NOIZEMAKESENEMIES.CO.UK

INTERVIEW // SKINT AND DEMORALISED: VOICE O' THE TIMES

2009-06-29T22:11:00.005+01:00

Twenty-year-old Matt Abbott makes up one half of the Motown influenced spoken word duo, Skint and Demoralised, and despite his newly acquired acclaim and whirlwind two months – Abbott’s young feet seem pretty firmly fixed to the ground.
For those of you who haven’t heard of Skint and Demoralised (that’s anyone who works during Edith Boman’s daily Radio One stint), Matt Abbott was fresh from the monotony of education in his hometown of Wakefield, Yorkshire, when he started looking to poetry as a way of finding his footing in a dog-eat-dog music industry (“I’m not a singer and I cant play an instrument so I didn’t have any natural path music”) but before long he found his platform alongside producer MiNI dOG:

“I was really inspired by John Cooper Clarke who used to do spoken word before bands like The Fall and The Sex Pistols. I always loved words and language but as a teenager it’s not cool to say you like poetry so I started doing spoken word in pubs and clubs.

“It was just an excuse not to do college work really but I would record it on my mobile and then upload them onto MySpace so people could hear them. Then someone got in touch with me about putting my poetry over music tracks and I thought it’d be a bit of a novelty and agreed. Within a month we had five songs, without even having met, but when we did, we just clicked and after two years, we’re still trying!”

And the trying appears to be paying off with new single ‘Red Lipstick’ out 13th July and already earning the duo a place at some of the most prestigious music festivals around the country over the next few months. Their debut is a three minute ode to the girl next door revealing Abbott’s college penchant for more down to earth girls who apparently like no more than ‘red lipstick, fish and chips, orange juice and trips to the sea-side.’

Whilst this fresh pop track will likely win them some criticism from more ‘serious’ Indie-meets-spoken word fans when compared to the likes of The Streets and Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Matt’s words plummet to further depths than the quirky debut would perhaps lead you to believe; with one poem specifically targeting the errors of the BNP, warranting him a place on stage at Love Music Hate Racism:

“The racism issue has always been important to me and obviously the BNP were elected in Yorkshire and I’m a Yorkshire lad so hopefully I’ve put that point out there. Love Music Hate Racism is important and a good cause because kids don’t listen to politicians and need younger people. Racism is a social and moral issue. I can’t change the world but if I can help, I will do.”

Barely out of his teens, Matt seems to have had quite a impact with his profound words establishing him a firm following, something demonstrated with Skint and Demoralised playing their first headline tour in February earlier this year and all their plans to help them pass the time throughout the usually dubious weather of the English Summer:

We’re doing Bestival, Reading Festival, Wireless, Latitude and now Glastonbury and we’ve got the release of ‘Red Lipstick’. We’ve also got another single coming out in September, a tour around then and then the album will be out 15th October. We’re just taking it one step at a time though. We don’t want to disappear after one single and an album.”

Hopes are also high for their debut album, fusing a sort of 60s soul with Matt’s Mike Skinner-esque observations and his innate balls to be different and veer away from the mainstream:

“Our music is largely inspired by Motown and Northern Soul but we didn’t want to do an Amy Winehouse rip off but we used her band to get that real authentic sound and not a sort of Mark Ronson soul-by-numbers.

“Although a lot of people, like John McClure in Reverend and the Makers, don’t put their spoken word stuff on their albums - we’ve done spoken word interludes on the album. Not like Eminem, but like spoken word with sound affects. It’s a bit weird…but we quite like that it’s a bit strange because it shows people what it is that we do.”

As the interview with Matt comes to an end, three things resound; (1) he chats faster than I thought was humanly possible when his bubbly nature and excitement for his career take over his speech, (2) He does do mainstream, caving to Twitter (and confessing that he is ‘a bit sad’ and does all his updates in rhyme) and (3) Skint and Demoralised are really quite a refreshing addition to the music scene and clearly loving every minute.

By Laura Routledge

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS

2009-06-29T21:57:00.001+01:00

After meeting at high school in Edinburgh with a collective interest in contemporary indie music, four young bairns by the name of Adam Thompson (guitar/vocals), Sean Smith (bass), Michael Palmer (guitar) and Darren Lackie (drums) started We Were Promised Jetpacks – Fat Cat Records’ latest acquisition from the ever-burgeoning Scottish music scene.
On one of the finest days Glasgow has witnessed in 2009, I was joined by three-quarters of WWPJ in Adam, Sean and Michael. Rather than sitting in the sun kissed Botanic Gardens only five minutes walk away, we descended on the bands local, which also happened to be the West End’s finest old person’s pub, fully equipped with horse racing on the big screen.

After three-quarters of the band relocated to Glasgow for university, WWPJ began to tear the roofs from many of Glasgow’s finest little venues, slowly developing a hype that has landed the band where they stand now – on the cusp of a debut album release and a UK headlining tour to boot. WWPJ can now sit gleefully on Fat Cat’s increasingly impressive repertoire of Scottish talent (alongside friends Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad), albeit only following some friendly tip-offs and record label patience in abundance.

We Were Promised Jetpacks have a sound oh-so recognisable and is heavily influenced by a range of music dating back to bands youth. Debut album These Four Walls underpins the bands influence of late nineties Britpop, combined with the style of granduesque musicianship familiar with Mogwai and modern indie markers such as The Futureheads and Bloc Party. For an album recorded in just eight days, These Four Walls is undoubtedly something to be proud of, and looks sure to propel the band to greater heights. Recorded with Ken Thomas (Sigur Ros, David Bowie), the band conceded that the initial response to Thomas’s mixes was rather sceptical, which led to Peter Katis (Interpol, Frightened Rabbit), a close associate of Fat Cat, taking the reigns.

The concept of the debut album and the necessity to ‘nail it or else’, was something that was trailing through the inexperienced minds of the band, although they insist that the end product has been wholly worth it. “The recording of the album was both relaxing and stressful,” explains Adam. “The whole time we were there I was convinced that this was our one chance to get our first album right, and sometimes I felt we hadn’t prepared enough. Now we just can’t wait to go record the second album”

Not many bands are fortunate enough to find themselves in the position that We Were Promised Jetpacks ended up in, mainly due to the patience and commitment of Fat Cat Records. “When the deal with Fat Cat came up in April 2008, our drummer was in Germany studying for five months,” explains Adam. “The label wanted to see us live before we could go ahead with anything, which of course was impossible for a few months. We asked if it would be possible to hold it off and finish university, which the label was totally fine with.” The hype that began to develop about the band following the discussions with Fat Cat, as Sean explains, was possibly the bands best period in terms of generating a fan base. “When everybody heard about the Fat Cat thing, they couldn’t actually see us live for months,” he said. “We built up this snow-ball effect type following without really having to do any work whatsoever. It was odd, yet possibly our most successful period!”

Additionally, there are not many bands that, having yet to release any material at all, would get the chance to perform at SXSW (South by South-West Festival) in Austin, Texas with fellow Scots Primal Scream and Glasvegas, as well as a gig at New York’s infamous Bowery Ballroom. Having received praising reviews from publications such as The Fly and Vanity Fair, the band admitted that they often had to question whether everything was genuinely happening. “When I was standing tuning my guitar in New York, the thought of ‘what the hell are we doing here?’ hit me pretty hard,” explains Adam. “We had never released anything and we were playing this lovely big venue in New York. It was crazy.”

Prior to the discussions with Fat Cat and the recording of These Four Walls, the band developed a admiration and friendship with Scottish label counterparts Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad. Being two highly successful bands, WWPJ may find themselves often being compared to their labelmates, although this is something that they insist does not worry them. “People who say that we are a rip-off of these two bands don’t actually realise that we were listening to their music long before Fat Cat ever became involved,” says Adam. “Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad were major influences long before any of this happened. I honestly would not compare our sound to either of them.” Sean added: “Because we have so much personal respect for the two bands, had we to put an album out on any other label at any other time, we would have been aspiring to make it as good as them.”

These Four Walls is available to buy now on Fat Cat Records.

By Andrew Burns

INTERVIEW // GHOST OF A THOUSAND

2009-06-20T11:58:00.001+01:00

Slam Dunk Festival in Leeds brings together 14year old emos, and 22 year old pop punk lovers from across the north, and with the line up only improving every year, it’s not surprising. Don’t get me wrong, I think everyone has had just enough You Me at Six for an entire lifetime, but with other acts including Kids In Glasshouses, the Blackout, Cobra Starship, the Audition and Brighton’s very own Ghost of a Thousand, I jumped at the chance to go and have a chat with guitarist Andy Blythe, about the band, the album, that Gallows tour and life in general.
NOIZE: So Andy, first off, the boring but important questions. For those people that haven’t heard of you, describe your sound.

Andy: For us, it’s a mixture of rock & roll music, hardcore music and skate punk. We’re all into different things, like out drummer and other guitar player (Memby and Jag) grew up listening to Bad Religion and the Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph bands, whereas I liked the more hardcore Bridge 9 end of the spectrum,. I suppose our sound it where our tastes meet, like rock and roll is what we all like, garage rock bands like the Hives and the Stooges.

N: So has the line up always been as it is now? Were you one of those met in college, garage rock bands?

A: Me and Mem (drummer) met at college, and him and Jag (guitarist) were already writing demos and looking for other members of the band. They played me what they had and I loved it, we started rehearsing as a three, and then Mem, who was working in a bar with Tom (singer) offered to help us as we were auditioning for singers but nothing was really working. It was great with him and then we found a guy to play bass, though he only lasted a few months. Gaz, who plays bass now, played for a while, on the first album but he left, for another bassist, and mow Gaz is back in the band.

N: So is it a cursed position, playing bass in TGOAT?

A: No, not at all, there was all sorts of shit going down, but we never parted with them on bad terms, Gez’s commitment and friendship was always honoured, but he wasn’t the right man for the job, and well, now Gaz is back and he works much better with the rest of us and it’s great again!

N: And what about the band name?

A: I hate answering this as it’s a really boring story actually, basically we were all sat around taking a break from practice really early on, and Mem was like I really like the word ghost, which at the time was quite original as there weren’t really any bands with ghost in their name, so Tom just suggested The Ghost of a Thousand, and we liked it! No more complicated than that, nothing profound or obscure, and I really should learn a more elaborate story to tell!

N: You’ve just come off the Gallows tour, how was that?

A: Well we only did three days, but it was really good. We’ve known those guys from about 2007 and they’ve opened up some pretty big doors for us. We’re big fans of what they do, and they’re big fans of what we do, and we formed around the same sort of time, so have similar influences. A lot of people think we’re influenced by Gallows, but that’s not the case. The similarity in the sound is probably cos we’re all from the same generation, but our new album and their new album are very different, subject matter is very different.

N: The new album – it has a completely different sound to the old one – was that a purposeful advance or just a gradual move?

A: it wasn’t a conscious thing, we didn’t sit down and set an agenda for the second album, once Gaz came back, we’d all had a pretty shit year to be honest, like personal relationships ending and Tom’s going through some tough family times, it affected the mood of the band, it was a lot more sombre. It got to the end of writing the album when I realised I hadn’t been out socialising with my friends for so long, I didn’t know how to do it any more! It’s hard, but the mood of the album reflects that, it’s a document of the time. We’ve always been a band to take risks, we’re not really happy writing the same music for the rest of our careers, and we do want careers out of it at the end of the day. We don’t want to be just a hyped fashionable band.

N: So you’ve mentioned quite a few bands that have influenced you, are there any that you feel have influenced you the whole way through?

A: People who influence our sound is not so big a part of the process now as it was back then, I think now we’re more comfortable with how we play as players rather than trying to emulate someone else. Now it’s got a lot more personality, and lots more ours. It’s our piece of art. Certain bands try and emulate their favourite bands without trying to grow as players, so we’ve had various influences but nothing that we want to be, that’s not what we’re aiming for.

N: So you’ve had quite an impressive year so far, new album, new single, Gallows dates, what are your next steps for domination?!

A: we love European music fans, we played a festival in Belguim, we had a really great slot, surrounded by loads of punk, hardcore and metal bands, it was great. We’re booked in to do a few more European festivals this year, trying to get into Europe a lot more, and whether it’s festivals or tiny club shows we’re content whatever. We play because we love playing live, whether there are 5 people or 5000 people there.

N: Where do you see yourself if 5 years? What are the future plans?

A: There’s a lot more that hasn’t been said or written, and we’re capable of so much more. It feels like we’re ready to go again, tour loads, write at least one more album and fill a headline tour playing to 500-1000 people a night. It’s ambitious but it’s not unrealistic. It’s not like we want world domination, it would be nice if it did happen but if it didn’t we wouldn’t be upset.

N: Have you got anything else planned for this year?

A: We’ve got Reading and Leeds festival over here, Download, things like that, but not in terms of recording.

N: So is there anyone particularly that you’re keen to see at the festivals, or at Slam Dunk here today?

A: Our stage is pretty much full of our friends, I mean we’ve played loads with everyone one the bill, even You Me at Six, Kids in Glass Houses, and the line up is so solid, it should be a great day! I’d love to tour one day with Converge, who are on our new label, Epitaph, and Bad Religion. It’s great just to hang out, particularly with nice people!

N: So, sell me your new single…

A: Bright Lights, it’s got everything, catchy riffs, a big chorus, a dynamic breakdown and a climatic ending!

By Jessica Kempner

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // FRAZER KING: DRUNK AND (NOT SO) INCAPABLE

2009-06-11T23:02:00.002+01:00

I’ve often thought that inebriation is as much a state of mind as it is a physical affliction. Of course there is undeniable evidence that excess consumption of alcohol directly affects movement, speech, memory and common sense, but how often do you find yourself sobering up when another one of your drunken companions falls into trouble?
Or what about those among us who can pretend to be sober even though we’re 8 pints gone? (Thus tricking your parents, who are giving you a lift home, that all you drank was coke all evening). It’s all about channeling the excess into something else, mind over matter and all that. Like David Blaine freezing himself in a block of ice for three days, he channeled all that excess cold into, um, not feeling cold.

But anyway, I hope you understand my point - and none more so is all of this evident than in the music industry. There are some really, really drunk bands out there, but who also make really great music and perform unforgettable (for all the right reasons) live shows. They channel all that overindulgence into making something really amazing. Iggy Pop, off the top of my head, was probably really drunk when he performed with The Stooges that first time he decided to roll around in broken glass and stage dive. Amy Winehouse, although having as many bad drunk performances as she has good ones, is also someone who has channeled excess into genius. The Gallagher brothers have probably performed gigs they don’t even remember doing and have had them heralded a triumph.

And so it was on the weekend of 29-31 May that I witnessed this phenomenon in all its beery, sweaty, foul-mouthed glory. Unsigned Manchester band Frazer King were playing a set on the Doghouse Promotions stage at Wychwood Festival, and it was like nothing I’d ever seen or heard before. The band consists of six members, all of whom sing and contribute a vocal part in some form or another. Singer/guitarist Nathan McIlroy has the most distinctive Mancurian vocal - a sort of fine gravelly wail that is contrasted dramatically with other front-man Jack Mahoney’s dirty blues growl - the dirtiest in fact this side of what would be created if Northern England relocated to New Orleans. Co-front man Tony Boardman and backing vocalist/drummer Jack Hardiker complete the main harmonic lineup, accompanied by a frenzied array of noise that is manipulated into a skippy mix of folk, country, skiffle, blues and rock n’ roll indie. Followed by a large vodka chaser.

