Helen posted on her PledgeMusic account an update (available to pledgers) with a sneak-peek of a song titled "The Hunter" from her solo album.
If you want to hear the audio snippet, go here and pledge to support her.
16 February 2013
10 February 2013
Driving game
Click here to play a simplistic driving game related to Ladytron. The plot is to help Ladytron get to shows in 3 different cities, avoid obstacles and collect spinning records on the road.
28 January 2013
Helen Marnie' solo album (8)
Daniel Hunt about Marnie's album: "Getting close with the mixes on Helen's record. Some already shiver-inducing... good sign".
15 January 2013
The Electricity Club interview (2013)
With Ladytron currently in hiatus, main vocalist Helen Marnie has taken a busman's holiday and recorded a solo album "with more of a pop element and pristine vocals". The end result will be released under the moniker of Marnie via Pledge Music, an online Direct-to-Fan / Fan-funded music platform that facilitates musicians to reach out to their fanbase and financially contribute to upcoming recordings or other musical projects in return for the music itself, exclusive updates and exclusive merchandise offers. It's an innovative approach that is very much in keeping with the forward thinking ethos of Ladytron. With the almost complete project still very much under wraps but scheduled to be unleashed in the Spring of 2013, Helen Marnie kindly chatted to The Electricity Club about what may in store with her debut offering and how she thinks crowdfunding is the way forward for musicians...
The Ladytron '00-10' compilation nicely documented the band's career to date. What have been your own career highlights?
Going to China in 2005 was another, we were taken out there by The British Council and we did five gigs there in Shenzhen, Chongqing and Shanghai. Before going out there, I was a bit hesitant because no-one was going to know us, they couldn't even get the album out there. But Shenzhen, it was right next to Hong Kong. So playing there, it was really great and absolutely packed as people had travelled over from Hong Kong where Ladytron probably went down quite well. Overall, that tour was quite an eye opener, I'd never been to China and it was educational.
How do you look back on the last Ladytron album 'Gravity the Seducer' as it seemed to get a mixed reaction from fans?
Well, I think there was, but then there always is! *laughs*
I love it and we were all happy with it. I think that album and 'Witching Hour' are my favourites. But there are always fans that want another '604' or 'Light & Magic'. We weren't really happy to stay that way and after you've done ten years of touring, it kind of changes you and the kind of record you want to make, so you want to keep doing things differently. I think as well, there's a lot of Mira fans who want something in Bulgarian and if you don't deliver, they get a bit... disappointed! If Mira wants to sing in English, she'll sing in English! It's her choice! *laughs*
You can never please everyone... so as long as we're happy, that's cool.
The approach to the vocals on 'Ambulances' was quite different to what you had done before. What inspired that?
I don't know, I wrote that song so it's quite personal to me but it just comes naturally. I guess it is a bit different as it's quite high; it's falsetto-ish which I guess is unusual for Ladytron. It's what came and felt right for the track and I think it's quite an emotional song so maybe it's sung that way as well.
When did a solo album become a realistic project for you to undertake and what motivated you? What's its title?
You mentioned Danny Hunt being involved but bearing in mind what you said about wanting it different from Ladytron, had you considered to making this album Tron free?
Looking back now, maybe I should have done it that way but the opportunity arose and Danny wanted to do it. I wasn't quite sure how I would do it with anyone else really at the time. It just felt right.
The instrumental soundtracking the launch video is very dreamy and appropriately serene... how has the Icelandic environment been to work in and did the landscapes inspire you?
The record was written before I went out there but I've been to Iceland before... it's kind of a strange place! *laughs*
Reykjavik is pretty cool but tiny. It's very relaxing and the people are nice, it's very fresh and there's a lot of creative people there. Working with Bardi was cool because he's like an Icelandic rock star so knows absolutely everyone there. So if we wanted a drummer in, he could arrange that or someone on strings. But the reality is, we were working quite long days so it was limited how much light I saw but the experience overall was pretty good.
What approaches have you been taking that are different from Ladytron?
I guess having to write on my own, and a whole album as well. The approach is not so much different because in Ladytron, one person writes and you either take it into the studio and develop it, or someone else adds something. That's was pretty much the same thing. I had the songs as far as I could take them and they were developed more fully in Iceland. They've changed quite substantially with instrumentation and things like that.
