pop songs, “well in a few months school will be finished, and I can’t physically attend school now, but I’m doing bits at home for my GCSE’s. I’m not really struggling with it, I’m just going to do it” Coburn states.
Daisy makes bright, infectious pop music that's fit to light up any radio, but her influences stretch far beyond the obvious, her main influences are “Courtney Love, Karen O, PJ Harvey, Patti Smith and all the records my mum used to play when I was younger.” Her debut single Number One Enemy features Chipmunk and this was the song that really launched her into the music scene, “Working with Chipmunk was good and pretty straightforward. We bumped into each other a few times and then he came to the studio and we hung out for a few hours so he knew what the song was about then he got some lyrics together in his head, and it just really worked. Then we did the tour together – it was just a fun straightforward collaboration.”
Daisy’s raw teenage attitude makes her interesting, when asked about what goes into her live performance, she says “A lot of energy and its musically dynamic more so than the album. When it is live it just brings everything to life, my friends are in my band, and it’s very real when I’m playing my instruments, and it makes sense. Courtney Love and Patti Smith don’t only inspire me from their songwriting but from their presence on stage too, and their stage ability.”
Into 2010 and the future Daisy Dares You reveals that she has got many festival plans under her belt, “ We’re playing a lot of live shows to, including Isle Of Wight, Dot To Dot, LoveBox, Underage and Great Escape – some really good ones, and hopefully some more, I’d love to play Reading and Leeds. Also my first album is going to be out in May, and the single, were just promoting that at the moment as much as we can.” Truth is, Daisy might be astonishingly young, but she seems better prepared for pop stardom than many artists several years her senior.
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New Young Pony Club – 11.03.10 [Interview not written in Q and A]
Sophie Stratford talks to Andy Spence guitarist of New Young Pony Club, an English new wave pop band from London, about new album The Optimist and musical inspiration. Unusual name came from lead singer Tahita Bulmer’s desire to be in a club or team at school, which they describe as “quirky and kinky and fun”. The band may not be a household name however song Ice Cream from first album Fantastic Playroom received very wide play in 2009 as a 30 second soundtrack for the TV and Internet advertisement for the Cube Mobile Device from the Nissan car company, also they say “we don’t have the desire to make really radio friendly singles,. We don’t want to be the biggest band in the world”. Andy decided early on that music was the things for him, “I was about 9 I think when I first started playing guitar, and even before then I kind of knew music was going to play a big part of my life.”
New album The Optimist was released earlier this month, when asked about influences Andy Spence replied “Well there should be and there probably is. Well we were going through slightly troubled times, and I think that influenced the album, alongside our personal lives, other music.” He also adds that “It’s a lot better than the last album basically. It is deeper and more mature, maybe a bit more honest. However the two albums work really well together.” The new album is NYPC at their poppiest, all set in a dark, mysterious tone.
New Young Pony Club are influenced by many different bands and acts, “Yeah a lot of other bands influence our music, but a lot of them are older artists. Main influences are The Cure, PJ Harvey and stuff from the 90s” Spence says. Also lyrically and musically they are influenced by other things around them, “I think Tahita Bulmer (Lead vocalist) gets her inspiration from all sorts of things; her own personal experiences. Musically the inspiration came from our old stuff. There wasn’t anything around at the time that excited me. It incorporated a lot of the new wave stuff that I love and a lot of elements of darkness and mystery.”
New Young Pony Club embark on a UK Tour this March, “it’s going to be great, I’m really excited. We can’t wait to get out there and play our new songs, however we will of course be playing the favourites of our first album.” Their music is a dance, pop and rock assemble with an explosion of synth. “On the tour we have a huge megaphone that basically stops the music and shouts out to the crowd to dance” says Spence. Guitarist, Andy leaves us on “I wish people get just some enjoyment out of our music really, and joy in their hearts, I hope, just something positive.”
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You Me At Six 05.03.10
Sophie Stratford talks to Josh Franceschi lead vocalist from rock pop band You Me At Six about their March headline tour, new album Hold Me Down and obsessive fans. The band rose to fame in 2007 with the success of their debut album, Take Off Your Colours, which included popular singles such as Save It for the Bedroom and Finders Keepers but with new recently released album Hold Me Down You Me At Six are looking towards bigger and better things.
What have you been up to today? Well we’ve just been practicing for the tour.
Are you excited for the March headline tour? Yeah definitely, it starts on the 9th. We’ve been practicing now and it is probably one of the best sets we’ve ever had. Just way the way it all flows and we have a cool live show too, so it’s exciting.
Will you be playing a mixture of the two albums for your up and coming shows? Yeah we will be playing half and half pretty much. We will be playing the “hits” or whatever you like to call them.
Who in the band is most likely to make a mistake on stage? Well we can be pretty accident prone, the one who never makes mistakes would have to be Chris (Miller – lead guitar), but I forget lyrics and Matt (Barnes – bass guitar) tends to slip up. But you never know.
What are the main things that influenced you for the new album? A variety of lots of different things. We just sat down all together and started to write a bunch of songs that we thought sounded good, and had strong choruses, and that’s how musically the album came around. Lyrically it was based on stuff that was going on at the time in my life. Ironically enough me and my girlfriend broke up after 2 years; the album would have been completely different if it wasn’t for that. I re-wrote a few songs to with my mood and originally some had different titles so I changed them, and looking back on it now, I’m kind of glad it happened as it has really shaped the album and some of our best songs.
Which album do you prefer? (Take Off Your Colours or Hold Me Down) I think Take Off you Colours was an album that really introduced our band but with the addition of Hold Me Down the band sounds more confident and we’ve come on leaps and bounds, it is a pretty strong album. I love listening to it and I love playing to songs on it.
How do you think your music has developed since you started writing? Well when we first started playing we were s**t really, and as a band we were just trying to figure out what kind of music we wanted to play and how we wanted to come across in the media. We firstly just started mimicking bands I suppose, where now I feel like we don’t think about other bands, or what other bands are doing. We just write and play live how we want to do it, and if people like us that’s a bonus. Especially in this country we are in a really good position where I feel we have a really strong fan base, but they also don’t want us to do the run-of-the-mill stuff. If we had just written Take Of your Colours Part 2 I don’t think our band or fan base would have progressed but with it being around 2 years since the first album came out, I feel our fans have grown up with us, and hopefully that will continue to happen.
How do other countries you’ve played in compare to the UK? Australia is cool, and it is just like played headline shows in the UK, it is so mental. The USA is a great place to play to, but at the moment it is such a saturated market with so many bands producing music like ours, so it is really hard to stand out. I think we are going back there to finish off our Hold Me Down cycle. We are now getting to a point where we can go and headline shows all around the world, that is the aim and plan.
What song gets the best crowd reaction live? Well in the UK I think it is the singles mostly, the songs that people hear on the radio or the TV. Popular tracks are Save It For The Bedroom, Gossip, Underdog and that kind of stuff. I think the people that come to our shows are different, they are the ones that have gone out and bought the album and hopefully know a mixture of our music, whereas some people may have just heard of us.
How would you describe your sound? A rock pop sort of thing, I’m not too good at describing.
Have you got any obsessive fans? Yeah we have a few. There was this one girl who used to come to every show we did, where ever it was she would be there, and then she stopped because she got a bit insane. She used to say she was Dan (Flint – Drums) sister and said that myself and Matt (Barnes – bass guitar) got her pregnant and she used to tell people in the queue these things. Then we would meet those kids later on and they’d be like this girl told us this that and the other, and we’d see her later on and she’d be weird just standing in the corner taking photos. I think our fans realise were not into the whole hysteria thing, I don’t particularly like it when a group of people come running up to me screaming it almost puts you off, because I’m quite a shy person. I’d much rather have a cool chat with them for 5 minutes. We will always do photos and sign things however I’d much rather talk to somebody than have them scream in my face. I always try to run in the other direction when I see fans.
When you all have time for yourselves what do you do? I just like to hang out with my girlfriend and my family and just go out, what any of 19 year old would do. We just go out to clubs and pubs, go to shows, and go bowling and to the cinema whatever. I like to play a lot of Fifa online and on my Playstation 3 too. I have been going to the gym a lot at the moment, I’ve been 4 time over the last 5 days so I’m getting back on track with that.
What have you got lined up for 2010, which festivals? Well I can’t really explain the situation we’re in at the moment. We have a problem at the moment about booking shows we don’t know what festivals were doing – we don’t know anything. I know there are talks of us doing V Festivals and Leeds & Reading but we’re figuring it out. If the organisers would have us, we’d love to be a part of it all. Unfortunately we would like to do Sonisphere but we’re At Warped Tour then, but we’d like to come back and do T in the Park and everything and Eminem’s headlining so yeah I want to play with him!
Backstage chat from the first night at the NME Awards with Sophie Stratford
I caught up with The Drums and Bombay Bicycle Club backstage in Newcastle during the first show of the 14-date NME Awards Tour for a follow up interview to chat feelings for the tour. The Big Pink and The Maccabees also teamed up for the shows.
Bombay Bicycle Club:
So first day of the tour, how’re you feeling?
Jack Steadman (lead vocalist): Very excited, kind of nervous because this is the first gig and everything’s probably going to go wrong. (laughs) We just found out that all the settings on our keyboards have been changed and we haven’t even checked it and I’m sure everything will cut out.
Jamie MacColl: I think everything will be fine.
Jack: I kind of miss being on tour really for the past few months. It is a lot more interesting than sitting at home.
Do you like all the other bands on the tour?
Ed Nash: The Maccabees are really nice. The Drums are nice guys too, we only met them a few hours ago. Everyone’s really nice.
What is on the set list for tonight?
Jack: It will probably be the same as when you last saw us.
Jamie: But there will be less songs!
What’s the best song to play live?
Jack: We have this new opening track, which is the first song on the album. Probably the loudest song we play first, kind of makes it the best.
Which song gets the best crowd reaction?
Jack: Always Like This.
Jamie: Predictably
Jack: It’s a shame.
Why is it a shame?
Jack: Ah it’s not really.
Where does the inspiration for songwriting come from?
Jack: Girls
Jamie: You were about to say Sushi weren’t you?
Ed: Yes Sushi.
Jack: Just what you do in your free time I guess. Mostly emotional problems with girls.
Where’s your favorite place to play in the whole world?
Jack: Tokyo or Newcastle.
Ed: Yeah Newcastle (laughs)
Suren de Saram: Definitely Newcastle. Erm, London.
Ed: Yep I love Newcastle we love Shakeaholic. I had a Happy Hippo milkshake today, you know like a Kinder Bueno but hippo shaped.
Have you got any obsessive fans?
Jack: Yep.
Have you been sent any weird gifts?
Jack: It’s normally Ed that gets the weird stuff.
Ed: They lose interest after a while though and we scare them off. We get given poetry. Once this 42 year old man that recently got divorced, was on the rebound for me and Jack and he sent us some poetry and some other stuff. (laughs)
Jamie: We haven’t had bras thrown at us since we were about 16.
What do you want people to gain out of listening to your music?
Jack: If they listen to it and then and it inspires them to join a band that would be pretty cool, as long as the bands good.
What’s the best thing and worst thing about being on tour?
Jack: The best thing…
Jamie: Is playing gigs!
Jack: and being on stage. Everything else is bad.
Ed: The showers are the worst, and waking up in the morning on the tour bus.
Jack: No that is one of the best things (laughs),
Ed: But not if you’re hung-over
Jack: Our tour manager comes over and gives us water to drink.
What do you spend all your money on?
Jack: Records. Me and Ed are buying a record a day and a piece of Sushi.
What did you buy today?
Jack: A Woody Guthrie compilation.
Ed: I bought Horses by Patti Smith, it’s brilliant.
Jack: Suren got a Du Rag today.
Suren: I’m never going to wear it.
Jamie: I spend all my money on Amazon.
Jack: What else do we spend it on? Frazzles (the crisps), Front Magazine.
Ed: Milkshakes.
Jack: Booze.
Ed: Greggs, there are lots of them up here. (laughs)
Jack: I don’t know how you can spend all your money at Greggs, you’d have to buy a days’ supply of goods.
What’s the best show you’ve ever played?
Jamie: Reading 2007
Jack, Ed, Suren: Yeah I agree that’s the best show.