Today’s performance was no exception - mercilessly driven by what seemed like four nights worth of consumption, they shuffled around the stage producing the most amazing musical spectacle. Singer Nathan, between songs, was warbling incoherently at the audience in a broad Manchester dialect, while during, threw himself at the front row, attempted some sort of pole-dance with part of the tent rigging, and at the end fell off the back of the stage in a most spectacular arrangement of limbs. He returned a few minutes later, apparently unhurt, to rapturous applause from the crowd – only to thank us by mooning.
But this was no one off – in an interview with the Manchester Evening News, journalist David Sue describes them as having “a natural mindset of 3am inebriation, about to sink their twelfth Guinness… and an appetite for self-destructive alcoholism”.

But today, instead of sounding like an absolute shambles, vomiting and passing out on stage, it was actually a very well put together, cogent sounding set – despite the big mish-mash of influences, it all came together remarkably well.

At the end of their gig I managed to grab a few words with who I thought looked one of the most sober out of the band, but according to this, apparently not. Jack Mahoney (the one with the dirty bluesy vocal) was standing at the side of stage having what looked like a very sensible conversation with two others. However, as I got closer, his words began to be more audibly slurred and his standing position not so stable. This was going to be interesting…

Noize: So tell me a bit about your band, where are you from and how did you get together?

Jack: Unfortunately we’re from Manchester, the desolate musical landscape that that is. It’s full of people who either want to be Tom Waits or… err… Oasis. Thing is, the Tom Waits people really believe that they are!

Noize: And what do you want to be?

Jack: What do I wanna be? (There’s a long pause as he looks up to wonder, his eyes noticeable rolling to the back of his head.) Happy mostly… I don’t care much.

Noize: Are you playing any more festivals or gigs over the summer?

Jack: I don’t know anything (long pause)… I don’t know why I’m here! They lured me into the band with a can of Stella. Apparently that’s the way I was born. The doctor lured me out of my mother’s vagina with some chocolates.

Noize: … So not beer?

Jack: (Ignores what I’ve just said) Apparently I just popped right out!

Noize: Wow (stunned silence).

Jack: … I burnt my thumb with a cigarette (shows me his thumb and looks forlorn). It wasn’t my fault though, it was that knobhead who fell off the back of the stage!

Noize: He spilt his beer over you as well.

Jack: I know… I spilt my beer all over the DI box, but ssshhh…!

At this point I thought it was time to say our goodbyes and leave it at that. He shook my hand and looked at me as though I’d just walked up to him. “We’re usually better and less pissed!” he finally slurred out as his departing comment.

In short, I cannot recommend this band enough - if you ever get the chance to see them live please do. Their myspace is www.myspace.com/frazerking where you can listen to their tracks. There’s not much talk of a demo or EP at the moment because their agent left them for another artist (or so I could decipher from part of the above interview), so they really need a strong fan base to lift them into the exposure they deserve. And if beer be the fuel of greatness, then drink on.*

*NB not applicable in all cases.

By Josie Allchin

INTERVIEW // THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT: WELCOME TO THE WHIRLWIND

2009-05-28T23:17:00.003+01:00

”It was the first time I slept in my own bed since last July and I woke up at like 7 in the morning, I looked around and I was like “Where the fuck am I?!” I didn’t have any idea and it took a few minutes and then I was like ‘Oh fuck, I’m home! Oh, alright.”
After nine months on the road that has propelled them all around the world, it is hardly surprising that the travelling circus that The Airborne Toxic Event have become has left lead singer and guitarist, Mikel Jollett, more disorientated than an insomniac on a Ferris Wheel.

The bands whirlwind existence was perhaps paved by its formation and the romantically alternative way that Mikel turned to music. With his DNA undoubtedly laced with an innate creativity, Jollett began with dreams of being a writer. With his dedication to achieve his ambition set in stone, it wasn’t until an unfortunate turn of fate that led Mikel to find escapism and solace within music and song-writing:

“I’d been kind of locked in a room for five years just reading and writing and I never had anywhere to be. Like, ever. I would go a week or two without seeing another person. My gas had been turned off most the year and I had to do all this weird shit to try and afford groceries. I hadn’t paid taxes in like 7 years, I defaulted on my student loan, my credit was shot to hell and I just didn’t care.

“I was just writing all the time and I suddenly picked up a guitar, I had no ambition to be a musician, I just wanted to be a writer. I started playing music, I think almost just cause I couldn’t write for a while. I’d gone through some shit and it was hard to concentrate, so I would just play guitar every day and one day became a week, and one week became a month, and a month became a year. And I’d taken this year out to write a novel and after about a year id written about 100 songs, but only about 1500 words of the novel. So at that point I was like ‘Well I guess I’d better form a band, it’s all I’m ever gonna do.’”

This dark time that forced Mikel to re-evaluate his passions (the news that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer and that Jollett himself had developed two genetic diseases) appears to have almost honed his talent for writing lyrics that speak the words you’d wanted to say but had not known how to articulate.

And it seems to have paid off; the band’s new album came out early this year and has already received prestigious reviews from some of the most renowned music press. Yet the album, largely inspired by a bad break up and ex-novelist Mikel’s love of all things erudite, is as genuine and close to the bone as the thirteen tracks of refreshingly un-self indulgent rock would lead you to believe:

“A lot of the stuff I was thinking about was stuff I guess I learnt as a writer. I think if you’re any kind of writer, your job is to write stuff that is unpopular but is true - whereas a politician’s job is to say things that are popular but untrue. So for me, I kinda got off on saying things from the perspective of what was actually real or what was actually true. ‘Cause I’d always felt relieved reading about that. I’d actually feel relief when I was reading Phillip Roth or something, and be like ‘Wow look how depraved this is’ it made me feel like ‘Oh good, it’s not just me.’

So having toured all over the world (“We’re like a group of gypsies or something. We just write songs, travel around and play them.”), The Airborne Toxic Event are beginning to taste the rewards of their hard work, particularly over the last year. This is something truly embodied by the difference in experiences at 2008’s SXSW, to this year’s:

“Last year [at SXSW] we played a few shows, I think we were what was called a ‘buzz band’, you know like a lot of industry people with their fucking arms crossed watching from the back of the room, trying to figure out whether or not they should write about us. With the press, I think for us in particular they didn’t really understand us at first because every band is supposed to be trying to do a ‘thing’ and there’s just no fucking irony in our band.

”This year, we played in a place that held about 500 and they turned away 1500 people. The show was crazy, loud and fun; we were up dancing on the bar and jumping around. I stole some vodka and I was pouring people drinks and stuff during the show. After the show I saw the bouncer in the hallway and he had his head in his lap, and I was like ‘You alright, man?’ and he was like ‘That was the worst fucking show I’ve ever worked in my whole life!’ So yeah, it was pretty different from last year.”

Having taken their name from a section of ‘White Noise’, a Don Delillo novel, it was clear from the outset that The Airborne Toxic Event were not just another band. They personify a refreshing sort of 60’s ethos to rock and roll, not one that has become so self indulgent and refined by skinny jeans, a side parting and wearing your little brothers t-shirts. They appear to have a depth that in many ways set them apart from a lot of modern-day alternative bands and without a doubt, echoes the reality that they are destined for great things.

“It’s definitely fun to play shows and it’s good that people kinda know who we are. But we haven’t really done anything yet….”

By Laura Routledge

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // TAWNY OWL AND THE BIRDS OF PREY

2009-05-21T22:09:00.003+01:00

Tawny Owl And The Birds Of Prey are a delightfully eerie alt-pop outfit from Norwich. Mixing genres and drawing influences from genres and musical movements spanning decades, the band offer a diverse and eclectic range of harmonies and technical chord structures that are commercially appealing enough to project the bands talent across a wide field without jeopardizing the bands dark underground credibility.
Jack began as a solo artist performing under the stage name Tawny Owl, but the recent decision to take on a band (The Birds Of Prey) has resulted in the outfit you hear today. Speaking to Jack you really get a feel of his intelligence and the marvel behind the obvious technical ability that went into producing the music becomes apparent.

NOIZE: Describe your sound.

TAWNY OWL: Thurston forms a band backed by The Funk Brothers but with Norwich teenagers instead of music Gods. We like pop music and really loud guitars. Lots of close three / four part harmony and strange harmonies, creepy sounds, feedback, and Phil Spector produced songs.

NOIZE: What inspires you as an artist when it comes to song writing?

TAWNY OWL: I take a lot of influence from books. I read a lot and I think that filters through into our song writing. Some of my lyrics are paraphrased ideas from what other people have said, and lyrically I like my song structures to be a kind of slide show of ideas and images that come together to represent something. Wow pretentious. My background as a musician also has something to do with it, I tend towards cluster chords and complicated lines, but I really love 60s pop and that is a definite influence. I think the 60s pop thing is probably my biggest inspiration for writing music, a lot of it is so sad lyrically but so upbeat. Like that first song by Phil Spector - To Know Him Is To Love Him, it’s this beautiful ballad but the title takes its name from Spector’s Dad’s grave inscription. And lines like “Everyone says there’ll come a day / When I’ll walk alongside of him” are just amazingly sad when thought of in context. It’s easy to just go aww cute pop song but it’s so dark.

I also feel drawn to scary things. I love horror movies and creepy Victorian waltzes. Halloween is definitely my favourite holiday, spooky Xmas right? I definitely elicit a response from the listener on some level and shock, suspense and surprise are my preferred techniques. That doesn’t mean I’m going to be up on stage doing an Iggy Pop but I definitely like to keep the listener guessing.

Finally the Tawny Owl thing is a real aid to my song writing. I’m a pretty normal person really. I’m quite boring so writing as a different person is my liberation. I can say, paradoxically, what I really feel and what I mean in a way I might find interesting and hope that others will be interested too.

NOIZE: How did the band come together? How did you meet?

TAWNY OWL: I was doing solo stuff around Norwich and I decided to form a band. I’d just gotten noticed by team Milkbar and kind of wanted to broaden my palette a bit. Drums were a big thing. I basically got Alex Carson very early on; he runs Barefeet Records and does his own thing. He went about snapping up Lucy Burns from Francis and Louis, Lydia Walker who he knew to be a talented singer, guitarist, violinist and songwriter in her own right. After that we worked through some drummers including Fab from the Kabeedies until we found Hector who also plays for Magpied. His tightness from Magpied was allowed to run free a little bit in our more fluid and improvisational songs. Finally, and just recently, we recruited Sam Hill who does an incredible solo ambient project. We were looking for someone who could do bass and laptop / synth but not indie synth and the way he uses his mandolin is kind of exactly what we had in mind. The addition of bass is pretty handy too.

Basically we were all just musicians and everybody still had their solo or other group stuff still going on but we were liked playing together and worked well as a band, we’re all very much looking forward to a few weeks’ intense rehearsals.

NOIZE: You originally started as a solo artist what made you want to take on a band?

TAWNY OWL: Well like I said I wanted to extend the sound a bit more, I started doing this with a laptop but I wanted lots of live drums. I really like some very drum heavy albums like Liars Drums Not Dead and the stuff by Boredoms. Also I was trying to do harmonies with pitch shifters and stuff and it sounded absolutely crazy when all I really wanted was a couple of female vocalists. More musicians just meant that songs were given a bit more breathing room. Also being in a band is so much more fun than being a solo artist.

NOIZE: Congratulations on signing to Milkbar. How did this come about? Are you happy about the way things are going so far?

TAWNY OWL: It’s been great! I get on with Lewis and Jake and all the other bands. More people have heard of us, we play more gigs and we got some stellar recordings down with Jeremy Warmsley. It’s also a bit of a community feel. I DJ for the Milkbar club night and run House of Dolls with Lewis, Jake and my friend Joe. The entire bands club together, we come to each others shows and like one another’s music. Well I hope they like my music, I like theirs at any rate. I’m gutted that Cold Hands are on hiatus at the moment but Lunaire are a definite must see. Incredible live band. This year, since January, has been one of the best times of my life, it’s kind of weird cause of all my friends are in bands or involved in music in some way so my social life and band life are really one and the same. Pretty sweet.

NOIZE: Double A side Ghost Writer / Cinema is out in June. Could you tell us a bit about this? Talk us through the production of the single.

TAWNY OWL: We spent four days in London with Jeremy Warmsley who had seen us at the Arts Centre in Norwich when he opened the Milkbar label. I guess he was impressed with our show because he offered to work with us on our single. We kind of leapt at Jeremy’s offer and in March of this year cut the tracks. It was recorded at House of Strange and in Jeremy’s house. House of Strange has been the studio at which a lot of our favourites have been recorded, people like Emmy the Great and Noah and the Whale. We sound very different to those bands but we were really psyched to be there. On a personal level it was so fulfilling to watch these songs get recorded because they’ve been with me so long, been through so many permutations and so on. I’ve nearly killed off Tawny Owl a couple of times but getting a decent recording done felt like the perfect justification for sticking with it in spite of the number of shitty gigs I played solo or the self doubt I feel when writing music.

The actual recording process was really fun, really hectic and quite a bonding experience. I found out Alex spends like twenty minutes a day on his hair, him and Hector were like the pimps of Covent Garden, never have I seen women flock to the two in Norwich. Apart from Hector. I think he has the lynx effect. Lydia was like the one take wonder, she nailed it every time. And Lucy as ever, was there to calm me down when I got stressed or pissed off. She’s pretty good at helping me not smoke to keep the old voice box in working order. It was fun and we’re really happy with the results.

NOIZE: Are there any artists / bands / producers you would really love to work with?

TAWNY OWL: Christ so many. Hmm. Phil Spector definitely. I’d love to work with people like Diplo or Bangladesh as I love their music but don’t write that kind of thing at all. It would be interesting to see how it came out. I would love to work with Clipse or JME or Bun B but I can’t really see it happening some how. Also hip hop indie cross over is generally shit but we could make something good. Maybe. In Norwich there are people I’d love to work with, Check Out Girls and Mat Riviere spring to mind. I think I’m playing trumpet for Francis and Louis and Alex Carson’s next recordings and I’m psyched about that. I definitely would like to work with someone who does a lot of electronic stuff. Burial, Four Tet, The Knife… These are all dream people it’s hardly like I have them on speed dial. Also other dream people to work with are Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Thurston Moore and Animal Collective.

I’d like to collaborate with writers too. I’d like to nab Phillip Roth; Ghost Writer is very much inspired by his book of the same name. And Cormac McCarthy, we could do like this badass dessert surf shit but really creepy and he could read like the opening to All The Pretty Horses, it would be incredible. Again this almost certainly won’t happen. Or a poet like John Cooper Clarke or someone like Simon Armitage.

NOIZE: Going by your gig listing you don’t seem to be touring much is there a reason for this and are there any plans to get out there in the future?