You've described this album as 'an electronic pop album' and cited ABBA as an influence; this sounds quite intriguing as Reuben once described Ladytron as "ABBA Noir" while Danny said "I'm suspicious of people who don't like ABBA – it's like not liking music!"... who have been the other influences?
It's weird, when I sit down to write, it's like a specific time and something's happened... I feel like I need to get it out and it'll start from there. It's an emotional process and that's probably when I get most writing done.
What instruments have you been using? Are you still using the faithful Korg Delta or the Cordovox? Or have you gone virtual or organic as it were?
There's a Delta in there, there is a Moog and Vocoder but they're subliminal. You wouldn't necessarily know they're there. There's piano across the album and some autoharp but there's lots of synths and organs. It's all virtual to start with and we'll add more or take away what was on the demo and replace it with a real synth. That's generally how it happens.
Can you describe some of the songs you've been working on?
There is a song called 'Submariner', it's about a person but also influenced by the environment and the sea obviously. And...yeah, that's all I'll give you right now! *laughs*
Pledge Music is a novel idea for raising an independent budget for the album, how does this work for you as an artist?
It's an interesting this "less is more" approach because you can give too much away on the internet these days, it's nice to have a bit of mystery...
Yes, but I do feel the pressure of possibly letting them down a little bit. I think they've got to be open minded to do it in the first place because they don't know what to expect. They can't expect something sounding like Ladytron because it's me! But I think that crowdfunding is going to explode, it's already a huge thing but it's just going to go a lot further because where are artists making money these days? And how can they? Bands and artists have to do things themselves now so this is a good way for them to do it.
There a lot of people doing it, they're making a lot of money though *laughs*
One of the things you get with Pledge Music is the sale of artefacts and memorabilia. I see you had takers for your shoes and your bikini...
A MAN!!! *laughs*
What? For the bikini or the shoes??
Yeah...both of them!! *laughs*
Was there much interest in your Mini-Cooper?
NO!! Not at all! I kinda put it on there for a laugh... no-one is seriously going to buy it but if someone wants to do, then they can have it y'know! I really love my Mini, I'm going to keep it and it's garaged. But I have a dog now and I can't fit my dog on my knees so it's not really ideal! But it's a good car! I thought it would be a fun thing for the pledge. *laughs*
The moniker Marnie is obviously from your surname but are you a fan of the Hitchcock film?
Oh yes, definitely but we came first... a lot of people call me Marnie anyway so it feels close to me and I didn't feel comfortable using my full name so I thought I'd do it that way.
Is Marnie intended to be a studio-bound project or will you go out live?
The way I'm approaching it is one step at a time. The album is not finished yet, it needs to be mixed and mastered. Then we have to fulfil all the pledges. So once it's out and anyone likes it and they want me to do some things, I will consider it. I'm very open to things but I'm realistic as well. I want to see how things go but I think it would be really exciting... I would be scared shitless doing something live on my own I think, but I would be really excited!
Have you heard the new Glaswegian electronic act Chvrches?
What else have you been listening to?
I got into Grimes, the vocals of Ren Harvieu and Bat For Lashes but then, I've always liked her. I don't necessarily listen to electronic stuff all the time and some of it, I'm kinda "Hmmmm"! I think it's great that electronic music is on a high at right now but it's so saturated as well. Everyone's going "it's great" cos it's electronic and I'm like "I'm not so sure" so... but there's lots of good stuff.
What's next for Ladytron?
Ladytron are still all together. It's just a period of time to think really. Mira's busy with her family, Danny's just recently moved to Brazil, I think Reuben's moving to the US and I've just moved back up to Glasgow... so it's a period of change.
We need some time just to get ourselves together but we'll be writing over the next few months to get the songs together for another album which could be out this year, but we'll just see how it goes really. We do plan to do another album which we will all be working for when the time is right.
Source
08 January 2013
06 January 2013
Rare FM interview (2005)
Ladytron's Daniel Hunt talks to Robert Dunn and Pavel Oulik about why the new album has taken so long, losing the uniforms, Liverpool and why Pete Burns is probably better than him.
First thing, there's been a delay in releasing this album. It was meant to come out last year. What happened there?