Jack: It was the first big crowd we had, it was huge.
Ed: And it was really unexpected as well.
Jamie: It was mid-day so we thought it was going to be completely empty but it wasn’t and we were so shocked. Also all our friends were at the front so it was really nice to see them.
Jack: And everything just went well, nothing went wrong.
Do you think you’ll be playing many festivals this year, because you’ve played Reading and Leeds every single year since you started out?
Jamie: Probably not in this country.
Jack: Yeah we’re trying to get out of the UK to do something.
I then caught up backstage with Adam Kessler (guitar) from The Drums after their first performance to find out how they thought it went.
Your set was great, how did you think it went?
Amazing, so great. The crowd was amazing.
What’s the best song to play live, what gets the best crowd reaction?
Let’s Go Surfing, and I think you must have seen how crazy the crowd went for that tonight. It is probably because it is one of our most well known songs.
Where is your favourite place to play live in the whole world?
Well we have really only played London and New York City. Actually you know what, we have played Iceland and I can say that’s my favourite. The kids are just fantastic. But tonight has rivalled them for sure.
When did you get into Newcastle?
Only about 2 hours ago! We haven’t been around at all; I’ve only seen the one street. It was like get off the bus, sidewalk, then venue.
How does other countries you’ve played in compare to the UK?
Like I said before we have only been around for about a year so have only played London, New York and Iceland. But the UK are pretty cool, our fans here are amazing.
Have you got any obsessive fans?
I don’t think so. (laughs)
What do you want people to gain out of listening to your music?
Instant satisfaction.
What is the best and worst thing about being on tour?
The best thing is meeting your fans, having the time to meet and spend time with them. The worst thing about being on tour…I wouldn’t say there is anything bad. Well missing family probably.
Are you pleased with the UK’s reaction to The Drums?
Yes definitely.
Scroll down to see other full interviews with both, The Drums and Bombay Bicycle Club.
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Mika Interview 29.01.10 [Interview not written in Q and A]
Sophie Stratford talks to Michael Holbrook Penniman better known as Mika about his songs, the Brits and Lady Gaga.
TAKING real life and repackaging it as a bizarre fairytale is the inspiration for Mika, who is back on the crest of a wave after two critically-acclaimed albums. The London-based singer-songwriter is dominating the radio playlists again by using Blame It On The Girls, taken from second album The Boy Who Knew Too Much, as his latest single. He recorded the majority of this album in Los Angeles with producer and musician Greg Wells, who also worked on his debut album, Life In Cartoon Motion. Asked about influences, Mika says: “Trisha, and basically things now, real life, my life as a teenager. Pretty much everything around me. Things I see on the street, things I see on the train to things that I read in books and comic books. Everything.” Discussing his favourite tracks, he says: “A song called Rain (another single release) which I really like because it has this happy sad theme and so much music from the Ninties which I love. There is also a song called Toy Boy which is kind of delirious, it’s the creepiest fairytale on the record for sure. It talks about a boy whom expresses his life through the eyes of a doll and falls in love with the boy that owns him, but then gets broken-hearted when the boy abandons him.” Mika says his two albums “fit together perfectly in a weird sort of way, which is what I wanted. I wanted them to be part one and part two of each other.” Blame It On the Girls is a happy slice of timeless, sing-along pop bliss. “It is rhythmically and lyrically a lot of fun and it has this typical kind of teenage attitude in the lyrics, and I picked it as a single because it makes my feet move and I guess that’s a good sign,” he says. On the difference between the two albums, he adds: “It has become more violent more gothic. The sound has become a little bit more full of fantasy , and it’s darker in a way with a little bit more of a teenage angst to it – that was a natural progression.” The Northern Echo tipped Mika for stardom back in 2006 when Grace Kelly was released as a demo and he has risen to fame pretty quickly. His first album sold more than 5.6m copies worldwide and helped Mika win a BRIT Award and receive a Grammy Award nomination. He is less happy over his many obsessive fans. “People have lived outside my house for four days and we had to call the police, actually my neighbours called the police. I’ve had lots presents – videos of people naked, people always send me underwear, with funny drawings on them, I actually wonder ‘do they really think I’m going to wear them’?” The singer has also been linked to Lady Gaga in the press and says: “I think she’s brilliant, funny, clever and very entertaining.” Mika confesses to being driven by his desire for fame and love of performing, however I’m intrigued into how Mika knew that music was his forte. He says: “When I was 12. I got my first job, I’d been kicked out of school, I didn’t have anything to do. I started to sing and became good very quickly and ended up with a gig. Then I realised there was another way of living your life where you weren’t treated like shit and you actually had a responsibility to do something that you could be proud of. So it became my life and I realised that’s what I wanted to do.” Mika is working on new material for a movie, but claims he’s not really concerned about albums. “It’s all a bit everywhere, but in a good way though and I think I feel quite liberated.” The artist has also nominated for a Brit Award – Best Male Solo Artist – where the competition is Robbie Williams and Dizzee Rascal. “I am very chuffed to be nominated in my category especially with the other artists that are nominated, a lot of them I am a fan of. It’s a pleasure, I don’t know if I’ll win, probably not. However I like the nominations it’s like a little brat pack.” ■ The Boy Who Knew Too Much is out now. Blame It On The Girls is released on February 15.
Q AND A
What are the main things that influenced you for the new album?
Trisha, basically things now, real life, my life as a teenager. I guess I take real life and re-package it into a bizarre fairytale.
Where do you get your music influence from?
Pretty much from everything around me. Things I see on the street, things I see on the train to things that I read in books and comic books. Everything!
Is there a story behind the title, “The Boy Who Knew Too Much”?
Well I wanted to have a title that was kind of like a movie title, something that makes you think of this character who was sitting in his bedroom locking out the life that he knew was outside and creating a new life for himself full of fantasy. It makes you kind of think of monsters and fairytales but also seedy reality and all the nasty things that have happened to him in his life.
Is there a stand out track on there for you?
There is a song called Rain which I really like because it has this happy sad theme and so much music from the 90s which I love. There is also a song called Toy Boy which is kind of delirious, it’s the creepiest fairytale on the record for sure. It talks about a boy whom expresses his life through the eyes of a doll and falls in love with the boy that owns him, but then gets broken hearted when the boy abandons him and the doll ends up being turned into a voodoo doll and lives the rest of his life underneath the sink in a cupboard and is telling everybody how horrible his life has been.
Which album do you prefer The Boy Who Knew Too Much, or, Life In Cartoon Motion?
I think they fit together perfectly in a weird sort of way, which is what I wanted. I wanted the first 2 albums of my career to fit together and be part 1 and part 2 of each other.
How do you think your music has developed since you started writing?
It has become more violent more gothic. The sound has become a little bit more full of fantasy , and it’s darker in a way with a little bit more of a teenage angst to it – that was a natural progression.
What do you want people to gain out of listening to your music?
No I write it for myself.
When did you decide that music was the thing for you?
When I was 12. I got my first job, I’d been kicked out of school, I didn’t have anything to do. I started to sing and became good very quickly and ended up with a gig. Then I realised there was another way of living your life where you weren’t treated like s**t and you actually had a responsibility to do something that you could be proud of. So it became my life and I realised that’s what I wanted to do.
Your new single Blame It On The Girls is out soon, what influenced you for this particular track, and why did you pick it as a single?
It is rhythmically and lyrically a lot of fun and it has this typical kind of teenage attitude in the lyrics, and I picked it as a single because it makes my feet move and I guess that’s a good sign.
Have you been starting any new material, or anything else for a third album?
I’ve been working on songs and stuff for a movie, but I’m not really concerned about albums really. It’s all a bit everywhere, but in a good way though and I think I feel quite liberated.
Have you got any obsessive fans?
Plenty. People have lived outside my house for 4 days and we had to call the police, actually my neighbours called the police. I’ve had lots presents – videos of people naked, people always send me underwear, with funny drawings on them, I actually wonder do they really think I’m going to wear them?
What do you think of Lady Gaga, knowing you have a friendship?
I think she’s brilliant, funny, clever and very entertaining.
Where’s your favorite place to play in the whole world?
Soul, Korea because its friendly.
You’ve been nominated for a Brit Award how do you feel about this, and about the nominees you’re up against?
I am very chuffed to be nominated in my category especially with the other artists that are nominated, a lot of them I am a fan of. It’s a pleasure, I don’t know if I’ll win, probably not. However I like the nominations it’s like a little brat pack.
What have you got lined up for 2010?
I have tones of festivals and a tour that basically takes me around the world about 1 and a half times.
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The Drums Interview 21.01.2010
Sophie Stratford talks to lead vocalist, Jonathan Pierce from the USA’s finest new exports The Drums. Known as "New York's coolest new party band" they have got plenty of backing behind them. The Drums outline what pure, raw, original music is really about, not manufactured or planned, it is entirely their own work. Let's Go Surfing, their debut single, released on Moshi Moshi (who put out early records by Hot Chip, Florence and the Machine, Friendly Fires and Kate Nash), features New Order-style trebly, melodic bass, Ventures-esque guitar, and what many are calling "the most infectious whistling line since Peter, Bjorn and John." The Drums are hitting off 2010 by going on tour with The Big Pink, Bombay Bicycle Club and The Maccabees for the NME UK tour.
How do you feel about being hotly tipped for 2010?
Well I think it’s a bit surprising for us, but we’re really grateful and excited about it, but we didn’t think anything like this would ever happen. We started the band just a year ago, we wrote our first song last December, it was just a selfish endeavour of something we were just planning on doing, you know for ourselves. We never even began to dream that it would become something like this. It’s just really surprising, it’s sort of a shock we are just trying to absorb it really. I don’t know whether that’s a good thing or not, some people may think that’s bad. (laughs) We almost feel like we’re trying to catch up with ourselves in a way, we didn’t think things would ever move this quickly. I think a lot of bands kind of figure everything out then work towards getting to a place like this and for some reason we kind of got there much quicker, before we had a chance to figure everything out so that’s why were just catching up with ourselves.
What’s your opinion on being part of the NME tour with bands such as The Maccabees?
Well we don’t really know any of the bands on the bill that well with living in America, and they’re not as big over here as they are in the UK. I haven’t really heard much of any of them, however I know they are popular in Europe. We are excited to be part of the tour, I think for a couple of reasons; firstly we have never done a European tour before – we’ve played London and Manchester but we have never done a full blown tour before, and secondly we’re excited just to be able to showcase some of the new songs from the up and coming album.
Are you looking forward to it?
Yeah, I mean it’s exciting because of all the unknown stuff, we are a very young band and we’ve just been playing shows together mostly in New York. So it’s a new experience because we haven’t done this that much, so to be on tour, they’ll be something sort of interesting about it, because we really don’t know what to expect.
How did the name “The Drums” come around?
Well we wanted everything about this band to reflect sort of going back to the basics of what basic bands are like. Just four guys playing pop songs really excited us, the aim was to just simplify everything, and not be edgy and not be strange and weird. There are just so many bands being experimental and being overly cleaver about things now and we really just wanted to strip things down, like how The Smiths did it, and how The Strokes did it. It’s all really just about the song speaking for itself for us, we’re just going back to the basics. There are just so many bands out right now that have about 10 words in their name and names that are hard to remember. We went for something a little bit more classic and simple, when we thought of “the Drums” we just knew that that was the end of the conversation. It sounds like a band that has existed forever, but it hasn’t.
When did you first notice the buzz and excitement around the band?
Well it first started early on, when we were in Florida recording the record, well we didn’t know it was going to be a record, we were just an unknown band recording music. We had written about 3 songs, very early on, and industry type people, PR people, managers and publicists started reaching out to us, and we were shocked because we thought no one even knew that we existed. By the time we went to New York and played our first show in late May – it was our first show and we were very nervous, we had just met our drummer and guitar player, and it was our first gig together, it was all very rushed. It was amazing though because the whole room was full to the back and I have to say we’re not very good at that sort of thing, like getting all of that attention, we’re not sure how to handle it. It’s an exciting thing, and another big moment was when we finally did go to London and we played in front of these really big crowds and all the kids were singing along to the songs, I think that was a key moment for us when we realised this could be something really special.
Where do you get your music influence from?