TAWNY OWL: We were all at school / uni right now. As soon as exam time is out of the way we’re going to be playing lots more gigs luckily it coincides with single release time. So all is good.

NOIZE: What has been the best show you’ve played so far and why?

TAWNY OWL: There’s been a few crackers. I really enjoyed a gig for Something Good which was in a scout hut in Norwich. Lots of my favourite bands were there like the aforementioned Check Out Girls, plus the Balky Mule from Fat Cat records played. It was organized by my friend Grace of the Middle Ones and it was a really nice chilled out spring day. Lots of ice cold beer and good vibes and I thought we played well, also all morning before we played the whole band were round my house with some friends. Everyone was hung over as a wolverine and we just sat with a few hair of the dog beers watching trashy b movies squished on the sofa, I think we watched this awesome Troma movie called Class of Nuke Em High. Its soooooo good. We ran through some songs and stuff. Lewis from the label was sick in my bathroom. It was such a good day.

Some of the Milkbar gigs stand out too. The first one with Warmsley at the Arts Centre in Norwich was fun, that was the first one we played as a band and we were all pretty nervous but the audience were really receptive. There was one we played at the Marquee we played in Norwich too. Alex was ill and couldn’t make it and I was like smashing my guitar against the amp and stuff. It was one of those really scrappy, aggressive gigs where nothing goes too wrong.

I really like playing in Norwich, you tend to know like half of the audience and everyone else is in a band too, it’s a cool environment.

NOIZE: And the worst?

TAWNY OWL: Hmm some of my acoustic were pretty shocking. There was one in a really horrible bar in Norwich which I won’t name because I think its run by Russian mafiosos or something. It was fucking crazy. I was in one of those open acoustic showcase things and everyone rambling through Dylan and Oasis covers. I get on and my music is a bit strange sometimes, so I’m sat convulsing and screaming and thrashing the shit out of my guitar and some guy starts heckling me and I can’t hear him cause I’m all in a jazz trance and have my eyes closed and everything. Anyway so he’s like “Oi gay boy get off the fucking stage you poncy cunt” and all this, and my friend Fuchsia, who is a bona fide badass rolls up to this guy and goes “fuck off” and smashes the pint out of his hand covering him in beer. Now he’s about to smack her in the face but realises she’s a hot girl, he faces a moral conundrum, should he hit her and be damned or should he do something not entirely wrong in every sense of the word? I stop playing cause I can hear there’s this massive commotion by the bar and everybody’s screaming and pushing and some of the people are right in some of the other people’s faces and it’s all about to kick off. Fuchsia just walks out of the pub unscathed, however some of our friends are there and this one lad Josh, who is pissed as arseholes, sidles up to the bloke and is like “yeah?” This guy is some kind of sixth foot four mother fucker with like skins tattooed on his forehead and HATE and shit all on his knuckles, he has a tattoo of two tears coming from his eye. He is clearly not someone to fuck with. Anyway, my boy Joe rolls in and is all like “alright everybody chill the fuck out” they nip outside and Joe starts handing out cigarettes. I quietly walk off stage into a now entirely empty pub. Some other weird shit happened that night too but it’s a really really long story, involving pro plus, the police and a man unable to urinate.

NOIZE: Any regrets so far?

TAWNY OWL: I smashed a really nice on stage once. Wish I hadn’t.

NOIZE: What are your plans for the future? Album, touring etc…

TAWNY OWL: Well it depends really. I’m going to keep that under my hat for now. Suffice to say I’ll be playing plenty of gigs this summer.

NOIZE: What are you doing right now?

TAWNY OWL: Right this second? I’m in the library. Tonight I’m going to see a secret gig in Norwich, makes me feel really cool! I have some work and some revision to do and then I’m going to grab some food. Probably a pie.

By David Kendall

www.myspace.com/tawnyowlband

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // THE AVALON

2009-05-21T21:07:00.002+01:00

The Avalon are a five piece South West technical alt-rock band with underlying hints of post hardcore. Coming across as something like a cross between Thursday and Yourcodenameis:milo, the band throw out a progressive sound with plenty of twisting guitar sections, spiky drums and more vocal harmonies than you can shake a stick at.
For a band that claims not to be “another scene band” I don’t really see anything truly ground breaking here, however, there are plenty of positive points that carry The Avalon through with heaps of credibility and musical talent. With plans to Tour coming up very soon I believe this will truly test the bands Staying power and their ability to appeal to people outside of their home town.

NOIZE: Describe your sound.

THE AVALON: Our sound is hard to describe, a few people have compared us to bands such as Thursday and minus the bear. We usually just describe ourselves as an alternative rock band.

NOIZE: What would you say to people who just see you as another ‘scene’ band?

THE AVALON: I’m hoping that after people hear our tracks or see us live they will see that we aren’t another band trying to fit a certain scene or trend. But at the same time we are trying very hard to make our music appealing to everyone.

NOIZE: Do you think that you are doing anything different as artists when it comes to the scene that the band is a part of?

THE AVALON: We all have such different music tastes that the songs are usually a blend of everything, from bands like bloc party and editors to bands such as flood of red and misery signals, we don’t want to try and write music just to be cool, we would much prefer to write songs we enjoy writing and playing to a smaller audience of people who actually care, rather than a large audience of people who are only there because its cool to be.

NOIZE: How did you all meet? How did the band come together?

THE AVALON: The current line up consists of members of past local bands; anyone from Plymouth may be familiar with Box Socials, Elenor/Fall For Freedom and Aim For Grace. So a few of us met just from gigging with each other, but the original members of The Avalon (me, Carl and Ant) have all been friends for years, and myself and Ant have been writing music together since we were 13.

NOIZE: How did you come up with the band name? Does it mean anything?

THE AVALON: It took us months to think of a name, and for a while we left it hoping that out of the blue it would just come to us, but it didn’t. For a while we were going to settle on The Everlong, but we quickly grew to hate it. The Avalon comes from the name of Anthony Green’s debut album called ‘Avalon’ which he named after a place her recorded. We are all huge fans of the work Anthony Green does with his band Circa Survive and his solo/other projects; it seemed like a good way to go for a name.

NOIZE: Although you are a relatively new band you seem to be sticking to local shows at the minute. Are there any plans to take The Avalon further afield?

THE AVALON: YES! Of course. We have a U.K tour booked for June and are currently working on setting up 2 or 3 more U.K tours with various local bands, slowly but surely we want to try and gain as many fans as possible over the next few years. We are extremely keen on trying to turn the South West into the music scene that Wales has for itself, where all the bands help each other out. If one band makes it, then try and help the rest of the southwest out.

NOIZE: You aren’t signed at the minute. Is signing to a label something that’s on your mind, or are you taking things as they go?

THE AVALON: There are a lot of labels out there now, and it’s a lot easier for bands to get signed with these small Indie labels floating about, the trick is finding one that will work with you and actually project you further. We are much keener on trying to get a booking agent and even a manager before we think about going for a label. We are a very DIY band and unless we find the right label it will be very difficult to work with someone who doesn’t share the same views as us.

NOIZE: What’s the best show you’ve played so far and why?

THE AVALON: we have supported some awesome bands so far such as The Blackout and Exit Ten, and those shows usually have an awesome turn out, but there was a show we played with Brotherhood of the lake at the white rabbit on the 20th of march, which was such a fun show, we opened with a Limp Bizkit cover and our drummer also turned 21 that night so it meant a lot of partying. We also filmed a bunch of crazy antics with Brotherhood of the lake, which was a lot of fun.

NOIZE: What’s the worst?

THE AVALON: A show we were meant to play at The Hippo in March. We were asked to play an extremely last minute show at the local venue, so we decided to help out by popping down and playing as they were a few bands short, we lagged all our equipment down, dragged it all in to the venue for them t turn around and say they didn’t want us to play anymore. Luckily they covered petrol costs, but the staff were rude, and because of it we won’t play there again.

NOIZE: Any regrets so far?

THE AVALON: There aren’t any regrets as such, but it took us a long time to find the right line up, we tried 2 drummers previous to this line up and it just didn’t work out, so our bassist decided to step up and change rolls, he adapted to the drums really quickly and finding a bass player and 2nd guitarist was fairly easy.

NOIZE: What are your plans for the future? Where do you see things going?

THE AVALON: For the moment we are just going to see where things take us, we don’t want to run before we can walk. But we have been talking about doing a debut album in 2010, and maybe attempting to get over to Europe in the summer of that year as well, but for this year its just writing and demoing as much as possible with a few U.K tours to start getting our name around.

NOIZE: What are you doing right now?

THE AVALON: Drinking some of Sainsbury’s finest cranberry and raspberry juice but also writing a whole bunch of new songs which we will be demoing through out the year.

NOIZE: Plug any EP / album / tour you may be working on?

THE AVALON: We will be touring the U.K in June this year, you can check out all our dates on our MySpace page www.myspace.com/TheAvalonUK. We are also going to be compiling an EP with all the Demo’s we have done so far, we are making 100 hand numbered copies and it will feature 4 tracks, that will be available from us for £1 on the tour and anytime afterwards.

By David Kendall

www.myspace.com/theavalonuk

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // CRAZY ARM

2009-05-10T21:19:00.003+01:00

Formed in 2005 as an amalgamation of The Once Over Twice and Plymouth ska-core legends No Comply, folk fused punk rockers Crazy Arm have finally embarked on their journey to reach the masses after signing to Xtra Mile (Rueben, The Xerts).
Politically charged and passionately driven by their beliefs and world views, the band have really stepped up their game recently with an album due out on June the 8th and a string of live dates to promote it across the country. Talking to Darren Johns (singer/guitarist), you really get a sense of the genuine love he has for what he believes in and the way his frontline insight into a world that most would choose to ignore shapes him as a person as well as an artist. With single Broken By The Wheel out on the 25th May on 7” as well as being digitally released, you are bound to come across the band sooner or later and they are definitely worth checking out.

NOIZE: Your sound is quite unique, how would you describe it?

I hate pigeonholing ourselves but when I’m forced to I usually say that we’re a punk band with bits of outlaw country and late-‘60s rock thrown in for good measure. It all falls a bit short though as there are plenty of other styles floating about when we play. Although we play in folk-style open tunings, we never set out to sound like anything. It’s all rock’n’roll to me.

NOIZE: Could you tell us a little about how the band came together?

I was still singer/guitarist in The Once Over Twice, and Simon [Marsh, drums] and Jon [Dailey, bass] were still in NoComply when we started the band, back in May 2005. We were hanging out together all the time so it made sense to play music together. At first, it was just a casual, but no less enjoyable, thing. When our ‘first’ bands split up a year later, Crazy Arm took on a life of its own, especially with the inclusion of Dan Couling on second guitar and backing vocals. The rest is whisky-fuelled history.

NOIZE: Congratulations on signing with Xtra Mile Recordings. Is there any advice you would give to bands when pursuing a contract?

Thanks. My advice would be to not pursue a contract. Pursue music! Pursue writing the best songs that you can with the right people, regardless of what anyone else thinks! Pursue giving meaning to what you do! And make sure you OWN your own songs. Bands that form with the sole intention of getting signed and being famous are useless. All they’ll ever amount to is a cash cow for someone else’s ambitions. Once you’ve put the work in, labels will appreciate it and eventually come to you. If they don’t, fuck ‘em. Put it out yourself. All you need is a distributor, loads of contacts and serious dedication.

NOIZE: You have your debut single out at the end of the month. Could you tell us a bit about this?

‘Broken By The Wheel’ comes out on 25th May on 7” vinyl through Seven Inch Records, which is a small indie label based in Chepstow. It’s a limited edition run, 500 copies, on coloured vinyl. Xtra Mile are doing the digital side of the release. The song title is a method of medieval torture and is also a term used to describe people who violently oppose change in society; for example, the BNP. The b-side is ‘British Steel’, an old song of ours which sounds a lot different, although it has been a crowd favourite over the years.

NOIZE: As individuals you all have strong political and personal views. Does this contribute to who you are as a band and does it drive you in any way?

It certainly drives me, and it drives the ethos of the band on a day-to-day level. As well as communicating ideas through the songs, we strive to work with people that reflect our ideas, and we channel our beliefs through the band. We do benefit shows whenever we can, especially for groups/individuals who are less likely to achieve popular support; from Palestine Solidarity to anarchist-orientated activists, to organisations that work with asylum seekers and help to dispel the myths surrounding immigration. I’d love to be in a position where we could afford to do a whole benefit tour. On the album sleeve, we’ve published a list of 50 websites of groups/campaigns that we identify with: including anarchist, animal liberation, feminist, anti-war, ecological, refugee and pro-independence struggles.

NOIZE: How do you maintain this without sounding like one of those ‘Rock Against Bush’ clichés?

Well, I certainly prefer those leftist clichés to the reactionary conservative clichés of the Jeremy Clarkson-loving brigade! I’ve been actively involved in radical politics, to a greater or lesser extent, for a quarter of a century so the notion of appearing clichéd, or of following the crowd, just doesn’t wash. There’s a colourful history of revolutionary, grass-roots resistance to corrupt governments, bosses and institutions that stretches back for hundreds and hundreds of years. I’m simply not interested in entering a discourse with critics who really don’t give a shit about anything and just want to justify their own apathy.

NOIZE: Let us know a little about your June tour?

It’s coming on nicely. We’re trying to self-book about 15 dates – currently we have about 10 confirmed. The tour coincides with the album release and we’ll have copies of the single too. So, at last, we’ll have some music that people can actually walk away with. Hopefully we’ll be finishing the tour with a few dates alongside our friends, the awesome Failsafe. We’re still waiting to see what happens.

NOIZE: The album is also released in June. Are you happy with the way it came out?

Very much so. It’s been a long time coming! Unfortunately, we had to scrap recordings we’d done previously at a local studio as we kept outgrowing the songs and writing new ones. So when we had the opportunity to do a session with a friend, Peter Miles, at his new studio in Ashburton, on the edge of Dartmoor, we jumped at it. Pete brought out the best in us in every sense. The sound was amazing, the environment, the energy, the dynamics between us all… and Pete’s vegan cuisine was awesome.

NOIZE: Are there any bands/artists/producers that you would really like to work with?

Obviously there are other producers who’ve made fucking great records but we’d have to like them as people, first and foremost, before committing to anything. I’m much happier when I’m recording in my comfort zone with someone who knows us well and who lives nearby. As for bands, it wouldn’t be very realistic of me to say that we want to do a split album with, say, The Constantines or Fleet Foxes! There are plenty of bands we’d like to tour with which could be achievable, and plenty that we already have. Ted Leo & The Pharmacists and Baroness would be top of the wish-list. Having said that, we went out with Bangers in March and, to be honest, I can’t imagine a nicer band to tour with.

NOIZE: What are your plans for the future as a band? Where do you see things going in the next two years?

All we’ve been talking about really. We want to see how far we can go with this. It’s my last-chance-saloon as far as playing in a rock’n’roll band goes. The other three are in their prime. Well, nearly all of them! In the immediate future: see how well the album and single do. Hopefully it’ll help us to book bigger tours and shows, and get some good support slots. We should be playing some European dates in August too. Longer-term plans are to keep the ball rolling, release more singles and EPs, record another album in a year’s time – we’ve got more than enough songs for it, play on every continent, talk to lots of people and share ideas, raise funds for grass-roots organisations, carpet the walls of the van with fake fur, make mistakes and learn from them. Keep busy, in a nutshell.