We changed labels, that's all. When we started working on it, we were on Emperor Norton in the US and Telstar/Warner UK and rest of the world. Both those labels imploded while we were making the album. It was a ridiculous helpless situation to be in. We were in the process of demoing it two years ago. We went into to record it April 2004 so it could've been released by that autumn. It was very quick to write and record. It was really quite an easy smooth creative process. Just logistics held it up really, nothing that exciting.
The new album seems to continue in the vein of Light & Magic in that it was a departure from 604 for a darker, less poppy sound.
Maybe, in part of it but I think arguably it is the same as Light & Magic. Parts of that were darker but parts of it were more poppy in a way, like "Evil" or "Seventeen", or "Blue Jeans". This one, and I know everyone says that about their latest album, but this is by far our favourite and a lot closer to what we intended to do and the sound in our heads than previous two albums. It's a lot closer to what we originally had in mind and it's just a lot better articulated. The production's better; the songs are better; arrangement's better. It's also because we finished it a year ago but we still listened to it ourselves, which is probably slightly narcissistic, but if we're not bored of it yet; hopefully other people won't be.
Is it true that when you were touching it up in LA, the production guy thought there were guitars on there?
Well yeah, this story actually came when we recorded a cover version of Tweet's "Oops, Oh My" which musically was totally different to the original. It was just an idea we had on Monday, rehearsed on Tuesday and recorded on Wednesday and it was on the NME Turn On Chart the week after. It's just a little anecdotal thing, but it was all overdriven monosynth on our sound. When we were mastering it, the master engineer said 'I'm gonna tweak that frequency to bring out the guitars a bit more' and we were like 'Well, there no guitars on it'. It's the same thing with this record, like when people heard "Sugar" they went 'they've gone guitary'. The only guitar on that album is that high pitched wailing sound, the rest of is synths and the drums are drum machine. I think people hear a dynamic like that and assume that it's rock and also everybody is waiting for every synth band to commit the ultimate act of betrayal, Depeche Mode style. Like, y'know 'They've gone rock on us! They've gone rock on us! I knew it was gonna happen!' and that's not what we did. This record, in terms of our original root, probably the most influential band on me of the nineties is Stereolab and that's where we come from. Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine. We always got compared to The Human League and Kraftwerk but we were constantly trying to say that that was not what we wanted to do.
This is your first proper tour since Light & Magic in 2003. How does it feel to be back on the road?
It's good because there's only so much you can think about music, especially after such a long time working on this record and waiting for it to be released. Playing live is like the closest you get to manual labour, like working in a factory - it's instantly gratifying. So when you're on tour for a long time you're desperate to get creative again. I think it's very difficult to work on music when you're playing music every night. Thinking about those old songs, you need a break from that. But once you've been thinking about phased high-hat sounds for eighteen months you definitely want to get back on the pirate ship again. Go out there and hammer away.
So how's the tour been so far?
It's been good. It's got progressively better night by night. We remember the Oxford one being particularly good. Aberdeen as well. Glasgow was last night and that's always good. Played in Liverpool... our tour was strangely routed. We made a set of Mickey Mouse ears. We were just backwards and forwards on the M62 for like four days.
How was the Liverpool one?
It was good. Mine and Reuben's families were all out. It was good actually, because normally, loath to admit it but, the Manchester ones tend to be better than the ones in Liverpool.
I remember being at the last Liverpool gig in 2003 and there was a moshpit.
Were you at that one?
Yeah, and Franz Ferdinand supported.
Oh yeah, that little band. It was funny that because we supported them this September. A strange symmetry two years later. We thought they were really good and thought they were gonna do well but we had no idea that was gonna happen.
And Reuben's dad was next to me.
Oh yeah, Reuben's dad was moshing. He was at it again this week.
You played a cover of Cabaret Voltaire's "Nag Nag Nag" on your last tour. Are you gonna do that again this tour?
I dunno, why did we do that? It was just something we wanted to do at that point. It was funny because when we were working it out, we worked out the music easily - it's just two chords, Mira actually phoned up and got Richard H. Kirk's number off a mutual friend to get the lyrics and he was like 'I'm not sure if I remember them' so she was sitting in the rehearsal room on the phone transcribing the lyrics direct from source. We then invited them to Leeds Festival because we were going to play it live but our set was too short so we couldn't even play it and they were standing there at the side. So I dunno, we might play it again or we might just do another cover probably.
