NOIZEMAKESENEMIES.CO.UK

INTERVIEW // ANNIE MAC

2009-10-21T22:47:00.003+01:00

You can’t get very far these days without a reminder of everyone’s favourite curly-haired musical whirlwind, Annie Mac. And that’s because the Irish DJ/Presenter has her proverbial finger in almost every proverbial pie there is. Since starting when she was 19, Annie now has just over a decade of DJ-ing perfection under her belt and looks set for a busy few months; combining a massive UK tour, a prestigious DJ slot on Radio 1 (Friday 7-10pm) and the release of a double compilation CD. Sounds exhausting? All in a days work for Britain’s favourite genre-smashing deck-gracing talent. So Noize caught up with Annie during a rare break from the chaos she so loves to find out how it's all been going:

NOIZE: Hi Annie, how are you? It seems like you've had a pretty hectic few weeks- how has it all gone?
AM: Hello there I'm good thanks... Yes the last few weeks have been suitably hectic... I've been on tour round the US and Canada and have come back and straight into the start of my Autumn Annie Mac Presents tour, my new slot on radio 1 and the impending release of my Annie Mac Presents compilation...

NOIZE: What has it been like filling Pete Tong's boots on Radio 1? How did it come about? Have you had a lot of support?
AM: It's been great I have to say. It makes sense for both of us musically. I've had loads of encouragement and support from listeners and friends and industry... the general consensus is that it feels right.

NOIZE: You've just started an autumn tour, how has it gone so far? Any shows you're particularly excited for?
AM: It's been great... we sold out KOKO with Skream and Benga, Zinc, Fake Blood and Ms Dynamite. I'm excited for Cardiff on Saturday with Mehdi and Jackbeats... for Amanda Blank in Bristol and for the next KOKO with Miike Snow and Kid Sister and Young Fathers... I can't think any further ahead than that!

NOIZE: What can people expect from your live shows musically and in terms of atmospherics? Any surprises making it onto the set list?
AM: My DJ sets are quite variable actually. I like to switch it up in order to keep myself entertained. Currently I'm playing everything from disco to UK funky to dubstep to jungle. I never go too deep... it’s usually loud and lairy and fun

NOIZE: The new album is later this week. How would you describe it? What can new/existing fans expect from it?
AM: It's 2 CDs of upfront dance music mixed by me. The first is indicative of a DJ set. It's bouncy and fun... A lot of disco vibes on there as well as some D&B and dubstep. The second is more chilled... it's got everything from reggae to dubstep to cosmic disco on it.

NOIZE: Are there any bands out there at the moment you can't stop listening to? Any promising new talent?
AM: So much! So much good music! Makes my job so exciting! I'm loving Hot city and Sbtrkt and Mark Pritchard and Young Fathers from Edinburgh and D bridge and Solo and Rivastar and Retrograde, and then there's people who've been around for a while that are still killing it like Riton, Seiji, DJ Zinc, Zed Bias and Lindstrom... too much good music!

Annie's new album, Annie Mac Presents, is available to buy from 26th October.

By Laura Routledge

INTERVIEW // FILTHY DUKES

2009-10-20T13:22:00.000+01:00

‘I had a dream about Fuck Buttons the other night. We were in a studio together. I never heard the tune though. Shame.’ But what would you call this disco-punk noise-pop super group? ‘Hmmm. Filthy Fucks.’ And so began a surreal night trying to find a quiet corner for a chat with Olly Dixon and Tim Lawton, two thirds of Filthy Dukes, London music kings and curators of Kill ‘Em All @ Fabric, who were in Barcelona for their bi-monthly DJ residency.
Taking in steak with foie and home-brewed beer, hotel problems (‘I walked in and someone was in my bed. Even the hotel doesn’t know where my room is!’), a bar with virtually no seats (but lots of noise), and a car ride spent debating the respective merits of Revolver and the White Album, Noize finally settled down on some backstage patio furniture to ask about remixes, record labels, and recording with Sarah Harding. 20 minutes before they were due on. No pressure then…

Noize: You’ve worked with a wide range of artists, both on your album as guest vocalists, and doing remixes. Have you ever been turned down by anyone you wanted to work with?

Olly: Yeah. Nobody ever says ‘No, we don’t want to do it’. They’re always more polite, like ‘Sorry, we don’t have time.’ At least that’s what they say.

Noize: Which collaborations have you missed out on?

Olly: Well, Friendly Fires couldn’t do it, cos they were recording their album. We also approached Florence & the Machine before she got famous, but she couldn’t do it either.

Tim: Yeah, we’d approached her and suggested we work on some stuff together, and she agreed, but by the time we got round to doing it, things had exploded for her and it just wasn’t possible.

Olly: The thing is, when we first started making the album, we hadn’t yet made any music, and we were asking people to give up a song, potentially, their time and their creative energy, which was quite a big ask. We were surprised when people actually said yes!

Tim: We’ve also recorded other stuff with people which didn’t make it onto the album because we didn’t like the final version, or cos we wanted the album to take a particular direction, but we also missed out on La Roux and Little Boots. That would have been interesting.

Noize: Have you ever turned down anyone who wanted to work with you?

Olly: Well, we’ve turned down work for radio, and we’ve turned down remixes cause they didn’t offer enough money! We’ve also turned down club nights that we didn’t like the look of, but not really any artists as such.

Noize: Recording with Sarah Harding (of Girls Aloud) is not something one would expect from a group such as yourselves.

Both: Ha ha ha!

Olly: What happened was, some members of the Filthy Dukes were asked to record a track for the soundtrack of “Wild Child”, so some members of the Filthy Dukes recorded a cover of the song “Wild Child” with the singer of another band. This was before we had released our own album. The record label really liked it, but then said ‘Oh, we don’t want that girl to sing any more, we want Sarah Harding to do it.’ So we were like, ‘Ok, sounds kinda fun, but this isn’t a Filthy Dukes track, it’s just another track with Sarah Harding’ which caused a few problems with the label. However, in the end, she came into our studio and spent a day recording.

Noize: And it went well?

Olly: It did. She’s a really nice girl. We had a discussion about domestic help, and now we share the same cleaner.

Noize: Wasn’t there a rumour that she was leaving Girls Aloud to join Filthy Dukes?

Olly: Someone, somewhere, who works for God knows who, dropped the “story” to the press, which is funny, cos there is no way we should be appearing in gossip columns and the like. Imagine, ‘Sarah Harding leaves Girls Aloud to join nu-rave group the Filthy Dukes’. Ridiculous.

Tim: My dad actually phoned me up one morning after reading it in the Daily Mirror, going ‘What’s all this? What’s going on?’. Even I hadn’t heard about it.

Noize: Is it more satisfying creatively to write your own material, or work on remixes?

Olly: It’s a lot harder making your own music because you’ve got a lot more going on in your head.

Tim: It depends, but at least with a remix you have a starting point, something concrete in front of you.

Olly: Yeah, sometimes you get a remix and you listen and think ‘Dear God, what are we gonna do with this?’. But you’ve got something. Sometimes when we go to a studio to record, we sit around looking at each other going ‘Right! Let’s make some music!’, and nothing happens. It can also depend what stage you’re at. If you’re writing for six months, you might find that you get a purple patch of one month where everything comes easily, but the rest of the time you’re tearing your hair out and wondering what direction you’re going in. There’s a lot of self questioning about the whole creative process, so it’s pretty horrible most of the time.
Tim: But it happens with remixes as well, we’ll sit around sometimes and just have no idea what to do.

Noize: Your club night at Fabric has attracted the great & good of the indie electro pop scene over the last few years. Is that what lead you to start the record label?

Olly: Totally. We’ve always booked bands really early on in their career, like we had Bloc Party’s second ever show, and we want to try and hold onto them in some way.

Tim: There was a time two years ago when every single club in London was saturated with that style of music and booking the same bands. When we booked them, hardly anyone else would put them on.

Olly: It can be a vanity thing as well. It’s the enthusiasm of new music and wanting to be involved from the start. I’ve never thought of it like ‘I wanna make money from this’ or anything like that. It’s a lot of work and sometimes I wonder why I bother, but I love the banter, and I wanna help them out. And get them to do something on our album.

By Derek Robertson

INTERVIEW // SKUNK ANANSIE

2009-10-20T13:21:00.000+01:00

Skunk Anansie are back with a vengeance. Disbanding some nine years ago after playing one final farewell show in Portugal, they agreed to reform during a band meeting cunningly orchestrated by their manager. Deciding that the time was right, they made a greatest hits album, wrote a smattering of new songs and now have an upcoming tour on the cards.
So have they been in hibernation? “We did sleep for a couple of years, but we’ve also been pretty busy leading our separate lives,” says Skin. Indeed, it doesn’t seem like she’s had much time off at all, citing two solo albums, a flourishing DJ career and modelling amongst her many achievements. “For his sins” Mark was in Feeder and Ace has been working as a teacher. And what’s become of Cass? According to Skin, he’s been absorbed in photographic pursuits and now runs a music production company for underprivileged kids. Not quite the rock and roll answer we were hoping for, but then we all knew that the tough guy image was just a façade. “He does have a brown belt in karate though, so knows exactly how to deal with the troublesome kids,” laughs Skin.

Indeed to many, Skunk Anansie have always been the embodiment of anger and rage. But in reality they are quite a gentle bunch, preferring to sip fruit smoothies than whisky chasers. The band is a close-knit unit but each member has a specific role to play. According to Skin, “Ace does the merchandising, I’m involved with the image side of things, and Mark does the website. But it does all cross over sometimes and we can work things out together. For example, we jointly decided which ten tracks to put on the album.”

So are they nervous about performing together after such a long time? “No, it’s just what we do, and what we do well.” Playing their comeback gig at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, the Big Smoke holds many fond memories for the four-piece. At the height of the nineties Britpop era, Skunk Anansie exploded onto the scene like a breath of fresh air. Playing angsty girl-fronted rock, they were a far cry from the anthemic indie of fellow Britpackers Blur and Oasis, offering something meatier for Brit kids to get their teeth into. “I have mixed emotions about those days,” reflects Skin. “Obviously we had a lot of fun, but I always remember not getting on TV shows because we weren’t Britpop enough.” But refusing to pander to commercial demands, they always stuck to doing exactly what they knew best: Britrock with political undertones.

Skin now lives in Ibiza but says that she still carries a torch for London. The Water Rats in Kings Cross is her favourite venue whereas Mark prefers the bright lights of Brixton Academy. “We really rocked that place though with all our quadraphonics,” Skin chirps.

And what are they listening to at the moment? “I love Band of Skulls and Friendly Fires right now. But I’m also really into things like Fake Blood and I have a bit of a soft spot for the Dubstep boys like Caspa and Skream.” Will any of these influences be evident in these next musical offerings? Not quite. Skunk Anansie’s latest tracks show a return to their softer side and their penchant for the ballad. But Skin tells me that they have already written ten new tracks and have plans to release an album sometime in the near future. What can we expect? “Sparky, contemporary songs, a kind of souped-up Skunk Anansie.” This fire’s definitely still burning

By April Welsh

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // FLASHGUNS

2009-10-19T13:22:00.000+01:00

Four boys with an equal adoration for Kurt Cobain and bursting with the-world-doesn’t-understand-me teenage angst come together to form a band. Boys leave school and grow into young men, forcing their lyrics to be all the richer from their experiences of growing up and brother-like mentality. Same old? Perhaps on paper:
“We were childhood friends and the drummer and I played in bands before and then we came together in our last year of school and started making music a bit more seriously and it just went on from there. It’s just the three of us now, seeing as our keyboard player left not long ago, but it’s just sort of some mates making music which is how it came about and it’s just sort of got more serious every month or so since we left school.”

But Flashguns are far from the same old clichéd musical outfit. With their eclectic jangley sound, it is the well-thought, mature lyrics that function as the fraying string, binding the epic chaotic synth guitars in place as its unexpected vastness hits with full force on each and every Flashguns track. Something no doubt largely inspired by the band’s impressive back catalogue of influences;

“All the stuff I used to listen to a lot is still some of my favourite music. Like Deftones and Nirvana stuff, but more recently I got more into bands like Biffy Clyro and The Killers are absolutely one of my favourite bands ever. And then stuff like Moby and Sigur Ros, which is a bit more like more musically advanced. So a big mixture of sounds.”

With such an effortlessly unique and three-dimensional sound, even lead singer, Sam Johnston, struggles to pinpoint its description:

“It’s definitely rock. Like a grungey sort of sound I think. Quite reminiscent of the ‘Never Mind’ album, mixed in with more of a modern synth twinge which, I don’t know, is like a Killers’ sort of vibe. It’s kind of like grungey, epic, sort of soundscapey stuff. It’s cool. A lot of guitars, a lot of chorusy guitars and big vocals. It’s a sort of big imposing sort of thing. It’s hard to explain!”

As Sam stumbles over his words and amidst his neologisms exudes his youthful self-doubt, it is almost hard to believe that he is the same charismatic front man who appears on stage full of such lyrical wisdom and self-assuredness. But his vulnerability is undeniably endearing and reminiscent of the likes of the face-to-face shyness of Flashguns’ touring buddies, Bombay Bicycle Club. Talking to Noize the day of their final gig with the band following a sound check (“But I’m bunking off loading up the van so that’s not too bad”), Sam explains how it all came about:

“We’ve been on the Bombay Bicycle Club tour for about two weeks now and tonight’s the last show. It’s going to be a weird change having the go-back-to-normal life again but we’ve got tonight still which is going to be a wicked show.
We’ve played with them and toured with them a bit before and we’ve known the guys for a while now. We just happen to be on a similar sort of keel if you know what I mean.”