I listen to a lot of music like The Smiths, Joy Division, New Order. Basically what interests us is two types of music, sincere and insincere. I feel like a lot of bands don’t really play their instruments very well they’re kind of off and clumsy, but I think that’s where charm comes from and that’s what people gravitate to. When we started off we had never really picked up and instrument before, on every single track there isn’t a single chord played it’s just one note at a time, because we don’t know how to play guitar, we were just white knuckling it. It took all day to play one bit, however over the course of the year we had got much better playing guitar and we can play it live now and all that.
How would you describe your music to someone that hasn't heard it?
I just like to call it rock and roll but with pop at the core. Genre is not really that important to us, as melody, sincerity and truthfulness is. I think what we really try to portray is that sense of vulnerability, that’s why we chose to self produce, because we feel like over the past ten years, it’s all been about getting the right producer, getting the hottest producer, getting the right person featured on your track, and people have forgotten the song and the music! It became all about production and who could be featured on your album, and who could you mash the tracks up with and remix it with, it feels like music has lost its soul. So what we are trying to do is, and I’m not saying we’re doing it, but our goal is to, and as cliché and as cheesy as this sounds, is to really speak from the heart and wear our emotions on our sleeve. We’re really inspired by those cool girl groups from the 50s and 60s, whose songs were so striped down and simple and only 2 minutes and the subjects were really quite elementary, but I think when you have perfect lyrics and a perfect melody they both magnify each other and it’s not really something special.
What’s the best song to play live?
Right now it’s Let’s Go surfing, I think it’s the song most people are familiar with plus it’s really fun to dance to and people have fun with it. My favourite song to play live is the first song we ever wrote and it’s called Best Friend and we usually start every set with that song too. It has a certain sentimental value.
Is there a hidden story behind that track then?
Well Jacob Pierce (guitar) and I have been friends for about 15 years and we decided to write a song about us being Best Friends, but it kind of got boring just singing about being each other’s best friend so we decided to talk about one of us dying so it’s kind of made up and kind of true.
What exciting things have you got lined up for 2010?
We are just going to be on tour all year long all over the globe. The most exciting thing is we’re going to be releasing the album in late Spring, we just finished that and we’re really thrilled at how it turned out so far.
What do you think the future holds for The Drums?
I don’t know. I know that what were going to do is continue to stay true to our original decision which was writing pop songs and come what may, and if people are into us or people forget about us we always just want to continue doing the same thing, playing cool songs.
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Codeine Velvet Club - Jon Lawler 03.11.09
Sophie Stratford talks to Jon Lawler front man of Codeine Velvet Club and The Fratelli’s.
Codeine Velvet Club are the sensational new band featuring chief Fratelli Jon Lawler and Glasgow chanteuse Lou Hickey. The musical collaboration celebrates Jon and Lou’s shared love of ’60s girl-boy duets, dramatic orchestral pop, and dark post-war Hollywood romanticism. Their debut single “Vanity Kills” will be released on 23rd Nov ’09 and their eponymously titled album will be released on 28th December ’09.
What are the main things that influenced you for the new single, Vanity Kills?
Just basic elements of my life, it’s nothing new. If you listen to quite a lot of material you pick and choose different aspects. This single follows onto the album and it’s just another part of my record collection.
How could you describe the band’s sound to someone that has never heard of you before?
I just hope it’s exciting enough.
What can we expect from Codeine Velvet Club compared to The Fratelli’s?
To me it’s totally different. We’re somewhat what others will be. Codeine Velvet Club are a bit smarter dressed I suppose, but there’s got to be more than that. The band has definitely taken on a life of its own that I didn’t expect. When we played our first show in Glasgow I got a bit of a shock at how different the live show panned out from what I’d imagined it would be. I can’t think of anyone coming to see us and being underwhelmed, we could see the confusion in people’s faces the first night we played and I guess nobody was sure what to expect. At the end when you see that difference is what makes it all worthwhile.
What’s the best thing about being in a band?
It’s great, you just play guitar with your friends and drink tea all day long. It’s the best job in the world for somebody who thinks about music all the time. There is nothing better, nothing can even come close to this, and it’s not even about the money. You’re just in control of everything.
Has this new band opened up new musical doors for you?
Nope not at all it’s just as I said another part of my record collection. Putting a band together from scratch isn’t always the easiest thing to do, the personalities are really important and I’ve definitely learnt that.
What are you looking forward to most about the tour?
I just can’t wait to get out there and play. Tours are great when you’re releasing a new record because there is normally hype over the radio or press but you don’t really have control over that, but when playing live you do. Playing live is the most important because you’re in control and it’s your part.
What do you want people to gain out of listening to your music?
If people are looking for something that’s not your usual sweaty bunch of guys on the stage playing guitars then that’s us. We’re alternative.
What’s the best thing about being on tour?
It’s just like being a 12 year old. It’s a ridiculous way to live your life, just travelling around on a bus with your friends and all you have to do is a play a show at night. Not a day goes by when I haven’t laughed about it, whether I’m having good days or bad days. At least once a day I just like to stop and think it’s pretty hilarious, especially on tour.
What artists would you love to perform with?
God plenty but I’m really lucky that since The Fratelli’s I’ve had a chance to play with loads of people, even heroes of my dad. I always watch us performing on YouTube it still makes me laugh that we did those things. I remember when we supported The Police, when they did the tour of the States, these things always come up again if you wait around long enough for them.
What can we expect next from Codeine Velvet Club?
If I’m still working and we’re still out there playing for people I know it’s going okay. I don’t even really know what to expect from it. It makes it a bit more exciting.
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Mr Hudson 02.10.09
Sophie Stratford talks to Ben Hudson, about working with Kayne West, music influences and the release of his new album, Straight No Chaser.
Most well known for his number 2 hit song Supernova featuring Kayne West, Mr Hudson is an articulate, well-spoken, middle-class, English singer-songwriter with a fondness for electric beats and super-literate lyrics. He collaborated his new album Straight No Chaser with American superstar Kayne West, and West feels Mr. Hudson has the potential to be one of the most important artists of his generation.
Mr. Hudson’s new album Straight No Chaser will be available for purchase from October 5th 2009. 
What have you been up to?
Well I’ve just dropped my laptop, and the screens broken, it looks pretty but it doesn’t work. But I did just have a hilarious cup of tea with Alan Carr.
What have you been up to since finishing your second album?
Well I finished the album back in April/May , so I’ve just been doing a lot of festivals and shows, I love playing live. I’ve been doing that long before I’ve made any record, I’ve been in bands since I was a kid. I have also done lots of photo shoots, and I flew to America and ended up doing some pretty big things, such as a photo shoot for GQ magazine.
What’s the best thing about being on tour?
The shows obviously and seeing the country. Its great travelling around the whole world, I get to see all my friends that are scattered around; whereas for most people their job is in one place. It’s great when I’m passing through Leeds or Manchester I can just ring my friends up and go for a beer.
How did working with Kanye West come around?
Basically the first album (A Tale of Two Cities) who I did with the Library, Kayne somehow got hold of a copy, I think he was in Japan! I think he just got really into it and wanted to help me out, and thank goodness he did.
It tells me on Wikipedia that Kayne says “I believe Mr. Hudson has the potential to be bigger than me, to be one of the most important artists of his generation”, what do you think of this?
It’s a bit scary isn’t it? It’s a big challenge. I mean you know what, I’m just going to focus on the music, and play every show like it’s my last and do my best. It’s up to the people at home to decide, there’s not a phone in or anything, but if there were at the end of the day it’s up to the people that buy the music and decide what concerts they want to go to, and hopefully a few of them come to mine.
When did you decide that music was the thing for you?
Well I knew I never wanted to get a real job. I was in my first band when I was 11, and was just making music all the way through school. When I was there I just knew I wanted to make music, I’d written a whole load of songs and put a band together and it all started from there really.
What are the main things that influenced you for album, Straight No Chaser?
I think spending all that time in America working on Jay-Z’s album and Kanye’s album had a massive influence on my head space, on what sounds I wanted to create. This new album is widescreen it’s HD, and for me it feels more colorful, punchy and electric. The first album was sort of gentle in comparison.
It’s been heard the album is to do with a break up between you and your ex-girlfriend?
Yeah. Lyrically it ended up being a bit of a break up album which I didn’t intend and it’s not very fair on her but it sort of just spilled out. It’s not about her really, I just think people should be able to relate to it, it’s about feelings and everything else, and it’s what most people go through.
What can we expect from Straight No Chaser in comparison to A Tale of Two Cities?
I think just that widescreen, pop sort of kick in the nuts record really. I didn’t want to make a dull second album, I wanted it to be entertaining. The fact the lyrics were downbeat hopefully doesn’t take away the fact that it’s a quite upbeat record.
You’re supporting Calvin Harris on this UK tour, how did this come about?
I know it’s going to be great! Well Calvin and I both got into each other’s music and I went to one of his shows actually and he had a little after party and I went and introduced myself and we had a quick nerdy chat about drum machines or something. Then he ended up doing a remix of Supernova, which was great, it has about 1 million hits on YouTube, and when he asked me to support him on the tour it just made sense and I was like yeah definitely because he does a great live show and his fans are always up for a good time.
What do you think of his music?
Yeah I’m a fan, I’ve got the new album. I think he’s great.
What’s your favorite song to play live?
It’s got to be Supernova hasn’t it? In Glasgow at the Mobo’s the crowd reaction was incredible. It was great to see all these people standing up and singing along and maybe there was a few in their living rooms at home.
Have you got any obsessive fans?
Not that I know of. I’ve got some very loyal fans, I wouldn’t say anyone is obsessed. They call themselves the Mr. Hudson Army.
What music are you into at the moment?
I just bought Dizzee Rascals new album and Ian Browns record. Also N-Dubz I’m into their new stuff, I’ve been working with them in the studio. It’s funny we were on the red carpet and they turned up and Dappy said “Yo Mr. Hudson we love you” and I thought that was very sweet coming from a hard man like Dappy.
What can we expect next from Mr. Hudson?
Well I’m just going to be touring loads and also working with lots of people, such as N-Dubz and Estelle. I just want to help people out if I can and vice versa.
Would you ever see yourself becoming as big as Kanye?
Well he does doesn’t he? We’ll see we’ll see, as I said we will let the people at home decide. I don’t want it all, the most important thing for me is that I can have a long career. I don’t just want to be that guy who puts Supernova out. I want to be that guy who puts a load of other albums out, I want to be doing this when I’m old and grey.
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Noah and The Whale 17.09.09
Sophie Stratford talks to Charlie Fink from English band Noah and the Whale, about his film and their new album, The First Days Of Spring.
Noah and the Whale are an indie folk band from Twickenham, London, and fresh from playing Leeds & Reading this August are now back on the road for tours in Europe and the UK. Their new album The First Days Of Spring is accompanied by a film, directed from the band’s lead vocalist Charlie Fink and starring model Daisy Lowe, which runs the length of the album. Both the album and film are filled with huge emotional power, complexity and impact.The record has been described as more electric than previous works however their sound is always changing and evolving.
What have you been up to since finishing your album and film?
The film was first screened at Latitude Festival in Suffolk and the whole time before that was pretty cool and busy. Since then we have just done a bunch of festivals, and we’re now in Europe for a couple of weeks then back into the UK for a tour.
What gave you the inspiration to make a film to accompany the album?
The idea was born in how people listen to music now, people just take a glance instead listening to the full journey of the record. With the film you have this really enhanced experience with the album, but it’s still in context because it causes people to sit down and react to the whole length. Once you start a project like this you carry it on for different reasons and it becomes a project of its own.
Is the film the story behind the album?
The story is separate I don’t want the album to be narrating the film. I think they’re kind of complimentary but separate.
Tell me about the cast in the film, how did you choose those specific (actors/actresses)?
Just through casting, I wanted people who had personality, I wanted people to be naturally the way I wanted them to be in the film. Except Ben-(Lloyd-Hughes) who plays Young Ethan, he’s an old friend of mine. And Daisy Lowe (model) who plays Diane, I met in New York and asked if she wanted to be involved and she said yes.
The film’s been screened a couple of times. What’s the reaction been like so far?
So far it’s been pretty good, we did a tour of it and doing Q&A’s around the UK. I think as far as I can tell people enjoyed it, they probably wouldn’t say if they didn’t.
