interviews

Fresh from a show at Edinburgh’s Fringe show the other night we had a quick word with Lewis form Kassidy who are giving fans a chance to win £1000 if you can shoot a video for them, details are here

How did Kassidy come together?

Hamish met Barrie one night in a bar and asked him if he played music. Chris and I knew Hamish from the past and just came along one night.

Is it true you live together, if so what has that been like?

We do live together, it’s good, any time of the night we can rehearse, write or record and when we wake up we can get up and go.

Whos the wildest on tour?

Our tour manager, the rabbi.

We keep hearing rumours of all night parties you guys throw after the gigs (in Glasgow), is this true and how do you get an invite!?

They are a bit wild, can understand why people would like to come. Just Hang about after the show and your probably going to end up there!

Why dont you have a drummer?

We don’t need one.

What were you all doing before the band took off?

Barrie was a cleaner at a train depot Hamish and Lewis gave out news papers and Chris worked in a bar.

Any bands we should look out for from Scotland you like?

Astral planes and The Boy Who Trapped The Sun.

Describe your summer, highs and lows!?

The whole journeys been a high, not hit a low yet

Is the album ready and if so can you describe it?

It’s ready, we love it and are looking forward to people hearing it!

Kassidy play Reading and Leeds this weekend and then Bestival the week after.

With the Halt Bar Hijack just along the road the area is jam packed with live music fans. This hands the perfect scenario to much hyped avant-garde musician Ariel Pink to play his own set just a skip away at the Captain’s Rest.

Many have taken a quick time out from the Hijack to catch the LA based act, with his band Haunted Graffiti. As a result the show is sold out very quickly and we find the tiny basement of the Rest once again at it’s sweaty best by the time the headliners come on.

Before the venue gets packed to the brims we are treated to a couple of local acts to get the early comers warmed up. First on are We’re Only Afraid Of NYC, who’s alternative indie borders on the expansive without really breaking any barriers.

Next are the more interesting, yet not as well received, Paws who up the energy and the volume with a number of powerful punk enthused alternative tracks.

The one trouble with a packed Captain’s Rest, aside the intense heat, is vision, if you aren’t near the front you aren’t going to see very much. So, with having to guess what the band looks like your ears are left to do the judging.

With agitation building in the crowd, as the Graffiti take a good time fidgeting with equipment, the band finally fire into their set, opening with the funky ‘Don’t Think Twice (Love)’ from Ariel’s 2004 debut Doldrums. The track’s grooved up bassline coupled with Ariel’s obscure yet impressive vocal changes, switching from a high squeal to a deep boom and everywhere in between, provide an ideal start.

The Graffiti’s latest release, Before Today, has been receiving much hype all over the music press and with it only out a week many tonight are here to see what it can offer in a live environment.

The flowing dreamy pop tones of 60s garage cover ‘Bright Lit Blue Skies’ is the first chance we get to sample the new material and it does not let down. The soaring beautiful chorus drags the listener in and as Ariel sticks to one vocal pattern it gives a nice coherence not found in much of their older material.

Indeed it is Ariel’s vocals that many will raise a question over, the constant changing and sometimes odd positions of his voice can occasionally come across as grating.

However, these eccentrics, love them or hate them, are tied down more of the new release and as a result the band have found their feet commercially. Still, a vast amount of the set is built up of old material and some who have only heard the new release will struggle to accept the more taxing material.

Closing, before an encore, on their hit of the minute ‘Round and Round’ the Graffiti reach the peak of their set. The single has become an indie centerpiece for 2010 and best signifies the band’s move form psychedelic awkwardness to dream filled pop bliss.

Ariel Pink appears to be gradually moving away from his past musical haunts, and while live he still clings to the past, there is still quality here in abundance. Finishing just in time for a run back along to the Halt to catch Holy Mountain and Eternal Fags, the Graffiti provide a perfect pop injection to a damp Sunday evening.

Words: Iain Dawson
Pics: Sam Fenn

Over two hundred fans pour into Mono tonight to catch a glimpse of Glasgow’s very own Washington Irving as they launch their EP ‘Little Wanderer, Head Thee Home’, following 2009’s debut single ‘The Magician’.

Support comes in the form of Randolph’s Leap, Endor (Jarv solo set) and The Social Services who prepare the crowd appropriately for all elements of WI’s forthcoming set.

By the time the folk-rock sextet grace the stage, the atmosphere of kitsch-delight in Mono is already buzzing. The band open with aforementioned single ‘The Magician’ as a way of welcoming in those in the know, as well as those who have no idea what they are in store for.

The melodic tunefulness of WI’s charming Pogues-esque folk music tares through the venue as they break into the anthemic ‘Phantom Buck’. The song is an old fan’s favourite and the audience comfortably provid the backing vocals for singer Joe Black in the chorus.

Ranging from the annoyingly infectious ‘SiSi’ to less well-known tracks such as ‘Abbey Gallop’ and ‘Hard To Know’, the guys, and girl, put on a show of disturbingly cheery tunes and unforgettable determination, to create a sound any folk musician would be jealous of.

While there is a distinct diversity among WI’s songs, the one thing they do have in common is that they can make you dance unashamedly, while still keeping it serious with some poignantly picturesque lyrics.

The stand out of the night was, as always at WI’s shows, ‘The Glebe’. Flautist Roslyn Potter’s sweet vocals ring hauntingly through the venue, while backed up by some slow-building hard-hitting instrumentation, and what can only be described as a ghost saw (bassist Kieran Heather strumming a work-saw with a violin bow).

The band then closed with two of their most upbeat songs, ‘In The Chill’ and ‘Dear Liza’ which brings the night to a riotous close.

WI now set off on a short tour of Ireland before kicking off their summer’s festival season, which includes Insider Festival, West End Festival and climaxing with their eagerly anticipated debut performance at  T in the Park

‘Little Wanderer, Head Thee Home’ is out on June 7th on Instinctive Raccoon Records.

Words: Hamish Gibson
Pic: Ingrid Mur

If you were to be stranded anywhere by the current world weather events Madrid would not be far from the top of anybodies list. This is where Atlanta’s Bear in Heaven found themselves in the midst of the volcano crisis but for them priority number one is pushing on with their first ever European tour and getting their name heard.