It’s easy to see how the two bands get on so well with the same intoxicating stage present and quiet likeability away from the bright lights. Yet, with the future looking so promising for Flashguns, it would seem that the band are likely to find their time away from the media frenzy less and less common as they plan for their debut album;

“We’ve got an EP out which is called ‘Matching Parts, Similar Hearts’ and that’s got 4 tracks on. I think we’re kind of starting to think more seriously about recording an album but for now the EP is our main thing and where people can get an idea of what we’re about. I think we’ve come a long way with our sounds since then, we’ve done a lot of growing since the release of the EP.”

Since playing Reading in 2008 and with a lot of support from new music connoisseur, Zane Lowe, earlier this year, Flashguns are now starting to see the rewards from all of their hard work pay off. But for the next few months at least, having been bitten hard by the touring buzz, the band’s plans are to stick to the open road:

“I think earlier this year was probably when I would like see the beginning of Flashguns really and it’s kind of like a slow growth kind of thing. We’ve had a lot of support from the BBC which has been amazing and has been a massive help. It’s not been like a massive hype but its been like a flow of growing and it’s been really good.”

“I think we’re going to try and book another support tour which would be really cool. Probably the wrong time of the year for it but it would be great to get in another consistent session. We’ve got a lot of writing to do, I think we’re going to be trying to write a whole new bunch of songs. Preparing for recording an album at the end of the year or something, I think that will be the plan. And gigging as much as possible, just playing shows all over the place and just trying to grow the fanbase.”

But for one of Britain’s most exciting and deserving new talents, it would seem developing more fans shouldn’t be too much of a problem as we eagerly await their first major release.

By Laura Routledge

INTERVIEW // FLOOD OF RED: Prepare for the Flood

2009-10-14T13:34:00.005+01:00

"Basically, we were on the motorway, forty-five minutes from London, and our van wouldn’t budge,” reminisces an excitable Graham Griffith, drummer of Glasgow alt.rock outfit Flood of Red, as he and band mate Dale Gallagher sit down with Noize .
We were on our way to record the Lost in the Light EP, and the van was done. It was put on the back of a pick-up truck, after which they told us they could tow us back to Airdrie or keep going to London. There was no thought on the matter, really.” Gallagher interrupts: “We told them to take us to London so that we could record our CD and then we would worry about getting home. We spent ten days sleeping in a broken down van in London’s Finsbury Park.”

It is an unusually warming moment in which the pair indulges in the memory of the incredibly dark places in that Flood of Red have found themselves in over the years. Keyboard player Gallagher continues in reference to past misdemeanours: “I think one of the best things about us all as individuals is how we view things, even when things are going really badly. I think that many bands would have questioned what they were doing, but we didn’t. As shite as it was at the time, thinking back on it, we had the time of our lives.”

After five years of relentless touring, the imminent release of debut album Leaving Everything Behind on their own label provides a long-overdue reward for a band that has covered every corner of the UK more than a Megabus could allude to. When questioned on the amount of travelling the band has experienced, Griffith simply describes his own way of keeping track: “I have a map on my wall with pins in everywhere we have played in the UK, and you can’t even see the map anymore.”

Flood of Red are one of the first bands to work with the recently-launched Polyphonic label – a joint-venture between ATC, of which Radiohead manager Brian Message is a partner, MAMA Group, which owns Flood of Red’s management group, and Vancouver-based artist management firm Nettwerk Music Group – which allows artists to keep their copyright. One of the aims of this investment-focused label is to utilise the internet in an innovative and forward-thinking way, something in which Flood of Red have embraced with the release of their debut.

Griffith describes Polyphonic as both liberating and extremely positive for the new age music is falling into. “They thought about directly investing in the artists,” he explains. “Instead of paying for them do things, they let the band choose. They invested in our band; their contacts and ability has helped us to start our own record label, Dark City Records. Effectively we have the finances and full creative control to do what we want. Through working with them we have been able to go to America and record our album with the number one producer we could have wanted in the world.”

Similar to the famous release of Radiohead’s In Rainbows, where fans could choose how much to pay when downloading it, Flood of Red are following a similar route, as opposed to the arguably under-threat traditional means of music distribution, as Griffith describes somewhat modestly. “The deal that we launched where you could buy the album for $1 from our website was simply a way of letting people hear our album,” he says. “If people want to buy something, we will make something special for them to buy. That is why we are releasing the album via packages and bundles, where you can buy the CD and digital download with extras with it, such as deluxe packages where you get nice artwork, vinyl, posters, previous singles, DVD extras and other extra stuff that you don’t normally get when you download a CD. We want to make that sure if people are going to hand over money to us, that it is going to be worth it.”

Since releasing Lost in the Light in February 2007, an EP laden with post-hardcore conformity comparable to touring buddies Enter Shikari, The Blackout and Funeral for a Friend, the Airdrie lads have honed a sound with a maturity beyond their years. Out goes the overcrowded screamo genre that is dying on its proverbial arse; hello to a mellowed and welcoming progression, evident of the bands belated maturity into technical musicians. The development and shift in the sound was duly-noted by fans of the band when new material began to surface, while many followers were not so understanding; the latter being largely frustrating for the band.

“We had spent a lot of time in the studio writing new material,” describes Gallagher as he attempts to put the aforementioned shift and subsequent reaction into context. “People questioned whether it was deliberate, but it was just us growing up. We have simply opened up our horizons and become interested in a whole host of new music.” Griffith continues: “We continued to write songs the way we always would. It was a just a case of seeing what felt right. Many people felt that we had simply changed from heavy to light rock; but if you listen to our earlier material, you will hear that there have always been melodic parts to our songs. Maybe now that we have learned to control our dynamics a bit more, the heavy parts of the songs possibly are not as blaringly obvious.”

One man who may be credited with a hands-on part in the incredible development of the bands sound is legendary producer Brian McTernan. With a back catalogue of artists ranging from Thrice to Converge and Hot Water Music to Cave In, the Baltimore-based Salad Days studio was number one on the bands list of potential recording locations. As the notion is put to the pair of Leaving Everything Behind being placed on a mantle alongside records they have idolised throughout their childhood, Griffith replies with simplicity and a hint of trepidation. “It’s incredible,” he says, before we sit in a silent disbelief at what has just been muttered. Gallagher continues in a final moment of bashfulness: “We are the first band from the UK that he has ever recorded, and he really wanted to record us, which is so special. We still can’t believe it.”

Leaving Everything Behind is out on 19 Oct on Dark City Records.

Flood of Red are on tour in the UK right now. See the bands Myspace for details.

www.myspace.com/floodofred

By Andrew Burns

INTERVIEW // FAKE PROBLEMS

2009-10-14T13:17:00.006+01:00

“Everytime we bring a new crew member or auxiliary musician on tour with us, they say something to the effect of "I thought there was going to be more girls...but for real we party hard and get real wild.”
Fake Problems are a band who have come storming into the music scene with their no nonsense punk rock sound. After a riotous set at this year’s Reading and Leeds festivals, it appears clear that this is a band that is set to stick around for a long time.

Having toured extensively around the United States over the past 3 years; in fact doing 150 dates in the year of 2006 (that’s a gig almost every other day), they have certainly gained a huge, “solid as a rock”, fan base across the pond.

Fake Problems are a band who cannot be stereotyped or classified in a musical genre, with influences from the Rolling Stones to Hank Williams to Blink 182. They are now bringing their innovative sound and huge rock shows to the UK starting with this month’s tour support slot with Frank Turner and the promise of a headline tour sometime next year.

British fans are undoubtedly about to rise in their numbers as Fake Problems introduce their “Super Fun Rock” to the British music scene, as a band who simply love what they do; passionate about their music and intoxicated by the buzz of touring:

“Meeting new people, playing new places, watching our fanbase grow - that's all pretty exciting. It's really a way of life at this point. It's barely even about liking it or not liking it, it just "is". BUT obviously if we didn't like it we wouldn't do it.”

With new album, ‘It’s Great to be Alive’, recently released showcasing their unique sound and musical prowess, things should be overwhelming for these guys. Yet, having known each other for years, coupled with such “musical chemistry” (their words) creates a sound that is perfectly sits within a niche market, demonstrating both maturity and strength through it. It’s the type of album that seems almost timeless; anyone who is a fan of any type of rock music will undeniably enjoy it on some level.

There is no denying it, Fake Problems are a fun band, they don’t take themselves seriously and gel together as well with their audiences as they do with each other. Taking their name from ‘Raising Arizona’; there’s a scene where someone says "You're wasting your time on Fake Problems”, the band are definitely worth a listen. Keep an eye out for their various tour dates as, again, in their words, they will “100% rock your balls/girlballs off.” So there you have it. If that doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will!

By Amber Brooker

INTERVIEW // GENERAL FIASCO

2009-10-14T13:05:00.009+01:00

I’m sitting in a room backstage with two thirds of General Fiasco. The other third, also known as Owen, is upstairs on the phone. He joins his band mates and Noize some minutes later. Who was he talking to? Only this guy called Zane Lowe live on one of the biggest radio stations in the UK. Zane Lowe who can make your career shoot upwards with an add to his playlist. But do they sit around and pat themselves on the back and stroke their egos at this achievement? Not at all. That’s not how things are done in General Fiasco which is why we wanted to talk to the boys about the successes they’ve had and what has got them to the stage they’re at today.
Noize: You formed the band when you were at school so were you ever a bit doubtful when you were starting to make your hobby a career?
Owen: I don’t believe we ever thought that far ahead. We knew we all wanted it to work out and to happen but the thing with starting a band is you’ve got to start at the bottom and hope things get better and that you write better songs and play better live. You can’t really shoot yourself down too quick you’ve gotta stick at it a little while before you start criticising yourself.

Noize: Did any of you ever have a moment when you thought it might not work out or that you should even try doing something else instead?

Owen: Yeah loads and loads of times. You can’t help but have darker days when just think it won’t happen or things don’t move as quick as you would like. There’s times when you’re just sitting and waiting, sitting and waiting....

Leaky: Sometimes something just happens and really does reassure you and it’s as good as you’d hoped so you get your confidence back again. It’s all good at the minute.

Noize: Did you have any parents in your ear telling you to give it up and become a doctor?

Owen: Maybe a bit at the beginning, but I think it’s kind of the parent’s job to tell you to go to university and all that because it is such an unreliable line of work.

Leaky: They’ll say it’s not feasible and you’ve got your head up in the clouds and then something happens.

Owen: There’s a point where something changes.

Leaky: Even something small like being played on Radio Ulster it just sort of reassures them.

Noize: Does it almost validate it for them a bit?

Leaky: When you’re playing all over and doing band things small things like that do help validate it a bit more for them.

Noize: When you were starting out who were the artists who made you realise you needed to be in a band?

Owen: I suppose whenever we started playing, i mean i really loved the Kings of Leon, Maximo Park and the Strokes. Those were the big bands that when i heard them that was when i knew what i really wanted to do.

Noize: Is it the same for you two more or less?

Leaky and Enda: yeah

Noize: Is there any band in particular who you would look to as a kind of referencing point or whose career you would like to mirror in terms of things they’ve done or how they’ve progressed?

Leaky: I think we’d like to really keep building on what we’ve been doing and obviously you don’t know how far things could go but we’d like to be a career band. It might sound really ambitious but a band like The Foo Fighters or Kings of Leon who reach such a wide audience.

Noize: How has it been translating your music from the small Northern Irish scene where everyone kind of knows each other to the wider U.K scene where it’s maybe a bit more varied? Have you found that quite different?

Owen: I think that in Northern Ireland, the bands coming out of there have got their own varied little thing but you do go from being like a bigger band in the unsigned scene in Northern Ireland to a touring band in the U.K. Then there’s so many bands here touring and doing what we’re doing so it takes certain things to make you feel like you’re stepping forward in that vastness of band-age.

Noize: In Northern Ireland there was quite a few of the bands getting quite big around the same time like Fighting With Wire, In Case of Fire and Ed Zealous so was that quite competitive or did create a sense of camaraderie between you all?

Owen: Definitely, last year when we started to break off and do our own stuff there was a really strong sense of comraderie and everyone was championing And So I Watch You From Afar and stuff. Everyone was out for everyone else and everyone was helping everyone else so there was a really strong sense of community. And for the first time since I’ve been playing in a band everyone was supporting each other instead of slagging each other off.

Noize: So the whole scene was more supportive rather than competitive?

Owen: Yeah and I think it’s a far better attitude and creates better opportunities because when you go off and things start happening for you it’s easier to turn round and go “actually that band is really good” rather than saying “no they’re shit just forget about them”.

Noize: You’ve got this upcoming date in the Ulster Hall, is that quite a big deal for you to be headlining in such a seminal venue in your hometown? I’m sure you’ve seen some artists there that were important for you so it must be quite strange?

Owen: It’s crazy. It’s mad that it’s got to that stage so quick. Duke Special is really the only artist I’ve ever seen there but I love Duke Special. It’s such a massive, mad thing to think that we’ll be doing something that he’s done, it’s just crazy.

Noize: You’ve played alongside and supported many different bands but have you ever looked at the bill and been really shocked at who you’re playing with?