The First Days Of Spring is a very down beat album, was that a conscious decision?
I guess you know it’s the subject matter and I think it gets pretty forced out in the first part of the record, the mood is consistent inbetween the music and the lyrics.
What inspired the making of the new album, anything specific?
Yeah. My Story, specific things in my life.
There’s rumours your brother, Doug Fink has left the band is this true? And how do you feel about that?
Yeah it is true. It’s sad obviously but he’s doing something he really wants to do, being a Doctor, but I’m really proud of him.
How would you describe your sound for someone that has never heard of you before?
Our sound is always changing and evolving, we always seem to be surprising people, which is good. I think some people were surprised by the new record, and when people come and see us live now they’re surprised by that as well. Yeah I like that.
Were there any bands that influenced the music of the album?
While making this record I was listening to Nick Cave, Talk Talk, and a whole bunch of stuff.
You recently played Leeds and Reading, how was this? Which was your favourite show?
Reading and Leeds were both really cool. We were a bit nervous about it, we weren’t sure If it was necessarily our crowd, however we got a good reaction. I think Leeds was probably preferable mainly because Tom’s violin broke at Reading on our last song.
Where do Noah and the Whale go from here? What have you got lined up for the rest of this year and next?
We’re touring in the UK, the USA and back to Europe. We’ll also try and start a new record next summer but mainly touring really.
The First Days Of Spring is out now.
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Frankmusik Interview 31.07.09
Sophie Stratford talks to Vincent Frank, best known as his stage name Frankmusik, about his debut album, live shows and obsessive fans.
23 year old Vincent Frank aka Frankmusik is that rarest of pop prospects; one that has manufactured his own image and music. He has become one of 2009’s most in demand remixers/producers with a dozen remixes to his name for everyone from avant-garde Brooklyn act Telepathe to The Pet Shop Boys and has also produced two tracks by N. 1 grime pop star Tinchy strider. His debut album “Complete Me” is a break up record written about his ex girlfriend, Vincent wrote and produced these tracks in his bedroom in Thornton Heath, Croydon. The album is an electronic love letter, the soundtrack to an eternal summer of adolescent heartache, equal parts light and dark.
What have you been up to since finishing your new album, Complete Me?
I’ve been doing lots of gigs all over the country and in Ireland, and it’s been absolutely wonderful doing that. I’ve had good weather for it. Also I’ve done a few shows in London of my album tour; I’ve been having a lot of fun.
What are the main things that influenced you for the album?
The album is all based on a relationship I had 2 years ago, you could say it’s a break up album. However it’s very up-beat and pop but the lyrics are very deep and meaningful. I suppose the actual sound is inspired by 80s retro and pop music.
If you had to describe the albums sound in a few words what would they be?
Glamour and pop.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever played?
It would have to be my album launch party at Heaven in London, it was completely sold out and it was great to hear everyone singing all the words to my songs. I got to hang out with a few people afterwards and I had a great party. I also had a photo shoot after the gig as well, and it managed to get on the front cover of The Times.
What’s the best thing about playing to a live audience?
The energy is the core thing about doing a live show. What you get from a live audience is what you don’t get from listening to music on a stereo. Everyone is there for the same reason; it’s like everyone coming together.
You’ve recently supported the Pet Shop Boys on various dates, how was this?
Great, it was a pleasure. The Pet Shops Boys have been an influence I’ve grown up with as a child. It was incredible that they wanted me to support them, it was a really good jam and they’re great guys.
What sort of artists are you into at the moment?
I like stuff from Tinchy Stryder, Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx and Dizzie Rascal.
Have you got any obsessive fans?
I’ve got a couple yeah, but you know they’re harmless and they’re big supporters so obsessive fans are a good thing. I sometimes get rather long emails from them occasionally.
What else is lined up for you for the rest of 2009 and into 2010?
Now that the album is just about to come out, I will be promoting it and gigging it and trying to get the music to as many people as possible.
What would you like to achieve in the future?
I want to get my second album out half way through next year, I want to carry on my remixing of other artists and also I’d like to do a bit of acting at some point over the next couple of years.
Frankmusik’s album “Complete Me” is out now on Island Records.
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The Rumble Strips Interview 22.07.09
Sophie Stratford talks to front man Charlie Waller from Devon based band The Rumble Strips, about their new album, festivals, and music influences. The five some have just released their new album Welcome To The Walk Alone with help from Mark Ronson, it’s a tight melodic complication with cheerful string laden tunes, however lacks some depth and meaning.
What inspired the making of your new album Welcome to the Walk Alone? Not sure really, lots of different things I suppose. Mostly about lots of things that were going on in my head that year.
Mark Ronson produced the album, how did that come about? Well it started off us doing a remix of Black to Black by Amy Winehouse, but instead of doing a remix we played the song a different way and dubbed her vocals on top of it. He heard that and asked me to come and sing that version of Black to Black with him at the Electric Proms. That’s how we met him, and got to know him. Then he said how about we record some of your tunes for your next album and that’s how it developed.
How did Mark help you in the album? Well I suppose he opened a lot of doors for us, in terms of orchestration and stuff and having that name behind him meant we could do some more ambitious things.
What’s it like working with Mark? He’s good, a nice guy, very smart.
How would you describe the album? I would say, Ethic and Strings.
What else in lined up for you for the rest of 2009 and into 2010? This summer we are doing a lot of festivals so were in the swing of that, and a lot of promotional things for the album. Then we have a tour in September, and after that we have a tour of Spain I think.
What’s your opinion on festivals? I love festivals. Well they can be good and bad. I prefer festivals that are more out in the middle of nowhere rather than London festivals for 1 day or whatever. If the weathers good they’re great.
Where do you get your music influence from? It’s hard to say really, I’m a big fan of old rock and roll music and everyone in the band are big fans of Adam The Ants and bands like that. We all don’t know where some of the piano inspiration that Henry’s written comes from.
What’s the best and worst thing about being on tour? The best thing is that you don’t have to think much, life’s quite simple, all you have to think about is at the end of the day you play a gig. You’re looked after you don’t have to worry about food or anything like that. I don’t think there is anything bad at the moment, but there has been times where you miss people.
What do you think the future hold for The Rumble Strips? Who knows! We’ve known each other for a long time and whatever happens we have a tie strong enough to keep us going. I think we will definitely make more records .
What bands do you hope to play with in the future? Well we’re really looking forward to this tour we’re doing in September, because we are playing with two bands one called Everything Everything, who are a really great band. And Bombay Bicycle Club, who are also really good.
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Moby 08.06.09
Sophie Stratford talks to Richard Melville Hall, best known as Moby, about his new ninth studio album Wait For Me, released June 30th.
Moby is a well established DJ, singer, songwriter and musician, and received worldwide success with his fifth album Play and from there he went on to write another four albums, with most recent Wait For Me which is just about to be released and it is set to be one of the biggest album of 2009.
1. What have you been up to since finishing your last album “Last Night”?
Well when I finished making the last album, I was doing a lot of Djing, and I went on tour and played quite a lot of festivals but really I’ve just been spending most of my time working on this new album at home in New York where I have my studio.
2. Where did you make the new album? And how did you approach the recording and mixing?
Well I made the album at home in my studio. I have a 2 bedroom apartment, and I sleep in the small bedroom and I have the larger bedroom as my studio. I really do like working at home, because that way I’m never worried about how much it’s going to cost or having other people round, so in general I really like making records at home.
3. What inspired the making of this new album?
I mean I’ve made a lot of records over the years especially, well if this record, I really wanted to make a record that I would want to listen to if I was at home, by myself on a Sunday morning and it was raining outside, so I guess with this record I wanted to make something more melodic and more personable, and this is a strange word to use but I wanted to make something that was beautiful.
4. Are you enjoying this new DIY (Do It Yourself) approach, and what was the idea behind it?
Well I guess for a long time I thought that in order to be, you know quote unquote, a real musician I had to make records in big outside studios and I had to make big budget videos and then I realised that the records that the other people were making that I actually liked were made in small studios and sometimes made in peoples bedrooms and so with this record I wanted to get back to that, and with the artwork, and with the videos and with the photographs I just wanted to enjoy the process more and not have to worry so much about major label pressures and instead just try to make something that appealed to me.
5. How would you describe this new album?
Well, it’s a much, I guess if I had to describe this record I would say that it’s melodic and more atmospheric than my other albums. It’s a more melancholic record, I mean it has a sense of sadness to it, not because I was particularly sad or mournful when I was making the record, but I think in general I just always really preferred sad, mournful music.
6. Who are the guest vocalists on the album?
Well there are a bunch of different singers on the record, my friend Amelia, her last name is Ladyrizo – she sings a song, my friend Kelly sings a song, -a friend of mine called Hilary sings a song. I only end up singing one song on the record, there are some vocal samples, but predominantly I guess the vocals are being sung by friends of mine.
7. What is track “Shot in the back of the head” all about, and why this was an initial free download?
It’s an instrumental, and I guess it’s not the greatest commercial idea to have the first single from a record be an instrumental because it is almost impossible for any radio station to play instrumentals. But it was a song of the record I really liked, and my friends seemed to like it too, we weren’t really too concerned about any commercial pressure, we just put out a first single as a song that we all really liked.
8. David Lynch shot the video for “Shot In The Back Of The Head”, how did that happen?
Well I’ve been a huge David Lynch fan for a long time from his early student films to Razorhead. I really also love his last film Inland Empire and in the last couple of years him and I have become friends so for this song shot in the back of the head I sent him a copy of the record and a copy of the song and I guess he liked it. And I very causally asked him if he would make some visuals for the song and he very kindly agreed so we ended up with the video which he’d he made – illustrated and animated – not something I think will get a lot of MTV play but that’s ok with me.
9. Track 7, Mistake is the only track you sing, was this a conscious decision to have other singers on the other songs?
Well, when I make an album I never really expect to do any of the singing because as much as I’d love to be a great singer I just don’t like my voice all that much, so normally when I write songs I write them with the idea that someone else will end up singing them. And usually if my voice is on one of my records or if I end up singing, a lot of times its because I just wasn’t able to find anyone else to sing the song, but on this record ‘Wait For Me’ I was able to find, you know, friends of mine who have really beautiful voices and they very nicely came in and sang the songs.
10. What can we expect from the new live show?
Well for the last album, ‘Last Night’, I did quite a lot of DJ-ing, and the live show for ‘Last Night’ was very dance heavy, with a lot of percussion and a lot of drums. And the live show for this album ‘Wait For Me’, is going to be much more musical with a lot of focusing in on some of the older material that I’ve done. It’ll be much quieter and maybe more ambient, just focusing on the quieter elements from this record. There might be some loud, up tempo songs in the live show but in general I want to do something that is a bit more down tempo and melodic for Wait For Me.
11. Tell us about your other project mobygratis.com?
Well Mobygratis.com was started as a way of giving free music to film makers, specifically indie film-makers, film students and people working on non profit films. So any indie film maker or film student can go to mobygratis.com and use the music for free. If for some reason the film does get picked up commercially they’ll have to pay a small license fee but that license fee would go to charity, specifically to the main society - that way I can never make any money off mobygratis.com - which keeps me honest.
12. Is there anything else in the pipeline you want to tell us about?
Well, not that I can think of. I guess right now I’m just getting ready to go on tour, and just writing music for the album after this one because that’s all I do, I go into my studio and I work on music, but apart from working on new music and getting ready to put out this album, no there isn’t anything new.
13. Originally where are you from?
Well I was born and I grew up right here in New York in a suburb.
14. Do you like New York City?
Well, I was born here, and I’ve spent most of my life here and so I love New York. I mean, there are a lot of things about NY that drive me crazy, it is very competitive and it’s very busy, but in general I still love NY.
Wait For Me is scheduled to be released on 30th June 2009.
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Bombay Bicycle Club Interview 20.04.09
Sophie Stratford talks to Jamie MacColl – lead guitarist and backing vocalist from London based indie rock band, Bombay Bicycle Club. The band began at an early age of 15, and won Virgin Mobile's "Road to V" competition on Channel 4 in 2006, just as they had finished their GCSE’s. Since then Bombay Bicycle Club has been a whirlwind of success, festivals, record releases, and important choices. They play an energetic mix of indie rock, which melodies are instantly infectious, all accompanied by lyrics that still believe in their youth and are sung with the passion of what it is to be young and alive.