You've ditched the uniform outfits. Was this because it was limiting since people generally and the press especially were concentrating on the image of the band?
A little bit, but it's also because they were made for the last record. They weren't the same as the ones we had for the first record. On the first record we were wearing a few different things, but yeah it did get focused on a lot. It was just something that had run its course. And the girls wanted to wear dresses. I suppose it goes with the record as well, creatively the record's free-er. If things get difficult we can always sell them on ebay. Actually there were three sets. There was a green one, a black one and a white one. The white one only got worn once because it looked too much like catering had arrived.
Light & Magic was well received in the US and you played to much bigger crowds. Are you going back there to tour this album?
Yeah, definitely going back in Spring around March-April. This album's gone down even better than the last one. Getting better reviews and a lot more radio play even.
What do you think the difference is? Here you're relatively famous but what's it like in the States?
Well it's the same there. We're famous on a cult level. We sell out a venue like this [Koko] but it's not like cab drivers know who we are so I think it's probably a good level to be at. Over there it's basically the same but the venues are bigger, obviously the country's bigger. Like we've played somewhere bigger than this in New York and Chicago but then they're bigger cities.
Between touring, being in the studio and DJing which do you enjoy most?
It's different because there's so many different ways you can think in terms of music. In the studio, the album is the main thing but once you've thought about a record for so long you wanna get to work in the factory. DJing is just a bit of fun and also an easy way to get to places where the band hasn't been yet. We did Brazil, Argentina three or four times. We haven't played live there yet but we will next year. And we always go to America before we go on tour and do a DJ tour first so it's just an extra element. I think it works for us in terms of getting our name around as well.
Your DJ sets all differ. You're all very eclectic but your styles differ within the band.
Yeah, exactly. You get more Fleetwood Mac with Helen; you get more Os Mutantes with me; you get more Johnny Cash with Mira. Reuben just plays Gabba nowadays.
The British Council set a few gigs in China for you. How was that different to what you're used to?
It was an emotionally pretty draining experience for me even though I really enjoyed it. It was just like so much experience packed into two weeks. We only played four shows and saw so much. I mean if we'd just played Shanghai it wouldn't have been anyway near as weird. It would have been very impressive. But we saw Chungking as well which was completely different, it could have been a completely different country. It was good that they picked us to do it because they could've picked any band out there. But someone, somewhere decided we were taken out there.
You're the representatives of the British music industry.
Well, exactly. They could've taken any four-piece y'know four boys guitar band out there but they probably thought 'What good is that gonna do?' Without wanting to sound too big-headed but maybe they saw in us someone doing something a bit different rather than the regular thing people expect from Britain.
Do you have a favourite moment from a gig and/or DJing?
A lot of gigs on the American tour were really special. The gig in Sofia was very special. Exit Festival in Serbia this year was especially good. And the Champions League final, DJing that and playing Ring of Fire 40 times in succession.
How many fans were you DJing to?
Well a lot of them were still arriving so it was like this river of red coming down the hillside and I was trying to play a John Peel tribute set. So I played The Modern Lovers, "Kicker Conspiracy" by The Fall but I just kept having these guys coming up asking for "Ring of Fire" so I ended up kept putting it on. I knew Pete Wylie was gonna play a cover version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" later on so I asked his permission like 'd'ya mind if I played it now?' and he let me so I put it on and there was probably 25,000. Instantly, all these scarves in the air and everyone singing, I was literally in tears. It was the most insane thing, I'm sure there's footage of me and Gary from The Bandits who was there with us, people were passing us flags. After Wylie's version I had to DJ again so I stuck "Ring of Fire" on again and there was a stage invasion. The stage was just suddenly full of fans and I just looked at the people around me looking on in horror and I was like 'You best just pack these CD players away. I shouldn't play anymore. You should just take it all away now otherwise someone else will take it away for you!'. So I just gave up and then got pissed. And then went into the stadium and took 15 years off my life.
So that was before the match?
Yeah, before the match. I couldn't have done anything after the match.
Yeah, I was watching in my local and I couldn't bear to watch the penalty shoot-out so I had to stand outside.
The only question for me was what was gonna take me first? Heart failure or brain haemorrhage? Or a combination of the two.
It was quite an experience when you're in a pub in North London full of Arsenal fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone".