Owen: Yeah it happens more and more. We’ve played with Placebo, Snow Patrol, Razorlight and Stereophonics and you look at the bill and see that you’re playing at 8 o’clock and Stereophonics are playing at 9 o’clock and you just think how are we on the same bit of paper? It’s crazy.

Noize: You’ve got this tour coming up with The Enemy, are you all feeling about that and how did it all come about?

Owen: Yeah we’re really excited and people knowing the right people is really how it came about.

Leaky: We’ve played with them a few times in Belfast as well.

Noize: So do you know them a bit?

Leaky: Actually no, we’ve never spoken to them as we’ve always just kept ourselves to ourselves. We probably should’ve made more of an effort at the time but we hear they’re really nice and support tours are always good fun.

Owen: You’re on and off by around 9 o’clock.

Leaky: Then you get the van packed and you can just have a few beers.

Noize: Is it a time to relax a bit more?

Owen: It’s the perfect night out really.

Noize: Would you be happy just being a support act for the rest of your career then?

Leaky: hahah yeah it would be okay.

Noize: So your new album is out pretty soon?

Owen: yeah in January.

Noize: Is there any sort of concept behind the album or is it more just a taste of what your sound is?

Owen: yeah its just sort of us. It’s what we’ve really been working for these past few years. We want it to be us so we don’t take a mad change of direction with the songs.

Leaky: We didn’t want this big producer making it to be all grandiose.

Owen: We just wrote songs that people got excited about. We didn’t want to write a whole new record and do something completely different, it would’ve defeated the purpose of what has taken us here. So it’s gonna be true to General Fiasco.

Noize: When you made the album, would you say you were making a point of keeping things the same so that it represented what you’re really like?

Leaky: Well we wrote the songs and then went in to record them so it really started taking shape then, but we didn’t really do anything different.

Owen: We’re not a band who will look at what’s happening in music or fashion trends and start changing things and saying we’ve got to be like this or that.

Leaky: Bringing in key boards

Owen: Haha Yeah we just wanted something that was ours and we’ve got it in this record. I think it’s going to be harder and harder for bands to be honest and write the music that they really wanna write because the industry is just so ever changing. It’s like if you want to be a successful band then you’re gonna have to bend a little bit and write the music that they want you to write or you’ll get left behind. I think we’re lucky enough that we’ve done what we wanted and got to where we are now.

Noize: What are your plans for the future after this tour ends?

Owen: Well the album is out in January so I imagine we’ll just be touring from January 1st til...

Leaky: Probably forever!

Owen: Haha yeah we’re going to New York in a few weeks to shoot the video for our next single and doing some gigs over there then we’re back for the NME tour. After that it’s just gigs and more gigs.

Noize: Do you have any ideas for the concept of the video yet? Is that something you’re involved in?

Owen: Yeah we are we know what the craic is but i guess we probably shouldn’t let it out.

Leaky: We have a few ideas but we’re not decided on one yet.
Owen: Yeah we wanna keep a bit of mystery about it.

By Sara Irvine

INTERVIEW // FUCK BUTTONS: RISE OF THE SOLAR SURFERS

2009-10-13T00:15:00.000+01:00

After being the source of huge industry buzz in early 2008, the release of their debut album and an incendiary live reputation saw Fuck Buttons gain critical acclaim and a healthy cult following. 18 months later, the duo find themselves at the precipice of album number two, ready to dive off into the unknown. Seemingly on the cusp of great things, Noize caught up with Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power in Barcelona, at the start of their European tour, to get the inside scoop on ‘Tarot Sport’.
Noize: Your first album was produced by John Cummings (of Mogwai), but this time you have Andy Weatherall at the helm. Why the change?

Andrew: It wasn’t enforced or anything like that. We’d always wanted to work with Andy and when the chance arose, we took it.

Benjamin: He did a remix of ‘Sweet Love For Planet Earth’ for us, and on the back of the job he did we realised that he had a really good grasp of what we were trying to achieve and trying to get across, and in the end it worked out really well.

Noize: Did he approach the recording process any differently?

Andrew: I don’t think there is a structured process to how one would approach every recording project. There wasn’t a ‘formula’ we were looking for anyway; we thought it was going to be very different, and in the end, it was.

Noize: You make music with such an expansive sonic palette, do you ever find it hard to reproduce live?

Benjamin: Whenever we write material, we write and record it in a ‘live’ sense. We don’t write songs and then try to figure out how to play them, its more the other way around. Our songs tend to grow organically from what we do in the studio, so if we can’t create a sound in the first place, it won’t appear on the record. Which means we never end up shooting ourselves in the foot.

Noize: So you don’t use a lot of effects or ProTools?

Ben: Well, there are certain embellishments within some sounds on some of our tracks, but nothing major, and certainly nothing that we didn’t think we could replicate live.

Andrew: Yeah, when we play on stage, it’s hard work!

Noize: Do you think your sound will evolve to the point where you’ll need, and want, more musicians on stage, as opposed to just the two of you?

Andrew: I think what is key to our music is the relationship between the two of us, whereas with regards to whether we would consider playing live with extra people….there is always room for trying different things. We haven’t got there yet, but I wouldn’t say that it’ll never happen.

Noize: Speaking of playing live, how was the experience of playing at Primavera Sound in 2008?

Andrew: Incredible! We really enjoyed that show.

Benjamin: It’s one of our favourite festivals. It was fantastic, and it was actually the first time we’d played in Spain. Just the atmosphere of the whole thing was amazing.

Andrew: It’s definitely a different kind of challenge playing at festivals compared to an indoor show, but it’s all good.

Noize: New single ‘Surf Solar’ clocks in at over ten minutes on the album, but the radio edit is only a little under four minutes. How easy is it to chop that much off a song?

Benjamin: It’s absolutely brutal! In some senses, it might even be more beneficial for someone who is not the artist to do the edit. Obviously, that doesn’t happen very often, but it’s not easy. Normally, each part of a track, or whatever, is in there for a reason, but for radio and singles and promo, you kinda have to have a shorter version.

Noize: ‘Street Horrrsing’ was written and recorded whilst you both had other jobs. Now that you can concentrate on music full time, has that changed the creative process at all?

Andrew: Not really, no! It just allows us to have more focus and more time. We still have to worry about everything else, but music is now much more important in our lives.

Noize: Lily Allen caused some controversy recently with her comments about file-sharing. How do you feel about it?

Andrew: I think that it’s an arena that is developing as we speak and is forever changing. Downloading is now inevitable, and it’s not something that we can protect ourselves from even if we wanted to. It’s related to the way music nowadays is consumed, disseminated, and the way it generates revenue, and I don’t think anyone can stop that. The one direct advantage of it is that there are people out there who would never had heard our music if it weren’t for downloading.

Benjamin: Yeah, I think we’re in quite a transitionary period as regards what’s going to happen. Obviously there is a lot of controversy at the moment, but something has to give, somehow, and I reckon it will be sooner rather than later.

By Derek Robertson

INTERVIEW // STIFF LITTLE FINGERS: EVERYBODY'S HEREOS

2009-09-29T14:56:00.003+01:00

Pub-dwelling Irish punk-rockers, ‘Stiff Little Fingers,’ are back on tour next month. The band has also been preparing to release a long-awaited new album. Curious to know the latest, I chat with Jake Burns, lead vocalist and guitarist. Have they been busy song-writing?

“A bit of that but mainly everyone has been involved in either side projects or just enjoying a bit of time away from each other! Ali is always busy tour managing (I have no idea who he’s been out with this time!) Steve has ‘The Alarm’ when we’re not playing. I’ve been writing and having fun with the ‘Nefarious Fat Cats’ (a cover band) and Ian…er has been playing golf!”

A punk rocker playing golf?! What is the world coming to…Then the imperative question: what do they feel like playing?

“We always try to strive for a mixture. Of course, this means that we get lambasted for playing a lot of the same songs, but realistically people WANT to hear the songs they know. Without turning us into a cabaret band, we have to find ways to satisfy those people and ourselves, who want to play new(er) material. It doesn’t always work, but once we toured and didn’t play ‘Suspect Device’, we got more complaints about that tour than any other we’ve undertaken in 32 years.”

Wow, the superficiality of the mob. I’m sure the old grannies can put away their machetes now: ‘Suspect Device’ will be on the set list. I can’t get through this interview without asking them a begging question: when’s the new album out? Jake scrapped the original material, and with the last album ‘Guitar and Drum’ being so successful, it was never going to be easy living up to expectations:

“The success of the last album has actually been a major problem, insomuch as I’ve rejected so much stuff that I didn’t feel lived up to that benchmark. Obviously, if for every song you accept, you throw out three, it’s going to take a while. So, I’ve reached a stage where I’m just not willing to speculate when it will surface!”

Sounds a lot like my undergrad dissertation. I have to delve deeper into new album themes and the psyche of the song-writer. Should punk bands be screaming about politicians and melting ice-caps?

“Every writer is entitled to write about whatever they want whether it’s a politically motivated track or just “more songs about chocolate and girls”. Both are valid in my opinion. Again, I’m not in a position to discuss themes for songs yet, as we haven’t gotten anywhere near finishing the thing yet and I don’t want to tell you one thing only to have it turn out to be another.”

Hmmm, time to move on I think. Sorry folks-an unfinished masterpiece silences the lips of elaboration. Jake currently lives his days out in that jewel of American cities, Chicago, and with band members scattered here and there, how do those musical minds collaborate effectively?

“This is where the internet comes into play. If, say, I have half an idea for a song, I can make an mp3 of that and have it with the others almost instantly. Then their feedback is also back with me in a flash. It’s not a system we need too often as I tend to write alone. Pretty much have done since Gordon [Ogilvie] & I stopped collaborating.”

Although all respectable bands should age delightfully like a good mature cheese, is all to continue unadulterated in the SLF crystal ball?

“I don’t see any reason to stop at the moment. We’re still having fun and that was always our bottom line. Regarding where we prefer to play, each option has a lot to recommend it. For example: going to a new territory is always exciting, even if you occasionally end up as more of a tourist than a performer. Yet, playing the U.K. & Ireland is always great because we know we’ll get a warm reception and we all have so many friends & family there.”

I sure hope international crowds don’t throw bottles at them! Having read about Mr. McMordie and his busy schedule, I wondered if the band membership was set in stone:

“Do you know something I don’t?? [Laughs] Yes, as far as I can tell everyone is happy to continue.”

I then flip over to the historical side of things and ask, “I've been doing some research on punk rock and wasn't sure if it had just developed or died out? Do you think the 'message' has been lost in recent times? “Pop-punk and its counterparts are ugly hybrids of the original thing”. What's your take on this, and please, please give reference to good old Green Day!” (who cite SLF as a main influence). That quote was mine by the way. It was critic Christine Di Bella who once said, “[Pop-punk] is punk taken to its most accessible point, a point where it barely reflects its lineage at all, except in the three-chord song structures.” Understanding that SLF has become very pop-punk, I was intrigued to know Jake’s view on this:

“Tricky one this, as it depends on your definition of ‘punk’. As I’ve said before, as far as I was concerned it was more a ‘freeing’ thing than a musical one. People who previously had been told they “weren’t good enough” to be in a band, were suddenly being hailed because of their fresh approach and “devil may care” spirit. And it’s the spirit that’s more important to me than anything else. Therefore, you could argue that we started out as a fairly hard-nosed punk band but by ‘Go For It’ had become a pop-punk band. I see nothing wrong with bands developing and everything wrong with people not ‘allowing’ them to. As with most other bands, I don’t really have an opinion on ‘Green Day’ one way or the other. I’ve heard some of their stuff and thought it was hugely derivative. (‘Basket Case’ could easily have been on an early album by ‘The Jam’, for example). Then their later stuff, in particular ‘American Idiot’, I found to be so much more powerful because they were singing from the heart. They’d found their voice, which is always vital.”

As Jake said, the free spirit of the punk era must have been a liberating age under the locks and chains of a very un-free society. Having most unfortunately been born in the late 80s, I feel completely certain that I do not know what this means. So I ask what circa 1977 was like as a punk:

“Exciting. It seemed like everyone in the country suddenly had a guitar and something to say. And boy did they make some great records. It’s an old expression that everyone has one book inside them. Well back in 1977 it seemed like every band had at least one great song inside them.”

I then move on to the 80s, and relate to an 80s band which I had seen over the summer, who’s second name rhymed with an aromatic wine. At their gig, drugs were openly promoted to fans, the health benefactors being outlined as, “I like feeling high because I don’t like feeling low”. I initially thought it was ironic, until they asked us to go and snort crystals. What does Jake think about this behavior?

“Hmmm…as I don’t know the band you’re referring to I can hardly comment.” (Never mind Jake, it’s beside the point, and they will likely sue the shit out of me!) “Regarding drugs, I certainly wouldn’t want to lecture anyone apart from urging you to be safe. The problem is where do you draw the line? More people die from nicotine and alcohol abuse than marijuana, yet the first two are legal. Having said that, to quote ‘New Model Army’, “Only stupid bastards use heroin.” ”

NMA seem to have a song for everything. Winding down, I can’t help but ask about life in Chicago. Having recently been there and not yet been back, I need to get my fix. Baseball and politics; the two bastions of American civilisation. I also ask about non-American attitudes to the USA, having been showered with abuse for liking the place:

“Chicago is fine. Summer arrived at last a week or so ago! Both [Chicago] baseball teams are crap. (I’m used to my team, the Cubs, being useless as I’ve spent years of training supporting Newcastle United!) I know exactly the attitude towards America that you mention. In fact, even though I live here I’m still guilty of it myself on occasion. This recent healthcare debate, for example, makes my blood boil. The Republican party have managed to corral a load of support against a bill which will, in effect, HELP the majority of people protesting against it. They’ve done this by the simple use of the word ‘socialist’, which in a lot of American minds translates as ‘communist’, and that, as we all know has been their bogeyman under the bed for years. Pathetic, really.”