So, How did the mini tour go? It was really good, definitely felt like a step up from the last time we’ve been on tours; in terms of how many people were there. And also we’ve improved a lot in our performance.
How did the band name come around? Well actually it’s an Indian curry house called the Bombay Bicycle Club, near where we live. We saw it one day and thought that’s interesting so we kept it. In hindsight it was probably a bit of a stupid name but never mind.
What is Bombay Bicycle Club really all about then? Four guys making music I guess, err I don’t really know.
You’ve come a long way from winning Road to V in 2006, how far do you really want to go with the band? Well I don’t know, we don’t want to be a really big commercial band; I don’t think that’s really us. But there is a part of you that does want that , and wants to see how far you can go as a band, like conquer the world or something! Part of me wants that but part of me also wants to keep it real and stay true to the music we want to play.
Do you ever think about putting the band on hold and having a job, making music in your spare time? Well we all have places at university in September, because basically we’re on our gap year at the moment. There is a part of all of us who all want to go to University, if not in September at some point. But at the moment we are very focused on the band.
What’s the best decision you have made occurring the band? Not to leave school when we were 16. After we won the Road to V it was just after our GCSE’s and a lot of people were saying you should throw school and find a record deal and whatever. However I think we definitely made the right choice not doing that because I think we probably evolved much better having stayed at school.
Where does the inspiration for songwriting come from? Well I’m not the songwriter, but lyrically it’s probably being young, that’s a big thing for us because we’re only 18-19. We just sing about what we know which is being teenagers, girls and that sort of thing.
What do you spend all your money on? I don’t have any money haha. Being in a band is not a good way to make money, but when I do have some I spend it on my guitar and stuff.
What’s the best thing about being on tour? The gig itself definitely. It’s pretty boring sitting in a van for 4-5 hours with nothing to do. Being on tour is weird you sort of drive to towns and play for about 45 minutes a night and then it’s over. Going out in new towns is always fun, I think it’s a good way to see the country too.
What’s the best show you’ve ever played? Probably Reading 2007, it was the first day of the festival on the Friday and we were the first band of the weekend in the smallest tent but it was completely rammed so it was really nice for us. We knew a lot of people in the crowd and they were singing back every word to us so that was cool.
Where’s the most exciting place you’ve visited? Well we have only really toured the UK, but we have also been to Amsterdam and Paris. So I’d say them for really getting out of your comfort zone and playing to a foreign crowd is exciting. They are both wicked cities and there’s a lot to do.
Bombay Bicycle Club’s most recent single Always Like This is out now. And their new album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose is out now. www.myspace.com/bombaybicycleclub www.bombaybicycleclubmusic.com/
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Esser Interview 13.02.09
Sophie Stratford talks to Ben ESSER about his debut album, Scottish hip-hop, and more importantly about him supporting the Kaiser Chiefs when they embark on their UK stadium tour.
Esser, a 23 year old Essex boy, will head out on tour with the Kaiser Chiefs in about a week’s time, coinciding with the release of his new single 'Work It Out'. Not long after which he'll release his much anticipated debut album. Esser is well known to the readers of NME for his unique ska techno rap and his funky hair-do. With two hit singles under his belt and having already completed a headline UK tour, which included a show at the Liverpool Barfly as part of this year's BBC Electric Proms.
How do you feel playing alongside Kaiser Chiefs on their UK stadium tour? Are you a fan yourself?
Yeah I am, I think they’re really good. Sometimes you get a bit of a hard time from some bands, but not the Kaisers. I’m really excited it should be a great tour, it’s nice as well because usually when I go on tour it’s all sorted out through management, or record labels, I sorted this one out because I knew they were playing and I got in touch with them because I wanted to support them.
Who else other than the Kaiser Chiefs would you like to play with in the future?
I’d like to support Blur, and that would be it really.
Are you modifying your usual sets, for the stadium tours?
Yeah a little bit, I think it’s quite hard to really know how to, because I haven’t really done anything like this tour before. So I think I’ll have to kind of modify it as I go along and see from the start what works and what doesn’t. It’s a whole learning process for me and my backing band and its going to be a real challenge.
Are you going to play any of your new songs?
Yeah we’ll be playing most of the new stuff and hopefully as much from my debut album as we can. The set will vary, and I think we’ve got to a place now where we can afford and have enough tracks to play different songs every night; and that will keep it interesting for us and the fans.
What are the main things that influenced you for your debut album, and have you got a date for it to be released yet?
I don’t know, I guess it’s quite varied really. Musically there are lots of different tunes, beats and completely different meanings behind the songs, so it’s quite hard for me to understand where the influence has come from. I think most of the influences have come from bands I used to listen to when I was a kid, but I think overall the influence that ties the album together is post teenage antics.
The album is coming out in April, I think. It changes all the time so I’m not positive.
Have you played any your new songs live yet?
Yeah we’ve been playing them for quite a while now, pretty much the whole album.
In your opinion which is the best song you’ve ever wrote?
Brave Face, which is the title track of the album. I’m just working on new stuff at the moment, a lot of the songs on there were written quite a few years ago. It quite nice to have recorded them and put them to one side, and get on with my new stuff.
Best thing about playing to a live audience?
I think it’s just because it’s different every night, you don’t really know what’s going to happen, there’s chance and that sort of risk involved which is quite daunting but at the same time it brings new life into the songs which is exciting.
If you could play a show anywhere in the world where would it be?
I’d play in Mauritius, my dad’s from there but I’ve never been, but it’s really hot and lovely.
What’s new for Esser this year?
Well we’re going on the Kaiser Chiefs tour and after that I’ll just be gigging nonstop for most of the year. Also I’m really looking forward to promoting the album, getting the album out.
I’m trying now to do as much as I can before I get out on tour, because it takes up most of your time and it’s quite exhausting.
Who musically do you like at the moment?
I really like this band from Edinburgh, they’re kind of Scottish hip-hop, and they’re very different. That reminds me I need to go out and buy a few albums of some artists, I need to keep up. (laughs)
Have you ever played in the North-east area before?
Yeah I think I have, I’ve been touring for quite a while now. The first proper tour we did was supporting Foals, we toured the whole UK really doing that. I think I’ve covered most places in the UK now, and when I get back on tour I hope to play to a few more people than before.
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Stereophonics 31/10/08 [Interview not written in Q and A]
Sophie Stratford talks to Richard Jones from Stereophonics about their new compilation album, their up and coming tour, and all the little bits in-between.
Base guitarist and backing vocalist Richard Jones is a member of one of the biggest classic rock bands in the world, Stereophonics. Richard grew up with lead vocalist Kelly in the village of Cwmaman, near Aberdare in South Wales. Along with original drummer Stuart Cable, they began writing and performing music in working men’s clubs together in 1992.
Now Stereophonics are just about to release their compilation album Decade In The Sun: The Best of Stereophonics, - a timely, twenty track collection that brings together all the most memorable hits from their incredible ten year career. I asked Richard what was the idea of bringing out the compilation album, “We’ve been asked for about the last five years to release a Stereophonics: “Best of” Compilation album and until now we never thought it was appropriate really because we were still making original albums. Go to November last year and the record company who we were with got bought out by Universal and we found ourselves in a situation that we were with a brand new label, where we haven’t got a relationship. And they don’t know pretty much a lot of our work, so we thought it was a great starting point for them and us, to work on something that has already been established really, so they can get to know all our back catalogue. It was a good thing for us to see how they work. You don’t need to push a “Greatest Hits” as much as a new album because everybody’s always familiar with the tracks on it.” Stereophonics have been around for a long time, so their music along with them as musicians will have developed a great deal, “I think we have developed, we’ve learnt different tricks, your confidence gets better and you get better as a musician. You get inspired by different people, people you meet and other music you hear. You try and recreate yourself on every album. With Stereophonics we try and find a new sound which we haven’t played on previous albums. That’s the way we try and work it in the studio” he says.
From 7 albums and countless numbers of singles, Richard admits it was hard choosing only 20 for the album. “That was the most difficult part out of the whole process; we had 26 singles which have been in the charts, so we had to condense it down to single CD version. That was awkward picking the 20 to fit on the album, but we did it as a privilege of the record company. We’re going to release a deluxe version which is going to be 2 discs so we could put the extra tracks on that, and make it a full “Best Off” with all the singles on their and also some of our favourite songs.” In 2005 Stereophonics released their album “Language. Violence. Sex. Other?” It is in this album that Jones feels “Dakota” is the best song they’ve ever written because “It’s one track which signifies Stereophonics over the last 5 years”. Stereophonics are an old band, but are always considered contemporary and never fail to create new, modern sounds. “We create the music, that’s what we do. For us being musicians, it was us getting into the band in the first place just to have fun, and to entertain ourselves. I think every musician is always really trying to push the band to the limit of what they can do. I can’t see us stopping for a long time. “
Also being in the spotlight for years can cause tension in the band but Richard Jones reassures me that the relationships between the band members are even stronger than ever before, “I think we get along more now than we have done, probably over the last 10 years. You go through periods within the lifespan of the band. On the first album everybody’s just happy to get a record deal and travel the world. Second album you’re taking it a bit more seriously. And when you’re on your third album you think I’ve got to take everything seriously. You’re treating it more like a business, and I think on our fifth album we turned it back around to just having fun again. We’re not trying to change the world, we’re just entertainers and hopefully people get a thrill out of watching us.” To most bands, their fans are extremely important. I wanted to find out firsthand what Richard and Stereophonics would like people to gain out of listening to their music. “I think music is different for every person, some music helps you escape from your everyday business. People listen to a song and it takes them away, back to a place where they heard the song first. That’s what we are; we are so to say the soundtrack of a lot of people’s lives and were quite fortunate to be in the situation where we make people think different things, inspire people, and help other people through bad times. Also get people dancing and doing whatever.”
At the very end of November and during December Stereophonics are embarking on a huge UK tour, promoting the new album. The tour is all arenas, something the band are now used to playing in. “You can create a bigger thing with arenas, you can put more imagination in, with the lights and with the way your stage is set. It gives you a lot more scope to play around with set lists, and songs and deliver in a slightly different way. Whereas when you’re in a small venue, you can’t hide behind anything and you have to play back to back music. And that’s what that’s all about, it’s pure adrenaline. With a big stage you can turn into more of a performer.”
The best thing about being in a band, to Richard is: “being able to fulfil your dreams. For me as a teenager I always wanted to be in a band, just to play and create music. And for us I think that’s the best thing, we don’t have people telling us what we have to write, what we’ve got to wear, or how our haircuts are supposed to be. We are our own masters, and sometimes that’s good and sometimes that’s really bad because we’re our own worst critics most of the time.”
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Kids In Glass Houses Interview 21/05/08
I caught up with Lead vocalist from Kids In Glass Houses, Aled Phillips just before they launch into their new UK tour to promote their new album “Smart Casual”. When Aled first started the band it was to become nothing more than merely a hobby but now the band are regular players on Radio 1.
Your new album “Smart Casual” comes out on 26th, are you looking forward to the release?
Aled: Yes, It’s been a long time coming since we recorded it in December, so we just had to sit on top of it for 5 months, but were just really really exited now.
What inspired you when you wrote the songs?
Aled: A lot of different things, we wrote it over a long period of time. We started writing it in June 2006 so I guess the more we toured and met people within the music industry we learnt more. It is basically a story of our journey from living at home and all the stuff we did to touring now. Just like a little diary.
Have you played any of your new songs live yet?
Aled: We have been playing one or two, “Girls” we’ve been playing for a while and also “Saturday”. This is the first time we will have played about 6 of the songs of the new album. I’m pretty nervous but excited too.
How would you describe your sound?
Aled: I’d say all our tracks are pretty varied. Our sound is sort of accessible and poppy but it’s got a darker sort of rockier edge.
Where did you get the name Kids in Glass Houses?
Aled: It came from a Glassjaw song, “Tip Your Bartender”. We listened to the song and there’s the line “not throwing stones at you anymore”, and then we thought of glass houses and I don’t know where kids came from but it stuck.
Are you looking forward to Leeds and Reading this year, after you nailed last year’s performance?