The band obviously made it to Glasgow, albeit with a few shows falling casualty on the way, as their front man and founder, Jon Philpot, stands in front of me looking surprisingly chirpy after the amount of time he has spent in vans and trains over the last week.

After a late night listening to compilations of world music from old 78’s Philpot may be on the tired side but the moustachioed frontman is clearly enjoying his band’s first adventure on European soil and is happy to talk about it, travel problems or not.

Q: It must have a bit touch and go for you getting here with the volcano scenario, has this affected you in any way?

A: Very affected, we were in Corunna, Spain and unknowingly we flew from there to Madrid and our flights got cancelled from there. So, we were stranded in Madrid. We ended up having to get the van we were supposed to be in detour about four hours out of the way to pick us up and they drove us to France. Then we got the train to another van to another van, it was lots of travelling and no sleep.

Q: So, this is your first tour of Europe, how has been putting aside the travel problems?

A: Yeah, apart from the volcano it has been pretty good so far.

Q: Any particular places that have stood out for so far on the tour or you’re looking forward to playing?

A: We were looking forward to playing in Mallorca but the show got cancelled. It was a lot of fun playing in Madrid. London was off the chain; kind of as moving northward it’s been a little bit more sedated although last night was fun the people in Manchester were going crazy flailing about. I hope tonight is as good, I imagine it’ll bring out a good cathartic group of people out that just want to have a good time and let loose.

Q: How do the crowds compare to back over in the US?

A: They’re a little bit smaller but our record just came out here so I don’t think a lot of people know about us yet. Over in the States we’ve been getting played on a lot of radio stations but it’s still surprising to see how many people come along to our shows. When we go back we’ll be playing bigger and bigger shows.

Q: You’ve mentioned getting radio coverage and the new album has got a lot of critical acclaim, has that affected the band in any way?

A: Well, we have to play a lot more shows now, well it’s not ‘have to’ but we are playing a more shows, it’s like we have a brand new job now. It’s nice, sometimes I get a little tired and bummed out about it want to go home and sleep in my own bed and cuddle with my lady. Aww.

Q: On the new album the songs are a lot shorter than they are on your last effort, has this been intentional do you think this is why you have receive more airtime and acclaim?

A: It’s probably helped people digest what we’re doing a little; we were just kind of cutting some of the fat out to see what would happen. Also, we were playing live a lot so you get a good response and you understand what it is people are reacting to better. It’s a mutual thing music, it’s not just for us, our old music was just for us. We’ve matured so now it’s for us and for other people.

Q: You’re first album was labelled ‘prog’ and ‘krautrock’, do you feel you’ve got away from this?

A: No, we’re still holding on it we’ve still got the prog! It’s not a bad thing, I like prog, it’s a little bit outdated but I’ll never get tired of it.

Q: Finally, you’re playing Green Man Festival in the summer, the line up looks awesome, how’re you looking forward to that and are we likely to see you at any other UK festivals?

A: I think that’s all we got into, people have been trying to push and get us on other stuff but we’ve not had any other offers. The Green Man thing looks like it will be pretty epic, it’ll be really fun, there are going to be a lot of bands that are really good there.

Iain Dawson
Pic: ® Nick Helderman

Sean Rawls, lead singer of San Fransisco band Still Flyin chats about Glasgow, San Fransisco and Cowbells:

You’ve just played the Captains Rest in Glasgow, how was the show?

That show was great! We had some rough-looking old dudes who at first seemed to be just drunk hecklers but turned out to be huge fans of the band and they were awesome. And drunk. Easily one of the best UK audiences we’ve ever had.

Did you manage to see much of Glasgow when you were here? Any highlights low lights or interesting occurrences!?

Unfortunately not much. We had a disgustingly late night in Leeds the night prior so we weren’t into much walking around. Slept in late the next day, etc. I did manage to eat some award-winning haggis though. I’m still not sure what that is, but it was pretty delicious.

Where did you all meet?

I first met most of these people from older bands that we used to be in and when I moved to San Francisco I asked everyone I knew to join my band and it kind of went from there.

Jobs before the band?

I (guitar, vocals) used to to be a file clerk at a law firm. Yoshi (drums) used to work at a non-music related PR firm. Phil (dance moves) still works at the world’s largest worker-owned grocery co-op, and Marky (bass) used to be a fruiterer. Bren (2nd drums and vocals) and Zach (guitar) work together as carpenters. Gabe (vibes and trombone and vocals) used to make displays at Nordstrom’s. Maria (keyboard and vocals) used to work at a Spanish language school. Alicia (keyboard and vocals) managed a mediterranean restaurant. Mindy (vocals) works at a non-profit organization helping people with HIV and breast cancer. Marjan (vocals) was laid off but just got some new job - I can’t remember what it is. Jaime (vocals) teaches art at a high school. Gary (trumpet and vocals) has a recording studio. Frankie (sax) is a bike messenger.

Are you all as cheery on tour as the music suggests?

Kind of. The beauty of being in a band so large is that it’s like being on a party vacation with your friends as opposed to a band. Or it feels kind of like a sports team or something. And if you get really annoyed with someone you don’t have to talk to them for days if you don’t want to and they probably wouldn’t even notice. The shows and time surrounding the shows are pretty cheery but during the day we’re either sleeping in the van or making fun of each other.

Seen anyone famous at your gigs?

Hmm. Well some people from Belle and Sebastian and Camera Obscura were at our Glasgow show, but they are friends of ours. We keep writing to Matthew McConaughey trying to get him to come to our shows in Austin and LA but he never shows.

What’s the scene like in SF at the moment? Apart from yourselves are there any other bands we should check out?

Our pals the Mantles are getting a lot of hype right now, and we’re very happy about it. Also check out our friends Nodzzz. SF has so many bands, it’s hard to keep track. Plus we’re on tour a lot so when we’re home we’re not dying to go hang out at bars and music venues.

Favourite SF band hangouts!?

There’s a karaoke night on Thursdays at this bar called Jack’s. The dude running the show plays saxophone solos along with the songs and does tasteful backing vocals and cowbell, all while mixing the songs to each individuals strengths. The place is packed and wild as hell. Crowdsurfing and tons of dancing and stuff. One time the cops had to come and it was a bar!