Aw, that must have been mad, yeah. Seriously, I've heard that tragically some people did have heart attacks. Like some 22 year old kid from Ireland died in the pub during the game and I'm like fucking hell. And he didn't even know we'd won y'know. What a fucking way to go. I kind of lived in Milan for half of last year because my girlfriend lived there and made loads of Milan fan friends - lost them all. Made a lot of Inter friends now.
What are you listening to on your iPod at the moment?
I suppose just a case of what I've put on it. I put a load of Eno on it recently, and the Clor album. And I uploaded a load of Os Mutantes onto it. But it's quite an old one so the battery life in is like half an hour or something.
Who's the best band to come out of Liverpool? You or Dead Or Alive?
Ah, definitely Dead Or Alive! They were actually a credible band at one point. No one remembers this but what DOA were doing before they got involved with Stock, Aitkin and Waterman, they sounded like The Doors. They were more like The Cult or something like what The Cult were like in the mid-eighties. But then something happened, I dunno what. But I think Pete Burns is laughing all the way to the bank anyway.
What are your plans for the future?
More records. Well tour, this record, then the next record will come out a lot quicker.
So you enjoying it?
Yeah, yeah, more than ever to be honest. The more we do it the closer we get to a definitive thing. There won't be the gap, because we've had so much time off we've already written the next one. It would be good if we could have another record out this time next year. It depends on how much touring we do in the interim. I'm trying to press that we can take a month off and get the new record done.
So you've already got material for the next one?
Oh yeah, there's loads of stuff already there. We just need time to actually record it. So maybe if we can get a month off somewhere between now and next summer we might be able to go in and record it.
Do you think you'll ever get bored of this lifestyle?
I dunno, it's all I've done; I've never actually had a job in my life. Not because I come from any position of privilege, y'know, very normal family. I've just been very very lucky. All I've ever done is DJ and bands so I can't see myself getting bored of it. It's just a case of where you live. If I wasn't travelling so much I probably wouldn't live in Liverpool.
So are you still living in Liverpool?
Yeah, Reuben and I both bought places in Liverpool. It's a good base but if I weren't travelling all the time I wouldn't stay there. I mean I really love Liverpool and it's obviously home but I wanna live other places.
Where in Liverpool did you grow up?
I was born in Crosby but I grew up in the Wirral...
Really? I grew up in Toxteth and Aigburth, but then moved to Crosby where I lost me accent. [For readers ignorant of Liverpudlian geography, Crosby's a bit posh]
Oh, Reuben's flat is in Toxteth. Mine's in right in town, Duke Street. But we both grew up on the Wirral. We just opened a bar in Liverpool actually which makes things a bit more interesting.
I was back home in the summer and I tried to go to your club [Club Evol] but it wasn't on.
Yeah, because we were opening our own place we stopped the night where it was and we opened this new place, it's like a café-bar during the day and a club at night. It's called Korova on Fleet Street and Wood Street, near Probe Records. That's been open two weeks and going really well. It's a lot more satisfying than doing a club night because other people can do stuff in there and it's about making somewhere where it's good all the time and other people can use it. Like on Wednesday night Dave McCabe and The Zutons just turned up and did acoustic. We programme the music in there pretty carefully, the décor's nice and get all our favourite Latin American beers on the bar.
Do you mind if I take some pictures?
Could you take it later? You gonna be around for the gig? Could you take it later because I've basically just got out of bed and look like shit. It's what I've been dreading because all the interviews have been scheduled during loading time so a bit too early for me.
27 October 2005
Source
We changed labels, that's all. When we started working on it, we were on Emperor Norton in the US and Telstar/Warner UK and rest of the world. Both those labels imploded while we were making the album. It was a ridiculous helpless situation to be in. We were in the process of demoing it two years ago. We went into to record it April 2004 so it could've been released by that autumn. It was very quick to write and record. It was really quite an easy smooth creative process. Just logistics held it up really, nothing that exciting.
The new album seems to continue in the vein of Light & Magic in that it was a departure from 604 for a darker, less poppy sound.