Aled: Yeah that was my favourite show we’ve ever played. This is the festival I’m most exited to play, I’m nervous though because it’s a lot bigger stage this year, so we’ll see how it goes but I’m looking forward to it.
I’m probably more nervous for Download, we’ve gone up a stage size and the line up on that stage is exclusively metal, and we’re this big gay pop-rock band.
What do you spend all your money on?
Aled: Shoes, clothes, alcohol, pretty much. I bought some headphones today they cost £40 that was an expensive purchase for me; and a lot of magazines.
Who’s the most annoying member of the band?
Aled: I think everyone has their moments, I can be annoying. Probably Joel he’s the quiet one, I want him to be more sociable and bring him out of his shell.
What bands do you see yourself playing with in the future?
Aled: It would be nice to play with The Police. I’m just looking forward to doing the festivals and playing with bands we’ve never played with like Justice and bands like that. Hopefully we will start headlining shows and we won’t have to support people forever.
What’s been the highlight of 2008 so far?
Aled: I guess the Paramore tour with New Found Glory, that was really cool and we got on real well with both the bands. I’m sure when the album comes out that will be the highlight.
What bands do you hate?
Aled: Razorlight, I just hate the band, they’re just really awful.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
Aled: A lot of Chromeo, its party music. We’ve been at home for while and Iain has moved into his own place and he’s been having house parties and we’ve been listening to a lot of Chromeo. It has a mad 80s side to it.
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Blood Red Shoes Interview 16/04/08
From the seaside town of Brighton Blood Red Shoes consists of two members Steven Ansell and Laura-Mary Carter. I caught up with them for a chat just as they’re coming close to the end of their UK tour. We discussed several topics from clothes to untalented bands to obsessive fans, most definitely two of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.
How’s the tour been going so far?
Laura-Mary: Yeah it’s going really well
Steven: I reckon 80% good, 20% bad?
How come 20% bad?
Laura-Mary: Just some of the shows weren’t as fun as the others; I think overall the turn out of people coming has been really good. Some of the shows have been really nuts and the others people have just been a bit boring and put off.
Steven: It messes with your standards because when you play a show where everyone goes crazy it makes the other shows seem really boring by comparison.
How did you get the name Blood Red Shoes?
Laura-Mary: It came from a story, and Fred Astaire was making Ginger Rodgers dance really hard for a part in the film, so they all left her practicing wearing white shoes. When they came back they thought she had changed her shoes but actually they were just red with blood because she’d been dancing so hard. That was a story in a book and we thought it suited us because Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers are two people; man and woman. And we like dancing and we like gory things.
Steven: The thing I like about as your telling this story you’re just taking off a really painful pair of shoes. (Laughs)
Have you go any obsessive fans?
Steven: Yes.
Laura-Mary: Yes, we do. Not like scary obsessive, but people who must spend a fortune travelling to see us play all over the world.
Steven: People like when we bring out a new t-shirt in a different colour they have to have every single one, and they will buy the album, the Japanese version of the album, the vinyl of the album, and every single. They will turn up to the gig with loads to sign. Nothing really scary though, apart from Teddy bear man… less you know about him the better.
What’s the best thing about being in a band?
Laura-Mary: I don’t think there can be only one best thing about it.
Steven: My favourite thing about it is having absolutely no personal space what so ever, it’s brilliant. Steven says in a sarcastic manner.
Laura-Mary: But if you had to pick one thing it would be just been able to do this full time, something you love, it’s quite an amazing thing. We could just be working in an office like we were doing before but were actually travelling the world playing music that we’ve created ourselves.
Steven: For me it’s doing something you love, and luckily for us its something were in charge of, you’re pretty much your own boss and your decisions affect your own life. You’re trying to create your own future and I really like that.
Where’s the most exiting place you’ve visited?
Laura-Mary: Japan, it’s just so different and really amazing. It’s just mad with all the different colours there’s just so much to take in. You walk around and it’s just like as if you’re in another reality.
Steven: It’s like the world’s been turned on its head, none of the rules that we’re used to in this country apply. Its just a really intense experience.
What do you spend all your money on?
Laura-Mary: Sweets and clothes. I go through a lot of shoes, today I’ve bought 3 pairs but to be fair they only came to £18. On stage they just fall apart and you have to find the perfect pair and also I buy a lot of clothes because I need to find one perfect dress to wear on stage which I feel comfortable in; I haven’t found it yet though but when I do ill buy about 3.
Steven: You should do I guide to Laura-Mary’s perfect stage outfit! This could make a perfect little ten minute channel four TV programme. I spend my money on the band and food. We love food and I really like cooking and after being on tour you really appreciate a nice home cooked meal.
What have you got lined up for 2008?
Laura-Mary: Lots of festivals and playing Europe. We’re going back to Japan and maybe Australia too.
My sisters getting married to that should be fun.
Steven: Not to me though!
What music are you both into?
Laura-Mary: Mostly older stuff, but we do like a few current bands. We both really appreciate the grunge scene and the 90’s.
Steven: We love underground bands, and stuff like Queens Of The Stone Age and Pj Harvey.
Laura-Mary: Currently we’re really into These New Puritans, and we love Ghost Of A Thousand who are from Brighton they’re definitely one of our favourite bands.
Where do you get your inspiration for song writing from?
Steven: From being fed up with things, mostly.
Laura-Mary: Just from how we’re feeling at the time, which is generally annoyed at something.
Steven: The way we write our songs is just by improvising, no one writes a song and brings it in and says this is how it goes. We start with nothing and leave with something by just jamming. Things that are in the back of your mind just come out in the music, I guess were motivated by that.
What artists would you love to perform with?
Steven: I would have loved to play with Nirvana.
Laura-Mary: My top 5 would be;
1. Nirvana
2. Sonic Youth
3. Queens Of The Stone Age
4. Babes In Toyland
5. PJ Harvey
There is just too many.
Are there any artists you hate?
Steven: How long have you got?
Laura-Mary: The Libertines.
Steven: The Libertines, The Libertines, The Libertines, Babyshambles, The Libertines, all the bands that sound like The Libertines, The View. Most bands with “the” in them actually. The Holloway’s, U2, The Smiths, and all that c**p.
Laura-Mary: I don’t mind The Smiths but I hate U2. I really don’t like Kate Nash, the Ting Tings…
Steven: We hate a lot of music, just bands that have nothing distinctive about them, they’re so predicable as soon as the song starts you know exactly what it’s going to like, it’s like watching a film and knowing exactly what’s going to happen right at the start.
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Set Your Goals Interview 22.02.08
I caught up with Michael Ambrose (drums), Matt Wilson (vocals) and Jordan Brown (vocals) from Set Your Goals in their dressing room. They are a new up and coming band from California and their music is an exiting blend of melodic hardcore and pop punk.
They’re currently touring the UK with hardcore kings Gallows, and they’re sure to broaden their fan base by miles.
What’s it like playing with Gallows?
Michael Ambrose: It’s awesome, that’s the word that comes to mind.
Matt Wilson: Punk Rock
Jordan Brown: They’re a crazy live band, its cool they’re all really nice guys too.
What are the other guys in the bands like?
Matt Wilson: They’re all awesome, we’ve been unfortunate on tours before where we really like the band and when we meet them as people and they’re not very cool. However I’m glad to say that hasn’t happened on this tour. Everyone’s really nice and it’s just like a party every night.
Do you like Gallows music?
Jordan Brown: Yeah it’s great.
What’s the best thing about being on tour?
Michael Ambrose: Traveling.
Matt Wilson: To come here and to play music that we wrote in a garage.
Jordan Brown: English breakfasts! They’re a popular item on this tour, pretty much every morning the aim is to wake up and have the breakfast.
Michael Ambrose: It really is, the food is the priority. We wake up and it doesn’t really matter if were late for the show because were getting English breakfasts, and that’s all that really matters in the morning.
What’s the last thing you bought?
Matt Wilson: These starburst things that have ooze in them! We don’t have them in the states.
Michael Ambrose: Crackers and cheese! We missed out on our breakfast in Leeds which we’ve been looking forward too all night because their power went out, and Dan was going to try and conquer the mega breakfast challenge; which is a massive amount of food where you film it.
So we got stuck on a grocery store for breakfast, but it was good.
How would you describe your sound?
Matt Wilson: A party.
Jordan Brown: It’s defiantly a blend of pop-punk and hardcore, that’s the most popular comparison that we get to have elements of both those styles.
When we write music the aim is to focus on the mood of the song, and how it’s developing, either into a more hardcore or pop-punk song. We always keep an energy about it that’s going to translate into the live shows. That’s very important.
What bands inspire your work?
Jordan Brown: Lots. I’ve actually gained a lot of understanding of bands on this tour. I think that music like this really can exist in a much more successful level in the mainstream here. And can expose people who may not have been into an underground style of music before to get into this style. I’m currently influenced by all the bands on this tour and as well as timeless bands for us like Live time and Saves the Day.
What do you wish to gain in 2008?
Jordan Brown: I’d really like to see put out another album, were working on new songs right now, and I think that’s going to be the main focus more than anything. We’ve got a video that just started getting edited a couple of days ago, so it should be cool to get that out there. Overall just to get new songs out there, and to keep music alive in our lives, and give our fans something new.
Have you ever played in Newcastle before?
Matt Wilson: No, I think this is our first time.
Do you have any obsessive fans?
Matt Wilson: Yeah (laughs).
Michael Ambrose: Birthday girls from You Tube.
Matt Wilson: IF you go on You Tube and search “Happy Birthday Matt Wilson” there’s a pretty interesting video.
Michael Ambrose: Very interesting.
Jordan Brown: For his birthday a couple of years ago these two girls had baked him a cake and filmed themselves singing happy birthday to him. Then they came to our show and bought a ridiculous amount of merchandise.
Matt Wilson: I still don’t know how they found out it was my birthday.
Michael Ambrose: Yeah that’s pretty impressive.
Looking forward to tonight’s show?
Jordan Brown: Defiantly. Again it’s our first time in Newcastle so it will be really cool to reach some new fans out here. Really looking forward to tonight’s show.
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Ting Tings Interview 31/01/08
The Ting Tings are an English indie-pop band consisting of two members; Jules De Martino and Katie White. They’ve been tipped by Radio 1’s Joe Whiley and various music magazines to be one of the big bands for 2008. This February they are taking part in the massive NME tour featuring The Cribs as headliners.
I caught up with Jules to find out what the Ting Tings are really about.
How do you feel about being hotly tipped for 2008?
It’s great, we’ve been recording and touring a lot recently and now it’s just hit us as soon as we’ve stated the NME tour. It’s weird when people come up to us and say things about us and the music, it’s really interesting too and were really pleased.
How did the name “The Ting Tings” come around?
Katie used to work with a girl called Ting Ting, she told me about her and I went and googled it. It was interesting what I found out. Ting Ting is like a melodic sound and because there are only two of us in the band we chose to have two ting’s. We both thought it was brilliant so it stuck.
What your opinion on being part of the NME tour?
It’s amazing. We’ve just been on tour with “Reverend and the Makers” that was great because we got to play every night and they really looked after us. We’ve been exited about the NME tour because the magazine gets a lot of publishing throughout the UK. Headliners the Cribs have made 3 albums so they’re really experienced, and all the bands playing seem really nice.
What’s the worst thing about being in a band?
The amount of work, when we first started we didn’t realise it would be this much work. Also getting up early and going to bed really late is a downer too. We have to fly a lot as well, and were both really scared of flying.
In your opinion which is the best song you’ve ever wrote?
Be The One, it’s on our album.
What did you want to be as a child?
Nothing at the time, I really didn’t know. I just liked skating and riding my bike. I just couldn’t wait to move out and do what I wanted without getting told off. (laughs)
What’s new for The Ting Tings this year?
Our agent gave us a list of festivals for this year and unless you have an hour I couldn’t list them all, but they’re in places all over the world. Such as Japan, Australia, America and Germany. They’re all major festivals so it’s going to be pretty good.
What’s your favourite drink?
I drink mostly water but alcoholic would have to be Vodka Cranberry.
What’s your biggest inspiration for the band?
“Talking Heads” we were big fans when we starting forming the band so they were inspirational.
Best thing about playing to a live audience?