Will we see you back in Scotland any time soon?

Yes we will be back in May to jam the Pavement ATP . Glasgow is routed on the tour so hopefully we’ll be back in late May!

Finally what can we expect to the new album, any surprises?

Yeah - there’s an ep coming out in May that is kind of krautrock/80’s sounding. It’s still us, but it’s also pretty different from our old stuff. ARE YOU READY!?!?!?!?

Still Flyin’s new single ‘Runaway Train II’ is out now on Moshi Moshi.

Last week we caught up with Jonathan from The Drums before they kicked off their stint on the NME Awards tour…

The Drums are touring the UK with NME - how do you feel about playing such a prestigious tour!?

It’s really incredible for us. We started this band just a year ago, so to be asked to be on the NME tour really is quite an honor, but more than that, it’s shocking!

Things all seem to have happened fairly quickly for you guys, what were you all doing this time last year!?

This time last year we were writing our first few songs and living in Florida. I was still working at a shoe shop and Jacob was some sort of a security guard. We were both also taking flying lessons.

How did you all meet?

I me Jacob years ago as a little boy at summer camp an we stayed in touch ever since. Adam grew up in my small town and Connor, we just met 8 months ago in NYC. We feel pretty lucky to all be in the same band. We share so many of the same interests. We share a strong vision of what a proper pop songs is.

Most famous person you’ve seen at one of your shows?

Debbie Harry came to our last NYC gig. That was pretty surreal.

You just played a sold out show at The Bowery Ballroom, how was that?

Well, it felt really great and somewhat reassuring. I mean, I think traditionally, America is a hard-rock loving country, and to see America open up, even slightly for a more delicate brand of rock n’ roll, well thats encouraging.

Where are you favourite hangouts in Brooklyn/Manhattan?

Tiffany and Jimmy’s apartment and Drew, Macky and Aimee’s apartment.

Is this your first time playing in Scotland?

Yes, and we are excited to see this beautiful country. Hypothetically, it has always been one of our favorite places.

Your myspace lists Orange Juice and The Wake among your influences, is there a place in your heart for Scottish bands?

Yes, absolutely. Any place that breeds such perfect songwriting is a place we hold in high regard. I love you, Scotland!

What should we expect from the album?

Its a bit more serious and a bit more personal than the Summertime! EP. Expect a darker side of The Drums.

Will we be seeing you at the festivals or back for a solo tour later this year!?

Festivals, yes. But, we are also touring with Florence and The Machine in May all over the UK, and then we will be back to tour solo sometime in October I think.

What made you decide to do a solo album?

It just kind of happened really, I mean I’d always thought I’d do something at some point and I’d written a lot of songs in 2008. Some of them were just really acoustic and they didn’t seem like the kind of thing to do with the band anyway, so I just booked five days in the studio just before Christmas with my friend Adam. We thought let’s just try and record and let’s not try and get perfect versions, just demo them basically, and we really liked the sound of the demos and just thought ‘lets use these’.

So the album was all done in five days?

Well six tracks on the record we did in those first five days, and certainly half of them we just left as they were. For Barricade we did it that week but added the strings later, and yeah, it was really fun to work that quickly. On Red we recorded on and off for like nine months, not continuous I mean people were moving house and stuff, so it was really nice just doing something so quick, and this year I thought I’ll spend a couple of months and see if I can write some more songs, then did a bit more recording and then we had a record.

You recorded twenty-five songs – how do you whittle that down to an album?

It’s difficult. The idea was to do the whole thing quite acoustically and then it ended up becoming quite mixed. There were tracks like She Needs Me where it needed the kick, so it’s ended up a bit like Red in a way, an album that really flits around, but I don’t really see it that way. I know a lot of people are like ‘oh there lots of different styles’ but I just hear it as music. So it was really just about getting an order that, for me at least, works, and so there are songs on the bonus album that I’m probably a lot more fond of than on the record.

Is there anything you miss?

Yeah there’s one or two that I’ve been playing on the tour, but sometimes the ones I prefer I don’t perceive them as good songs, there’s just something about them that I really like. On this record I get to try and put forward the best songs, that’s what I was going for not the sound so much.

It must have been really different recording process for you?

Yeah very different, certainly a lot quicker that recording with The Guillemots, and it’s not that I’m down on the guys at all, they’re a few of my biggest musical interests in way. It’s just that it’s nice to say alright let’s call up Jamie, let’s call up Matt, you know it was very quick. It was definitely quite liberating.

And the touring must be different too?

Well this is my third gig and I don’t know if I’ll do that many. Not unless the record suddenly takes off for some reason. It’s just a fairly low-key thing, these may be the only gigs I really do and I’m generally just happy that the records out. I think that’s the main thing, and She Needs Me has been doing really well on the radio. I think it’s the only song on the record that would do well, but it’s nice that it has.

The album shows a different side to your vocals – was that a conscious decision?

That was partially conscious but it was partly just the way that it was recorded. A few people have said that there’s this really close vocal sound. I don’t remember really talking about doing that, I think it was just a combination of the mic we used and whatever the recording did to it. I like that about it because I love to drench my voice in reverb, and I was trying to push myself go differently about it. On Barricade especially I had a really reverb heavy vocal and Adam was like ‘it sounds much nicer without it’.

Do you get the ‘classically trained musican’ fact thrown at you a lot?

[laughs] Yeah that makes me sound really pretentious. But I mean yeah, I really love classical music but pop music is what I’ve always loved.

So is there a new Guillemots record on the way?

We’ve been writing loads but we haven’t started recording yet. You know I think we just need to take our time and really make sure we can dream something up. We’ve been largely just playing as a band and waiting for songs to come out of that but I’m trying to write apart from that too so we’ll just see what happens.

Does the solo work feed into that?

