A couple o' Kooks...
Interviewer: So how come you all ended up in Brighton?
PAUL: College mainly… that's where we met up
LUKE: We met under quite weird circumstances really because we were at a school in London - us three (indicating himself, PAUL and HUGH) - and we didn't know each other, like we were all in different years and shit… and just randomly saw each other in Brighton and were like "I know you… I recognise your face", and then we were like, yeah, do you wanna start a band and it kind of all happened then… Paul meets Max at a party and says, "you look cool, do you wanna be in a band?" So it all kind of happened weirdly. It's a weird thing with the band because I don't know really how it happened, it all kind of came together really quickly…felt like it should have happened.
PAUL: It's a bit of a blur now. It happened at the time and it made sense, but you look back on it and it doesn't make any sense anymore - it's like, "how did we get here?"
MAX: Well these three were together in a band, and then they asked me to go and do a demo with them for a weekend, and that was it really, we went from there, and did a gig a week later.
Interviewer: So it was all quite organic then
MAX: That's one word for it
Interviewer: Do you find Brighton is quite an organic place for bands, because I know there have been a number of bands coming out of Brighton in recent years?
MAX: It's very enthusiastic there.
LUKE: There's lots of diverse people in Brighton
HUGH: Creative
LUKE: There are lots of students, which is also good because you've got lots of people with different views and stuff and different kinds of people. There's lots of weird music in Brighton but it is good; and there's lots of great venues, which is cool, so it's been good. London is a really hard place to start as a band; as soon as you play, you've got to have had people seeing you from labels. Whereas in Brighton you can kind of get your shit together and do music for why you should be doing music - you know - just to like play gigs.
MAX: There's a good support network of bands down there as well - everyone supports each other - like comes to see each other's gigs and stuff. It's big - it is a city - but it's small enough to be a community as well, so most people know each other there - like, the bands and stuff.
HUGH: It's a real "vibey" place actually. You have lots of opinionated people - lots of different people… you can go out and meet some really friendly people and have some great conversations; but there's also one thing that kind of brings everyone together… it's really creative - quite an arty city, and I've always loved it there.
Interviewer: Do you think the nature of Brighton makes its bands a bit eccentric maybe? - If you look at bands like British Sea Power or 80s Matchbox
PAUL: I don't really know British Sea Power
Curly Brown hair LUKE: They have like trees on stage and shit
PAUL: Oh yeah… I haven't heard their stuff though
LUKE: The thing is… a lot of our friends who are in bands, and us, we're just trying to do music really, rather than have a gimmick sort of thing - you know… But definitely fashion… The thing is, look at us… we're not particularly bothered about wearing certain clothes so that you don't get heckled in Brighton; you know, certain places in London, people shout at you; whereas Brighton's quite accepting to who you are.
MAX: It's because there are so many young people there - there's two universities so - you know - it's mainly student population… Loads of art and stuff going on… A lot of weird people hanging around.
Interviewer: Are you going to stay down there?
(Nods all round)
PAUL: Yeah
MAX: Yeah, definitely
PAUL: It's too nice to leave. The thing about going on tour is that, like, you go to all these places, and to me they're not as nice as Brighton, so you come back to Brighton and you're like, "ah, yeah, that's more like it" - you know - by the sea, really cool area - it's always buzzing…- you know - London by the sea, that's what they call it. And - you know - there's always things going on… And then you go to like Manchester or something and it's never quite as exciting… It's the best place in England
HUGH: Although we're biased
LUKE: It's kind of like Mediterranean as well though isn't it?
PAUL: Yeah
LUKE: …like it reminds me of Europe quite a lot; like you've got the lanes where there's like lots of little shops and it feels less like - you know - groggy, miserable England, you know what I mean?
Interviewer: It was down those lanes - when I went there last weekend - I was looking in this 2nd hand shop and I picked up a guitar for twenty quid
LUKE: Did you?
PAUL: Wicked
LUKE: Good man
PAUL: Sweet
Interviewer: Anyway, you've been compared to bands like early Supergrass and even The Kinks
LUKE: Wow
PAUL: That's really cool.
Interviewer: …how does that make you feel?
PAUL: Early Supergrass is like really energetic good pop tunes innit… so I'm down with that.