That’s Republican pathology for you. If you’re a SLF fan and reading this (both of which you should be), here’s a final message from Jake:

“Just to say that, as always, we are looking forward immensely to being together again and playing. It’s always a huge amount of fun. And, after all this time, it’s always hugely flattering to see so many of you turn up to listen. Hope we don’t let you down.”

‘Stiff Little Fingers’ begin their UK tour on 14 October in Inverness, Scotland, gradually working their way down the country.

By Ayisha Khan

INTERVIEW // TWIN ATLANTIC

2009-09-26T20:06:00.003+01:00

Having had a chat with the band many would hail as the new Biffy Clyro almost a year ago, it was high time we tracked down Twin Atlantic's Craig Kneale again to see how the Scotch rockers have been getting on.

NOIZE: It’s been 10 months since I last met you, can you tell me what has happened to Twin Atlantic since then?

CRAIG KNEALE: I think it was around about that we met Red Bull Records, so after that tour we eventually signed with them in January. From then we were just writing and then we went over to America in March to do South By South West, then drove straight from there to LA to record the mini-album. We were meant to be there for two months, but we stayed for three! Since then we’ve come home and played a few festivals and waited for our record to come out, which came out on Monday! Everything’s happened in such a short space of time, it’s been all go!

N: As you’ve mentioned, you recorded your album in LA, would you like to spend more time over in the States?

CK: At first when we were over there we would’ve said no, I’ve been to New York a few times with my family, which was really cool, but LA was just a bit weird! The people are really strange, but it was really difficult to come home. About a month ago I really started to miss it. I think we’re going to be back over by the end of the year for a tour. I’d love to see more of America, LA isn’t a real place, it’s like a magical land!

N: You played a few gigs when you were over there, how did they go down?

CK: Well we did SXSW, which was unbelievable; it was the coolest thing we’ve ever done! Then we played the Viper Room, Johnny Depp’s old bar, that was kind of cool, we were announced by this compere and came out from behind this red curtain, that was pretty cool actually! Then we played Bamboozle, which was actually a bit shit, all the bands sounded the same! The Get Up Kids clashed with us which was the only band I really wanted to see!

N: Do you have any personal highlights from your time in America?

CK: It’s a bit weird, and a bit homosexual, but it was a total bonding experience! It was just me, Sam, Barry and Ross for ten weeks straight. There were ups and downs, but it was just a great experience! When we’re at home we pretty much just practice and then go home, but we got to spend a lot of time together just the four of us.

N: Are you finding thins a little different now that you’ve signed to Red Bull Records?

CK: In some respects, it’s more different in the sense that we have more people to please! The actual dynamic of the band is the same, we still practice every day, but we know that it isn’t just about us now! It’s definitely a positive thing, there’s a lot more pressure, but we have a lot of opportunities that we never would have had before.

N: In your own words, what can people expect from ‘Vivarium’ (apart from awesome drumming)?

CK: Other than the awesome drumming, it’s just a really good stamp of where we are at the moment. There are a few songs from the beginning of the band, and some that we wrote when we were over in America, it’s like a nice history really! If you liked us before, it’s bigger and heavier, it’s definitely a lot more mature. It’s like the old stuff but better! You can tell we’re a band that has been playing together for two and a half years, as opposed to six months.

N: Why did you decide to re-record ‘Audience & Audio’ above the other tracks off your debut EP ‘A Guidance From Colour?

CK: I think it’s because it’s maybe the most immediate. It’s the first song we wrote as a band which we all thought ‘this is really good’! It’s also that only a select group of people know our band, so we thought it’d be the most impressive song if people heard it.

N: Did it turn out as well as you’d hoped?

CK: Well, it’s different because we recorded it live, so it sounds a lot more aggressive. I really like it, a lot of people don’t like it. Sam’s voice is a lot more grown up on it, it’s completely different to how it used to be, it used to be really low, but now it’s operatic!

N: You’re a band that tours constantly, what are your favourite things about touring, and is there anything you hate about touring?

CK: My favourite thing is getting to see new places and getting to meet and play for people who you’ve never met before. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I’d get to do things like this. The worst things are playing gigs to empty rooms or the van breaking down in the middle of Exeter at three in the morning, they’re the low points! It ebbs and flows, you play a really shit gig one night, and then it’s fantastic the next!

N: How do you cope with being so far away from home?

CK: It gets a lot easier, it’s becoming like second nature because we’re away from home so much now. It’s harder being at home because I get so restless!

N: You mentioned that you played a few festivals over the Summer, both in the UK and abroad, do you enjoy the festival experience?

CK: Yes, it’s a lot more stressful because you don’t get to sound check and everything, so you just go on and hope for the best! People come and see bands at festivals out of curiosity, so you can make a lot of fans that way, if you play well that is, which we didn’t! It’s really cool playing a show and then hanging around watching others. You get treated so well at festivals in Europe; they treat you like you’re one of the actual big bands! It’s not like that back home!

N: Finally, where would you like to be this time next year?

CK: Hopefully we’ll have our full length album out, but as long as we’re enjoying ourselves and people are still coming to see us we’ll all be very happy!

By Ben Connell

INTERVIEW // WALL STREET RIOTS

2009-09-26T19:58:00.002+01:00

With a new single soon out punk rockers Wall Street Riots are getting ready for its release by gigging and promoting themselves. I managed to get a slot with them to find out how the band is doing with their steady rise to the top.

NOIZE: Hello WSR, how’s it been getting to where you are now? With an EP, single release plus another soon on the horizon and countless amounts of gigs it seems like just a matter of time before you explode into every radio and TV set across the country.

WSR: It’s been really fun and we’re very pleased with what we’ve done so far and all the songs we’ve written however it has also been very tough and we aren’t as far as we’d have liked to be by now. We still consider ourselves near the beginning of our career.

NOIZE: Has the press helped at all in your ascent and do you ever read your reviews?

WSR: If we come across a review of us we will read it but we don’t make a B-line for the magazines to read about ourselves. We like to think the press has helped as the tracks from our EP managed to get played on Radio 1. Although we can’t stand a mediocre review: we like to stir emotions in people, whether they’re loving or hating us, not just plain nothing.

NOIZE: Fair enough I can understand that. Your new single – what’s it about? Is it quite light-hearted and comical like Dr. King or does it have a more serious tone?

WSR: it’s about having a vice in the sense of a relapsing addiction and not being able to give up what you’re hooked on. In our case it’s junk food: pizzas and burgers. We’re not crack addicts or anything.

NOIZE: Of course… The video too is really good with a clever story line. Whose idea was it?

WSR: We have a director in the States who did it for us. A very talented man called Chas Grieder who also directed our first video. We wanted to have something visual for One More Ride so we contacted Grieder again and he said “leave it to me and I’ll hand you a finished product.” After a while he came back with this video which we all love.

NOIZE: You seem to have built a reputation for having a highly energetic live act. What do you think brings this about?

WSR: We’re a rock band so when we play it’s really hard not to get into it and the audience pick up on this. It also helps that our songs are very energetic and aren’t serious. We like to give off a party vibe and just try and give everyone a good time.

NOIZE: So what do you have planned for the future? Will we see a much anticipated album any time soon?

WSR: We’ve still got a lot touring to do and we are in the process of writing an album to be released next year probably. We’re writing twenty-five tracks and will choose our best twelve to put on it. So just working hard really! We’ve also got our new single out on the 28th of September. The B-side is a remix by Ian Watkins from Lost Prophets and will be available for a free download.

NOIZE: Well I look forward to it and hopefully I’ll catch you at one of your shows.

By Josh Charig

INTERVIEW // ECHASKECH

2009-09-19T10:25:00.001+01:00

“When you’re an electronic music artist these days, it pretty much means you bring out a laptop and not a lot more. And it’s not that exciting to watch someone check their emails [Try telling that to Little Boots!-Sub-Ed]. But we’re not at all like that when we play live”
It’s half six on a uncharacteristically sunny September evening in London and one half of Echaskech, Dom Hoare, dives right into explaining what sets the Electronica duo apart from in their peers in such a saturated niche.

“We wanted to be a visual thing as much as a music based thing. We’re far more organic in kind of the live aspect, we end of meshing all kinds of things and making all sorts of noises out of all sorts of boxes. So it’s fun to watch anyway, even if Mark’s [visual artist, Mark van der Vor] not there, which he isn’t always- fpr example if you’re at a festival you cant really get projections working so then it’ll be just the two of us.”

Mark van der Vor is the newest sort of honorary member to the London duo, providing a visual experience to work alongside the beats produced by Dom and Andy Gillham, who’s musical journey started over a decade ago:

“Me and Andy are old school mates, we used to go to the same school. We both studied music there and we also sort of grew a love of electronic, or dance, music I guess. In the late 90s we used to go down to Metal Heads quite a lot , down in Shoreditch, which was sort of drum and bass night and an excellent venue on a Sunday night. We kind of formed a group then, which was drum and bass.

“We had a sort of moderate success there, kind of left it and had a hiatus until about 4 years ago, we re-formed as Echaskech and decided to do it as more of an audio visual thing. We got Mark V on board and sort of mashed it all together one night. It was totally random; we went down to Brick Lane and played a gig there. We met for the first time that night and sort of said; ‘Lets just pretty much jam’ at a live performance and it came off really, really well so we’ve stuck with it since then really.”

Two albums in and the band seem to have stumbled across a formula that works. Something undoubtedly spurred on by the effortlessly likeable nature of the band, as Dom talks of their future plans, there is sense that Echaskech have a more advanced sentiment with their music, less so chasing the bright lights of stardom and more like the fame is something that found them in the most natural and organic way:

“When our first album came out, our launch party was one of the best gigs we’ve ever played just cause everybody’s there in good spirits and celebrating your music and you know, it’s not too judgemental so the pressure is off a bit. Although the album’s already out, we’ve got a delayed album launch at the end of October (28th) which will be at the Queen of Hoxton. It will be open to everyone, it’s kind of first come, first served for that night. But we’re already really looking forward to that.

“Also, every month we curate a night at the Haywood Galleries called ‘Concrete’, In fact, this Saturday it’s going to all be a bit of a jump up rave experience [laughs]. We have all sorts of acts that play there from basically, folktronica to the sort of thing this weekend, which is AGT Rave Crew, who have been described as the ‘Chas n Dave of Rave’ and they’re exactly that. They just mash any kind of bass noise to brakes and it sounds fantastic. And every month from there until Christmas we’ve got some fantastic acts booked, some real beauties. We’re doing a special Christmas gig too”

The end product of Dom and Andy’s clear vision and knowledge of the industry means their output spills out influences with tracks like ‘Every Touch’ sounding almost Postal Service meets Sigur Ros meets DJ Shadow. Something truly diverse.

Any band that can stir up such heightened emotions amidst beats that cause legs to dance like they wouldn’t get another chance to, but minds to pause and get lost in the beauty of the band’s Mogwai-esque style, clearly have more talent than most of us could wish for.

Far from your average electro music, forget stereotypes of the genre. Forget Justice, Simian Mobile Disco or even those bloody awful remixes, Echaskech produce something different, something awe-inspiring and something truly unique.

By Laura Routledge

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // THE SILENT YEARS

2009-09-18T00:16:00.002+01:00

The Silent Years are a band you may or may not have heard of, a small band coming from Detroit with this, their first full length album, 'The Globe'. On their website they refer to their DIY capabilities which range from artwork to websites and even to a debut video clip for their single, "Someone To Keep Us Warm". I think it's this element that has the world transfixed - let's face it, these days bands are born via merchandisers and told what to do and how to do it, so it's nice to see there are still a few bands doing it purely for the love.
The Silent Years cite their influences to be Elliot Smith, Jeff Buckley, Flaming Lips and Sunny Day Real Estate. Personally I would liken them to Arcade Fire with a hint of electro thrown in. They have the same fun summer festival sound and are clearly surrounded by friends and musicians alike when playing. I caught up with frontman Josh Epstein to find out more about the debut album and their ongoing plan to take over the world....

NOIZE: Your latest album, 'The Globe' is out in the UK in September/October time, can you tell us a little more about it- I read the inspiration came from a science film at school?....

JOSH: I was recalling the film "Powers Of Ten", which is shown in most junior high schools here, and thought it so wonderful that dust particles end up looking like outer space. I got to thinking about scale and the way that it applies to the notion that everything that exists probably exists everywhere and thought it was a subject that deserved being written on.

NOIZE: This is your second album now- how do you feel your music style has progressed from the first album to this one?....

JOSH: I think lyrically, there's a lot more depth in these songs. The music is also a bit more adventurous as the song structures themselves are more developed.

NOIZE: At the beginning of your career you were very hands on with creating artwork, websites and films for the band- are you still as involved in these areas?...

JOSH: Oh yes, definitely. I think that the only way that changes is as the ideas get bigger, you need to start calling in people with more expertise. But working very closely with people is something we look forward to. I can't imagine just turning over the car keys though.