Yeah I think that what I want to do is changing. When I started this record I really wanted to do something acoustic and now I want to really do something, to make something really original. I’m in a funny position in my life, you know I’m proud of the stuff I’ve done but still I feel that I haven’t done anything like what I feel I’m capable of. I really want to just push myself a bit harder. It’s that thing where you’re not old, but I’m never going to be someone like, I don’t know, like Alex Turner, someone that just somehow connected with his generation. It’s just that thing where I feel like I’ve done so much already but I’ve probably missed that chance to really just have that big moment, so I feel like I’ve missed the boat on that. I get really worried sometimes, it really scares me you know, I mean even with this album some people have been slagging it off for being really straightforward, which is fair enough, but kind of missing the point. It’s not that I didn’t have any ideas it’s just that I wanted it to be quite stripped down. I mean it’s easy to start freaking out and thinking ‘what if they’re right, what if I’ve already used all my best ideas’ but all you can do is try harder and I think naturally as a creative person you go in ebbs and flows and you never quite know when you’re going to come into a golden stage. You just have to keep slogging away.

Interview: Alastair Mitchell backstage @ ABC
Pic: Euan Anderson

It has been quite a year for Jesca Hoop, tipped by a diverse range of publications from Uncut (“excellent”), Time Out (“bewitching”), OMM (Tips for 2009), The Sun (‘Single of the Week’ for ‘Murder of Birds’), Esquire, Music Week and a two page feature in The Times on the back of one limited self-released UK debut EP. Interspersed shows and radio sessions for the likes of Marc Riley have had to maneuver around the recording of the follow up to her US-only debut album from 2007. This arrives in the supremely elegant and unique shape of ‘Hunting My Dress’, released today! Last week Alastair Mitchell was lucky enough to chat with Jesca:

You worked as a nanny for the Waits family - are you fed up retelling the story to interviewers like me?

well to some degree…yes.

Did that have an impact on your sound?

I started listening to ol country, ol blues and slave songs during my time with the Waits… and yes Tom’s music and his record collection have influenced me.

Tell us about the new album - are you happy with how it turned out?

Huniting my Dress comes from a very loving place. It is charged. There is an underlying sorrow. Yet its playful…sexy…simple….elaborate…musical…it felt amazing to play a part in its creation. It is sparsely produced yet full. I am satisfied with the writing. I feel that this work represents a season in my life accurately. It comes from a longing for a pulsing..bleeding.. beauty x x
I couldnt be happier. Not to say i have reached my potential as ones potential is always ahead of her. I feel that i expressed myself to the best of my ability at the time. Thats all i can ask.

What’s your favourite song on the new album?

I think the tulip may be my favourite. You cant deny a murder ballad.

Do any key influences stand above the others in crafting your lyrics?

No. I honestly have no guide for lyrics. It is the labyrinth inside my skull that winds me round to what words convict themselves to melody..

How did the collaboration with Guy Garvey come about?

He recieved a mixed tape from a friend with my song “havoc in heaven” on it. He found my management and set up an interview. I missed the appointment twice. When he tried a third time… He caught me in the bath. We had a great conversation while i soaked and the rest is…..

How do you enjoying touring in the UK? Does the experience differ much from touring in the US?

I have sincerly loved playing in certain cities around the Uk and in Europe. Equally i have my favourite cities for playing in the states. People are people wherever you go. For better or for worse. I do love though how you can tour the UK in a couple of weeks !!! where as the states can take ages.

What can we expect from you in the near future?

Touring… all touring. I’ll be playing all around the UK and then in the U.S. I will be writing my next record in that process.

Jesca plays Nice n’ Sleazys on December 10th, her London Sold Out but thankfully there are still tickets here for the Glasgow date.

Tulip.mp3

What definition would you give of how Bell Orchestre sound? Have you
experienced any odd attempts by journalists?

Fortunately that’s not our job! We make the music, and we’re lucky
enough to have people help us tell people about it.
One thing that seems to come up a lot is that our music is cinematic. By
that, I assume that people mean to suggest that it is evocative of
images, which is a nice compliment. We never really think of it as film
music. In fact, we’ve worked on film music before, and it invariably
comes out very different from what we do on our own impulses.

How do the songs emerge – are they written about specific themes or are
they the result of experimenting with the band?

We write mainly through improvising with each other.
We record everything and piece together the parts that sound best to us.
It truly is collaborative, and as such quite painstaking and slow.
Improvisation is at the heart of what we do, although the pieces are
ultimately composed. I think there are themes, but that’s not something
we discuss very often.

All of the band appear to be multitalented on stage – were you all from
musical backgrounds?

We’re all from wildly different backgrounds. Sarah has played violin
since she could walk and talk. Richard has played every instrument in
every type of band. Pietro is highly trained, but he’s forgotten
everything. Stef is the merging of discipline and freedom. Kaveh lives
in the moment and plays music there too. I grew up on punk rock and I’m
really good at writing lyrics, so naturally I play lap steel. Colin
Stetson, our erstwhile woodwinds associate, is the Barack Obama of the
saxophone.

You’ve recorded songs in a tunnel in the past – are tunnels the future
of recording?

Not unless our first record was made in the future! I’d have to say
tunnels are the past of recording. We use whatever tools are available
to us to get our ideas across, regardless of the era to which they
belong. We just walk toward the light.

Are there any influences that stand out above the others that have been
crucial to the band?

There is some music that we all love, but mostly it’s a really wide
spectrum. We each bring our own inspirations and experiences to the table.
Further to that, we inspire each other. So, the more we do together -
and the more experiences we go through together - the more inspired we
become as a group.

What is it about Canada that is producing so many great bands at the moment?

Canada has always made great music, it’s just received some notice
lately. There’s good music everywhere.

How does the experience of touring with Bell Orchestre compare to
touring with Arcade Fire?

That would be one for Richard and Sarah. I think it is safe to say that
there are a lot of major differences. Our audience is much smaller, and
as such, more intimate maybe. Our music is well off the mainstream map.
While we’ve obviously benefited from some spill-over attention, the two
projects are really very separate.

What does the future hold for Bell Orchestre?

We are excited to get working on some new music, since we’ve mainly
spent our time touring in support of As Seen Through Windows. Now that
we are back home, we’ll take a short recuperative spell, and then get
back to what we love best: hanging out and making up music.

Montreal’s  Bell Orchestre release ‘As Seen Through Windows’, on October 5th 09 through the Arts and Crafts record label.

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Bell Orchestre is: Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire) - upright bass/keyboard/percussion; Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire) – violin; Stefan Schneider (The Luyas) - drums/percussion; Pietro Amato (Torngat, The Luyas) - French horn/electronics; Kaveh Nabatian - trumpet/melodica; and, Mike Feuerstack (Snailhouse) - lap steel guitar.