NOIZE: Plug your single, album and tour!

Single ‘Broken By The Wheel’ out on Seven Inch Records, 25th May! It rocks!
Album ‘Born To Ruin’ out on Xtra Mile Recordings, 8th June! It rocks some more!

By Dave Kendall

June / album launch tour dates so far:
2nd – Cavern, Exeter with NEW BRUISES
6th – Hobos, Bridgend with A NEW DAY (tbc)
7th – Fawcett Inn, Portsmouth with ASTPAI
9th – Farmhouse, Canterbury with RENTOKILL
11th – King Alfs, Southampton with NEW BRUISES
12th – White Rabbit, Plymouth with FAILSAFE
14th – Prince Albert, Brighton with LEMURIA
16th – Portland Arms, Cambridge
17th – Purple Turtle, London with MISCHIEF BREW
19th – The Xoo Club, Peterborough with LAUGHING IN THE FACE OF
20th – Cricketers, Keighley with SOUNDS OF SWAMI
21st – Packhorse, Leeds with SOUNDS OF SWAMI (tbc)
23rd – Preston with FAILSAFE (tbc)

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW // BROTHERHOOD OF THE LAKE

2009-05-10T21:14:00.002+01:00

Whilst some would question the South West metal scene at the moment, I for one still remain confident in the fact that we have a lot to offer. Despite so many bands popping up like weeds and consisting of floppy black haired fashion core ‘scenesters’, Plymouth’s Brotherhood of the Lake are a true-to-self, no nonsense outfit that have a genuine passion for what they do.
Casting aside the shackles of the current grind/death scene, Brotherhood manage to pull off an intelligent, innovative sound that doesn’t sacrifice talent for gore. Rusty and Grant’s sporadic guitars, Adam’s floor shaking bass lines and Lee’s highly technical drums, are all complimented fully by the raw, passionate and gut wrenching vocals of their lead singer Rob.

Having been thrown in at the deep end very early on supporting Arizona legends The Bled on their tour with Johnny Truant, and since gracing the stage with top metal and hardcore bands such as Misery Signals, Terror, Devil Sold His Soul, Protest the Hero and many more, Brotherhood have certainly taken their experiences on board and learnt every step of the way.

After chopping and changing the line-up recently, BOTL have finally found the perfect mix to bring out the bands full potential. Drawing talent from other heavyweight Plymouth Bands such as Castor:Troy, Youth Gone Wrong and Death of Lola Rose, Brotherhood have laid the foundations on which to build a solid outfit that, in my opinion, is unmovable.

You need only to attend any one of the bands numerous shows across the country to see what I mean here. Whether it is hanging off the ceiling rails or jumping around the stage drenched in sweat, Brotherhood's stage presence is an art that has been mastered, and their skills honed through constant touring and live performance.

Headlining large shows and touring themselves, this is definitely a band that is to be experienced live. Stage presence, technical ability and a genuine appreciation and passion for the music make this band what it is! Fresh back from a headlining tour with Brace For A Fall, BOTL are determined to get their name out there and will stop at nothing to ensure that they are noticed - quite rightly so.

NOIZE: When and how did you all get together?

Russell: I was living in Wiltshire at the time and I was about to move back to Plymouth so I put the feelers out on a Plymouth Music Forum looking for a vocalist and Rob replied. So we basically wrote an entire set over MSN. I wrote and recorded the music in my spare room, sent it down to Rob and he put the vocals on and sent it back for me to mix. When I finally moved down to Plymouth we filled in the gaps in the line up with a couple of guys Rob knew (Robin and James).

NOIZE: Describe your sound.

Russell: Well the idea is to sound like a band in a room not so much a digital sound but more organic. I like to think we are kind of a massively heavy rock band but it’s blatantly metal.

NOIZE: Let’s get to know you all, Give the best and worst points of each band member.

Russell: Rob - We are pretty close being the founder members of the band he's pretty easy going with a really annoying sense of humor. Adam-Mellow chap, completely in love with the old school Black Flag, Vans shoes and Calculator watches! Lee- Loves playing, loves music, Panics a lot, Hairiest arms ever - Awesome dude though. Grant- He's a catch! We've been looking for the right second guitarist since we started we needed someone who could play really well, but not a widdler who over plays everything, a massive knowledge of music in general and we found him! Awesome!

NOIZE: Who is Mr. sensible and the first to bed?

Russell: Lee blatantly he's got his drums in the car and the merch off the wall before we've packed up!

NOIZE: Who is the party animal?

Russell: It’s a Grant/Adam split they take it to a new level!

NOIZE: Best gig so far and why?

Russell: We did one at Maker festival in Cornwall that was Awesome but I think it was Bournemouth Opera House with The Bled and Johnny Truant. We had an awesome night with the Bled drinking and ended up at a Foam Party dancing to techno with them, I've never seen someone laugh as much as James Munoz (vocalist with the bled) Making foam afros on everyone! It ruled

NOIZE: Worst gig or event that your band have been involved in and why?

Russell: We played a festival in Bristol where the promoter put in a lot of work to make it happen and get people in, but it was just one of those things! I think we played to 9 people and a fuse went in my amp? Brilliant!

NOIZE: Why should people check you out?

Russell: Because we mean it! Plain and simple! We want to make the best music we can, not the best music in a genre we can, It happens to be metal be that’s what comes out of us! I know it’s a cliché to say but it’s not about fads and haircuts it’s about the hairs standing up on the back of your neck when you're playing. It's already changing and developing from this EP the new material different and more musical, it’s still monstrously heavy - just in a different way. We want to be around for a while and to do that it needs to have substance not just the guitar stunts and million MPH kick drums!

NOIZE: Who do you most commonly get compared to? Do you agree with the comparisons?

Russell: Olly Mitchell (Johnny Truant) once said Norma Jean\Slayer I'm happy with that. But we don't really get much in the way of comparisons.

NOIZE: Which one of your songs would you want someone to hear first and why?

Russell: "50 Owls in one house" it’s why we put it on the EP first, I think it's got Hooks, melody and a massive outro, Awesome!

NOIZE: You were on tour with The Bled and Johnny Truant as your first tour. Was it intimidating playing with well established bands so early on?

Russell: Yes on that first date in Portsmouth when we loaded the gear in and The Bled were sound checking we we're like "HOLY SHIT! We are out of our depth here!" It was cool with the truants because we we're fiends with them way before the tour, But it turned out that The Bled are the nicest and most down to earth dudes ever so we had a load of beers with them on the first night and we got on like a house on fire so it was all cool from then on, and they made a point of bigging us up every night on stage so that was more than we could ever ask for.

NOIZE: What did you learn and would you like to take these experiences back and do it again as the band you are now?

Russell: We learned that if you are nice and respectful to people you'll get the same back. There’s always bitchiness in any scene and it sucks! I still can't believe people have a problem with other people because they play/like a style of music that they don’t? It's bizarre to me. Everyone has little niggles with music but don't fall out about it! It's not worth it. We wouldn't do anything different though, it ruled!!

NOIZE: Dream venue or festival you’d love to play?

Russell: Vans Warped tour USA, Download, Reading!

NOIZE: How do you keep tour life fresh and fun?

Russell: Really annoying in jokes that only we find funny? But I think that would be the same answer for every band. Oh Gaffa Tape Spa (Basically removing hair with gaffa tape). And 2 Dabs (Bite the top off of a flying saucer and remove the sherbert contents with only 2 dabs of your tongue! (Scooping is frowned upon.)

NOIZE: Dream gig Line-up?

Russell: Mastodon, The Chariot, The Bled, Brotherhood of the lake.

NOIZE: What is your band’s motto or ethos?

Russell: KISF (Keep It Super Friendly) it's the way forward!

NOIZE: What would you like people to say about your band?

Russell: Awesome band, sound a bit different from the norm. Really nice dudes!

NOIZE: What are the best and worst things you’ve heard said about your band?

Russell: One of the reviews recently said "Let Brotherhood of the lake into your life and let them reshape it!" Holy shit that’s mental! But another review said we sounded like "A slowed down Cradle of Filth with a 15 year old singing" Which when I think about it would sound awesome hahaha!

NOIZE: Any message to your fans?

Russell: Come and say hello

NOIZE: What are your next goals as a band?

Russell: Tour and Festivals through the summer, fingers crossed. We are writing at the mo for a full length Album and the plan is to record in November and hopefully get it put out as soon as we can.

NOIZE: Plug your album, EP, tour!

Russell: We are touring in April and May come out and see us and come and say hello!
The EP is in stores now and on iTunes. Go buy it so we can afford to carry on making and recording music for you!

You can buy Brotherhood of the Lake’s debut EP which is released on Glasstone Records in HMV stores across the country, and download tracks on iTunes. Keep a lookout for the excellent split EP with Castor:Troy available alongside official merchandise from all shows.

By Dave Kendall

www.myspace.com/brotherhoodofthelake

INTERVIEW // THE TWO HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSO - THE PRESETS

2009-05-08T00:19:00.001+01:00

Less than 24 hours after landing in the U.S., Kim Moyes, half of the Aussie industrial, techno, new wave, dance punk, rock duo The Presets, kept his eyes and ears open long enough to chat about his band’s early spring U.S. tour. From his room at a Hollywood hotel, Moyes, who handles percussion and keys, gave a candid interview.
“Touring in the U.S. for three years, we’ve done a couple shows on our own. It’s good, but we seem to be jam-packed in the middle of other things, so you don’t enjoy it as much. And we’d get drunk, and by the end we’d feel 50 years old. You’d see us, and we looked like they did in that 'Benjamin Buttons' movie.”

The band enjoyed a mini break over the Christmas holiday (summertime in Australia), which gave them a short rest from that three-year tour. This U.S. tour Moyes chatted about wrapped up in April. They headlined a handful of shows and played the epic Coachella Festival in California. Moyes said the band have created a new element to their live shows.

“We’ve redone the whole set, and we’ve remixed songs so it sounds fresher,” he said. “It’s the last tour overseas before we take a break. It’s been a nice, fun little run. There was about a year between the first record and the last record. By the time you do stuff in the States, people in Australia are saying. ‘When’s the next one coming out?’ In Australia, it’s been phenomenal.”

The rest of the world has caught on as well. The band’s 2008 album, "Apocalypso," has sold more than two million copies. The fourth single off the album, “If I Know You,” was released in late March 2009. The Presets unveiled their new live look in the states earlier this year. They brought it back to the Australian mainland in early May. They’re playing all over the country, touring with Architecture in Helsinki. Although they’ve yet to unveil their summer tour schedule, one would assume (and more than likely be correct) that the duo will hit the festival circuit. Speaking of festivals, Moyes said he has mixed feelings. He and Presets bandmate Julian Hamilton enjoy playing them, but don’t like getting lost in the shuffle of the, for lack of a better term, higher-profile bands.

“We played T in the Park (Scotland), which is a great festival,” Moyes said. “It’s one of those festivals that has a great reputation in terms of lineup. We had a great time slot, closing this tent, but we were up against Prodigy, Rage Against the Machine, Primal Scream. Anybody would be pressed to miss out on that bunch instead of us, ‘that Aussie band.’ ”

At last year’s V-Fest, The Presets had quite a laugh during their set, particularly when the electricity from their fans overshadowed a quite cocky Billy Corgan.

“We were playing against Smashing Pumpkins,” Moyes said. “We were playing ‘My People,’ while Billy Corgan was playing acoustic. He was dissing us. It was quite a laugh. He started putting stuff about us into his song. He complained to the promoters so he could play his little ballad. What a sad, bald baby.”

By Ryan Wood

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

INTERVIEW // ANNIE MAC: I DON’T NEED NO SLEEP!

2009-05-08T00:12:00.005+01:00

Annie Mac on DJing around the world, interviewing dogs, and ‘dull as fuck’ popstars.
It’s just before 4am, and in a rammed nightclub basement Annie Mac has finished her set to a rather hectic crowd.

Scrambling down from the DJ booth through a floor of jam-packed ravers, some sweat-ridden, neon-sunglass-wearing girls grab her for a photo. She obliges, her crossover appeal as respected DJ to television presenter is obvious at tonight’s sell-out in Bournemouth.

We meet outside the seaside venue and bundle into in her driver’s small black car as the masses pour out the club. Annie leans around the front passenger seat, brushing her curly hair back as she focuses on something out of the rear window. “Oh nice, there’s someone throwing up,” she announces, clearly unfased.

Playing everything from garage to drum and bass, Annie Mac is known for her bold mixes. Her sets, which combine a range of genres, have gained her a dedicated young following searching for both new and innovative tracks to remixed classics. A style directly linked to her high-profile radio show.

“I love the Mashup on Radio 1 because I get the chance to play older stuff as well as newer music. Like my favourite track at the moment is from a band called Rochelle and it’s an Andy George remix of their song ‘Chin Up’, and I love it, but at the same time I play classics like Sia, ‘Little Man’.”

Tonight was the warm-up to the Annie Mac’s Presents Tour which will see her playing sets across the U.K, from Birmingham to in her home country Northern Ireland. But here, in the seaside of Bournemouth, Annie’s got good memories.

“I’ve come down here a few times, and had some really random weekends. I had a really good one when I brought some friends, stayed over, and we swam in the sea at 4 in the morning,” she reveals, her Irish accent becoming stronger in the longer replies.

This time Annie brought Fake Blood, also known as Theo Keating, one half of electro DJ duo Black Ghosts, and who she describes as her ‘most inspiring DJ’ at the moment.

“He does so much more than just play records,” Annie says as she lights a cigarette and appears to blow smoke in admiration. “He loops stuff, he scratches stuff, and he’s just so creative with the way he DJs. I hate playing after him because it’s just like you can’t follow that shit.”

Aside from touring, Annie presents BBC’s Switch show, which, in her own words, has featured some of the most bizarre moments of her career. From games involving having her face in bowls of spaghetti hoops to live sumo wrestling.

The Irish DJ also has her own quirky line of questioning on the show when interviewing musicians. Including: “Would you every go roller skating to pull a girl?” and “How often do you wash?”

“I don’t like asking boring questions,” Annie states defiantly. “Asking ‘when ‘s your record out’ is so dull, you’ve got to try and change it up a bit.”

But changing it up is one thing, some of her interviews have taken interesting to the extreme. And there’s a certain one that sticks out firmly in the Radio 1 DJ’s memory: when she interviewed a dog, well, a man-dog.

“It was the maddest interview I’ve done,” she laughs. “Rex the dog was a man who pretended to be a dog the whole way through an interview. He basically had bark sounds, and if I asked him a question it was one bark for yes, two barks for no.” A few seconds later after clearly thinking about the odd interview she nods, smiles, and adds: “Yea, that was pretty cool.”