NOIZE: I've noticed your website is updated often, almost like an online journal for the band- do you see writing albums as another way of keeping a record of your lives?...

JOSH: I think so. Listening to a completed album after giving it time can be a bit like looking at old photos! Sometimes it's enough to draw a cringe or a smile. I think that if you're making music, you are influencing that music with your current self so it ends up being like a time capsule.

NOIZE: Josh, You studied poetry and literature, is it you that takes control of the writing side? And also, do you have any separate writing projects on the side?...

JOSH: I do most of the writing and the band does a lot of arranging. I have been writing some stuff for a few friends' bands and projects lately, but nothing literary as of yet. I do plan on getting there eventually though when the time is right.

NOIZE: Speaking of side projects, I heard about a project with Daniel Zotte called 'Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr', how is this collaboration going?

JOSH: It's been a lot of fun. We have recorded 7 songs thus far, and are going to release an EP and then record 4 more and make a full length album. It is amazing how much working in different genres and with different, talented people can assist your growth as an artist.

NOIZE: What are your plans for the rest of the year, any plans to record soon?

JOSH: We are going to Los Angeles to record a new record with Sam Farrar of Phantom Planet and Mark Ronson fame in September. Hopefully we'll be touring the UK shortly after that and then the US until the
new record comes out and we do it all over.

NOIZE: What is your favourite part of the whole making-an-album process? The writing, recording or touring?

JOSH: They are entirely different outlets and once you get comfortable with that it can be a welcome variance. The performing is much more of a personal interaction with people and more of an exuberant experience.

I love recording and writing as well, but those tend to be more cathartic. I think it's best to get the best of both worlds and hopefully do well in each.

NOIZE: And finally- any plans to come to the UK anytime soon?

JOSH: Maybe we'll have to relocate for a spell and tour so much that everyone gets sick of us. We could do the Camden Barfly every Monday and Wednesday, maybe a weekly gig at the Apple store. Even if we have to busk in the tube we will get there!

Check out the website: www.thesilentyears.biz and myspace page: www.myspace.com/thesilentyears to hear happyness in musical form!

By Kat Nichols

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // LEMONADE

2009-09-17T20:59:00.005+01:00

“Extreme bass, new age synthesizers, carnival, dolphin noises, swimming.” As far as musical influences come, you don’t get much more obtuse than this. But for a band whose very fibres embody diversity and a hybrid sense of self, anything but randomness would seem somewhat out of character.
Step into this vibrant world of Lemonade. An exciting new band from Brooklyn, a state which seems to churn out off-mainstream gems at a pace that matches the rate that China spews out air pollution. Yet, unlike their predecessors, the likes of MGMT, TV on the Radio and Grizzly Bear, Lemonade keep it funk but pile in their dubstep and house influences.

So how did this new breed of dark beats meets infectious upbeat overtones begin between Callan Clendenin, Alex Pasternak and Ben Steidel?:

“It was very spontaneous. Alex and Callan had the concept for a while and when the opportunity to play a show on 2 weeks notice came up, they got together with Ben and made it happen. It's been going pretty well since then.”

Rather an understatement for a band that have already received such great feedback, with ‘Big Weekend’ hailed as Nick Grimshaw’s single of the week and with the three-piece’s self-titled album out this week, it seems things are really about to take off for the band. Something the band seems quietly confident of, promising that their debut will be a good mood provoker amongst the listeners:

“They can expect joy and dancing.”

It would seem the listeners can also expect an album jammed with innovation and a whole host of genre-dodging musical delights, particularly with percussionist Alex’s training in Arab and Latin music to bring that extra slice of originality to the band’s carefully crafted music. And following a busy Summer, things look set to continue at a fast face for our new favourite electro mavericks:

“We’ll be writing new songs and playing more shows. We’ll also be getting a Swatch sponsorship (hopefully)”

Typically jovial, it’s often hard to know when Lemonade are being witty, as their welcomed especially dry sense of humour colours so much of their speech, or being serious; having also told us “We all met at a casting call for the popular American children's show Kids Incorporated.” But it is completely clear that they are a band that give their everything to the music; a completely admirable quality in an industry where it seems so easy to get lost in the trivial falsities.

Whilst Lemonade may well be a band of few words, short of musical talent, they ain’t. Enter their vivacious world at your own peril, it’s pretty bloody infectious.
By Laura Routledge

INTERVIEW // MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA: CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE NORTHERN SOUL

2009-09-12T22:14:00.002+01:00

Following an impressive set on Reading’s NME/Radio 1 Stage last weekend, Atlantic indie rockers, Manchester Orchestra, release their second full UK album ‘Mean Everything to Nothing’ this week. Noize caught up with five-piece’s bassist, Jonathon Corley, to find out a bit more about the release and one of our new favourite bands.
“I think everyone in both camps is excited about the upcoming tour. It's been awhile since we've been out with those guys. We all lost our minds in the desert last time we toured together. Maybe that will happen again.”

‘Those guys’ are the Metal meets Emo tyrants, Brand New, and with the pairing of this, and the band’s exciting support slot for Biffy Clyro’s upcoming UK tour – it is more firmly set in stone than one of mythological Medusa’s worst enemies, that just another indie band feigning to be credible in some half-arsed industry move, they ain’t.

The band’s new album fuses true rock in its more mainstream format with lyrics that dare to spit the words of painful truth like /You’re not alive when I need you/ but manage to still exude an overarching endearing sense of poetry, in the way only the best songwriters can muster.

Defining themselves as “Abrasive southern indie rock... or music to listen to during a shakedown”, the band’s creative juices flowed further than just a traditional album release – instead choosing to treat their devoted fans to a video series to go alongside the end product as a sort of narrative interpretation:

“Each song has a video that weaves discovered 8mm film into a story that flows all the way to "The River" [end track]. It was a massive project tackled by a couple of guys from Destroy Rock Music (Clay Lipsky and Jason Bognacki). They had about four months to complete the entire project, which is a feat in and of itself.”

Yet, the multi-media end result seems to more than justify the means. Having spent 300 days on the road with the last album, you can be sure that the band can also promise some polished and spine-tingle inducing sets on their upcoming live shows:

“We're constantly working on new things. The schedule we've chosen to maintain keeps us on the road and out of the studio, at the moment. When we're home, however we're usually recording. You can find new video podcasts from tour updated regularly online. There is sure to be something exciting musically out later this year.”

Manchester Orchestra’s diverse sound and unique output combines all the best aspects of American rock acts such as Weezer with sprinklings of the divine likes of Right Away, Great Captain in a way which conveys their bottom-line vulnerability in a way which is impossibly likeable. Having received positive press and even shining comparisons by Caleb Followill himself (that’s the front man of Kings of Leon for those of you who’ve only really heard ‘Sex on Fire’): “They remind me of us. They are country boys from Georgia and sing this raw passionate music”, it seems that the next few months are set to be pretty life-affirming for one of the most understated, but exciting, bands in a long while.

By Laura Routledge

INTERVIEW // PLANET OF THE APES: MATT HELDERS TALKS MONKEYS IN NEW YORK

2009-08-29T21:31:00.006+01:00

Packing his bags at his Sheffield flat, Matt Helders prepared for the Arctic Monkeys’ tour, which brought them to the U.S. in late July and early August and then back to Europe for a slew of shows. NOIZE meets up with the drummer in New York to talk Homme, 'Humbug' follow-up plans and life on the road in one of the World's biggest bands.
The Sheffield band is in the midst of a massive European festival run. The boys return to the U.S. Sept. 14 to play Soma in San Diego, all in support of the band’s third studio album Humbug. The band took a bit of a turn, musically, on the new album, but it’s one that has earned the boys high praise from critics. Helders and company lassoed in Josh Homme (yes, the Josh Homme who fronts Queens of the Stone Age) to produce the album. Homme also played some guitar on the record.

“We first met him at a festival in Europe. We were amazed because we’re such massive fans,” Helders said. “We talked to him a couple times. It was a different way of recording a record than what we had done before. But we have a lot of respect for him. He was always very encouraging.”

The band has a reputation for cranking out albums at a Beatles-esque pace. A year after their smashing debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, the band released the follow-up, Favourite Worst Nightmare. Now, two-and-a-half years later, the boys return with their third full-length studio album. Helders said there’s so much material in addition to the 10 tracks on Humbug. Will the band release another album next year?

“You never know,” Helders said. “We did over 20 songs. They could be used for B-sides on singles. We always took pride in B-sides. We have plenty available. But they could end up on another record in another form.”

In addition to drumming, Helders, 23, is also known for his backing vocals on such tracks as “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor,” “Balaclava,” and “Teddy Picker.”

Arctic Monkeys are quite possibly one of the most successful young bands of the new millennium. The lads recorded their first album while they were in their late teens.

“It probably helped that with our age, we didn’t take it too seriously,” Helders said. “You can see the funny side of us. We didn’t have any major responsibilities. We grew up together. You miss out on a lot of the dramas that other bands have.”

Helders said that seeing the Monkeys have been friends for so long, there’s never really any tension within the band.

“Believe it or not, it never gets to that stage,” he said. “There’s never been a serious argument. We kind of joke about it. We always have a laugh when we try to find something to do.”

Now that the band’s tour is in full swing, Helders and the rest of the Monkeys prepare for their massive onslaught of incessant fans.

“There’s always people outside the back door,” he said. “There’s quite a lot of that in America. In Japan, they hang around the hotel. Everybody meets there. After a bit anyone would get annoyed by that, but I suppose it’s good in a sense.”

By Ryan Wood

INTERVIEW // NOAH AND THE WHALE: THE HEALING POWER OF SPRING

2009-08-26T22:04:00.002+01:00

Pain. As humans, pain is, a feeling, we all encounter; whether it be on a regular basis, on a small scale, or on what feels like the worst level possible. And nothing hurts more than the pain that associates itself with love. That feeling which physically hurts as the abstract emotion turns to concrete and reaches in, squeezing each atrium of your pitiful organ.
But as humans, we hurt and then we heal. Often a direct result of whatever cathartic process we’ve immersed ourselves into as a distraction. Some of the best and most beautiful creations emerge from this form of therapy. Bon Iver created ‘For Emma, Forever Ago; an album bursting with more pathos than the runner up in the X-Factor final. Cue Charlie Fink’s proverbial rehab and Noah and The Whale’s second album ‘The First Days of Spring’.

And the Autumn it follows? Fink’s own heartbreak with the end result an eleven track masterpiece that replaces textbook folk handclaps for lyrics so rich with torturous accuracy that the listener is left wishing they could have articulated their own pain so efficiently. Similarly, the vocal supplements of Emmy the Great and Laura Marling have been replaced with divine orchestration:

“It’s very different from the debut. It’s different lyrically, its different instrumentation, everything’s very different. The ambitions for it are also very different.

The album is very a much a single person’s story and it’s definitely not a duet. At no point is the album a duet and so it would feel unusual to have an extra voice there, it needed to be quite solitary I think. We have a choir singing on a few songs and the reason I liked that is the texture of it and also there fact that it’s less personal than if it’s just one other person’s voice. There’s quite a big difference between a choir and duet.”

Meeting Noah and The Whale’s lead singer and song writer, Charlie Fink, at the band’s North-West London studio, it’s hard to believe music of such epic heights was created in what appears to be such basic surroundings. Sat in black skinnies and an over-sized pastal striped shirt, Charlie effortlessly exudes an unavoidable likeability and as he fingers his indie curls, it’s clear he’s every bit as passionate abut this album as the end result implies.

His creativity and work ethos is also demonstrated by the film he has produced to accompany the album. Featuring the likes of Daisy Lowe, Fink’s development from music videos to the film, named after the album, was something as unconventional as his mission statement:

“It’s not the same thing at all but, along the lines of ‘Man on Wire’; about the guy that walked between the two twin towers, it’s like in a way that’s the most beautiful pointless act of all time because it has no purpose other than the pleasure of tightrope walking which is, I’ve never experienced that pleasure but you know, I think it’s the same thing. It’s creating something because it’s beautiful.

“It’s trying to make something that was such a peculiar shape that it’s almost pointless, in the best possible way. It’s not a short film, it’s not a feature film, it’s this weird unmarketable non-commercial product that’s just a piece of art. And that’s what I like about it.

“The initial inspiration was also the idea of how people listen to albums now that they don’t sit down and listen to an album as one experience and take it in, so to create a fully immersive album and that is as much in the writing process of the album as it is in the film as well. There’s this quote from W.D. Collingwood which is that ‘Art is Dead, and amusement is all that’s left’ and he wrote that quote like 100 years ago, so if you made that quote now it’d probably have more weight than ever.

The film, ‘The First Days of Spring’ is available with the album, but characteristically ambitious, Charlie has bigger plans for his debut film:

“I’m doing a tour, because for me, it really belongs in a cinema, that’s really it’s home because that’s the real purpose of it so I’m going and I’m taking the film to different cinema’s around England and screening it and doing a Q&A with it. I’m doing Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield, London and maybe Brighton.”