Interview: Alastair Mitchell
Pics: Bart Photography @ Arches Glasgow September 2009

Q: Describe the sound of Wild Beasts for people unfamiliar with the band:

A: The way I always describe it… when we set ourselves up as a pop band with all the beauty that that can contain, with all the competitors that that can contain have kind of been forgotten… if you know what I mean

So whenever I’m asked to describe us to say someone queuing in an airport I always say that we are a pop band… but it turns out we’re a bit more left field than that but we still want to be a pop band…

Q: What do you mean by ‘pop’?

A: Umm… that’s a tough one…
Well the thing is that is what pop music is all about… money… I suppose I’m thinking of The Beatles template through to someone like the Dirty Projectors… sitting there but sitting uncomfortably I guess… if that makes sense

Q: Tell us about a new band that has had an impact on the band lately…

A: As in how that album was made and how we came about it?

Well there was a record we kind of had on the slow burn… there’s this duo called the Junior Boys and they released this record called ‘so this is goodbye’… and I think Hayden picked it up and listened to it once and said ‘hey I reckon you guys should really listen to this’… and it kind of kept bubbling with all of us… and it would be like ‘yeah its ok, yeah I like it, yeah I really like, yeah I’ve been listening to nothing else, yeah it’s my favourite record’… and it kind of went on like that… and that sort of sound… they kind of have a throb… It’s very electronic but quite erotic… and that has been very influential amongst us

But very much so and now we all rate them amongst our favourite artists. They’re just quietly going along making some really exciting stuff

I think so… their new album especially

Yeah, Haha…

Well a lot of the track was influence by dance and electronic music… like we try to play things in short phrases and short repeating phrases which lock in so its not like different parts, there’s like a texture.
And also I think we ran with the sexual tendencies we had as well… and the way that there is a melancholy in it as well… kind of late night music. That’s like Junior Boys to a T… I think we have unavoidably picked some of that up.

Q: Favourite things…

A: I think I would say Gin and sparkling water… and Brockton folding bicycles

I said Gin and sparkling water… not together… separately… at different times of the day!

Oh it’s a drink you have to respect. We’ve just come back from New York and nobody in New York really saw the attraction with Gin… and we were trying to explain… that there’s something quite post colonial about Gin… there’s some kind of remnant about Gin and it has this sort of English decadence… and it tastes great. You can really ruin yourself though…
I’ve never really had a bad night on it… I reckon that if you can….
If it ruins you, it is so distinctive that you’ll never go near it again.

Q: So, it’s the image of sitting on the veranda swatting flies and getting your quinine levels up…

A: Well its more kind of gin alley… its more sort of eighteenth century London… losing your teeth low life… it’s quite nice

Yeah that’s it

Yeah, yeah, yeah… is gin the fashionable one? It’s like… Everyone goes for sparkling water. You don’t want still water… no of course you don’t want still water… you can get that from the tap! You know what I mean?
It sort of became a badge of pride when we were in Europe that we were embracing the other cultures… you know what I mean?
‘Yeah we like sparkling water… you know what? We like it … and we’re well travelled’

No… Hendrick’s Gin and San Pellegrino water

Well you’ve got to be a bit of a decadent about this, you know? if you’re being asked about your favourite things. You can’t always get these things but when you can, you should!

Oh… Brockton folding bicycles…
Hayden used to ride one of those to where he worked every day and basically we lived in quite a rough part of Leeds and basically people would just shout at him ‘g** boy’, ‘d*** head’, ‘nice bike!’… that sort of thing… and throw things… and he would just ride through it… and now look at them now! They’re going through a renaissance.

At one time it literally just fell apart on him… it literally just split in half on him on the road. The bolt came loose and it just collapsed on him… and I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen those videos of people who are running and whose legs just dislocate? It was that sort of… and then they just look up at the sky… it was that sort of situation. He was just completely unprepared for that sort of thing

Q: Isn’t it just that it seems more acceptable to you now that you spend more time in London?

A: Hahaha… quite possibly yeah.
I think that they are fine in Europe. We’ve seen them all over. We spent some time in Sweden, and they were very popular there… and Amsterdam as well… we spent some time there and they were very popular there

I’m trying to answer for all of them….

Well I think that Brylcreem has played a part in our band… I wish I had something weighty but it is still early in my day… so…
Well there are loads of books that I could say… and records… but it’s just not quite as much fun

Well I would have done but I had quite curly hair… and because I’m from quite a small town I never really had too much guidance on what to do with curly hair. So I just tended to use straight hair products… and it tended to look a right mess. And these guys could pull it off and use it effectively and I just can’t…

You don’t really get that no…

Q: Musical Map..

Our musical map of the world?
I remember when we first came out there was an article published about Kendal… about British Sea Power and about us… about there being this new centre of music which was just unbelievably funny…
So Kendal… even if only for that beautifully misguided article alone

Q: Has that landscape been an influence though?

Unavoidably yeah… more in a practical way than it has been in an artistic way in just that you have to have your ears open… you’ve got to be hunting for everything. And be open minded because you don’t have a choice, you just get what you’re given… you know what I mean?

Q: Scarcity makes you more resourceful and what is available becomes that much more important…

Dead right yeah… absolutely right…
And you need to alive to new stuff too as well because you really have to hunt for it

Q: (I push him on the idea that isolation in beautiful landscapes breeds great music…)

The more I’ve asked about it the more I want to run with it. Because its very beautiful and very gothic… the skies are very heavy and it rains a lot… but there is a sense of ‘whoa… look at that’
I suppose there is something of that in our music… but I don’t know…

I don’t want to say whether… you know? But I’ve been told a few times that you can hear the sky in it… and I can see that.. I can understand

Yeah

I’d say Malmo in Sweden where we recorded our first album, which was very exciting. But it was a proper learning curve… we went there literally boys on holiday and we came away with an album in our hands so we really had to be kicked into shape. And the thing about Malmo is that there are something like 5 world-class studio-s within a radius of… around it… and it’s a town of around 200,000 people in like southern Sweden. It’s like Sweden’s third largest city.. And in a lot of ways it’s pretty unremarkable but for some reason it has become Sweden’s centre of music based around a few people who have done something good there… And its influence on our music has been immense. Like working with Tore Johansson… and getting good basically… like he really banged us into shape. So it was a huge influence on what we do.