On the opposite end of the scale was another interview Annie did for Switch with American pop singer JoJo (one of those all-American teens) who she had to take out shopping. The DJ turns awkwardly on her car seat, her wide-blue eyes divert to the window, and then after a brief moment she states flatly: “She was dull as fuck.” Annie continues: “JoJo was really boring. It was bad, and it was painful. You can tell by my face in that video. I mean I tried.”

Moving back to more successful times in her various jobs and Annie recounts last summer in Ibiza as her craziest moment DJing. It was her 30th birthday, and during a set at Amnesia the nightclub gave a box of fake moustaches and wigs to a group of her friends.

“It was insane, they stormed the DJ booth half-way through the set, and they all looked like clowns. I was like what the fuck is going on? But it was such a great birthday present.”

After speaking for about ten minutes Annie’s life seems like one massive party and still upbeat in these early hours she’s clearly loving it, but does she get any sleep, I mean when can she fit it in?
“I got some in at the start of this year but as the tour progresses I won’t. I’ll get less and less. Tonight I’ll get about 6 hours and then tomorrow I’ve got a gig in Huddersfield and I’ll get in about 8am. You miss out on sleep at the weekend but then I always try and catch up on Mondays.”

Amongst sleeping and DJing, she loves going out for a dance. In-fact there’s a night on Thursdays at Nottinghill Arts Club which she describes as ‘nice to dance at before my sets on Friday.’ This is one woman full of a lot of energy.

The night, called YoYo, plays ‘proper urban music, like hip hop and garage, funky and jungle’, a genre mix showing Annie’s wide range of music tastes that relate directly to her varied sets.

Looking towards the summer and her schedule is rammed with a range of festivals, including Bestival, and Glastonbury, which Annie counts ‘as closest to my heart,’ but also Oxygen in Ireland and possibly Sonar in Barcelona where she played last year. There are also plans laid out for America.

“Miami is the one I’m most looking forward to. It’s a daytime party around a swimming pool and I’m bringing a lot of my favourite DJs from the UK to America, like Fake Blood and Rusko. It’s going to be all over the place, and it’ll be really exciting playing to Americans who I’m not sure are aware of it all.“

After the summer, the Annie Mac Presents Tour starts up again, but with such a demanding schedule will there ever be some original releases from the remix queen?

“I’d like to make music, but I want to make sure that it’s the right music and it’s perfect, and I don’t really like DJs on the radio who make tunes. If I do it, I’ll do it for myself and just play it out. I’d release it under a different name and keep it on the low. “

But for now, the music is turned off, because as I clamber out of the car into the quiet street, Annie is heading back to London to sleep. I guess she needs to make the most of it.

By Harry Harris

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW: THE HOT TODDIES

2009-03-17T23:13:00.002Z

Host to a Mediterranean climate, it’s easy to see how Oakland, West-Coast USA influences all-girl troupe The Hot Toddies to be so goddamn happy. In the bleak climates of England, their h-a-p-p-y approach to EVERYTHING seems almost alien, but that doesn’t mean The Toddies won’t manage to win us all round.
You can almost hear the Pacific Ocean lap upon the Californian coast in ‘The Surf Song’; they’re the little sisters The Beach Boys never had, the 60s hipsters forty years later. Better late than never though, and showcasing themselves in support slots with those such as Art Brut, when they finally reach the UK in April you know that all you indie fans with a penchant for “chorus’ so sweet you can lose your teeth to them” will fall head over heels in love. We caught up with The Toddies before they travel over the pond; to chat album, tour and climate…

NOIZE: First off, who's in the group and what do they do within The Toddies?

THT: The Hot Toddies is made up of: Heidi Bodeson (bass, guitar, and vocals), Erin Skidmore (guitar, bass, and vocals), Sylvia Hurtado (drums and some vocals) and Jessica Wright (keyboard, guitar, and some vocals). We are an all-girl indie rock band and we live in Oakland, California.

N: You recently completed your debut album 'Smell The Mitten', how did you find the recording process and the outcome?

THT: Smell the Mitten was great. It was a lot of hard work but of course very satisfying to finish it all. We recorded the drums in a regular studio but finished the rest in our engineer's apartment - which was actually really fun! We got to drink a lot of whiskey and wine and play with his cats in between takes. The vocals were even recorded in a closet that was converted to a recording booth. So yeah, we had a blast! That was over a year ago now and [we] are already working on the next one which should be finished sometime this spring/summer depending on how fast we are.

N: What influences your music? The dee-wop, surf pop of the 60s shines through for me...

THT: Most people definitely notice the "oldies" style of our music, probably because of all the harmonies. Overall though, our influences range from older stuff like the Beatles and the Ramones to newer bands like The Decemberists and Mates of State. In between, each of us have been into pretty much every style of music - punk, metal, classic rock, classical piano, even some country. If it's got harmonies, we've probably sung along at some point!

N: You'll be supporting Art Brut for your Exeter date in Britain, are you fans?

THT: We're REALLY excited to be playing with them! It was totally unexpected and fantastic!

N: What American acts would you suggest for us British readers, and simultaneously, which British artists are you feeling right now?

THT: Some of the bands we really like from the US are good friends of ours: Audrye Sessions from Oakland play beautiful indie rock melodies, Judgement Day is an amazing classical metal trio of drums, cello and violin, and Tea Cozies from Seattle are 3 ladies and one gent who play awesome garage girl rock. Dr. Dog is another recent favourite from the East Coast that has killer harmonies. We're super excited to meet a lot more British bands along this tour like Foxes! from Brighton who we're touring with, and also Town Bike who looked like so much fun that we had to email them to play with us in Liverpool. Oh we've got a thing for The Magic Numbers too.

N: How do you think the optimistic out-look in your music is for the new America, post-Obama election?

THT: We love Obama and we're very optimistic about the future of America right now. Musically, we haven't written any political songs (so far, maybe we'll write a song for the Obama’s) so there's not really a direct connection to The Hot Toddies music. One thing we do have in common with him is that we like to keep it real. Some people seemed shocked that we sing about things like sex and drinking, but really most girls feel the same way we do. Why shouldn't we talk about it?

N: This is you're first time coming to England as a band, how do you feel about the trip? Expecting anything from an English crowd?

THT: Well, as you may guess, we're really excited about the beer and the whiskey... and hoping it will be mostly free, with the economy the way that it is. We love travelling, and drinking, and music so whenever we can combine all three it's definitely going to be a great time. We've heard some rumours that the English can really hold their booze? So we've been training for the tour just to make sure we can keep up with you guys. Really can't wait to get on that plane and come visit!

N: Coming from the 'Orange County', you must be dreading the classic British weather...

THT: Well actually, we come from a bit further north - the San Francisco Bay Area, which gets its fair share of fog and rain in the winter. We do love the sunshine though and hopefully it won't be TOO dreary the whole time we're there.

There you have it, the band so up-beat you’ll think you’re on a pogo stick while you listen to them. Forget our low-swung grey skyline and catch The Toddies on their ‘Binary Tour’ with Foxes at the following dates for some auditory sun, surfing USA style.

2 Apr - Latest Bar (formerly Joogleberry) Brighton
3 Apr - The Lexington - White Light London
4 Apr - Edge of the Wedge - Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth
5 Apr - The Phoenix Exeter
6 Apr - Mother’s Ruin Bristol
7 Apr - Bar Fresa Liverpool
8 Apr - Mad Ferret - HED Preston
9 Apr - The Cellar Oxford
10 Apr - Met Lounge Peterborough

By Nicholas Burman

www.myspace.com/thehottoddies

TALES OF LUCID DREAMING: CHERBOURG INTERVIEW

2009-03-14T21:23:00.003Z

Post Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver, there seems to be a wave of new, ethereal folk bands emerging. Amongst the likes of Mumford & Sons, London four-piece Cherbourg bring a unique take on this fashionable formula to the old wooden table. We took a moment of front-man Andrew Davie's time to chew the fat.
NOIZE: Hello Andrew, how's your world today?

Andrew Davie: Very pleasant. Thankyou.

N: So the debut EP 'Last Chapter of Dreaming' has just come out, congratulations! Does it feel like a mile stone reached for the band to actually get that first release under your belts?

AD: Definitely. We're all very proud of the E.P and it kinda feels like we've got a solid foundation to build on.

N: Was it hard to narrow down which four songs you wanted to put on the EP?

AD: To be honest it was a pretty easy choice as at the time. They were the only songs we'd written together.

N: Are you happy that it represents an accurate snap shot of Cherbourg right now for someone who might not have heard of you before listening to the EP, or would you say it's more a way of enticing people to investigate the band more and come see you live?

AD: I think either both or neither. I think the E.P is an accurate snap shot of those songs at that time for anyone who hasn't heard us before and hopefully will encourage people to see us live but when we recorded it those kinds of thoughts weren't really in our heads.

N: Where did the title, ' Last Chapter of Dreaming', come from? What's the story behind it?

AD: It's a line from a Bob Dylan poem called "Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie". We all listened to a recording of that poem one night while in Devon recording with Ben Lovett Mumford and the line just seemed to really resonate with the songs.

N: It's clear from the EP that you are all very talented musicians and vocalists. Can you give us a bit of background on your individual musical paths before the band and what then brought you together?

AD: How long have you got? I started playing guitar and writing when I was 15 and gigged around for a few years playing country and folk music with various friends I'd met at the Bosuns Locker before teaming up with Phil to become Davie Fiddle. Phil Fiddle's been playing loads of instruments since he was a toddler to an incredibly high standard, started writing over the last few years and has toured extensively with Laura Marling. Kevin Jones is probably the most seasoned musician in the band with a masters degree in music and he has played in a countless amount of bands including Hot Rocket with Chris Maas and Ben Lovett Mumford. Chris Maas started playing drums incredibly young and moved from Luxembourg to London to continue his musical studies before joining and touring with Hip Hop MC Example. Chris then joined Hot Rocket for a brief time and over the Summer of 2008 we played a few shows as Davie Fiddle before becoming Cherbourg.

N: And for a bit more general background, If you had to choose any 5 albums you could not live without, which would they be and why?

AD: Personally:

I SEE A DARKNESS BY BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY:
So dark and so brilliant. Just a perfect record.

YELLOW HOUSE BY GRIZZLY BEAR:
I've bought this album twice. It's that good.

FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL BY ELLIOTT SMITH:
It's so intimate and so brutal. I don't know what kind of a life i could live without hearing the song "Twilight" a couple hundred more times.

IN THE AEROPLANE OVER THE SEA BY NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL:
Only found out about this band about a year ago but Jeff Magnum's imagination is just incredible.

THE CREEK DRANK THE CRADLE BY IRON AND WINE:
One of the most beautiful albums I've ever heard. A really good example of how recordings don't need to be completely pristine to be beautiful.

N: So what is life on the road like for Cherbourg? If you were to write a tour bus survival guide, what key things would have to go in it?

AD: Life on the road is awesome. Some of the best moments of our lives have been on tour. Meeting so many new people all the time and getting to play your music to new and appreciative audiences never really gets old. In terms of key things I don't think there really is anything. None of us drive so someone to drive is quite handy!

N: Speaking of the tour bus, what's been doing the rounds on it's stereo lately? What have you been listening to and enjoying most recently?

AD: Phil's listening to a lot of the 80's stuff that's coming at the moment. La Roux and White Lies have definitely been played a fair bit. The new Beirut album is really cool and the Department of Eagles record is fantastic.

N: Do you yourselves feel part of a scene either at home or in general. Or a particular affinity with any other bands or venues?

AD: Not really part of a scene. I think scenes can be quite dangerous and limiting but there are a few bands that we really respect and enjoy listening to and sharing stages with: Mumford & Sons, Alessi's Ark, Jesse Quin & The Mets are all fantastic and there are too many more to mention.

N: Apart from their impressive track record thus far, what was it about Chess Club that made you decide you wanted to sign with them?

AD: We've been good friends with those guys for a while and they've always been incredibly supportive. When it came to the E.P they were really up for it and we were really keen to release it with them.

N: So looking forward from here, are there any plans in place as yet to follow the EP with the debut album?

AD: We've actually just finished recording a second E.P that were planning on releasing around May.

N: What live plans are penned in for the rest of this year, any big tours or festivals in the diary?

AD: Were just working on our Summer plans at the moment and going through dates but there is nothing official yet. Sorry to be boring.

By Martin Kendrick

www.myspace.com/cherbourgmusic

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW: SERGEANT

2009-03-14T21:19:00.002Z

With their Gallagher-like, parka-wrapped Britpop swagger well boosted off the back of a recent tour support slot with “heroes” Oasis, these Scotch lads are well setup for the big things which surely await. Let's find out some all important background info.
NOIZE: Hey guys, how's the Sergeant crew today, what are you up to?

SERGEANT: We are currently on tour. Having been round the country we are back in Scotland now for a mass of dates.

N: Well, firstly, for those who don't yet know, can you give us the back story? How did you guys all meet up and what made you form Sergeant?

S: We’ve been together for 4 years. We met at school and started the band and here we are.

N: So the 3rd single release, 'Swiftly Does It' is imminent. Can you tell us a bit more about the song and what inspired it?

S: The song was written in my head while i was on holiday a few years back. It was one of the first we did as a band. It’s just about a time of excitement.

N: You decided to use live footage for the video as opposed to filming a specific video for the single, what made you decide to do that?

S: We wanted people to see what its like to come to one of our gigs. A little snapshot.

N: So 3 singles down, are plans for the album coming along now and if so, how near do you think it's release is?

S: It will be out by the end of the summer definitely. They have just been little limited edition singles so we will do a full release then album. We can’t wait till it’s out.

N: You supported Oasis back in October, that must have been quite and experience! How did it go and what was it like?

S: They say meeting your heroes is always a disappointment, but we couldn't have asked for anything more. They welcomed us with open arms and let us have a chance to turn 10,000 people to our music every night.

N: Speaking of Oasis, there seems to be a distinct Britpop / 90s influence to you guys both in sound and style. Would you say that was a fair observation? Was that an intentional thing because you're all Britpop fans or just the way the band evolved?

S: Its just the way we evolved. Britpop was heavily influenced by the 60s and the 60s is what we loved first. And because we grew up in the 90s as well, it’s just what's got inside us. The two best decades for music I’d say. Style-wise we look like any other lads in a city centre that go watch the football and then got to the pub on a Saturday. It’s just what we are and what we’ve always been.

N: You’re out on the road as we speak, has it been an exciting touring stint so far? Any highlights or dates you're particularly looking forward to?

S: Manchester was quality as was Glasgow and Edinburgh. Looking forward to going up to the Highlands. It’s always mad up there.

N: Do you prefer touring round your native Scotland, if given a choice, to the rest of the UK?

S: We prefer the rest of the UK because you get to play to more people.

N: So what is life on tour like for Sergeant If you were to write a tour bus survival guide, what key things would have to go in it?

S: Laughter, sleep and tolerance.

N: Speaking of the tour bus stereo, what's been on it lately, what have you been listening to and enjoying most recently?

S: See this causes too many arguments, so I tend to just stick my iPod on. The streets and film soundtracks like Lost In Translation and Pulp Fiction have been on it most.

N: So what are the plans now for the rest of 2009, any festivals lined up or any more big tours?