Whilst Charlie’s development and maturation is something exposed on the new album, Noah and The Whale’s very foundations are also undergoing big changes:

“We’re introducing a new line up because bizarrely, Doug, who plays drums, is becoming a doctor and so we’ve got a new drummer in and we’re bringing in a 5th member to play extra keys and guitar. So we’re trying to get them up to speed for touring in September but we’re doing a few more shows with Doug as well. We’re kind of just remoulding the live thing really”

Having done ‘the live thing’ throughout the Summer and Reading and Leeds still to come, the band look set to transform into a sort of musical collection of gypsies as the first days of Autumn encroach:

“We’re basically going on tour forever, but I’m looking forward to it. I’m packing up and moving out of everywhere I live in London. I’m moving out of here (studio) and my home and going to kind of just have a couple of bags of stuff and just enjoy the road and just travel when I can in between touring. It’s really going to be a great feeling I think.”

And fans of the band can expect a set list throughout their touring that truly embodies Noah and The Whale:

“I very much try and do things by instinct, whatever feels right, and so I think we’ll just play the set that sounds best to us which will incorporate a bit of both and maybe some stuff that’s even newer than the new record.”

Whilst, when most of us feel as if someone has torched the space between our lungs, we turn to a box of red wine, Eastender’s Heather Trott’s freezer drawer of ice cream and a lot of self-destructive behaviour, the others count to ten, compose themselves and use it to their advantage. Thankfully Charlie Fink was one of the latter. Defining the album/film combo as one of his proudest achievements: “The thing is when I first kind of envisaged this project, it seemed like such a vast and unassailable task to get it made and the process of actually completing it is very satisfying, regardless of whatever happens to it.” it’s clear that, despite early heartbreak, this year, and the future, has very exciting prospects for Noah and The Whale.

By Laura Routledge

INTERVIEW // TIMOTHY COCHRANE: A LIFE THROUGH A LENS

2009-08-20T22:43:00.000+01:00

Behind (or in front) of every great rockstar is a great rock photographer. To find out more about life behind the most rock and roll of lenses, we talk to NME snapper, Timothy Cochrane. After spring-boarding his career in Sydney, Timothy has worked with many of the top artists from around the world. His time spent shooting for SonyBMG and NME has put him on the map and now travels nationally & internationally as work requires. He started as many do, taking shots for student media and the rest was history.
BACKGROUND

NOIZE: First off, how long have you been shooting for and how did you get into photography? Has it always been music based?

Timothy Cochrane: I’ve been shooting since 2007. I started shooting a few bits for my brothers student magazine in Cardiff and from there moved to Sydney , Australia for work. At this time I was a Studio Sound Engineer working on recording music. Everything I started doing was music based. I got in with The Drum Media, the main Street Press in Sydney and from there started working for SONYBMG doing web content, heading to gigs and doing tour documentary bits.

N: You started out working in Sydney, Australia. How does the industry differ in the UK, if at all?

TC: Not many people pay for their music press in Australia, it dominated by street press ( free papers/mags) and for that reason the editorial potential is limited and tends to be lower budget. The amount of labels is also far fewer than in the UK. You have several majors and a handful of really good independents. It would be hard to make a living JUST as a music photographer in Sydney.

N: What was your first commission, and how did it come about?

TC: The first gig I ever shot was radiohead for a student mag, a pretty lucky and amazing first one. I had 2 bodies that I had borrowed, both early digital models, and basically shots like crazy for the 3 songs. The first thing I got paid for was shooting a US band in Sydney for Drum Media called Ratatatatat. I think I gog something in the region of £25 for it.

N: Has work continued consistently since?

TC: Since returning to the UK, works been going well, I managed to get in with NME Magazine and a few others, and has kept me going.

GEAR AND KIT

N: What gear do you use regularly and why?

TC: My main camera is Canon 5D MK I with a 24-70 f2.8. Pretty standard stuff really. I’ve also got some prime lenses and a few other odd bits like crazy Russian fish eyes. Canon was my first 35mm SLR when I was 18, I’ve just stuck with it. In terms of the canon Vs Nikon debate, I’m pretty sure they are even, it’s a personal preference thing.

N: Do you think it’s important to get the best kit available, or is it only essential for the more established photographers?

TC: Up to a level, the old statement of ‘ its not what you’ve got, its how you use it’ goes a long way. Its more about the know how more than the kit. Saying that, to get a really good standard, you will have to invest more in kit. You do get what you pay for, and I’m always astonished in the amazing new technology that keeps coming out and what it can do.

THE INDUSTRY

N: What are the expectations of a magazine client such as NME or Loud & Quiet?

TC: I think the expectation of big clients is that you can deliver every time. Getting those good shots consistently. For NME, being reliable is important, always being on the ball and always on the look out for those sorts of shots that are not the normal, the one snap that no ones else sees or gets. A high technical standard is important, making sure the pictures you deliver are all of great quality and well edited. Finally, I think creativity is important. Particular people are used for certain jobs because they do something well. For a long time I was use in for gigs with no photo pits, the small club shows that are all about getting stuck in and jumping about, moshing about with everyone else only with £3000 strapped to your arm. Those shots are the more genuine representation of how the croud see the gig.

N: When you approach a live shoot do you have an idea of the shots you’re wanting to get, or is it more a case of seeing what happens and capturing as much of it as you can?

TC: With live, you never know what your going to get, you may have an idea about a venue, some have good lighting rigs, and some have a few lights stuck to the roof. The difference is vast and its important to be able to adapt. Shooting is like driving, if you can pre-empt something, you in a better position to capture it. Once you have shot a band a few times, you get to know their next moves.

N: When you’ve finished a promotional shoot what percentage of the final images would you say have come from your imagination, and how much is client based?

TC: I think most of promo/press work is down to the photographer. There may well be a few guide line or a few reference shots, but the vast majority sits with the photographer. I would say its 80% to photographer. If it’s a shoot for a magazine, there maybe be layout restriction, in terms of text and picture graphic design which needs to be considered when shooting.

N: What is the hardest aspect of your work? What do you find most challenging?

TC: Being consistently inventive and being quick to think on the spot. Its common to get 5/10min with someone in a room or place you’ve never been before, and had 2 min to look about. You have to make the most of the time and make it looks as cool as possible, that’s the challenge and the fun of the job.

N: What is your opinion of the ever increasing artist imposed restrictions placed on music photographers?

TC: In terms of release forms, they are all rubbish, sign them if it gets you access, but its not a formal contract. They rarly sign and give you a copy, this makes the whole contract invalid. I thinks its silly, but its part of the media machine and the way in which people want to be portrayed. I’d hear of bands placing “first 30seconds and out”, which is not worth doing in anyway.

N: What has been your best moment since taking up music photography?

TC: The first time I got to shoot on the side of the main stage at Reading festival was amazing. The smile on my face reached from ear to ear. I was shooting Dizzee Rascal and got on all the video fottage, which impressed my mum and dad.

ASPIRING PHOTOGRAPHERS, ADVICE

N: How important do you think it is for young photographers to learn their trade shooting at local pubs/venues?

TC: Very important, its just the same taking photos at big venues, only the stage is a bit higher. Some of the best pictures I’ve taken have been in small venues.

N: When trying to get noticed is it important what you shoot or how you shoot it?

TC: I think having names in your folio helps, but its more about the quality and the ability to capture the energy and image of the band. I would say HOW you shoot it is more important.

N: What would you say someone new to music photography should & shouldn't do?

TC: Should – Shoot the bands you love and enjoy and the pictures will follow. Shouldn’t – expect to make a million from it, it’s a labor of love, not money.

N: Do you have any more advice to give?

TC: Get your stuff online, places like flickr and twitter are great for distributing your content.

YOU AND THE FUTURE

N: Who is the biggest influence on your work and why?

TC: The first influence I ever had in music photography was Tony Mott, He was a big photographer in Sydney and has shot every BigDayOut festival since it started. He had a book called ‘ Every picture tells a story’ and this inspired me no end. Today, many people inspire and influence me, it varies from week to week.

N: What is the biggest lesson you have learnt in regards to music photography and the music industry in general?

TC: Its tough to make a living from it, even at the top. Increasingly people don’t want to pay much, or anything at all.

N: What other projects are you involved in at present?

TC: Apart from constantly updating my site www.timothycochrane.com I’ve just launched a site which is a collection of photographers works called www.shashincollective.com This focuses on film and lofi social and observational photography. In the near future I’m also launching a print sales website with a massive modern achieve of contemporary music photographs.

N: What is your main goal?

TC: Keep having fun doing what I do, as long as you love it, it will keep you happy. There is a great phase in Manchester – ‘You can do what you want forever’, it’s a good one to live by.

N: What is your most commonly asked question? Here is your chance to answer it once and for all...

TC: How do I get to shoot for NME? Answer – Luck and persistence.

By Brendan Docherty

INTERVIEW // DAN ARBORISE

2009-08-19T22:18:00.000+01:00

When you listen to the intro of Dan Arborise’s single, ‘You’ll all get what’s coming to you’ you start to realise that this isn’t your run of the mill ‘singer/songwriter’ this guy has serious talent and plays the guitar with a fluidity I haven’t come across in a long time. Listening to his folksy/ambient style makes you want to pick up your life, head to the coast and live life in the country. Which, incidentally, is exactly what Dan did. I caught up with him on his home phone (not much signal in the sticks) for a quick chat about the new album and his enviable life on the coast…
NOIZE: Your new album, ‘Of Tide and Tale’ is due for release this summer- can you give us an overview of what to expect and what your main influences were?

DAN: I guess it’s a mix of folk, ambient and, acoustic guitar - kind of a strange mix, it’s very atmospheric and kind of sweeping with natural rhythms- ‘of the tide’ you know? It’s quite spacious and not in a hurry to go anywhere.

NOIZE: And your next single from it, ’You’ll all get what’s coming to you’, can you tell us a little about what the song is about?

DAN: It was actually initially inspired by a conversation I had with the bank, and I really blew my top! So then I went off and wrote the song but I’d like to think you can take whatever meaning you want from it. Perhaps it’s directed at someone that you don’t like very much or perhaps it’s kind of an overall warning for us- we are all going to get what’s coming to us!

NOIZE: So this is your second album, how would you say your music style has progressed?

DAN: Well the first big difference is that with the first album the actual production was more 50/50 between myself and John Hopkins, whereas this second one has come much more from myself. The album was produced by myself, with a bit of help from the engineer, but yeah I would say this is a much more truer representation of where I am myself musically and personally, it’s a very honest record. I found it a bit more positive as well, looking back the first one was a bit depressing- I still like it but I feel this one perhaps shows where I’ve moved on I’m my own life, I’m much more excited about possibilities. I kind of dived into the production side of it, not really knowing how to do it, but was allowed to! Me and Richard worked together on it in a low key recording studio on the edge of Dartmoor.

NOIZE: Yes, I read that you stayed in a cabin in the woods for this?

DAN: Yeah it’s down a lot of little lanes on the edge of Dartmoor and he’s got a cabin in the garden where people stay when recording, so I lived there from September to December .

NOIZE: Did that make much of an influence, being there every day and being that involved?

DAN: It was fantastic, so nice. For the first one we were kind of crashing on the floor of the studio, so it was nice to have my own space. You can go on lovely walks like on the way to work, it’s more how I live, day to day- but happened to be going to a studio at the same time- it’s just closer to how I am and I think you get a different influence that way.

NOIZE: You live on the coast in Devon, surrounded by gorgeous countryside- do you think your environment has shaped your musical stylings?

DAN: Yeah definitely, I think any environment you put a human in shapes so much about them. You unconsciously kind of absorb it all in, so definitely. Being in the countryside, especially in relation to sound- you get tuned in to the sound, even the sound of silence is filled with movement and motion, especially at night. There are different kind of rhythms and ‘tides’ to everything.

NOIZE: You have lived in the city before- which do you prefer, city of country life?

DAN: Yeah I lived in London between the ages of four and 18, I left after school, straight away and I was like- wow, there’s a world out here you know? I just don’t function in the city, I feel like I need to recharge myself and have some peace and quiet.

NOIZE: What got you interested in music in the beginning and what inspired you to play the guitar?

DAN: Well I was always musical, my parents got me playing the piano as a kid and I enjoyed that, and was relatively good at it so when I picked up an electric guitar in my teens I was like- ah wow! A light switched on. I was into Pearl Jam and Nirvana as was any self respecting teenager at the time and I loved that I could play Pearl Jam songs and played in some bands. Then I stopped for a bit and when I started again I rediscovered the acoustic guitar and listened to the music of Nick Drake, and it all sort of took off from there. It became very natural to me, and eventually became sort of something I had to do- which is why I travel around playing gigs for no money!

NOIZE: A lot of your songs seem to focus on family, do you think this is because you now have one of your own or was it always a big focus for you?

DAN: Definitely now yeah, my daughter’s four now and it was just the single most mind blowing thing in my life watching your daughter’s birth, your reality sort of crumbles- I can’t even begin to go there. And since then it’s been a bit mad, you’re biology sort of changes, your relations to your offspring seem to be heightened to another level- you can go from ecstasy to total pain and fear- it’s crazy. A couple of the songs on the album address this, especially ‘cry’ which has that kind of feeling to it. I like the idea of representing parenting as it gets a lot of bad press even though it’s integral to our being you know? I seem to explore mad situations, it’s just mad having another life to be responsible for. That’s what this album is kinda about, life’s experiences and where it takes you, I read a quote from Jarvis Cocker, of all people, saying ‘life and art is like a car and a caravan’ so the car is life and the art is the caravan, so you can’t tow the car with the caravan- so it’s like your life creates your art. And if something isn’t working out creatively you need to go out there and live life and this is where the art will emerge.