The energy we create. It’s only us two so we have to gather a lot of energy before we go on stage we have loop pedals, drums and guitars. When were on stage it’s like we have to find the finish line and it’s a race to get there. We both love the adrenaline we get when we come off stage.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------From Autumn To Ashes Interview 21.01.08
Eight years together with many line-up changes From Autumn To Ashes are still going strong. I caught up with Robbie Lauritsen before their Newcastle show, to find out a little bit more.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it?
Robbie: It’s like a hard rock metal sound with a sort of punk thing going on and that’s pretty much it. I mean people like to stay away from labels but if I had to label it that’s what it would be.
How are things so far on the tour and what’s your opinion on playing with Hundred Reasons?
Robbie: Everything’s been great! Hundred Reasons are great to tour with, were sharing a bus with them too. They put on a great show every night, and it’s been real fun. The shows have been good and they’re really good guys.
Have the audience’s been good?
Robbie: Yeah the audience’s have been really good, no complaints there. Sometimes as a support act we go on and you’re put up with a lot. They’ve been good all the way in general the whole UK are great.
Where is your favourite place to play in England?
Robbie: London because London is always like a big deal. I like Manchester too, but I’ve never personally played in Newcastle before so it’s a first time tonight. I also like Brighton down by the water it’s a lot nicer in the summer when it’s warm, and its always a good show.
How did you get the name “From Autumn To Ashes”?
Robbie: It just popped up there one day. Our singer was working on something and the name was based around something he was doing, and we pretty much took it from that.
How was writing the new album, "Holding a Wolf by the Ears"? Was it any different than writing your previous ones?
Robbie: No, not really. We had one of our singers depart but that was definitely for the better. It wasn’t much different you just write the songs and bang them out!
Is there anything new for the band this year, what festivals do you hope to play?
Robbie: We’ve been on tour pretty steady for about the past year so were doing the Soundwave festival in Australia. After this were going to Brazil and were going to be working on a new record. Hopefully hit the road touring again in the summer sometime and In June have the record wrote and recorded, just keeping it going.
What was the last book you read?
Robbie: The last book I finished was one about baseball in America and about how general managers work. It has to do with the finance and the general managing behind a baseball team. I’m really into that kind of thing, it was really good book.
What’s your inspiration for song writing?
Robbie: My inspiration is really whatever’s going on around me at the time, and the same goes for the other band members. You have the bands you always listen to and you like but the song writing is whatever’s going on in your life at the time. That’s really where the basis of the inspiration comes from whether it is good or bad. If you’re honest that’s where it comes from.
What bands would you like to play with in the future?
Robbie: There’s so many, I like the new Down record a lot it would be fun to play with them. Queens of the Stone Age would be fun to play with. We played a show with Gallows in September over at the barfly in London and that was great. So do more shows with them, they’re cool guys.
Looking forward to tonight show?
Robbie: Yeah, just like every other show, I’m just glad to be doing this it’s a good job. You just go out and play shows it’s pretty awesome it’s not a bad thing. Some days you forget where you are in the morning and you have to check your pass to see where you’re at. This is pretty cool and I’m really looking forward to it.
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The Blackout Interview 23/11/07
I interviewed Sean Smith and Matthew Davies from The Blackout, and they’re two of the funniest guys I’ve ever met.
How do you feel about being part in the “Taste Of Chaos” line up?
Sean: It’s amazing, we were added last minute because a band called “Escape The Fate” pulled out. Our record just came out as well so it was good timing. It’s been really fun so far.
Matthew: Yeah it’s pretty good to have a spot in the line up, playing throughout the UK and Europe.
What are the guys in the other bands like?
Sean: They’re all really nice, apart from “Gallows”. Gallows are secretly a “white power” band and they’re really racist. The bassist (Stu Gili-Ross) is one of the most horrible people I’ve ever met in my life. He’s ugly to look at, and he’s just offensive. Were sharing a bus with “Aiden” so our bus smells of Goths (laughs) but they’re really lovely people. The ginger one from Gallows is alright, I don’t know their names because I don’t really care about them.
Where did the name The Blackout come from?
Matthew: It kind of came about when the New York blackout happened. We just kept seeing the word “Blackout” everywhere, on all the papers, “The Blackout”, “The Blackout”. Gavin and I saw a T-shirt saying “I survived The Blackout” and we thought that was pretty cool. So I guess we just robbed it from there.
Your new album “We Are The Dynamite” has just come out last month, what inspired you when you wrote the songs?
Sean: A lot of the songs on the album are about trust issues, relationships and girls all being mad and saying every girl in the world is a liar. It’s just everyday things, the songs aren’t all about relationships. We like to tell a story but also leave some things left open so people can make up what they want, whether it relates to their lives or not. It’s just not about boy and girl its about everything.
How have the crowd reacted to your new songs so far in the tour?
Sean: Awesome, we did a tour just before we did Taste Of Chaos for the launch of the album. People really enjoyed it and we love playing the songs so I think we’ll be playing mostly new stuff tonight. We put some of the stuff on Myspace so people can hear it.
Matthew: When we toured everyone knew the songs, and everyone sang along so it was cool. It’s great when we come to these shows and kids know who we are.
What is your biggest regret as a band?
Sean: Letting Matthew stay in the band (laughs) he’s ugly and he can’t play his instrument very well. You don’t really bring much to the band do you?
Matthew: No, not really.
Sean: Yeah having Matthew in the band is our biggest regret. If he didn’t let us park our tour van outside his house he wouldn’t be in the band.
Matthew: Either that or we not getting on the Japan tour with Lostprophets last year.
Sean: We got asked to play with Lostprophets in Japan, however we recommended a band from south Wales to do it and they ended up getting the spot and we didn’t. So that’s quite a big regret but I still think Matthew in the band is a bigger regret than that.
How did you feel about losing to Bring Me The Horizon for “Best British New Comers” In the Kerrang! Awards 2006?
Sean: Damn them all to hell! We reckon it was fixed, Oli just voted a million times for himself. He makes so much money from Drop-Dead Clothing he paid Kerrang to make them win it, when we really should have won it, everyone knows that.
It was kind of like the American Elections, George Bush won he’s quite thick. Bring Me The Horizon won, they’re quite thick. There is a link.
When you all have time for yourselves what do you do?
Sean: Just sleep, sleep and sleep and kiss girls. Apart from Matthew who kisses the occasional boy.
Matthew: My dad.
Sean: Yes, Matthew kisses his dad when were on tour.
Matthew: Not it that way! (laughs)
What do you think the future holds for “The Blackout”?
Sean: I think were going to be absolutely massive! Were all going to have a yacht each and oh I’m thinking about buying Newcastle city for myself.
Were just going to tour and play as much as we can, and just try to get the album out to anyone that will give it a time of day. Were just going to play forever!
Matthew: I still think we have lodes to achieve and places to rise up to. We have a lot of work ahead of us, like America next year for the first time.
Sean: I think we could do America in a week I reckon, it can’t be bigger than Wales! (laughs)
What do you spend all your money on?
Sean: We haven’t got any money, if we had money I’d buy some new clothes. We don’t make money out of the band I’d like to say we do but we don’t.
Matthew: I think people get the wrong impression of bands and think they’re really rich but they’re not. The only band that breaks this trend is probably Gallows who are millionaires.
Sean: Or Oli Sykes who makes his money by drug dealing (laughs) not really just Drop-Dead Clothing. Lodes of band work really hard but they don’t make much money unless you’re someone like Robbie Williams who signs a record deal for 80 million. We signed our record deal for a twix and a cup of tea because we were all starving. So we don’t have any money to spend.
Finally; are you looking forward to tonight’s show?
Sean: Yeah really looking forward to it, it’s going to be great! We haven’t played in Newcastle for about a year and a half and last time it was amazing. We’ll try and get the crowd naked (laughs).
Matthew: Every time we play in Newcastle its great, we’ve played downstairs and upstairs here at the academy. I can’t wait.
Sean: Even if the crowd boo’s us off, we’ll still have a laugh.
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The Ghost Of A Thousand Interview 18/11/07
The band “The Ghost Of A Thousand” are touring the UK along with “Saosin” and headliners “Alexisonfire”. I caught up with vocalist Tom Lacey and guitarist Andy Blyth before their Middlesbrough gig.
Firstly, what are “The Ghost Of A Thousand” really about?
Tom: Rock and Roll, I think that’s what were really about! Party times and having a good time. Also if we emerge everything into one I think were trying to be a band that makes people realize the British local bands and something serious as well. At the end off the day, bands are all about having fun not posing and looking cool.
How do you feel about playing with “Alexisonfire” on their UK tour?
Andy: It’s awesome, they’re really really nice dudes, and helpful. They’re a great band live too, and there crowds have been brilliant. It’s been a great experience for us.
Tom: Alexis kids are quite up for it, listening to new music.
How did you feel when you were nominated Best British Newcomer at the 2007 Kerrang! Awards?
Tom: Pretty surprised. Don’t get me wrong, we were really really pleased and we realized to get nominated you needed a certain amount of votes. So it was great to know lodes of people voted for us!
What was the best bit about performing at Leeds and Reading?
Andy: The best bit was Tom at the Kerrang! Awards the night before, and when we drove from London to Leeds. I was sleeping in the van and I woke up to the sight of Tom projecting vomit on my shoulder. We did the set and Tom was sick again! (laughs)
Tom: I think Reading was better than Leeds, I wasn’t as hung-over then. I had too much alcohol poisoning at Leeds fest. Yeah we had a good time, there was also some great bands playing, and we got to see all our friends’ bands play “Gallows” and “Cancer Bats”. For me seeing “Municipal Waste”, and meeting those guys was awesome.
What bands would you love to play with in the future?
Tom: “The Bronx” we have to do at some point, they will kick our arses every night but we’d be happy to let them. Andy wanted to tour with Brand New.
Andy: Yeah, that would be hilarious. All the bands we know we’d want to play with would just blow us away, but we’ll just keep playing.
What did you all want to be as children?
Tom: I think I wanted to be a doctor at one point (laughs). Yeah I figured I wasn’t good enough.
Andy: I wanted to be in a band, probably when I was about 11, around that puberty stage. When you get into music, I was into heavy rock and I started playing the guitar. It’s just what I wanted to do. I’m kind of f***ked if this band falls to pieces.
What’s been your best moment this year?
Tom: I think, when we played at London Barfly with “Flood of Red” it was the best gig. We sold it out, and the whole tour was just amazing. Aberdeen Tunnels on that tour was brilliant too, probably that whole “Flood of Red” tour was just the most fun I’ve ever had they’re just the funniest b*****ds I’ve met in my whole life.
Andy: Playing in the summer is a lot nicer than touring right now.
Tom: It was just like we went on holiday for 4 weeks with some great Scottish people, they drink an awful lot though!
Another moment this year was seeing our Album in the shops that was pretty amazing.
What are your plans for 2008 and the future?
Tom: A second album.
Andy: After this tour were going to try and write up some new songs. Hope to write them in Spring and get the album out by Summer.
Tom: We already have about 4-5 new songs now, so it’s all cool. We just have to sort that out and who were going to record them with.
Your debut album “This Is Where The Fight Begins” came out earlier this year, how long were you in the recording studio?
Andy: 12-13 days I think. The drums were done in about 3-4 days and the guitars took about that long too. The base was all done in a day. The vocals took a while.
Tom: I was always throwing up, I was really ill at that time.
Andy: Yeah, we could have done with twice as long, it was probably the most stressful time ever. At one stage it nearly took about 4 hours to record one song. It was really tough. More coffee next time! (laughs)
Looking forward to tonight’s show?
Tom: Yeah, it’s going to be awesome! It’s a bit of a jump from the stage to the barrier, its pretty bloody high so I don’t want to fall and hit the floor or that’s me done for the evening. I just hope my arm strength holds up (laughs).
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Air Traffic Interview – Newcastle Carling Academy 14/11/07
I caught up with Chris Wall and Tom Pritchard from indie rock band Air Traffic just before their Newcastle Carling Academy gig.
How has 2007 been for all of you so far?
Chris: It’s been good, really good actually. When you sit back and think about how things were and how things are now, playing to more people it’s more exiting. I think we probably expected it to better.
You’ve received mainstream success due to the re-release for the single “Charlotte” and debut album “Fractured Life”, what’s your opinion on this?