S: Hopefully some festivals and hopefully other countries.

By Martin Kendrick

www.myspace.com/sergeantmusic

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! POP! - DANANANANAYKROYD INTERVIEW

2009-03-08T23:33:00.004Z

We meet Dananananaykroyd in the Best Before offices, located round the corner from Old Street. A very well known area to fashion kids and fashion lovers but also fashion victims, in any case a very fashionable part of town. Within the comforts of an enormous open plan office, gathered around a small coffee table, the six men band (David, Laura, Duncan, John, Calum and Paul) from Glasgow tell us a bit about themselves and about their sonic experience.
“We got together in 2006, or towards the end of 2005 to be more precise” says Laura “before that, we all used to be in different other bands, which happened to somehow dissolve at around the same time.”

What have you been up to since then, I mean since you have formed in 2005? “Well we were doing a few shows here and there around the country and have recorded a couple of singles with a small label. We have only had a record deal with the label we are with now (Best Before) for six months.”

This must be an exciting time for them as their new LP 'Hey Everyone' is being released in April this year and they have just come back from touring Europe with Kaiser Chiefs:

“It was amazing. We loved the European crowd, they were very lively and gave us a warm welcome, particularly in Leon, Barcelona and in Portugal. The food was fantastic!”

They say recalling their continental experience “at first we were a bit nervous in the sense that we did not know how people would receive our sound, but it turned out to be great!”

And what were Kaiser Chiefs like? They smile and reply “they were brilliant” and then Calum remembers “They gave us medals at the end of the tour” this seems to cause some excitement amongst the group and everybody starts laughing. Then he finds his medal in what looks like a very full rucksack and shows it to us… It is a bronze souvenir with the name Kaiser Chiefs printed on the back.

How would you compare your sound to that of Kaiser Chiefs then? They laugh again and their voices overlap as they tell us how a comparison would be absolutely out of place “They (Kaiser Chiefs) have this stage presence…and we are these kids who roll on the stage, screaming and shouting” explains Paul.

…and yes Dananananaykroyd have been described by many as a very frenetic band. The hyperactive energy produced by songs like Pink Sabbath is remarkable indeed and I find it uncompromisingly involving and charming in a very unique way. Some say their vivacity together with their big name is all they really are about.

They are aware of the online clamour and fuzz the name Dananananaykroyd is creating and the attention it is attracting, so as we confront them with some of these comments, they respond in a blasé and slightly amused manner “well we never intended for our name to be cool or be a sort of manifesto”. John adds “the reasons why we called ourselves Dananananaykroyd are exactly opposite to what is being said. We thought it would just be a fun name to have, we would have never thought it may attract so much attention and we do not think it is pretentious at all”.

One last question, as you say, your sound has not much in common with that of Kaiser Chiefs; which other bands would you count as your influences? David starts listings a few names, which include Smashing Pumpkins, but is soon interrupted by Duncan, who jokingly butts in and says “well there is a few names in there we do not really like or listen to…” more laughter… Great, so I will have to guess, or maybe I will just leave the guessing to the reader…

By Liza Adebisi
Pictures by Gaelle Beri

www.myspace.com/dananananaykroyd

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

LOVE HER OR HATE HER, THE OBSESSION IS BACK: LADY SOVEREIGN INTERVIEW

2009-02-25T21:05:00.002Z

Chilling in her room at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in L.A., Lady Sovereign couldn’t quite figure out whose cell phone started to ring. “Everyone’s phone’s going off at the same time,” said Sovereign. Lady Sov has spent the last couple months putting the finishing touches on her new disc, Jigsaw, the follow-up to 2006’s Public Warning. The album drops the 13th of April in the UK and a week prior in the states on her own label - Midget Records.
“It’s been a while. I’ve been away, but it’s all exciting to have it come out on Midget Records,” she said. “(Releasing it on Midget) is just so I could have more control, really. Not just that, but I’ve always wanted my own label, and I’ve always wanted to find people. Obviously, finding people will happen a little bit later down the road. I just wanted to do it this way, ya know, and stamp my name all over it. It’s very exciting. I’m stoked.”

On doing an album on her label and on her own terms, Lady Sov said, “It takes a lot of the previous stress that I would get about stuff. It’s kind of gone away, the whole stress thing. It’s all down to me. If I work really hard, it’s going to benefit me tremendously. If I don’t, then it’s not, ya know. It’s kind of better that way, rather than having to disappoint loads of people at a record label. I want to do things my way for a bit. I’ve finished the album, and now I’m out and about performing again. It’s cool.”

Lady Sovereign, who still lives in London, was in L.A. doing some gigs. She’s set to play three shows in mid-March at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

“I love performing in America. It’s my hub,” she said. “I feel so comfortable being here, performing or walking down the street. People in general are quite different. The attitude’s a bit different when I perform in London. I don’t mind performing anywhere, but it is different performing back home. I’ve got my fans scattered around the world, really. I’m not too sure how many I’ve got going on.”

Talking more about Jigsaw, Lady Sov said, “I guess my style has changed a bit, but it always does on every track, On this album it changes every time. I get into the studio, nothing’s ever the same. I sing on this album. Well, I try anyway.”

Oh no … Lady Sov the next rapper to go from rhyming to singing? That didn’t quite work for a certain hip-hop superstar. “Who might that be,” Lady Sov joked. “Oh, I know exactly who you’re talking about (Kanye West). Oh yeah.”

But will she let her fans down by singing? Will she lose any street cred?

“No of course not, and I’m not going to let myself down either,” she said.

“I would never put out anything that I don’t particularly like. When making music, I get into things and stick with it. I’ve been rapping for eight years. I like doing it. With singing, it’s new to me, but I kinda like it.”

Since every artist must be categorized, Lady Sovereign was immediately thrown into the U.K. grime rap scene. When pressed about her pigeonhole status, she nearly hung up the phone.

“I knew you were going to say that. I knew you were going to say that,” she said. “The thing is, I’m not a grime artist, ya know. Way back when I first started, I was listening to grime and garage and stuff like that and maybe I made one grime song. There’s this TV channel called Channel U. Basically anyone can get their videos on there. It’s really low budget videos and stuff, and a lot of it is mainly grime artists on there. Way back in the day when I had my first video. I think it was a “Little Bit of Shhh,” which was probably the only sort of grimey track I did. Once you’re on there, you’re sort of categorized as a grime artist. I broke away from that scene. That label has just stuck with me now.”

Much like any white rapper in the states is an Eminem clone, Lady Sovereign can’t escape someone throwing that grime rap label on her. It drives her absolutely insane.

“Just a bit. I always know I’m going to get asked about it,” she said. “It’s stupid. That’s why I knew it was coming. I knew you were going to say it. It’s just ridiculous cos it gives a wrong perception as to what grime actually is. Grime is actually out there. I wouldn’t say (The Streets’) Mike Skinner is grime. He’s far from grime, and I’m far from it, too. Dizzee Rascall, yeah he’s grime, but it’s a bit more than that. Grime artists to look out for are JME and Skepta, those kind of dudes. Those are grime artists.”

Another question Lady Sovereign tends to blow off is how her meeting with Jay-Z went, the one she had three years ago, right before Jay-Z signed her to Def Jam Records.

“That is the question, which I refuse,” she said, half-joking, but she was kind enough to answer it mainly due to the fact that we had struck up a good conversation prior to the Jay-Z question. “It was a little bit intimidating because it’s Jay-Z. He’s a fucking legend. Obviously at the time I was meeting him, there was all this big hype about it, so every time I did see him, it was kind of awkward in a way, but he’s a really nice guy. He’s so down to earth. He’s a cool guy, but I’ve banned the whole Jay-Z question. ‘So, tell me about the meeting you had with Jay-Z.’ Go and Google it.”

Before Lady Sov hits Austin for her three SXSW shows and before she starts full on promoting the shit out of Jigsaw, she’s enjoying the downtime. She even considered getting out of the rap game and playing football again.

“Literally I’ve just been hanging out with friends, seeing family, watching football games, soccer rather,” she said. “I almost got back into it myself, but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t be able to put my heart and soul into it.”
When asked which team she supported, the answer really didn’t come as a surprise.

“Manchester United,” she said right before she asked who I followed. “Go on,” she said, sensing that I did not support the same club. When I told her I fancy Chelsea, she almost hung up a second time during this 15-minute interview.

“Aw, you’re rubbish,” she said. “That is awful. I won’t hang up, but I can only say that you’re certainly not going to win the Premiership. There is no way. You’ve got no chance. It’s not happening. I really don’t like Chelsea at all. We totally kicked your ass. You weren’t even playing football. It was ridiculous. I sort of forgive you for being a Chelsea fan just because you ain’t winning the Premiership. I’ll give you that sympathy ya know. Whatever.”

Before we mutually and peacefully hung up the phones after our chat, I tried wooing Lady Sovereign to come to my home base - Boston. Told her the first single, the Cure-inspired “So Human,” was hot and that I wasn’t throwing her a bullshit music critic cliché line and wasn’t pretending to like her music.

“You better not be,” she said. “ I definitely will be in Boston very soon. I should be doing a tour the end of May, possibly.”

By Ryan Wood

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW: POST WAR YEARS

2009-02-25T20:59:00.003Z

Fresh off the still-warm-from-an-early-White-Lies-release conveyor belt of the impeccable Chess Club Records, come four off-kilter Londoners eager to follow in their footsteps. We talk to the lads to see what happens during the post war years.
NOIZE: Hello, Post War Years, what’s been happening in your world since the New Year?

POST WAR YEARS: Hello. It's been a busy time since new year, mixing and shooting the video for 'Whole World On Its Head' and then finishing up the mixes for our debut album. It's been non-stop, but we'd rather that than let our minds rot with inactivity. It's all done now so we're really excited about getting on with the live show.

N: Some reviews have described you as part of the electro / indie bunch. Do you think this is a fair category to put you in?

PWY: Yeah, I think that's fair, but I'd like to think that we do our own thing within that genre. There's no specific formula to our music, we just like to use as many different sounds as possible and that has inevitably led to the use of electronics and sampling.

N: How did the recording of your debut album go? How do you think the songs have turned out?

PWY: It's been quite a long process in which we've picked, what we consider to be the best, from a list of about 30 songs. We're really happy with the way it's all come out though. We recorded all of it ourselves and have experimented as we've gone along, which I think has culminated in a good mixture of pop songs and experimentalism. A lot of the songs on the album were actually written in the last couple of weeks of recording, probably because we started to feel a bit more comfortable with the direction we wanted to take the music by that point.

N: You’ve just been doing post-production work with Graeme Stewart, how did you find working with him?

PWY: Graeme's a genuine legend. With three songwriters in the band, there are a lot of different opinions and I think he mediated that perfectly. He's definitely stamped his style on the album, while creating exactly what we asked of him.

N: How would describe your debut record?

PWY: It's a very varied record. There are moments of madness and also slower more melancholic songs to rest your ears to. We've had complete creative control, so we've pretty much run riot with it. It's heavy with synths, vocal harmonies and big beats. Hopefully, people will find it an exciting listen.

N: When will it [debut] be released? What is it called? And any other details…

PWY: It's due for release in late May and we think that it's to be called "Mezz".

N: ‘Whole World On It’s Head’ is your next single from the LP. Explain your reasons behind choosing this as the lead release…

PWY: We chose "Whole World On Its Head" because we felt it was a good indicator for the rest of the album. There are a lot of ideas on this tune, while our debut single "Black Morning" was probably a slightly more straightforward affair, so it was exciting for us to show people how we've progressed since that single. Chess Club also expressed an interest in the song, which helped us to make the decision.

N: You’ve got a packed calendar heading up to summer, which shows are you excited about playing?

PWY: We're very excited to be flying out to SXSW. It's our first time playing in America and a number of other bands that we're friends with our going to be out there, so it should be a lot of fun. It will also be amazing to tour with James Yuill and Wave Machines in the UK as we are both fans and good friends.

N: If you believe the rumours, indie is dead, how would argue for/against this statement?

PWY: I'd like to think that 'indie' in the true sense of the word is stronger than ever. Some of the indie labels at the moment are putting out some amazing music, such as Chess Club, Moshi Moshi and Salvia. Indie music has definitely moved on from the bland Brit Pop period that we grew up with. Good times!

N: One last thing, anything else we should know about Post War Years?

PWY: In the event of a full moon on a Friday, we become compelled to perform outdoors in a woodland area to become one with nature.

By Nick Burman

www.myspace.com/thempostwaryears

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

SONGS FROM THE TREE OF LIFE: VOLUNTARY BUTLER SCHEME INTERVIEW

2009-02-17T00:49:00.004Z

“I was at a social gathering the other day and a guy I don't know was there - he'd come straight from work and he had dust all over his clothes and kept talking about sanding wood – I felt jealous for the first time in ages!! So I'm starting to think I'd like to do something with wood if the music looks grim...”
Swittching from tunes to timber? No, perhaps not your normal choice of career path, but Rob Jones is not exactly your generic music artist. Describing his music as “a zesty, slightly under-bombastic, ooh-that-sounds-a-bit-like-the-old-days-but-newer kind of pop”, his natural laid back approach to what he does and eccentric tendencies are a refreshing change to the standardized musical packages that the industry churns out with the aim to just make money. Something that is reiterated by Rob releasing his last EP, The Vol-Au-Vent EP, as a free download:

“I remember on this day thinking - right, I’m gonna write four mini tunes today on my lunch break and record them after work tomorrow night and just give it away. So it was intentional and quite liberating to be so flippant about finishing them. I think you can't take writing too seriously - and sometimes it gets dead serious in your head and you have to slap that out of you by doing something that's not precious. But then that stuff ends up being the precious stuff.”

And precious it seems to be, with The Voluntary Butler Scheme’s new single being hailed as Q website’s Track of the Day. ‘Multiplayer’ is out early March and incorporates typically quirky lyrics like ‘I’m gonna get my hair cut, even if I have to cut it myself.” Rob explains his inspiration:

“I wanted to write a tune that sounded a bit like a 70's Nick Lowe thing, mixed with Saturday night fever and modern Kylie - but with my shitty voice singing evasive love lyrics - and I think I got there.“

Rob’s humble take on his musical capability may because his one-man-band is only a year old. After being unintentionally spotted last year on his MySpace page, and then asked to do a gig in West Midlands, the wheels of the Voluntary Butler Scheme were set into motion;

“I had some tunes on MySpace under the VBS name - with no intention of doing much, but I got asked to do a gig in Birmingham through the MySpace. I sherked it for ages, but decided to do it cause it was local. I'd never sang in public before and I didn't invite anyone. There were about 12 people there, I only had 6 songs and I was 'headlining'. I came away from the gig thinking 'I enjoyed singing, but I think all my songs might be shit?' So for weeks I wrote intensively trying to write some tunes I'd be proud of singing...the rest is history...but I doubt it'll ever be in a history book? Or taught in history lessons at schools…?”