I think that the Cardigans are the source of the big influx of recordings… I mean Tore helped write Love Fool which was the number one played song in America radio that year… and if you do that you pretty much set yourself up
Also Franz Ferdinand recorded some stuff over there…. And there’s a band called Little Dragon who have just released an album… they mixed their stuff in the same studios that we did. And I think that though The Knife are from Stockholm, they’ve had some stuff mixed in Malmo… So it’s a secret player

Haha… well I’ve been trying to Berlin and New York because they’ve had their time. They are amazing places but they don’t need advertising.

A third one… ok
Well this is the thing I’ve just got back from New York I was just trying to avoid saying it… ok lets say Austin. I know it has South by Southwest… but I had Austin described to me as a velvet rut… which is what musicians need

A velvet rut…

As in somewhere where… you might not be going somewhere but you are enjoying being there… if you know what I mean. And it has a huge array of music.
Take all the clichés of Texas and throw them out the window for Austin… it’s nothing like that. It is very bohemian and there are a lot of places for odd balls to kick… its also the second country music capital after Nashville… and Willy Nelson is from there… and all the studios around there are country studios which essentially just means that they are beautiful.

Yeah absolutely… and all sorts of records which you have never heard of but that other people have bought loads and loads of copies of have been recorded in those studios.
Country music just doesn’t translate to Britain I don’t think… but its fascinating non the less

Pretty much yeah…

Haha… I’ve just been to Williamsburg and its very cool and very silly. It’s a great place to be British.

Yeah… its fun. I like Williamsburg.

Q: Your dream CTRL line-up…

A: Oh man… do I have Carte Blanche… can I pick anyone?

Bloody hell!

Wow… ok well I’m going to pick Joanna Newsom which may or may not be fashionable but she’s one of my absolute favourite song writers and all that stuff about her being cutesy, stars and periwinkles and s*** is just not true. Her music is human and very forceful and very brave. I really, really like what she does… and she is just… unapologetic, it think, is the word.

Well that’s it. She just does what she does… unabashed… that’s really cool… that’s really good to see because she’s not much older than me… And I’ve seen her a couple of times and the first time I saw her I just thought, this girl is 2 years older than me and she’s doing things I couldn’t even imagine… and I just really needed to buck my act up once I’d seen her

Perhaps… I haven’t decided on the others yet but she should be high up..

Umm… I’m going to say Junior Boys again … but again… I haven’t even seen them live! Apparently they don’t use laptops at all like you would expect… they use old drum machines and old bass machines and sequences and stuff… and the good thing about that is that you’re not in control of that sort of thing and you are half expecting something to go wrong and you’re waiting for something to fall out of the chain. So that tends to excite me… its pretty good.
Also the fact that I want to see what they do… I want to see how they reproduce this sort of claustrophobicness they have…

Q: You share a label with them don’t you?

A: Yes they do… an EP just kind of falls into our ether and they’ve just finished a remix for it no less

I’ve just remember this but you’re right… I got an email yesterday and there is a remix I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet… that’s what I’m doing when I finish this phone call…

Q: Any bands that you want to draw attention to?

A: God… when you can pick anything you just don’t know what to pick!
Do you mean a new band?

Q: Yes

A: Ok.. well I’m not sure they even count as a new band anymore… I have been to see The Invisible quite a few times… and they were obviously Mercury nominated which was an absolute bolt out of nowhere knowing the guys… but we have had to follow them before.
I don’t know if you have seen them play before but they are serious improvisers… used to be in the Fire Collective and used to play with Matthew Herbert and stuff and they are absolutely explosive.
But on top of that they have great songs… like great kind of Prince type pop songs… beautiful hooks… and yet they are all in 5/4 and 7/4… and the guy’s voice is just like butter… and it is just a wonderful, wonderful band!

Well I got the first Little Dragon record… these Swedish guys… which is exciting me greatly. And we’re taking a girl called Blue Rosie up with us on tour who is up from Bradford…

Yeah, we’re taking her on the whole lot. She’s something else… again it’s like you think its going to be sweet and sugary but its got some nasty stings in it… it’s very cool

Wild Beasts hit Glasgow Arches on September 29th for a rather exciting show curated by Phoenix. Support comes from uber-talented Blue Roses and the brilliant Paper Planes. One night later they pop over to Edinburgh’s Cabaret Voltaire.

Their highly rated album is out now on Domino.

Interview courtesy of Topman CTRL
Pic: Euan Anderson Wild Beasts @ Stereo: Hinterland May 09

“After the Planes it was time to race up Union Street to Stereo for Wild Beasts, we make it just in time to catch the last 3 songs. The effort was well worth it and Wild Beasts turn out to be a definite highlight of the evening. Recent signings to the illustrious Domino label, this sprightly group of Northerners will be on many a folks radar by the end of this year.” Rokbun May 09

Set in the stunning Somerset Countryside Glastonbury is one of the worlds longest running festivals and it shows. Everything is planned to perfection, from the free bus from the train station at Castle Cary (only two hours from central London) to the free souvenir fabric bag you receive on entry, there’s something distinctly different about this place. Rain on Thursday meant the famous mud was there on arrival but thankfully the rain had eased for Friday. Bang on queue after finding a spot to pitch the tent the rain was back and so rather appropriately to the chorus of Fucked Up belting out from the nearby John Peel Stage the tent went up rather slowly and painfully! At Glastonbury the camping is actually part of the arena, if your lazy enough you could sleep in all day, open the door and watch the bands play! If you want sleep though you’ve come to the wrong place. With approximately 140,000 people on site each day and music and parties running all night, Glastonbury is more than a festival, it’s a mini city.

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Officially the festival kicks off on Friday afternoon but there is plenty going on for those who arrived early on the Thursday. Maximo Park were the highlight of the first night, bassist Archis Tiku said

“we played to what felt like 20000 people bursting out the sides of the tiny Queens Head Stage last night, it was pretty wild!”.