Tom: We’ll the album went to the charts and the single “Charlotte” and a few others were really good. So I suppose in one way you can say we had mainstream success but it’s just a good thing to release an album and single no matter how they do really.
The more people listen to it the more people come to your gigs the more people enjoy it, and they know the songs and that makes you play better so its all good!
Your name comes from picking up air traffic controllers when you were rehearsing, is that correct?
Chris: Yeah, it was in a little recording studio, it wasn’t really much more than a room next to Bournemouth airport.
The release of your single “Shooting Star” has been massive, this must have been great for the band?
Chris: I think the best thing about “Shooting Star” is, they are playing it a lot on an advert on MTV apparently. I haven’t seen it but people keep talking about it. It’s cool, I think it’s been a really good song for us, again I thought it could have been bigger. If Coldplay released that song it would be number one (laughs).
How would you describe your music to someone that hasn't heard it?
Chris: That’s a really hard question to answer, well if it was a taxi driver I’d just go it’s a bit like Coldplay just to give them a ball-point but it’s really not at all like Coldplay. One or two songs have got a hint in it. I think there is a lot of Supergrass influence and some Radiohead and Muse influence.
Tom: It’s amazing, indie rock music!
Have you got any obsessive fans?
Tom: There’s quite a few (laughs), that always come round the country turning up to random gigs when you least expect it. They bring you presents, and say what do you want next time I see you, and we say something stupid as a joke and then next time we see them they’ve actually got it.
There are a few Japanese fans and they bring you little things like messages.
Chris: They’re super obsessive and spray perfume on the notes. I got a mix tape yesterday; and it’s the best thing I’ve ever been given by a fan. Action should happen more I reckon, come on Newcastle!
Are there any bands that you would like to play with in the future?
Chris: All the bands that I like, I don’t think our music would fit with theirs. I mean it would be amazing to play with Radiohead but you’d just get overlooked and no one cares about anyone but them (laughs).
Tom: I don’t think they’d want us to play with them anyway. The bands that we all really like and the bands that they choose to support them are a bit more quirky and a bit less like pop.
Where’s your favorite place to play live?
Tom: They all just merge into one thing, its really hard just to pin point one out. Everyone reacts differently, the further North you go the crowds jump up and down and are into the gigs. The more South you go, the crowds seem more reserved, and they stand back and listen and try to figure you out. When you go to Europe that’s just crazy! Everyone’s a bit insane over there anyway. Every where’s good, but some places are good for certain reasons and some places are better for other reasons.
Chris: The best place we’ve probably played in this country was the Electric Ballroom in London it’s really nice, has a big stage and there was lots of people there and it was a sweaty gig so it was good!
What do you spend all of your money on?
Chris & Tom: S**T! I have no idea, I don’t know where it’s all gone! Drugs mainly, hookers and blow. (laughs)
Is there anything new for the band in 2008, things fans should look out for, any festivals?
Tom: Yeah, well hopefully we’ll be doing all the festivals, Last year we played V Festival. You can’t play the same festival twice so maybe we’ll end up playing at Leeds and Reading that would be quite cool.
Chris: We’ve just released some new stuff, and were working on new songs at the moment, a new album maybe! Were going on tour in America and Europe properly, we haven’t really done that yet. So were going to take a lot of time out next year, but we’ll be definitely here for the summer.
Tom: Yeah, and there is a tour in January as well.
Finally are you looking forward to tonight’s show?
Chris: Yes, very much. We’ve played here a few times in a place called “The Cluny” and I just don’t think it was the right atmosphere, it’s a bar with nothing. However the academy is a proper gig venue and it’s about the same size, I’m really exited about it. We’ve nearly sold it out already so that’s nice, and hopefully they’ll be a lot of people coming!
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Hundred Reasons Interview 25/10/07
I caught up with Colin Doran from Hundred Reasons just before their Newcastle Carling Academy gig, to find out more.
You’ve had a lot of problems accouring band members and illnesses but you came out strong and smiling in the end what was it like for all of you?
Colin: Its quite difficult but you always have to be optimistic and keep your chin up and what have you, and falling out with the band is just one of those things you know you felt as if you didn’t want to do it anymore and it wasn’t to do with anyone in the band one of those things we wanted to do. So we got a new guitar player and it was cool.
Colin what was it like whispering for a few months and then communicating with pad and pencil, must have been hard for yourself and the band?
Colin: My illness wasn’t as bad as it could have been I was just told to shut up for a few weeks which was cool! (laughs) I’ve had friends that have had to have surgery to do with their voices. So it was a relief I didn’t have to, it was pretty worrying at the time. It was only for about 4 weeks that I had to keep really quiet and some would say it was “blissful.” Yeah it just is hard for the band and you just have to kind of shut up really, we were just about to go on tour and your voice just has to get better.
What’s your opinion on the city of Newcastle, have you had time to explore it?
Colin: Well we’ve always enjoyed the city and when we come here we always have a good time. The gigs and fans are just amazing, and yeah it’s a nice place.
Your new album “Quick the Word, Sharp the Action” has just come out this month, do you think this is a fresh start for the band and a chance to move forward?
Colin: Were always moving forward as a band anyway and we’d never want to sit there and rest on the past and all that kind of thing. It’s something we do all the time moving forward. We don’t know what’s going to happen with the next record and what the songs were going to write but were always moving forward.
What do you think about playing with Enter Shikari in there UK tour?
Colin: It’s wicked you know it’s a massive tour. They’re brilliant brilliant people, really nice guys, they’re a lot of fun and they put on a wicked show and their fans have been really nice to us so far as well so were just having a great time! Having a ball and really really pleased to be on the tour.
You’ve already played a few dates on the tour already how’s it been for you?
Colin: Yeah it’s been wicked absolutely wicked!
How do UK audiences compare to those abroad?
Colin: The UK audiences probably understand you more if that makes sense? But abroad are really cool too, we’ve had some wicked shows in Portugal and places like that. It just depends on the crowd and the vibe that night really. You can generally get up a British crowd more just because there’s no language barrier.
Is there anything new for the band in 2008?
Colin: We’ve got a tour booked for January so we’ll be back in Newcastle then. And were probably going to do some festivals you know. Then start on a new album! Normally the way you do things in a band. (laughs)
Finally, are you looking forward to tonight’s show?
Colin: Oh yeah course I am, its going to be wicked!
Sophie Stratford talks to 23 year old rocker Tiffany Page from London about being tipped for success, The New to the Q Tour and music influences.
With Page the rock and roll, feisty element is present in her stage presence and music and this gives her an edge on other highly predicable female solo acts of 2010 such as Ellie Goulding. Her music has a contemporary feel however holds traditional grunge beats, and the strong roar of Courtney Love. Page is part of the line up for the very first New To The Q tour, playing alongside Detroit Social Club and Goldhawks.
How do you feel about being tipped for 2010?
Kind of cool, no, really cool! I’m really excited. Things are moving pretty fast and I don’t quite know what’s going on but we keep playing more and more shows and more people are coming to see us. We’re also playing festivals now and that’s all of our dreams.
You recently supported The Noisettes, how was this?
Yeah that was really amazing, I think we did 12 dates with them, and we became really good friends and we missed them when it was over. It was also a great experience because we got to learn from them .
How do you feel about being part of the New to the Q tour?
I think it’s really cool, I’m really excited to meet the other bands. I’m also very excited to play at Koko in London. It is the first New to the Q Tour and hopefully if we do really well and it goes on for years, we can all say “We did the first one!”.
Are you fans of any of the other bands that are playing alongside you?
I haven’t really had enough time to have a good listen, but from what I’ve heard from their MySpace’s they all seem really good. I could never really say if I like a band or not until I’ve seen them live and heard most of their songs. To be on The New to the Q Tour I think there has to be some sort of high expectation.
Have you got any special live surprises for the tour?
Well we’re going to be playing two new songs, which are pretty ethic, and they have orchestras. Obviously we haven’t got an orchestra but we’re making do with guitars and stuff. They are pretty huge heavy songs so it will be interesting to see how they go down live and with the crowds. It will be fun to incorporate pop with darker heavier music too.
Where do you get your music and song writing influence from?
I listen to all sorts of different artists and all different styles of music. Say I’m listening to one particular artist a lot, I might think oh I want to write a song like theirs. And if I am feeling in a certain way and I want to get it out, I’ll write a song, and then try and sing it like another singer. My influence really comes from different artists and songs and what is going on around me.
If you could work with any artists in the future who would they be?
I was thinking about this on the bus the other day! It would be really cool to do some sort of mash up with a rap star, such as Lil Wayne – I think it would be really fun. But If I had to write with anyone it would be Brody Dalle from The Distillers, I think she’s really cool; I’m listening to a lot of them at the moment. However there would probably be lots of “This is my idea!” or whatever, but her voice is incredible.
When did you decide that music was the thing for you?
Probably when my Mum kicked up a fuss about me not doing anything. She was like “you have to do something, and you’re not particularly talented at anything else other than music, and you’re not really that intelligent and I know you can’t hold down a job or be on time!” So music was the way for me, I’ve always wanted to be on stage. I have always been confident and as I’ve got older I’ve thought I can actually do this. But I’ve always wanted to do something in music.
What is the best thing about being a music artist in your opinion?
Not having a 9-5 job, but we don’t get set holidays and we have no idea when we are going to get home so there are downsides. The best side of it is that it is something I really love doing, it doesn’t really feel like a job. It is really weird because in a 9-5 job people know what they are going to do, they have a routine, I think that’s boring but then I think do people who do jobs like that do it because they love them? It feels quite like a school trip that is never ending! Like taking as break from a job, but it is very hard work but its fun so I don’t mind.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard of you before?
Well when people ask me this I always say rock/pop and then people say like whom? And I say people say it sounds like The Pretenders. I was with my manager on the train and this woman says excuse me are you a musician? I say yes, and she says what sort of music do you play, and I say it’s like The Pretenders, and she says oh brilliant I get that! And that’s how I describe it now.
What are your plans after the New to the Q tour, and into to 2010?
Well we are playing quite a lot of festivals, which is exciting; we have Glastonbury, and we have just confirmed V Festival, I think I’m playing on the same stage as Peter Andre! And we’re just getting as many gigs under our belt before we can really show off and the most important thing for me is to be a really good live artist as well as recording artist.
What do you think the future holds for you? What is your big dream?
Well the mini tour at the moment is my biggest dream come true. Also to see and meet Courtney Love and to see her sound check was pretty amazing. I really want to go on Jools Holland that is thenext step now.
Is it your favourite festival? Or what is?
What sort of reception do you think you’ll get or are hoping for? Err yeah, well it’s hard because you play your own shows and your headline gigs and you come to a big festival and go on in the afternoon and people are a bit sluggish, but I thought we did the best we could and people were singing and clapping by the end and that’s what you want to do really.
What’s the best song to play live? Heartbeat goes down well, the last hit single and Hounds Of Love.
What other acts do you hope to see over the weekend? The Maccabees, The Libertines, Arcade Fire. Arcade Fire are amazing live.
I’ve heard you’re friends with Frankie & The Heartstrings will you be catching up with them this weekend? They’re friends with us! No we’re on different days this year but unfortunately I had the bad luck to see them just yesterday (laughs)
What do you think of the headliners this year? They’re obviously huge bands, because they’re headlining Leeds and Reading! Arcade Fire are an amazing band, Blink-182 are on a comeback and Guns N Roses are also on a comeback; not my favourite band in the world but people like them.
How do other countries you’ve played in compare to the UK? Crowds are the same usually wherever you go. It’s not like you go to Germany and the crowds are insane. If it’s a good gig it’s a good gig. South America is meant to be wild, but we’ve never played there but it’s meant to be a whole new step in terms of crowds.
If you could share the stage with any artist who would it be?
Freddie Mercury
What do you think of the North-East music scene at the moment? Well we’re not really part of it to be honest, and we never play there. I hope it’s doing well, when we started there was loads of DIY gigs going on and it was really cool so I still hope it’s like that now and people aren't getting too big for their boots, and remember playing gigs is cool not being in a band.
What have you been up to these last few months and what can we expect from you for the rest of this year and next?
We’re playing Split Festival in Sunderland which should be a really good one. Then we go to America and Europe and then we’re supporting Biffy Clyro so we’re going to be busy bees!