And once it all kicked off, 2008 had plenty of exciting points for Rob: “It was amazing! It was my first year of doing this and I got to do some amazing things. Highlights were defo touring with Duke Special, doing a session on the Dermot O’Leary show, BBC Maida Vale session, Marc Riley session, getting asked to support James on their Isle Of Wight warm-up show as personal request from the bass player, making a video, getting a bit of airplay out my first single, playing the Lattitude festival...loads!”

Whilst inspired by the likes of Granddaddy, Flaming Lips and Slade, the ever-relaxed Rob has no plans to follow in their footsteps and form a band:

“I really struggle with taking it too seriously. The thing I most enjoy about doing it on my own is - if I don't feel like doing it, I just don't. If I haven't got any ideas I like I just don't record. But when you're in bands it all gets a bit 'Right, we'll record some new stuff on Sunday' and I don't think I can write like that.”

Yet, Rob does have some plans for a change in direction for the future:

“I defo wanna do something more collaborative at some point. I've been getting some remixes in of 'Tabasco Sole' which is the next single. One has some amazing semi-rapping on - and that made think how much I'd love to do something colourful and beatsy with some rap on. But I don't wanna rap so it'll have to be a more collaborative thing. I'm jealous of all the hip hop sounds! I wanna work with whoever's hogging the hip hop sounds - I'm starting to sound like Elton John over here without you!”

Whilst his hip hop leanings may be a while off (…not to mention Rob’s potential carpentry career?!) with an upcoming tour with Brakes in April and the new single out in March – the immediate future is looking quite exciting for the Voluntary Butler Scheme, even if Rob is characteristically humble about it:

“I was a really really ambitious 20 year old! I'm a slightly less ambitious and slightly more beaten down 23 year old now - but i have still have a positive streak keeping me going. In ten years I’d still like to be in contact with music - even if it's just hip hop at weekends you know.”

By Laura Routledge

www.myspace.com/thevoluntarybutlerscheme

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

UNICORNS, KITTENS AND THE MAGICAL WORLD OF LOS CAMPESINOS!

2009-02-11T12:49:00.002Z

Worldwide exposure, buzz generated from top music bloggers, and a chance to see herself on MTV’s weekly indie rock music video show Subterranean didn’t play into Ellen Campesinos! decision to take part in the filming of one of her band’s first videos.
“I think mainly we were really excited about the kittens,” Ellen said about the video for “Death to Los Campesinos!,” which also features a fake unicorn stabbing Ellen in the arse, rainbows, confetti, and one of the members vomiting flowers. “To be honest with you, that was a big, big factor for me, getting to play with all these really cute amazing kittens cos I’ve got cats at home.”

The 23-year-old, London-born Ellen Waddell, bassist for the Cardiff, U.K. indie pop-punk super energetic septet Los Campesinos!, loves cats, but expects the worst when the band goes on tour. Los Campesinos! were set to wrap up a U.S. tour this month.

“My mum has cats, and I miss them when I’m away,” Ellen said. “And every time I go away on tour, I swear one of them dies. A few of them have been quite old. So my mum rings me and I’m like, ‘Is one of the cats … ’ and she’s like, ‘Yeah, one of the cats died.’ But we’ve got two younger cats now, so it was fun getting to play with cats all day.”

Los Campesinos! haven’t stopped working over the course of the past two and a half years. After forming in 2006 at Cardiff University, the ladies and gents (all use Campesinos! as their last name) recorded a demo, signed to Wichita Records, put out a couple of singles, and started touring.

In 2008, the band, which also includes Gareth (vocals, glockenspiel), Aleksandra (vocals, keyboard), Tom (lead guitar), Neil (guitar), Ollie (drums), and Harriet (keyboard, violin), released two full-length albums. The first, Hold on Now, Youngster, came out in early 2008, dropping in the U.K. on Wichita Records and then in North America on Canada’s top label Arts and Crafts, a place Broken Social Scene, Feist, and Stars call home. Then in November 2008, the band released the follow-up to its debut. We are Beautiful, We are Doomed also came out on Arts and Crafts. The disc picks up right where the poppy melodies and wacky lyrics of Hold On Now left off.

“It was released in February 2008, but we actually recorded it the summer before. Then we had six months after we recorded it (to work on We Are Beautiful), and we had some of those songs for two and a half years,” Ellen said. “It kind of seemed like there was no point keeping them back for another six months or another year. We had written them, we might as well record them. We kind of figured the people coming to see us would want to hear new songs. I just don’t think there’s any point in holding songs back to sell more records in the future.”

The band unveiled the new songs whilst touring in Japan.

“We were really excited and slightly nervous cos the first time we didn’t actually play them together all as a band before we recorded it, and even when we recorded it, we didn’t do it live,” Ellen said. ‘We did rhythm and started building on that.”

Ellen is particularly thrilled with the fact that she can partake in the carefree shouting this time around. She strictly played bass on the first album.

“‘Miserablia,’ I love playing that song live, and I get a microphone this time, and I get to shout things,” she said. ‘It’s kind of exciting.”

When Los Campesinos! formed, it began with Ellen, Neil, and Ollie. They then started welcoming new members into the band. The last to join was Aleks, and Ellen takes credit for that. Rightly so.

“I actually met her on the first day of university. Me and my flatmate were looking for somewhere to sit. It was really busy,” Ellen said. “I saw some empty chairs around her and her friends, and I thought she looked really friendly. She’s got a very lovely smile. Then we just got on really well. We’ve kind of been friends since then. I heard her sing a few times when we had our drunken sing-alongs. I wanted another girl in the band, so it kind of made sense to bring in someone who I thought would be really good.”

All seven members played together while in school before everything started to take off.

“We all finished our degrees,” said Ellen, who received a degree in journalism/film/media. “Aleks kind of had to take a break cos hers is a medical degree, which is five years, but luckily they said, ‘We understand that you want to go do this. You can come back whenever you want,’ so that was really good.”

Los Campesinos! hit the road and never really took a lengthy break from touring until late last year. The band played with a number of acts, such as label mates Broken Social Scene as well as New York rockers Ra Ra Riot. Even though they played only a few European shows with Ra Ra Riot, Ellen struck up a “nerdy” chat with the band’s drummer.

“We were travelling quite a lot, arriving at different times, and we didn’t speak to each other much, but kind of toward the end, I spent an evening talking to their drummer, a guy called Gabriel (Duquette). We realised we basically had so much in common. I think it was a moment when he quoted Buffy, which is the best show in the world. I was like, ‘Yes. You’re my kind of person.’ So I got on really well with him. It’s really nice sometimes when you have the same interests as someone and can spend a couple hours talking about Alien 3 plots, like really geeky things. It’s nice meeting someone who you can share particularly nerdy interests with.”

Speaking of particularly nerdy interests (well in that case, most of us fall into that category), Ellen owned on Nintendo 64 during a tour last summer. Last year, Los Camp! played the Shred Yr Face tour. During downtime, the band played video games, and Ellen (a self-proclaimed gaming nerd) talked some smack about her Mario Kart prowess, and then had to back it up.

“It was kind of being filmed for this Drowned in Sound website, and I played them a lot when I was younger cos my sister actually bought a (Nintendo 64) off eBay, so I kind of grew up playing them, and my mum’s got a lot of sisters, and I’ve got a lot of cousins. It’s a big family activity,” Ellen said. ”So when I played, I was like, ‘I know I’ve talked myself up quite a lot about this.’ I do talk about these games, so I was worried. You know, if someone talks about how they’ve done it a lot, people go, ‘Ahhh, you must be good then.’ But what If I’m not as good as I think. These are boys I’m playing against. Boys have this natural hand-to-eye coordination thing, but I won so that was good, and then I won Goldeneye, which was even better! I absolutely loved those games when I was younger and also for some reason have retained a huge amount of useless information about the different areas you can go in Goldeneye, and where the guns are hidden, and if someone’s in one particular area in the level you’re at. It’s like, I know where that is and going and shooting them. I don’t think it’s going to get me very far in life. It’d be nice to know a foreign language instead. I have a PlayStation 2, been spending a lot of time playing the Lego Indiana Jones game. It’s obviously for 10-year-olds.”

Ellen still can’t wrap her head around what has transpired since 2006, quickly going from a three-piece band playing for the fun of it to evolving into the Los Campesinos! family and releasing two albums in one year.

“It happened so fast. I never planned on being a musician,” she said. “I think it’s so surreal, I try not to think about it. We all realize that we’re in an incredibly lucky position, and we get to do things people our age would kill to do. It’s just really surreal.”

By Ryan Wood
Photo by Jon Bergman

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

ON LIFE AND LOVE WITH EMMY THE GREAT

2009-02-03T12:12:00.002Z

Emmy The Great is most definitely not old news. We had a nice ol’ catch up to find out about her shiny new album that’s most surely nothing to do with Valentines.
Noize: So, the last time spoke to you it was May, what’s happened since then?

Emmy: Well, I got back together with my boyfriend..

N: That’s always lovely. Glad to hear. Any festivals and all that?

E: We played the John Peel stage at Glastonbury, that’s basically my entire ambition in music. So. John Peel stage. Done.

N: Brilliant. You can try your hand at another career now. But at the moment you have a new album out? Why was it so long coming?

E: Well when I spoke to you last it was pretty much finished, but because we’re putting it out ourselves,[own label: Close Harbour] there were like so many obstacles and we hit a big one over the summer and because of that we had to wait until January. You can’t put anything out between October and January because of the Christmas run-up. It’s like only massive bands. So, yeah, it was coming out in September when I spoke to you, but.. we fucked up.

N: But it’s here now. Is it a coincidence then, that it’s called ‘First Love’ and it’s out at Valentines?

E: It’s a complete coincidence yeah. I was really angry when I heard about that as well. Every thing that’s happened has been annoying. The whole ‘Hallelujah’ over Christmas, it was like for god’s sake, if we put the album out in September, then our song would be about Alexandra Burke. And now it’s coming out at Valentines.

N: On the bright side, people who are stuck for a gift might buy it? Lyrically, your songs on the album are quite ‘girly’ and lovely but do you think that’s accessible?

E: Well it’s more feminine yeah, but I don’t know.. I most of those lyrics are stuff I’ve written in the process of becoming a woman? I don’t mean, I got my period, but stuff like stuff that I didn’t know about before.

N: The artwork, like the album cover is lovely too. Where did you get the idea for that? Did you do it yourself?

E: I made it with my friend, have you seen the actual artwork? Not the tree?

N: No, just the actual album cover?

E: Yeah, me and my friend made it, in her bedroom.

N: So was it a shared idea?

E: Well, I was on the bed making houmous, and she was working. Then I’d like look up from Monsters Inc, and be like ‘no, put the round bit there’.

N: Well it turned out lovely jubbly. So what’s next. Are you releasing a single off the album?

E: Well ‘First Love’ will be the next single off the album, then we’re going to finish this tour, and I’m going to decide if whether or not I can be alive anymore and then I’m going to write another album

N: Sounds a good plan. With the whole emergence of folky-ness last year, do you feel you’ve been shoved in the Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling lump?

E: Yeah, I feel it’s a lump. I was making this music before those guys were making music. It just took me longer to do it. And that’s a shame for me, but I feel that we’ve bypassed the whole anti folk thing now. Because you do and its been four years and you’re not into that shit anymore. If we do sound like them, then it’s a coincidence.

N: Do you feel you’ve been overlooked?

E: No, I feel we’ve been lucky, you know some people take longer.

N: It could be beneficial.

E: Well, one of the benefits that we could see from putting the album out in January is that we would be separate from them. You know, last year they all put out their albums, and this is like a new year, separate from them.

N: Yes. They’re old news/hypeyness anyway. Hurrah for Emmy The Great.

E: Definitely.

By Peta Richards
Photo by Sam Seager

www.myspace.com/emmythegreat

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW: THE LOW ANTHEM

2009-01-27T22:00:00.002Z

Meet the Low Anthem from Providence, Rhode Island. Having opened for Bon Iver and Elvis Perkins and already being compared to last years folky wonders - Fleet Foxes - this threesome come on like a road trippers dream - landscapes come into view and broken hearts aren't mended as much as revered - all on the way "To Ohio."
Wanderlust is felt on the track "Charlie Darwin", which will be released on the 200th Anniversary of Darwin's Birth (12th Feb). Why you ask? All this and more is explained below by frontman Ben Knox Miller.

NOIZE: So first of all, can you describe how you guys met and formed your sound?

Ben Knox Miller: Jeff and I met as freshmen in college in '02. We spun a free-form graveyard shift jazz show on WBRU and played on a Providence baseball team in a wood bat summer league. Jeff came from jazz and I from folk. We played in a dozen nameless bands before Low Anthem began to get traction creatively and otherwise. In '07 we added Jocie, who until then had only played clarinet and composed in the classical world.

N: What collective influences do you share as a band, are there any artists you're all huge fans of that always make the tour bus stereo?

BKM: Waits, Neil, Dylan, Cohen

N: Speaking of the tour bus stereo, what's been on it lately or at least what have you been listening to and enjoying most recently?

BKM: Michael Hurley, Skip James, Son House, Graham Parsons

N: If you had to chose 5 albums you could not live without, which would they be and why?

BKM: Dylan's first four records are on a level unto themselves.

N: What was the inspiration behind 'Charlie Darwin', and also the idea to release it on Darwin Day?

BKM: Darwin Day is just a coincidence that End of the Road noticed. It's fitting though. Darwin is a great hero of mine. Everybody knows what he did for science, but more interesting to me is how he shakes up our values and our sense of purpose. The idea that value and meaning are created by the process of survival of the fittest changes everything. The church with the best missionary wing will spread its seed. The historian with the best distribution deal will shape our sense of where we come from. This idea that our values are circumstantial and not foundational comes from Darwin. It's terrifying and it's liberating and it's beautiful.

N: Can I also ask what the inspiration behind 'To Ohio' was?

BKM: Jeff wrote this song. It's right out of American History with Ohio representing a certain freedom, but also an uprootedness and need to start anew. Think Dred Scott.

N: You recently toured with Rachel Yamagata, what was that experience like and what was she like to tour with?

BKM: Rachael was fun to tour with. We got to play larger venues than we're used to and her crowd very was generous to us. Engaged and whatnot. We were touched.

N: So what is life generally like on tour for The Low Anthem? If you were to write a tour bus survival guide, what key things would have to go in it?

BKM: I'm an SPK junkie (Sour Patch Kids) and Jeff needs his New York Times or he gets real cranky. We just got a Rock'em Sock'em Robots set for the van too. Can't wait to set that up.

N: You're set to tour Europe and the UK later this year. Am I right in thinking this will be your first time over here as a band? What most excited you about the prospect of touring Europe?

BKM: We are very excited about touring Europe! A large portion of the CD sales from our website ship to the UK and the Netherlands, which is really cool, because we've never even been over to promote the music. People just seem to have picked up on it naturally somehow. So we're excited about the climate over your way. We hope we'll be able to connect and make some magic happen.

N: You're being tipped by many as one of the bands to watch this year. How you feel about things like that, about having hype built up around you? Do you take much notice of it?

BKM: None of us like hype. Hype is deception. The idea that anybody who's to be hip these days must turn their ear to one band this week and another the next is ludicrous. We don't listen to "buzz" bands. Admittedly, that's a bit of a highwire act since we'd like for folks to listen to us. But hopefully, when folks hear our records and see us live they can tell for themselves. We're not out to fool anyone. Who wants to be a fad?