LUKE: Yeah that's fucking amazing, but - you know - we're us, aren't we, so
Interviewer: You say good pop there's nothing better than… Do you think a lot of bands shy away from pop in terms of - they don't think it's cool?
MAX: Yeah
HUGH: Yeah, definitely but that's because the meaning of pop has been lost now… it's been turned into something that some people will shy away from as soon as they hear it… it's like, "oh, I don't like pop music"
LUKE: It's got a bad reputation
HUGH: …Well, that's fair enough because pop has been turned into something different to what it used to be.
PAUL: Yeah
LUKE: I mean, I suppose any band is really trying to surpass genre because - like - first we're trying to be a diverse band… I mean the best bands - I think - are the ones who can change and evolve and still - you know… I mean, really, songs always win - I think - like, if you have good songs - you know - that's the heart of a good band - I think - and whatever you put on top of it can be whatever but - you know. I mean we're - at the moment - quite an energetic live band, but - you know - we've got lots of ideas - you know - and we're not gonna just try and stick to one thing at all - you know - we're gonna try and do something different with everything we put out - you know. Because - I mean - the thing with rock and roll now is that it's just not surprising anymore - you know - you don't get shocked, or… you know what I mean? - It all gets a bit predictable.
Interviewer: Talking about predictability, there's a very prevalent trend, at the minute, of bands sounding very, sort of, new wave and 80s
PAUL: Oh yeah… Duran Duran style.
LUKE: Yeah
Interviewer: …everybody seems to be doing it… What's your take on that whole scene?
PAUL: It's annoying
LUKE: It's a bit of a farce
MAX: Yeah, it's just a bit of a fad isn't it? - you know… People are going, "ah it's a bit different, so - like - we'll pay attention to that"; whereas it's not really.
PAUL: I think when you find Kelly Osbourne doing it as well, you start to think, "hang on a sec, something's not quite right here."
LUKE: It's fucked up isn't it?... There's this running trend with bands where - like - you find out that they're - I mean… there's no need to name bands, but there are bands that used to be a punk band and then all of a sudden they're like, "oh shit, oh fuck… there's - like - this 80s thing… Oh yeah fuck…I've got this tune,
PAUL: …Let's be like New Order.
LUKE: …yeah, let's - like - put some synth on it… Oh yeah… he looks cool, he's got big hair…Oh yeah that's really cool. Whereas - like - really, if you've got any soul and integrity, you just do whatever comes natural… I mean, we're all victim to circumstance… we're all like we are because of our experiences of our life and what music we listen to - you know - and as soon as you start consciously changing what you're doing, it doesn't become what it should be, because music's all about what comes through your subconscious and what you're expressing because it's - like - inherent in years and you can't do anything about it... you know - like - you're a musician… you can't not be a musician, that's just who you are, you know?
MAX: Well it just becomes plastic doesn't it? - There's just no soul to it…
LUKE: Yeah
MAX: …if you're not doing it for the right reasons - you know?… Like, what would be the reason for all of a sudden becoming - like - an 80s revival band other than to maybe catch people's eye and sell a few more records... so it just loses all soul.
LUKE: If you wanna be timeless, as well, you just can't do it can you?
Interviewer: What sort of expectations do you have of your band?…I mean, you're fairly new on the circuit…Where do you think you're going to be, where are you going to go with this?
PAUL: You can't tell really can you?
HUGH: I think our ambition is to get our music out to as many people as possible… I think that's the number one goal.
LUKE: The problem is - like - success… I don't think any of us really would measure what we want to do with success; because success is great and you want to - like - survive as a band, but success - to me - is no measure of anything - like - stuff that we love, like stuff like Nick Drake, Velvet Underground didn't sell any records when they were doing it… it's still great music - you know. At the end of the day, we're all just trying to make an album which we are really happy with…and then hopefully a few people will really get it…and then we just wanna - like - travel the world really. …And being successful would be fucking amazing… who wouldn't wanna be successful… But - you know - I don't think it's any of our drives - you know.
PAUL: I think - like - a big success right now - in this moment in time - is doing an album…
HUGH: Yeah
LUKE: It's amazing
PAUL: …That is - like - a dream of all of ours… And doing that is not something that everyone can do.