Maybe, in part of it but I think arguably it is the same as Light & Magic. Parts of that were darker but parts of it were more poppy in a way, like "Evil" or "Seventeen", or "Blue Jeans". This one, and I know everyone says that about their latest album, but this is by far our favourite and a lot closer to what we intended to do and the sound in our heads than previous two albums. It's a lot closer to what we originally had in mind and it's just a lot better articulated. The production's better; the songs are better; arrangement's better. It's also because we finished it a year ago but we still listened to it ourselves, which is probably slightly narcissistic, but if we're not bored of it yet; hopefully other people won't be.
Is it true that when you were touching it up in LA, the production guy thought there were guitars on there?
Well yeah, this story actually came when we recorded a cover version of Tweet's "Oops, Oh My" which musically was totally different to the original. It was just an idea we had on Monday, rehearsed on Tuesday and recorded on Wednesday and it was on the NME Turn On Chart the week after. It's just a little anecdotal thing, but it was all overdriven monosynth on our sound. When we were mastering it, the master engineer said 'I'm gonna tweak that frequency to bring out the guitars a bit more' and we were like 'Well, there no guitars on it'. It's the same thing with this record, like when people heard "Sugar" they went 'they've gone guitary'. The only guitar on that album is that high pitched wailing sound, the rest of is synths and the drums are drum machine. I think people hear a dynamic like that and assume that it's rock and also everybody is waiting for every synth band to commit the ultimate act of betrayal, Depeche Mode style. Like, y'know 'They've gone rock on us! They've gone rock on us! I knew it was gonna happen!' and that's not what we did. This record, in terms of our original root, probably the most influential band on me of the nineties is Stereolab and that's where we come from. Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine. We always got compared to The Human League and Kraftwerk but we were constantly trying to say that that was not what we wanted to do.
It's good because there's only so much you can think about music, especially after such a long time working on this record and waiting for it to be released. Playing live is like the closest you get to manual labour, like working in a factory - it's instantly gratifying. So when you're on tour for a long time you're desperate to get creative again. I think it's very difficult to work on music when you're playing music every night. Thinking about those old songs, you need a break from that. But once you've been thinking about phased high-hat sounds for eighteen months you definitely want to get back on the pirate ship again. Go out there and hammer away.
So how's the tour been so far?
It's been good. It's got progressively better night by night. We remember the Oxford one being particularly good. Aberdeen as well. Glasgow was last night and that's always good. Played in Liverpool... our tour was strangely routed. We made a set of Mickey Mouse ears. We were just backwards and forwards on the M62 for like four days.
How was the Liverpool one?
It was good. Mine and Reuben's families were all out. It was good actually, because normally, loath to admit it but, the Manchester ones tend to be better than the ones in Liverpool.
I remember being at the last Liverpool gig in 2003 and there was a moshpit.
Were you at that one?
Yeah, and Franz Ferdinand supported.
Oh yeah, that little band. It was funny that because we supported them this September. A strange symmetry two years later. We thought they were really good and thought they were gonna do well but we had no idea that was gonna happen.
And Reuben's dad was next to me.
Oh yeah, Reuben's dad was moshing. He was at it again this week.
You played a cover of Cabaret Voltaire's "Nag Nag Nag" on your last tour. Are you gonna do that again this tour?
I dunno, why did we do that? It was just something we wanted to do at that point. It was funny because when we were working it out, we worked out the music easily - it's just two chords, Mira actually phoned up and got Richard H. Kirk's number off a mutual friend to get the lyrics and he was like 'I'm not sure if I remember them' so she was sitting in the rehearsal room on the phone transcribing the lyrics direct from source. We then invited them to Leeds Festival because we were going to play it live but our set was too short so we couldn't even play it and they were standing there at the side. So I dunno, we might play it again or we might just do another cover probably.
A little bit, but it's also because they were made for the last record. They weren't the same as the ones we had for the first record. On the first record we were wearing a few different things, but yeah it did get focused on a lot. It was just something that had run its course. And the girls wanted to wear dresses. I suppose it goes with the record as well, creatively the record's free-er. If things get difficult we can always sell them on ebay. Actually there were three sets. There was a green one, a black one and a white one. The white one only got worn once because it looked too much like catering had arrived.
Light & Magic was well received in the US and you played to much bigger crowds. Are you going back there to tour this album?
Yeah, definitely going back in Spring around March-April. This album's gone down even better than the last one. Getting better reviews and a lot more radio play even.
What do you think the difference is? Here you're relatively famous but what's it like in the States?