NOIZE: Right, final question- where do you see yourself, career wise, this time next year?

DAN: Who knows I think will have to be the answer! It’s kind of a continual unsolving process of life, just kind of see where it goes, maybe it will be good, maybe not! It’s exciting times for me at the moment. I don’t have any goals to be successful in the commercial sense but I do have a goal, to sort myself out a new studio away from my living space in Devon, I’ve recently realised that the musical possibilities are endless if you work at it, so I would like to be able to get myself into a routine where I’m continually creative and perhaps output a bit more music, get stuff out more often. I would like to do an electronic album at some point to. I’m also working in another band at the moment called ‘Fillmore Spirits’ we’re kid of a 5 piece full on windswept Americana, folk, psychedelic sound all gelling together, and the lead singer has a great voice, so hopefully some more time with them and more gigs would be cool too.

By Kat Nichols
Photo by Joel Clarke

www.myspace.com/arborise

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // THE CANDLE THIEVES

2009-08-17T00:22:00.001+01:00

There’s a bit of a buzz around at the moment, and it’s all because of the ever so wonderful Candle Thieves. The Peterborough 2 piece are everything their music is; lovely, playful and simply charming. Combining Casio keyboards, glockenspiels, harmonicas and all sorts of other instruments, the band are setting out… well, actually in a garden near you!
So I’d like to introduce you to the band creating music that will become the soundtrack to your summer; The Candle Thieves.

NOIZE: So firstly, how did The Candle Thieves come to form?

Scott: Well I started a solo project and Glock called me up after a long time and asked if I needed any help doing the live shows, and it developed from there. We had previously gone to college together but had lost touch shortly after that, so it was awesome to be hanging out and writing songs. Our diets have never been the same again.

NOIZE: For those people who haven’t caught on to the delights of your music yet, how would describe your sound? Was this a conscious decision or a natural development?

Glock: Hi! I like to think of our music as the sound a child stuck in an adults body wishing he was a child pretending to be an adult. But I suppose it's just pop music. We were both in other bands while we were making the record so The Candle Thieves was the side project where we just got to make the music we wanted to make & we weren't even quite sure was that was at the time. It was a pretty natural process.

N: There seems to be quite a buzz surrounding you guys already! Is that something your conscious of and if so, how are you finding it?

G: Well it's awesome that some lovely people are asking us questions. Up until now it's mostly just been our parents asking what we've been up to... When are you coming home?... Isn't it time you moved out?... Who's shirt is that?... Where did that stain come from?...That sort of stuff. It's all pretty new to us but it's amazing and thank you for asking!

N: Your EP is released this September, what can people expect from this?

G: Yeah it's out September 14th. We've probably been a little defensive about this EP. We're very proud of it but we want people to know that it's just an introduction to The Candle Thieves. It's kind of hard to put across your point in just 4 songs so it 's just the first paragraph of the album to come.

N: What was it like working with Midget bass player Andy Hawkins?

G: He's actually not that small in real life.
S: Ha! Yeah Andy's the man. A wonderfully talented man who we feel very lucky that he was so up for doing our album. I was a big Midget fan back in the day, still am. And plus he's been a really good friend of mine for about 10 years now, so it's good in the sense that we've built up that comfort where he can tell us if an idea is totally rubbish or anything.

N: Your up and coming August tour looks very exciting! Playing in back gardens is very unusual but such a great idea! How did this come about and are you looking forward to it?

S: Thank you! Well last year we did a Live In Your Living Room tour which was awesome, really intimate and just really personal. You tend to make friends for life on things like that because after your set you'll all sit round and have dinner together. It's so nice. Plus we are always insistent on throwing in random cover's that we want to try that we might not get away with in a venue. I really want to try out the Spiritualized song, "Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space" on this tour.

N: What are you hoping for The Candle Thieves' horizons?

G: We're just hoping for the best. We have a lot of new stuff we're quite excited about. I hope it will see the light of day. You never know what's around the corner though. I'd always thought about modelling. Anything clay related really...

The Sunshine EP comes out on Alcopop Records on September 14th, and to catch the bands busy tour schedule check out their Myspace page on www.myspace.com/thecandlethieves.

By Ellie Hannam

INTERVIEW // BACKSTAGE WITH... FRANK TURNER

2009-08-17T00:21:00.001+01:00

I met a characteristically animated Frank Turner for a brief but intense discussion in the deathly quiet Green Room at Kendal Calling festival; one of the many small independent festivals that have cropped up in the past few years. The same night I watched him perform in the tiny Kaylied stage, where he was no less vocal.
“This is a song about a girlfriend of mine who was a fucking bitch. But now I get to sing this song all over the world and having you guys sing it with me. So it’s 1-0 to me I guess”

Brutal honesty is a big thing for Frank Turner, and it shows. The self-confessed ‘observational writer’ has spent years putting his life on paper, and then on record. Fans of Frank know this. Anyway, you’d have to have balls of steel to write lines like ‘I hope you’re doing fine, ‘cos me I’m doing fucking great’ and not mean it.

“…I’ve tried writing fictional stuff and I’m just not very good at it. I always feel a bit fraudulent. Personally, in my taste in music, honesty and rawness is what I really like. Y’know, I like hearing Townes Van Zandt croak out some utterly crushing lyrics like “you’re gonna drown tomorrow if you cry too many tears for yesterday”. It’s just beautiful because it’s so kind of harsh and raw, and that’s the way, for me, to do harsh and raw stuff”.

This outpouring of catharsis makes his devoted followers rabid at live shows, and having never seen Million Dead live, I can only guess that the crush near the front of the stage was no different to when he was up there playing hardcore punk as a four piece.

And in no way is it an overstatement to refer to his fans as ‘followers’, even though the word lends itself more to a cult. They sing along to every song verbatim, but not drowning him out. They make the songs sweet into group rapture. And this is very important, especially when he has such sharp views on being seen as a political songwriter.

“…If people are classed as a political singer then they stop listening to the music, and just listening to the politics AND for that matter they start trying to catch you out. I’m just not really interested in that, if politics was my main concern I’d go and be a politician, because music never changes anything, it never has and it never will, but I’m a songwriter, I want people to listen to my songs and judge me on my songs.”

Living in a culture which frequently shows superstars buying Malawian babies and sitting at the right hand of politicians, the phrase ‘Music never changes anything…’ seems to come starkly out of leftfield for a man who is want to sing about society’s ills.

He clarifies: “You see people every so often on channel 4 news like a musician on to chat to a politician and it just depresses me when they say ‘yeah well I fink like evil stuff is bad’ and it’s just like, ‘oh, really? Well done’. I just don’t want to have anything to do with that stuff…”

“The minor problem with [being labelled a political singer] is that people then make vast assumptions about what your politics actually are, and kind of use you as a flagpole to run things up. But also, everyone seems to think I’m a socialist for some reason; I despise socialism with every fibre of my fucking being because I’ve got half a brain, and I keep getting asked to do these benefit shows for causes that I think are deeply evil, and it does my head in. And it’s because every other protest singer in the world is left wing, and I’m not, at all, so erm, fuck off, d’you know what I mean?”

The problem is, that when Frank sings his songs live, political or not, they are so heart felt, so passionate, that you need not be a sheep to want to punch the air, spill your pint, and shout yourself hoarse; if he hates being put up on a pedestal he shouldn’t be so fucking right on.

Taking to the stage tonight he galloped through a set of tunes mainly from his first two LPs proper, and the odd B-side. At times dangerously close to losing momentum due to technical cock ups, he managed to keep the spirit alive with an a capela version of a song about a talking tree on the M1. A talking tree. On the M1. A talking fucking tree!

The reason Frank is such a live force lies yet again is his relationship with the audience, although it would be idiocy to write off the fact that he is also a class a performer.

“Something I’m interested in doing in live shows is to break down any barriers between performers and audiences and get a sing along going, just ‘cos I’ve never subscribed to the idea that people who make music are somehow in a different class to those who listen to it.”

“It seems unfair to me that people treat musicians as different bread and basically suspend the normal social rules of engagement. My mum brought me up to believe that you shouldn’t throw TV’s out of windows, or be an arsehole to people, and I don’t see why that changes just because I play in a band.”

He reinforced this on the night with a subtle hint that while he wanted people to be safe, and to respect the festival security, he really, really didn’t like the barriers down the front…

It’s hard to pick a highlight from a set full of absolute tunes, but at a push it would have to be a rabble-rousing rendition of ‘Love, Ire and Song’. It’s lyrics yearning “So come on, let’s be young, and let’s be crass enough to care, if only for a little while, we can make all our mistakes again”.

While the audience were not all young, they were willing - en masse - to make so many mistakes, in the name of having a fucking great time; here in a place with a man they love, and who loves them back.

By Ben Martin

INTERVIEW // BISHOP ALLEN

2009-08-16T23:27:00.001+01:00

The bare, tile clad room that passes for backstage at Barcelona's Sala BeCool doesn’t seem to be overly fazing Justin Rice or Christian Rudder, twin propellers of inde popsters Bishop Allen, and neither are the “refreshments” on offer, consisting as they do of some melted ice, Ballantine’s whisky and peach juice. Immediately after a triumphant gig in Barcelona, we sat down to shoot the breeze about life, line ups, and the artistic process.
NOIZE: Your debut album came out in 2003 and here you are, six years later, on album number three. Did you think at the start that you’d be here, still making music?

Justin: No way!
Christian: Yeah, probably not. It’s hard to predict these things, but I think when we started out, we were just recording in our bedrooms, and we didn’t really know what we were doing.
Justin: Yeah, we didn’t even have a band and it was really just a recording project. So I guess, at least for me, I didn’t see it going this far.

NOIZE: So in six years time, will you still be recording? Will Bishop Allen be on album number six?

Christian: Hopefully we will! Maybe. I hope so, but it’s equally hard to say.
Justin: Probably. For me at least, as I said, it started out with us recording songs in our rooms, and has grown over the years but that desire, that compulsion to make songs is still strong in us, and so I think that if you are driven to write songs, if that’s a natural part of your personality, it’s hard to stop. It’s like your driven to write the perfect song, or the perfect set of songs, and even though you can never do it, that goal is what gets you out of bed in the morning, to write something that’s total and complete. So I think in six years I’ll still be chasing that particular beast.

NOIZE: Since the beginning the main focus of Bishop Allen has been the two of you, with a revolving cast of friends and associates who have recorded and toured with you. Does it change the dynamic of recording an album or touring, playing the same songs with different sets of musicians?

Christian: It definitely does. Recently, for the last few tours we’ve had the same group, which has been awesome. But certainly when we first started it was hard with switching people all the time, trying to remember the songs and adjust them for various peoples’ strengths. So yes, but it hasn’t really been a problem these last few years.
Justin: We definitely feel that certain songs now have more life, more energy or a new personality to play with, so there is a real upside to it to, in that a song that sounded one way when we recorded it or when we toured now sounds better. In fact, a lot of songs sound better to me than they ever have, because as you find new people and start working with them, you play to their strengths and they have their input and it can really help bring songs back to life.

NOIZE: So have you now settled on a definitive line up?

Christian: I always hope people are gonna stick around for a long time, and I hope that this particular line up sticks around for as long as possible. We certainly wouldn’t change the line up on purpose, but at the same time, we realize that sometimes people have different things they want to do with their lives.
Justin: Yeah, if someone in this line up said that they don’t have time to do the band, or they have their own project or their own songs to record or whatever, it’s good that they know it’s not gonna stop us. I think that’s the reason we’ve always had changing line ups, ‘cos we’ve had an open door policy. We’ve always worked with people we really like, but when they leave, they know they’re not killing the band. If they don’t feel like doing a tour, then they don’t have to struggle - if they quit, it’s no big deal. And we never want it to be a big deal.

NOIZE: What was the thinking behind the EP project? One EP a month for a year is a pretty tight schedule.

Christian: I think we just needed something to kickstart our next project. We had an album out, and we wanted to keep writing and get more stuff out there, but nothing was really working out, and we had a hard time trying to get anything finished. We just needed the pressure of a deadline, like “we gotta get this out”, and then we could start work on the next one. Once each one was released, it was like “Why even worry about it - we gotta get the next one done”.
Justin: Yeah, we thought it might be interesting and it might be fun. Really, it was just an experiment to see what we could do in a different recording environment, and to approach songs from a different direction. It was a great way to motivate ourselves.

NOIZE: New album “Grrr” is noticeably mellower that the previous two. Was that a conscious deliberate decision or just the way it happened?

Christian: We didn’t want it to be as dramatic as “Broken String”, but at the same time we didn’t really want it to be as mellow as it turned out. It’s not so reflective of our live show, which is maybe a little louder, or a little more aggressive than the album and I kinda like the crazier aspects when we play live.
Justin: Yeah, making a record is always strange because you sit around for a while before you actually start to make it, you think about what it’s gonna be like, and you have these goals and these ideas. And then, when you’re actually writing these songs you don’t have as much control over them as you’d think - in a weird way they just happen to you. And every day you make these tiny decisions that add up to an overall feeling, and it doesn’t always turn out like you’d expect.

NOIZE: Do you write material on the road, or wait until your back in familiar settings?

Justin: I take a lot of notes when we travel, and I think a lot of the songs we have written were created because of some moment, some thought that occurred on the road. But the actual finishing of the song, the taking of that thought and putting it into a song, happens at home. There’s just too much distraction on tour, you’re always around people and there’s no quiet room you can go to.