Archis also said he was well excited to see Bruce Springsteen and the Horrors and revealed the band were staying in a B&B in Wells where the Simon Pegg movie Hot Fuzz was filmed!

With a lineup boasting heavy-hitters Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Blur you might expect lesser acts to pepper the lower echelons of the bill. Not so, all across the bill are exciting artists from hotly tipped new bands like The Soft pack, Mumford and Sons, The Temper Trap, Marina and the Diamonds, The Smoke Fairies, The Big Pink, Slow Club, Passion Pit and Broken Records to the biggest acts to emerge from 2008 Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Glasvegas.  You can see why at his traditional Sunday morning press conference Michael Eavis called this

“the best Glastonbury ever”.

There are also a host of surprises over the weekend including the special guest at The Park Stage turning out to be none other than Jack White’s new band the Dead Weather playing and none other than the Black Eyed Peas turning up to play the awesome Jazz World Stage (above)! The only problem with Glastonbury is that there were too many choices to make, Bon Iver or Bruce, catch a bit of Franz then Bruce, Soft Pack or Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Gaslight Anthem or Kasabian, Doves the Horrors or Neil Young…Bloc Party…overload!

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Wanting us to feel at home the organisers had brought in a team of Scottish security stewards (with their own private supply of Irn Bru!) to cover most of the site. Us Scots weren’t just in charge of who got backstage, oh no, there was also a heavy Scottish presence on the stages, Franz Ferdinand headlining The Other Stage on Saturday, Glasvegas late on Sunday afternoon crowning an incredible year and Paisley’s finest Paulo Nutini stepping up a gear at The Other Stage. Edinburgh’s superb idie folksters Broken Records were our favourite catch of Saturday afternoon, from the stage singer Jamie Sutherland said

‘we had three ambitions when we started a band, to get signed, to play Glastonbury and to do a John Peel session’.

Throw in Slam, Calvin Harris and The View and the Scottish takeover is complete. Speaking of Franz, I ran into Alex early on Saturday morning. Not content with sitting in their tour bus, Alex told me he’d been out exploring the site with his brother and was looking forward to catching La Roux and The Horrors,

‘you can walk round Glastonbury and not see any bands and you will still have a great time, that’s what makes it different to any other festival‘.

A hidden gem of the festival, The Gaurdian Tent, boasted a lineup that could rival any lesser festival. A tiny tent between the Pyramid and John Peel stages they showcased a number of acoustic performances and full band shows. In an extremely intimate setting you could catch the Maccabees, White Lies, Little Boots, Peter Bjorn and John, The Invisible, The Big Pink, Golden Silvers, Emmy the Great, the truly wonderful Blue Roses, Slow Club and pop favourites Will Young and Tony Christie. This all while reading your copy of the Guardian, drinking tea and scoffing down lovely homemade baking, you could do a lot worse than sit in here all weekend!

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The scale of Glastonbury is enormous, Blur man Damon Albarn who we seen bopping around on the Saturday commented on the positive atmosphere at the festival. What surprised me was that over 3 days we seen no fights and the best part…even the nuisance of the flying pint was absent. While some festivals claim to be green Glastonbury does more than most with coloured recycling bins everywhere and sponsorship by Greenpeace and Wateraid helping raise awareness the outstanding work they do. With a Kids Field for families full of helter skelters and climbing walls this is a festival that cares about the punters and the environment.

That’s where Glastonbury is different to other festivals, one gets the impression they try and make sure people from all walks of life feel welcome. It can’t be easy catering for a variety of tastes all in a pleasant chilled atmosphere, but the organisers pull it off…and then some!

Neil Young was fantastic his energy and sprightliness would be impressive in a man half his age, he played a monster set with classics ‘Heart of Gold’, ‘Cinnamon Girl’ a rousing version of ‘Down By The River’ and an extended ‘Rocking in The Free World’ before finishing with The Beatles cover ‘A Day In The Life’, rocking out the Friday night crowd nicely.

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Highlights on Saturday night at The Pyramid Stage were Kasabian and of course Bruce Springsteen who also made an appearance earlier in the day with his New Jersey neighbours the Gaslight Anthem over on the John Peel Stage.

Bruce’s set, to a ridiculously packed crowd lasted a glorious two and a half hours. Playing new tracks mixed with timeless gems ‘Badlands’, ‘Lonesome Day‘, ‘The Rising’, ‘The River‘, ‘Thunder Road’ and closer ‘Dancing in The Dark’, the full set list is here. His joyous euphoric set seen The Boss sing across the barrier amongst the crowd and he was clearly having as much fun as the audience. You have to wonder though if anyone at Glastonbury will ever top this two and a half hour curfew breaking epic performance.

A Boss and Glastonbury virgin, I got so carried away with it all I suffered a bad panic attack and I had to sit in a tent for the last 20 minutes of the set! With almost as many Medical Staff on site as BBC employees treating over 4000 people including a lady who gave birth there are worse places to feel unwell. In a medical van to the side of the Pyramid Stage I was nursed better with blankets, a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit (thanks Andy)! Alas though, Bruce was over.

Sundays musical delights were Bon Iver at The Other Stage and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs who played a rousing set with ‘Maps‘, ‘Heads Will Roll’, ‘Zero’, ‘Gold Lion’ and closing with the outrageously sexy ‘Date With The Night’. After playing The Park Stage on the Saturday Bon Iver might have been phased by the huge crowd at The Other Stage but to the contrary more than justified their slot and on the strength of the performance don’t bet against them appearing even higher on the bill in future years, not bad for a man who formed a band after sitting alone in the woods for months!

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Glastonbury is not like any normal festival where they kick the crowd back to the campsite after the last band. Oh no at Glastonbury the party is just getting started. Guided by the lovely ladies from the Smoke Fairies we wandered up the hill into the darkness that is The Greenpiece field. All seemed quiet but then into a tunnel and we emerge Lion With and Wardrobe style from the forest into a mecca of witches and wizards and kindred spirits. We had reached the start of the walk up to The Stone Circle. Build in 1989 you’d think it was as old as Stone Henge. Adding to the vibe were floating lanterns looking like UFO’s desperate to get in on the action. There was magic in the air or at least some very pleasing fragrances of incense and a herbal nature drifting towards us and fires….fires, wait aren’t they banned at festivals!? Usually yes but not at Glastonbury, they even sell firewood near the Pyramid Stage!