Well it's the same there. We're famous on a cult level. We sell out a venue like this [Koko] but it's not like cab drivers know who we are so I think it's probably a good level to be at. Over there it's basically the same but the venues are bigger, obviously the country's bigger. Like we've played somewhere bigger than this in New York and Chicago but then they're bigger cities.
Between touring, being in the studio and DJing which do you enjoy most?
It's different because there's so many different ways you can think in terms of music. In the studio, the album is the main thing but once you've thought about a record for so long you wanna get to work in the factory. DJing is just a bit of fun and also an easy way to get to places where the band hasn't been yet. We did Brazil, Argentina three or four times. We haven't played live there yet but we will next year. And we always go to America before we go on tour and do a DJ tour first so it's just an extra element. I think it works for us in terms of getting our name around as well.
Your DJ sets all differ. You're all very eclectic but your styles differ within the band.
Yeah, exactly. You get more Fleetwood Mac with Helen; you get more Os Mutantes with me; you get more Johnny Cash with Mira. Reuben just plays Gabba nowadays.
The British Council set a few gigs in China for you. How was that different to what you're used to?
It was an emotionally pretty draining experience for me even though I really enjoyed it. It was just like so much experience packed into two weeks. We only played four shows and saw so much. I mean if we'd just played Shanghai it wouldn't have been anyway near as weird. It would have been very impressive. But we saw Chungking as well which was completely different, it could have been a completely different country. It was good that they picked us to do it because they could've picked any band out there. But someone, somewhere decided we were taken out there.
You're the representatives of the British music industry.
Well, exactly. They could've taken any four-piece y'know four boys guitar band out there but they probably thought 'What good is that gonna do?' Without wanting to sound too big-headed but maybe they saw in us someone doing something a bit different rather than the regular thing people expect from Britain.
Do you have a favourite moment from a gig and/or DJing?
A lot of gigs on the American tour were really special. The gig in Sofia was very special. Exit Festival in Serbia this year was especially good. And the Champions League final, DJing that and playing Ring of Fire 40 times in succession.
How many fans were you DJing to?
So that was before the match?
Yeah, before the match. I couldn't have done anything after the match.
Yeah, I was watching in my local and I couldn't bear to watch the penalty shoot-out so I had to stand outside.
The only question for me was what was gonna take me first? Heart failure or brain haemorrhage? Or a combination of the two.
It was quite an experience when you're in a pub in North London full of Arsenal fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone".
Aw, that must have been mad, yeah. Seriously, I've heard that tragically some people did have heart attacks. Like some 22 year old kid from Ireland died in the pub during the game and I'm like fucking hell. And he didn't even know we'd won y'know. What a fucking way to go. I kind of lived in Milan for half of last year because my girlfriend lived there and made loads of Milan fan friends - lost them all. Made a lot of Inter friends now.
What are you listening to on your iPod at the moment?
I suppose just a case of what I've put on it. I put a load of Eno on it recently, and the Clor album. And I uploaded a load of Os Mutantes onto it. But it's quite an old one so the battery life in is like half an hour or something.
Who's the best band to come out of Liverpool? You or Dead Or Alive?
Ah, definitely Dead Or Alive! They were actually a credible band at one point. No one remembers this but what DOA were doing before they got involved with Stock, Aitkin and Waterman, they sounded like The Doors. They were more like The Cult or something like what The Cult were like in the mid-eighties. But then something happened, I dunno what. But I think Pete Burns is laughing all the way to the bank anyway.
More records. Well tour, this record, then the next record will come out a lot quicker.
So you enjoying it?
Yeah, yeah, more than ever to be honest. The more we do it the closer we get to a definitive thing. There won't be the gap, because we've had so much time off we've already written the next one. It would be good if we could have another record out this time next year. It depends on how much touring we do in the interim. I'm trying to press that we can take a month off and get the new record done.
So you've already got material for the next one?
Oh yeah, there's loads of stuff already there. We just need time to actually record it. So maybe if we can get a month off somewhere between now and next summer we might be able to go in and record it.
Do you think you'll ever get bored of this lifestyle?
I dunno, it's all I've done; I've never actually had a job in my life. Not because I come from any position of privilege, y'know, very normal family. I've just been very very lucky. All I've ever done is DJ and bands so I can't see myself getting bored of it. It's just a case of where you live. If I wasn't travelling so much I probably wouldn't live in Liverpool.