N: Do you think that bands like yourselves are getting more attention from the media because of Fleet Foxes success last year?

BKM: No, I think it hasn't got anything to do with Fleet Foxes success. Bands like FF and ourselves have had success because the arts media has been decentralized. It turns out that people can tell when their music press is dumbed down to the point of irrelevance. The last ten years set the high watermark for American complacency and the mainstream press reflected it. There's an awakening going on across this country right now and blogs are at the heart of it. Individuals are reclaiming culture from corporations. It's beautiful. But in a decentralized media culture hype is still dangerous. Hype is people not thinking for themselves, isn't it?

N: 2009 is looking like an exciting one for you, apart from the Europe tour, what do you have planned and what are you most looking forward to?

BKM: We'll be trying reach new ears. We'll apply to some of the big festivals in the US, Europe and Canada. We've got a couple more big support tours coming up. And we're crafting new songs all the time. We're glimpsing vague visions of our next recordings.

By Lauren Mooney
Photo by Dan Miller

www.myspace.com/lowanthem

INTERVIEW: VAMPIRE WEEKEND - A BRAVE NEW WORLD

2009-01-27T19:09:00.004Z

Chris Tomson will never forget the day he quit his job as a music archivist for a record company in New York City. One year removed from graduating Columbia University with degrees in music and economics, Tomson joined three schoolmates on a journey, one they never thought would take them as far as it has.
“I quit my job on July 3 last year (2007), and we started touring July 6,” said Tomson, drummer for rising indie rock/African pop foursome Vampire Weekend. “Last summer, when we started to tour, it’s incredibly hard having a job waiting for you when you get back.”

But Tomson took the risk. So did the band’s singer/guitarist, Ezra Koenig, who at the time taught an eighth grade class, and keyboard player and guitarist Rostam Batmanglij, who at the time did freelance film scoring.

“Except for Baio, who was still in school, we were all working while we were putting the album together,” Tomson said over the phone from his Brooklyn apartment. “The funnier moments were, after Era taught a day of school, he would take the bus to Rostam’s and my apartment, record some vocals, and take the bus back home. I think as far as mindset, I think we were very serious from the start, but timewise it became serious when we started touring last July.”

Tomson, who grew up in New Jersey, hadn’t met any of the members of Vampire Weekend prior to attending Columbia.

“We all met being musically inclined,” he said. “I met Rostam in a music theory class, actually the first class I ever went to on the first day of school. The rest of us met going to parties. We had respect for each other and realized we were all into music. It was pretty natural.”

Tomson, Koenig, and Batmanglij all graduated in 2006 from Columbia. Baio got his degree in 2007. Less than a month after Baio received his diploma, the foursome headed out on its first-ever tour.

“From the start, with what we came up with, we were very confident and kind of thought that what we were doing was worthwhile,” Tomson said, noting how the guys had no backing of a record label when it embarked on its first tour.

The guys piled into a Honda Odyssey, the typical mode of transportation for soccer moms, and of course unsigned bands working tirelessly to make a name for themselves and build a fanbase. Tomson had a major responsibility on tour.

“I was the only one who knew how to pack all of our gear in the back of the van, so I couldn’t get too drunk,” he said. “It wasn’t some kind of huge deal. It was very funny.”

Vampire Weekend quickly caught the attention of college kids yearning for something fresh rather than the recycled indie rock that was drowning college radio. Vampire Weekend provided something unique in terms of modern-era rock bands. The guys incorporated a world music sound, mixing in everything from African percussion to projected keyboard effects and surf guitar riffs. They describe it as “Upper West Side Soweto.”

Their music caught the attention of several major music bloggers, who hyped the band’s early recordings. By the end of 2007, Vampire Weekend signed with the prominent UK label, XL Recordings. Their self-titled album debuted in early 2008, and a world tour ensued. So far, they’ve sold 350,000 copies of the album.

“We were still touring in the minivan this February, so when people wrote all the stuff about us that we were this huge thing, we were still packing up the minivan,” Tomson said. “So there’s always been sort of a disconnect there. We’re not flying in jets.”

That’s not to say Tomson and his bandmates haven’t embraced the critical acclaim and burgeoning success of their young music career. But, Tomson said, they had no idea that what they recorded would turn into an album already labeled the best of the year by many.

“I think we’re all aware enough to not take ourselves to seriously,” he said. “We made this album, and we made it to our specifications, and we thought it was good, but I think at a certain point after you read a bunch of reviews, I think we realized that when you make an album and make music, when you put it out, the rest of it’s out of your control. We made the music, we played the shows, but it’s very hard to control what people think and people say about it.”

Vampire Weekend have just completed a mini U.S. tour. The guys took a short break, enjoying the holidays with family. They plan to jump back into the studio in January to work on the next album. They presumably will play the spring and summer festival circuit this year both in the U.K. and U.S.

“We actually just had our first band practice in many months a couple days ago, but I think the plan is to go in, rehearse, and record and start trying to do that again,” Tomson said. “We haven’t been writing that much because touring is one part of your brain and writing is another part, and it’s kind of hard to mix them.”

By Ryan Wood

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

WALKING THE PLANK WITH PETE AND THE PIRATES

2009-01-22T00:37:00.002Z

Starting off with a list of apparent joke-fuelled ambitions may not be the usual progression into success for a band, but from the minute you hear; “She dances like she’s got her feet in her brain / She dances like she might never again” followed by a sporadic and chaotic guitar riff, it’s clear Pete and The Pirates are no ordinary band.
“When we first started we had this sort of five step plan. The first was to play a gig and I think the second was to play a gig in London. The third was to get signed and the fourth step was to play at Reading festival because we’re all from Reading; but those were kind of just jokes. And we’ve obviously done those now. The fifth was to play at Wembley…but that’s a joke too. We just want to make a really good new album that everyone likes.”

The normally tambourine toting, Tom Saunders, vocalist from Pete and The Pirates, is refreshingly humble and chilled out in a way that quick fame and recognition can often destroy; something paradoxically personified by Razorlight’s Johnny Borrell.

But following an epic 2008, his feet remain firmly fixed to his Reading roots, having realised a dream and passion he’s had from the very start;

“I’ve always been hitting things and making noise. I’ve never wanted to do anything else. And we all sort of knew each other because we lived close so we started working together. But we all have really different influences. If someone asks us when we’re together, we all just start talking over each other. We all like Sonic Youth and Pavement. A massive influence for me is David Bowie. Not just in terms of song-writing but also just in terms of the standard that I set for myself. Does that make sense? You can re-write this in a way that makes sense!”

Explaining a lot of the band’s eclectic and jangling trademark sound, Tom’s modesty and effortlessly down-to-earth nature is unavoidably endearing. It also, in many ways, along with their talent, reinforces why Pete and The Pirates have such an excitably loyal fanbase. With their debut album, Little Death, released early last year receiving mixed reviews from music journalists, the band went on to play Bestival, Reading and Leeds Festival, demonstrating their unquestionable musical prowess.

“2008 was pretty amazing. Summer was a massive highlight. Tell any band that they’re going to spend the three months going and playing at festivals and they’re gonna love it. At Bestival we were told we wouldn’t be able to play because of the weather. We were gutted so we drowned our sorrows but then found out we could play after all. We were pretty drunk but it was amazing.”

Having seen in the New Year headlining at Camden’s trendy KOKO, the perfect end to an amazing year and the high benchmark for the band in 2009 has well and truly been established:

“We were a bit worried because we had all drank a lot but it was great. A surprisingly good way to spend New Years Eve – everyone loved it. I don’t have any new years’ resolutions though. I have very little will power so a while ago I made a resolution not to make any more resolutions.”

But for a band that in have already fulfilled four of their wildest ambitions, with a new album on the way and their new single, Jennifer, out this week, what does the new year have in store for the four Berkshire boys?

“We’re locked in a room at the moment, choosing what songs to put on the new album which is out sometime this year. We want it to make it as good as ‘Little Death’…and better.”

Whatever happens, 2009, for Pete and the Pirates, seems deservedly occupied with an abundance of success, more fulfilled ambitions, festivals and seemingly inevitably…a lot more alcohol - at least if 2008 is anything to go by.

By Laura Routledge

www.myspace.com/peteandthepirates

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW: TIRED IRIE

2009-01-17T21:17:00.002Z

From the ever impressive former home of Foals, Try Harder Records, come four Leicester boys making impressive dreamscape indie with a Friendly Fires / Hot Chip dance edge. Where did they come from, why are they here? Well let's find out from the gents themselves.
NOIZE: For someone who has never heard of the band, briefly how would you describe yourselves?

TIRED IRIE: Like a buzzsaw cutting through early Madonna records then glueing it back together with Mantronix breaks and dressing it up with a bit of Duran Duran.

N: How did the band come together?

TI: After college and through university we had a lot of spare time and were all into the same music. We've all been in bands before and we live together so the transition was an obvious one.

N: Where did your name come from?

TI: A typical house party situation...our former bandmate just randomly wrote TIRED IRIE in shaving foam on the wall. Its seemed quite fitting at the time.

N: How does a typical song come together?

TI: There have been many methods we've experimented with when it comes to songwriting. Normally I (Mark) would have a basic structure I would conjure up on whatever I could find like a guitar/keyboard/dictaphone on my mobile etc. Then in rehearsal everyone would have different avenues and ideas to explore that would make the song Irie.

N: Are there any bands (present or past) who particularly inspire you?

TI: Our influences often have an effect on our songwriting. Queen springs to mind. Kate Bush is just bliss. MC5 just for kicks.

N: Do you have any particular band rituals pre-gig?

TI: Well we don't huddle round and whisper a load of jargen then hold hands and shout "ooohwaaay!" or anything. We're a band who like a little Dutch courage but nothing too weird or outrageous.

N: Describe your dream gig (can be anywhere, real or imaginary)

TI: In Stephen Fry's living room. I'd like to see how many books he's got.

N: What’s your favourite/ least favourite thing about touring?

Favourite: That would be the adventure of waking up in a different place everyday. Least favourite: Getting "beards" instead of "beers" on the rider.

N: What do you think of the current state of the music industry and where it’s going?

TI: Its Fucked. No band can really pick up a hefty advance and record in LA straight away. Bands have to work their trade. Its good in a way cos the bands that pull through the shit of trying to get recognized are the ones that truly deserve it. Having that "big break" is rare nowadays.

N: Can you think of any gigs that particularly stick in your minds for good/ bad reasons?

TI: Lemington Spa. That was magic. I think it was Halloween. Lemington is crazy, it was like walking around a small dead town in Southern America. We were convinced no one would show up but we were lucky to play the only hip place for all those college students to go to other than they're students union.

N: Do you feel coming from Leicester and not somewhere like London has been a help / hindrance?

TI: Its definitely helped us. London would have swallowed us up and spat us out. In Leicester there's not many distractions, there's just a junk circuit that people ride on that gets rather boring. So writing songs seems to work for us and Leicester keeps us focused for now.

N: Electronic based music has had allot of mainstream exposure recently (IE Foals and Klaxons) do you feel this is helpful or does it lead to damaging stereotypes?

TI: Well we have nothing to do with those bands in mainstream exposure. We're our own thing and our thing is using electronics as well as traditional instruments. Its what you do with it that makes the difference. Anyone can make a synth waveform sound like a siren and hit a disco beat BPM of 130, combine it with some guitar riffs and call it "indie electro". Of course the stereotypes are annoying but I don't feel it hinders us at all. We know exactly what we're doing and if people want to pigeonhole us then we're prepared for that. All you need is love.

N: Based on your experiences does the current musical environment in the UK seem like a healthy place for new music?

TI: Yes. The music industry is booming full of new bands that get discovered everyday. The turnover for new genres is incredible. Its hard to keep up sometimes, but that's a great challenge to face. The UK is a powerful engine for new music but there is so much out there in other countries that no one here knows about.

N: What does the next year have in store for you and your fans?

TI: More gigs, more releases, more of Simon's hair, more vitamins, more interviews, more receipts, more songs and more Tangerine Dream soundscapes

By Ollie Millington
Photo by Suzi Corker

www.myspace.com/tiredirie

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST

NEW NOIZE MAKERS INTERVIEW: DAN BLACK

2009-01-12T22:45:00.003Z

Dan Black came to the scene way back in August with his ‘introducing…’ demo. It featured ‘HYPNTZ’; Biggie Smalls’ ‘Hypnotize’ sung by Black over a sample of Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’.
It was a success in terms of getting industry hype with Zane Lowe featuring the track on his ever-popular Radio 1 show and eventually led to his singing to A&M a mere month later (on the 10th of September, to be exact.) I caught up with him just before the New Year kicked in to see what he was getting up to and to gain some info on his up-coming debut…

NOIZE: Now you’ve been signed do you feel like a more legitimate artist?

Dan Black: I wouldn't say more legitimate. More empowered in some ways, I have a bit of money to do some exciting creative things with - but then the step up in pressure and the sudden lack of time you would like for everything creative is pretty dramatically worse. I certainly feel I need to step up my game, but hey, bring it on baby!

N: Since you've been signed you've been working on your new album. How's that going? Any updates on what it's called, working titles, songs etc?

Dan Black: I just did some mixing yesterday actually which is sounding really, really cool. Up till now I have been doing everything totally on my own. So to have someone come in and put their grubby fingers all over my nearly finished babies was kind of traumatic at first but surprisingly exciting once I listened back. I have still got masses to do. No Christmas for this boy. I will be chained to my studio for the next month. I think the hardest thing will be choosing which songs to stick on - I have too many to choose from. Also I need to make sure I don't go too nuts - days and days pouring over a hot Mac, on your own, is NOT the best thing for a balanced mind.

N: YOURS' is the first proper single from the album - any reason for that?

Dan Black: Who said it will be on the album? It was basically something that was kind of simple and ready to go and seemed like a good bridge between ‘HYPNTZ’ and the proper assault in 2009.

N: Your debut demos 'HYPNTZ' and 'TTTT' were sample-heavy affairs. How, if at all, does your new material differ?

Dan Black: Well the principle is the same for me. The only difference is that with those two tracks it was pretty obvious what the samples were. But with my other stuff either the samples are mangled out of all recognition, are very obscure or I made them totally from scratch myself. And obviously they have my lyrics, not just my melodies as with HYPNTZ and TTTT.

N: Describe yourself in five coherent words...

Dan Black: Today: bedraggled. Excited. Resolute. Joyful. Under-slept (that's kind of one word!)

And so he scrambled off back to his Parisian den to complete work on the fast approaching album which will include tracks such as ‘Cocoon’, ‘Ecstasy’ and ‘Polar Bears’. He also has plans for getting on the festival circuit in the summer and headlining the Wonky Pop tour throughout February and March; all these plans are sure to make Dan Black one name you’ll be hard to avoid in 09. But with such contagious electro/pop beauties already in the bag (check out his current single ‘Yours’), why would you want to?

By Nick Burman

www.myspace.com/danblacksound

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON THIS ARTIST