Can you imagine the carnage at T in The Park if they actively encouraged fire-raising!  There are also numerous purpose build nightclubs in Shangri La scene of Keith Allens band partying on down till 7am, I’m sure well after his daughter Lilly had no doubt passed out. That’s if she kept drinking like she was when we seen her after her Pyramid set! There was also an area called Trash City which was exactly that, a city made out of trash including an aircraft fuselage and an actual New York Taxi poking out a building with smoke still coming form it! It feels like a scene from Terminator with the rest of the world burned to the ground and nothing left to do  but party till dawn in nightclub emerging from the planes fuselage, as far as festivals go, it really doesn’t get any better than this.

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Michael Eavis got rumours about next year started already when he announced,

“We’ve got some headliners who haven’t played for a few years and some who have never played here, I’m not saying names, it will be the same old guessing game.” Could he be talking about Bowie!?

Better go here and get registering for Glasto 2010!

After London and Leeds the Stag and Dagger festival rolled into Glasgow for the final day of this 3 day and 3 city festival. This is the second such event in Glasgow in a month after Hinterland a few weeks back and the appetite for such festivals is obvious with a huge line up Sauchiehall Street to collect tickets. Tonight’s lineup is packed with the best local bands and some rising stars from farther afield. Fortunately with a bit of careful planning and good scheduling on behalf of PCL there is no need to hike round the city.

First stop, NME Stage at the Captain’s Rest. Due to a change in set times at said venue the night starts with slight disappointment as I arrive as local band Over the Wall are on their last song, their mix of electronic drums, keyboards and guitar has rightly attracted a bumper crowd despite it being early in the day. We Were Promised Jetpacks are in attendance, obviously fans, Over The Wall will support them at their album launch on June 15th in King Tuts, we’ll be there to.

Next up in the same venue is another exciting Glasgow band, The French Wives, the venue is rammed and the Wives seem surprised, they shouldn’t be. Since I reviewed them 8 days ago, leave little new to report. Stuart’s had a haircut, they still sadly don’t count Sarcosy’s missus or that one out of the Clio ad among their number, and they’re still undeniably brilliant. Deliberately detaching myself from what I generally look for in their performance, I notice drummer Jonny’s exemplary bass pedal work and Stuart’s superb lyrics. The lyrics really speak as a snapshot for the city which shaped him. Each song stands as an image as iconic as the Clyde tower, The University of Glasgow or the Kelvingrove Art Museum, they speak for the city, almost as well as Alex Kapranos did on Franz Ferdinand’s debut.

No sooner had the French Wives stellar crescendo died down and it’s time to hot foot it to the ABC for Frightened Rabbit, the flip side of the scheduling change, the boys are performing a special two-piece brothers set. The ABC is surprisingly barren upon arrival but quickly picks up during the first two tunes, from first album ‘Sing The Greys’ as Scott announces:

“So, this is what we sounded like before anybody liked us”, a flippant crowd member replies

“no one likes you now.” This is clearly untrue, the crowd swells and becomes more receptive as more familiar tunes from ‘Midnight Organ Fight’ are rolled out from ‘Fast Blood’ to ‘Keep Yourself Warm’ and ‘Modern Leper’ to the delight of the crowd, inspiring mass sing-a-longs among all present. Grant looks possessed from behind the kit and the entire set, though wrought with technical problems, has a rawer edge and evokes more aggression than the more rounded sound when performing as a four piece.

There is barely time to catch breath before the second part of the Fatcat double header, The Twilight Sad, take to the stage. Several members of the band are sporting a new look since last I saw them, guitarist Andy guitarist has taken a bic to his hair and combines that with a beard, while bassist Craig wears a positively terrifying all encompassing head mask. Thankfully, this is all that’s changed; the set opens with recently leaked new song ‘Reflection in the Television’ it’s the first new song played in a set peppered with new’uns. These songs offer an optimistic slant regarding the imminent release of second studio album, ‘Forget The Night Ahead’, due in September. The set doesn’t forget how good their debut, ‘Fourteen Autumns & Fifteen Winters’, was though playing through several old favourites such as I’m taking the train home, ‘Walking for Two Hours’ and the powerful ‘That Summer, At Home I Had Become The Invisible Boy’. They are still impeccable anthems and despite an overly grandiose finale, which irked some onlookers, but overall it was a real statement of intent.

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With highly rated local bands Paper Planes and Findo Gask playing down the street and Cursive and  Black Lips a little further there was some temptation to attempt a mad dash. In the end the Art School’s interesting lineup and close proximity to the ABC made for a far less stressful night. First up in the big room are Austin’s White Denim, the packed crowd know they are in for a treat when they blast into ‘Mess Your Hair Up’ from their first record ‘Workout Holiday’ before there comes a preview of songs from the soon to be released follow up ‘Fits’. The ferocious drive of the Texan trio’s renowned live shows with songs merging into each other gives an exciting unpredictability to their set. If ‘Fits’ carries on the momentum of their debut they could be one of next year’s crossover successes

Next it was downstairs for hotly tipped Chew Lips, one of the stars for this years Camden Crawl, NME darlings and booked for Glastonbury. Combine that with front lady Tigs increasing deva status and you’d be crazy to bet against this lot, with songs like the infections ‘Solo’ and ‘Play Together’ why would you. The crowd was sparse but those in the know were there to see a band on the ascendancy.

A short trip up the stairs of the Art School back to the big room followed just in time to catch the opening of The Phantom Band. A year ago they were playing venues like the now defunct Beat Club, Sleazys and all the others on the way up. Now. Their debut ‘Checkmate Savage’ is out on at Chemikal Underground. Tipped by MOJO and Clash as /the/ band to listen to in 2009, it’s no surprise to see the room so busy.

Straight after downstairs in The Vic Bar are a group who are much lauded for their recorded material but with a rather ropey live reputation The Joy Formidable . I don’t know what the fuss is about, they played tight and oozed confidence, looks like the package is coming together and again you’ll be hearing more from this lot. The night ends in Nice N Sleazy’s dancing with White Denim, Paper Planes, The Phantom Band and The French Wives.

Words: Chris Panks
Pics: Bart Photography

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