So are you still living in Liverpool?
Yeah, Reuben and I both bought places in Liverpool. It's a good base but if I weren't travelling all the time I wouldn't stay there. I mean I really love Liverpool and it's obviously home but I wanna live other places.
Where in Liverpool did you grow up?
I was born in Crosby but I grew up in the Wirral...
Really? I grew up in Toxteth and Aigburth, but then moved to Crosby where I lost me accent. [For readers ignorant of Liverpudlian geography, Crosby's a bit posh]
Oh, Reuben's flat is in Toxteth. Mine's in right in town, Duke Street. But we both grew up on the Wirral. We just opened a bar in Liverpool actually which makes things a bit more interesting.
I was back home in the summer and I tried to go to your club [Club Evol] but it wasn't on.
Do you mind if I take some pictures?
Could you take it later? You gonna be around for the gig? Could you take it later because I've basically just got out of bed and look like shit. It's what I've been dreading because all the interviews have been scheduled during loading time so a bit too early for me.
27 October 2005
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03 January 2013
30 December 2012
Under the Radar interview (2012)
Top 10 Albums of 2012
2. Bat For Lashes: The Haunted Man — I've loved Bat For Lashes from day one. She is consistently good. Her dulcet tones helped lull me to sleep in my bunk on the tour bus over a two-month period.
3. Grimes: Visions — Her videos are cool. It's obvious she does what she wants. Her songs are serene electronica. Soothing, yet they make me want to dance at the same time.
4. Friends: Manifest! — "I'm His Girl" is one of those tracks that is just an instant classic. I was lucky enough to see these guys play in London in February.
5. Emeli Sande: Our Version of Events — She hails from Scotland, so one bonus point there. She also has one of the best voices I have ever heard. The kind of voice that makes you cry because you will never be able to emulate such great heights. "Heaven" is a great, great track.
6. Beach House: Bloom — I'd never listened to Beach House before this alburn. It feels good.
7. Miaoux Miaoux: Light of the North — I've recently moved back to Glasgow from London so wanted to immerse myself in the music scene up here. I'm all about flying the flag. 8. The M Machine: Metropolis Pt. 1 - I discovered this album when I was looking for tunes to spin for a DJ gig in Poland this sumrner. It's not what I would usually listen to, but everything has a place. Love the dirtiness of "Immigrants." Love, love, love it.
9. Tame Impala: Lonerism
10. Churches — OK, so they haven't officially got an album out yet, but perhaps they will have by the time this is print. I've loved their songs "Lies" and "Mother." Again, hailing frorn Glasgow. I think these two guys and a girl are going to go far. They're so fresh.
What was the highlight of 2012 for either you personally or for the band?
I think I will remember 2012 as the year I wrote and recorded my debut solo album, launched a Pledge campaign to support it, and fulfilled the target within about two days. It's amazing what people power can do.
What was the low point of 2012 for you?
The low point of 2012 for me was losing my granddad. He was so cool. I miss him.
Tell us about your first kiss.
I had my first kiss when I was about 12. I wore a brace. Not cool.
Did you watch this year's Olympics? What was your favorite event and which event would you be best at?
I lived in Hackney until a couple of months ago so was lucky to have the Olympics right on my doorstep. It was such a great time. Everyone was on a high. London had never been such a happy, friendly place! One of my favorite events is the swimming and I actually went to some of the heats. Being a bit of a water baby, I like to think I'd be good at the freestyle.
What is your least favorite sound? What is your favorite?
I hate the sound of a knife on a plate. It makes me angry when someone eats too hard! I was walking my dog the other week in the Glasgow sunshine, kicking through the autumn leaves. It made me smile.
What do you think about the use of drone attacks in the war on terror?
Drone attacks are this generally unreported elephant in the room. I'm sure if more people were aware they were happening and knew the destruction they created then there would be outrage. It's like blanket killing. Maybe a target will be hit, maybe not, maybe just innocent civilians. Imagine if this was happening in The West. World War III would break out. People are people—it doesn't matter where they come from.
In 2012, what was the best movie you saw, book you read, comic book you read, video game you play and/or TV show you watched?
I've been really hooked on Homeland over the last year. It keeps me gripped. I haven't liked Claire Danes this much since My So Called Life.
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