NOIZE: You’ve both starred in various film projects over the years: do you see yourselves as musicians who act, or as actors who play music?

Christian: I don’t see myself as an actor at all. I don’t know about Justin, but I certainly don’t.
Justin: I definitely do enjoy acting, but I don’t know anything about it. I haven’t really done anything to hone the craft. And I feel it ‘cos I was working on a project last year, with actual working actors, and I realized that a lot goes into it. You have to be on all the time, be able to say the lines like they’re your own even if they don’t feel totally right, and have different personalities. Those are things that you have to work on and practice, so you can shed your inhibitions on demand and I haven’t done any of that, so I think that means I’m not really an actor. I’m a musician.

By Derek Robertson

INTERVIEW // JUST JACK: DO I CALL YOU, JUST JACK OR JUST…JACK?

2009-08-16T21:38:00.007+01:00

Perhaps not the most professional way to begin an early telephone interview on a Monday morning with one of pop music’s most astute artists, but it soon becomes clear that Jack Allsop is as down to earth as he is musically talented. Even after the success of his previous album, Jack seems to have remained rather humbled by his whole career:
“I never really expected to be in pop music so to be in this position, even beyond selling 10 albums is quite amazing. It was all quite accidental and I had never really planned to do this and so everything is a highlight for me.”

But after almost two years out of the spotlight, Just Jack is, well…back and newly inspired by the likes of Passion Pit and MSTRKRFT, as well as a range of Dance and Electro bands from Sinden and Diplo (“and that sort of ghetto house live music or whatever the fuck they call it!”), something that undoubtedly enriches the diversity of his new album:

“A bit of an electronic thing, an orchestral thing, a folky thing and a disco thing. A bit all over the place and more of the same experimenting with different types of music really and writing about stuff that you don’t normally hear about.”

You might not believe that these are the rather nonsense descriptive ramblings of one music’s most perceptive social commentators but explaining the foundations of his new album, All Night Cinema, it seems once again, Jack has used his winning formula to enhance his music with a variety of genres, styles and character fused narratives.

And new single, ‘The Day I Died’ is no exception. Out Monday, with lyrics like: /The day I died was the best day of my life/ Tell my friends and my kids and my wife/ Everything will be alright/, Jack has characteristically embodied all the dissatisfaction that people so often feel with life and combined it with his innate overarching ability to create a sort of soberness that is almost reassuring in it’s accuracy:

“’The Day I Died’ is probably my favourite track on the album because of a combination of things. It’s the one I’m most excited by. I’m just happy to have a tune out that’s so unlike everything else that’s out there. It’s sort of sad, but all the radio stations are still playing it.”

And Jack has even enlisted the help of James Nesbitt (of Cold Feet fame) to play a family man who, in a sort of ode to Bruce Willis in ‘The Sixth Sense’, spends the duration of the video going about an unusually good day, before realising he is already dead; having been hit by a London cab earlier on:

“It’s mad! I had a friend who knows him [James Nesbitt] and I just kind of asked if he would be around and interested in doing it and he was. It was mental filming it though on the day and just seeing how a high calibre actor works and seeing people in the street just double taking. You forget just how massively famous he is”

Based on the feedback that websites like YouTube demonstrate, it would seem that Jack has struck gold with his pairing of an excellent video with a uniquely poignant summer release. Something that is perhaps also demonstrated his jam-packed next few months:

“I’m doing Bestival in September, I’m going to Switzerland the day after tomorrow, The Electric Picnic in Ireland. I’ve been doing new music in my studio just for fun and a festival in France, as well as a European tour in October and hopefully a UK tour in November. It feels good to be doing stuff”

For an artist that struggled to find his way into the limelight, it seems that London-born Jack has finally found the footing he deserves. Bridging genres and musical styles in a way that is quite welcome in an industry that thrives on pigeonholing everything about artists from hairstyles to jeans, Just Jack looks set to finally enjoy the success and recognition he’s worked so hard for.

By Laura Routledge

INTERVIEW // WILD BEASTS: THE ANTI-INDIE KINGS

2009-08-16T21:00:00.004+01:00

Early one Thursday morning I managed to nab some time with Wild Beasts bassist and vocalist Tom Fleming apparently before his moving house duties commenced. One of Domino’s finest, Wild Beasts are probably one of the most original bands going. Whether their debut record ‘Limbo Panto’ might have had a slight marmite effect, Tom talks frankly about their newest album, ‘2 Dancers’, the British ‘Indie’ label, his pretty humorous feelings towards American music and an accident that could of changed the dynamic of the band completely.
NOIZE: Ok Tom, I just want to talk a bit about the new album first.

Tom: Of course, yeah.

N: Could you tell me how it came about? Did you approach it differently to the first album?

T: I think our hand was kind of forced. We left ourselves very little time. Our record company sort of said to us, ‘do you want to make a record soon?’ By that point we started writing songs as soon as we came out of the studio for the first album, so that taught us quite an intense process as it was the first time we’d be in the studio for any length of time. We learnt a lot of techniques and also a work rate as well I suppose. We learnt to come in in the morning, do something then leave it behind when we went home, so there was that kind of ethic. We had about half the album, then about a month until we got back into the studio to write the other half. We had the 2 Dancers idea which came out of rehearsals, and we had a lot of ideas bouncing about that came out of the scene - certain themes and certain sounds. We listened to a lot of dance and electronic music and we wanted to have that kind of efficiency so everything was done very tight. We play a lot of staccato and a kind of sequence as there’s a feeling of eternal recurrency, and we did want an almost mechanised feel. But we wanted it to be at our hands as it was very important to us it was very human as well as being warm and light I guess.

N: Do you feel a sort of pressure then from the label, or even maybe off yourselves or from fans to release new material?

T: I think the thing that stood out was people seemed surprised we turned something around quite quickly. I mean really the songs on ‘Limbo Panto’ pre dated the release of the album by quite a long way, whereas this time on the record things were made around the same time. In that sense we wanted to show what we’d become and where we were right now.

N: Yeah definitely, I mean it does sound like a much more mature record… I do feel like ‘2 Dancers’ has developed along with you…

T: Thanks, that’s a big compliment, yeah. It wasn’t a conscious decision to ‘move on’, rather just to show and react to where we were. I think we went in thinking it was going to be a darker, more adult album. I’m not sure that’s what’s come out but I mean generally I think we’ve allowed ourselves more space. We haven’t set out to make, ‘a Wild Beasts album.’

N: So that wasn’t a conscious decision then to go from ‘Limbo Panto’ which was quite playful and pantomime to being something that was more developed…

T: Yeah, I think we naturally found ourselves as you do when you got older where you realise the world can be quite a difficult place to live in. Around the time of ‘Limbo Panto’ I remember we didn’t set out for it to be playful, but there were elements on that record where we approached the songs with a sort of young man syndrome. Whereas now we maybe realise life takes care of all the bad stuff for you and you just have to work out what to do with it, so I wouldn’t say this is a darker record but, like you say, more adult and grown up. Hopefully this comes away positive.

N: I really like that, I think its more honest, and especially as it has got such good reviews, I mean you must be really happy about that…

T: I am yeah, of course. When I started I said I wasn’t going to read reviews, but then knowledge is power! (Laughs) But what I’ve seen has been really encouraging and intelligent also which is really nice. Thankfully things seemed to have landed well so that’s really good!

N: Were there any differences in the production in the new record? I heard that you co-produced it…

T: Yeah, we worked with Richard Formby who has worked with us almost from our infancy as he’s done a lot of ours singles and demos and especially all our demos for the first album. We worked to tape rather computer, which meant we had less options. We got about 40 takes with ‘Limbo Panto’ which was then edited down to be really sparkling, whereas this is more warts and all… With tape we got less goes at it so it was a good discipline. We’ve allowed ourselves a lot of different sounds; synthesizers and our own sampled beat. Richard is an artist in his own right, so he brought a lot of that to the floor; you’d describe an abstract concept and he’d get what you meant then bring it back to you as a sound.

N: From what I’ve read recently, a lot of people try to stick a genre on you - whether you’re an eccentric Indie band or a pop act. Does that even really matter to you?

T: God no. We seem to make pop music but that’s because were trying to escape being something. It’s such a broad term. I suppose there’s things we may have wanted to be in the past. I don’t think we came out of nowhere because there’s a lot of old music in what we do, but we try to filter through who we are, where we come from, what we’re into and the way we like to play… I think we’re lucky we can avoid direct referentials just to sound like somebody else. There are deliberate pop references in the record, but we never provide a signifier, you know, ‘were cool because we sound like this.’

N: I definitely get the feeling nowadays that there’s a certain stigma if you’re labelled ‘indie…’

T: Oh god yeah! People think, ‘Kooks’. Thankfully it’s a better time for music now then when Limbo Panto came out. I felt the time was a bit depressed, and we were at the back end of a proper made era where that sort of music had become acceptable just to make money and you’d get U2 releasing good U2 albums… I remember being like, ‘whaaat?’ I think that’s maybe why Limbo Panto fell a bit on deaf ears.

N: Yeah I did wonder if maybe it went almost slightly overlooked…

T: It seems doing the run up for this that more people remember it than what I appreciate. Maybe I should appreciate what we’ve got more. It was before we went to America and there were about 5 months in between it coming out here and there and so anyone in the loop just downloaded it, and there were people waiting for us which was quite fun.

N: I remember watching ‘Through the Dark Night’ on TV a few years ago (Tom laughs) on 120 minutes or something and was just totally loved it.

T: Oh, wow.

N: Yeah, that was the record that got it for me I think…

T: That was a proper departure record as well so I’m really glad you like that one. Actually recording ‘Through the Dark Night’ our drummer was on his way back from Leeds to Kendal, I think he was visiting some family or something, and slipped on some ice! It was a miracle he wasn’t killed as the car rolled 3 times! There was a small place where he was sat and everything else was destroyed. It was just after we signed to Domino as well.

N: Wow, I had no idea. That’s crazy.

T: Yeah… Bit of Trivia for you!

N: Just lastly, is there anyone around at the moment that you’re particularly influenced by or really like? Are you into new music at all?

T: I was hugely pleased to see The Invisibles get a Mercury nomination. I really love that album. Really like those guys. I’m often too involved in making music to find out about new stuff. Crystal Antlers are pretty good. Quite a psychedelic mess, hardcore San Francisco sound. To be fair it’s quite limited but that’s the point though. I always feel bad name dropping American bands! I think there is a culture to jump on the next American band going so I’m trying to rid myself of that. America has got better music than here a lot of the time I think.

N: Yeah, there are some American bands I really like right now actually…

T: I think if you don’t like American music… well, you’re just wrong! Yeah, they definitely have more good music… Some crap but also loads of good stuff too.

By Ellie Hannam

INTERVIEW // EMMY THE GREAT: NO MORE CHASING BOYS IN BANDS

2009-08-10T01:30:00.006+01:00

“Poets I read growing up, my ex-boyfriend, being in love, whatever CD I’ve become obsessed with before I write a song, my guitarist Euan.” Whilst this may read like the neurotic hit list of a scorned lover, it is, in fact, the recipe of influences that make for the goose-bump provoking Folk tales of Emma Lee Moss, or Emmy The Great, as she is better known.
With a new EP, ‘Edward’, out later this month, her inspirations will no doubt once again be laid bare to listeners and prevail in the way that makes Emmy so endearing and easy to relate to. But what can fans expect from the twenty-five year old’s latest release?

“It’s actually old tracks, so if they are fans, they probably know them. It’s supposed to be an addendum to the album so it won’t particularly differ. We recorded them because they were requested a lot on tour and I suddenly realised they’d never been recorded.”

And having received positive press reviews for her debut album “First Love”, which Emmy released on her own label, Close Harbour, Emmy’s feet appear to have remained firmly fixed to the floor of realism. Something which is refreshing in someone who has achieved so much:

“I got into music mainly by accident and mainly by chasing boys in bands. The record label happened quite naturally. At first no one wanted to put out our music, and then by the time they did, we had a pretty good system of our own.

“I’m purposefully not very aware of what other people think of the album, just cause I learned a long time ago it will never be exactly what I wanted, but the feeling I get when I speak to people or when we play shows is that it’s gone better than I could have hoped. So I’m happy.”

Not just content with her own record label and a critically acclaimed release, Emmy The Great has also collaborated with the likes of Lightspeed Champion and Fatboy Slim:

“Writing songs with anyone is worthwhile, especially if you’re used to working on your own, because they remind you not to get stuck in a particular method. I’ve really benefited from all the collaborations I’ve done.”

Typically ambitious, Emmy has also dabbled in music journalism, demonstrating her innate magnetism to the partnership of music and writing. Having written for Drowned in Sound and The Stool Pigeon, she isn’t necessarily ready to focus on just one career path for the time being, (which, based on her incredible song-writing ability, stirs up a slight panic for our job safety here at noize!):

“I still think I will be a writer of some sort alongside this, the journalism is part of it. It started out as music, but now I’m branching out a bit, but it’s all on the side as I really enjoy making music right now.”

And Emmy’s writing will be further exemplified with the release of her new EP on 10th August, which will come with a copy of her short story “The Wet and Windy Moors”.

For someone who seems to have the sort of enviable talent that makes them effortlessly brilliant at whatever they put their hand to, Emmy has the world at her fingertips. Luckily for us, she will be sticking to music and continuing to produce enchanting Folk for a while to come yet.

By Laura Routledge