Interviewer: So you're actually here recording the album, tell us a bit about it, what's happening with that?
MAX: We're just working through… We came here with a whole bunch of songs and we're just going through them bit by bit.
LUKE: We're trying to get an album where it's gonna be quite eclectic - like - you know - a lot of stuff you hear now - like - I've bought albums which I've been really excited about because I've heard a track and then the whole album sounds the same - you know; I say it all the time but it's true. We're just trying to get something that is real but also something where all the tracks are gonna bring something different - you know - to the album
HUGH: Diversity
MAX: We're trying to get it sounding quite rough and raw - you know. We're doing everything as live as possible and recording it as it is and not altering it afterwards - you know… Like we're trying not to chop it up - like - keep it as much as it is - you know…
LUKE: Yeah
MAX: …Because otherwise you lose the soul of it
LUKE: Well we're a tight band as well
MAX: Yeah. But if chop everything up - you know - into different computer programs and put everything right, it just loses every - kind of - bit of soul it's got, so we're trying to keep everything as raw as possible.
Interviewer: So you're working with Tony Hoffers… he's obviously famed for working with the Thrills and Beck and people like that… How is it working with Tony?
PAUL: He's a bit of a legend
LUKE: He's hilarious
PAUL: Yeah he is isn't he? He's sort of captured us… No other producer we've worked with has really captured us; and I think - to his credit - he's - sort of - realised where we're coming from and he's - sort of - taken us a little bit further hasn't he?
LUKE: I think - as well - to be fair to the other guys we've worked with - we've worked with some really talented guys - we haven't really been ready to record… Because we've only really been together as a band for about a year and a little bit - like, we're really young band… So - like - now it just feels like, yeah it's the right time and Tony's just great at creating the right atmosphere and just - like - recording stuff really well…and it's been brilliant.
MAX: We've got the right set of songs together now as well, after - you know - the period of time we've been together, they've all just come together right now… the right mix of things.
Interviewer: So can you tell us a bit about any of the songs, or is it all a bit hush hush.
MAX: You'll have to wait and see
LAUGHING HA
HUGH: Well, they're all pretty much done live and our ambition was to get a really vibey take for each song - have us all playing live… and just get down to grittiness and have it raw, bare. We're recording onto tape… we're doing it all - kind of - on tape. We're trying to use protocols as little as possible because…
LUKE: There's too many options isn't it?
HUGH: Yeah exactly
LUKE: It's like - you can destroy a good song - I think - by just overdoing it - you know.
Interviewer: So how does is actually sound then… In terms of bands that you like and respect - I hate to talk about influences…but are your influences in your record at the minute, or in your songs?
MAX: Yeah, definitely.
PAUL: I guess so, yeah.
HUGH: Of course, yeah… Same with any band.
LUKE: We just recorded a song called "Oh Lah" which we just got together here, which I'm really happy with because it sounds exactly like Hurricane… so I'm pretty happy about that.
Laughing
HUGH: Well, yeah, the intro
LUKE: But I don't know… It's so hard to judge your own music because - like - when you're so involved in it… it's absolutely impossible… I mean, you'd have to listen to it really. But, yeah, we've tried to put all our influences in.
MAX: But the sound of it is more or less down the tracks of… well, yeah it is exactly how we wanted it - you know - as raw sounding as possible and live - you know - not too tampered with… So it is sounding like we wanted it.
Interviewer: It's nice to keep a bit of looseness about the recording isn't it?
MAX: It's just boring otherwise… if you alter everything after you've recorded it.
LUKE: It should be about capturing four people doing something…
PAUL: Capturing that moment
LUKE: …rather than trying to make it something it's not.
Interviewer: So what sort of bands are you into yourselves anyway?
PAUL: We're all pretty different
LUKE: Yeah, we're into lots of different stuff. I've always been into like - yeah Velvet Underground hugely at the moment; Rolling Stones; Beatles… I mean all the 'classic' stuff I suppose. I'm quite into a lot folk at the moment… There's quite a lot of cool folk going on in America - you know. I don't know - lots of stuff… I mean more songwriter sort of stuff… I'm quite liking - you know - Willy Mason at the moment…he's wicked
MAX: I love all types of songwriters: Nick Drake, John Martin, I love Bob Dylan; but then I love more like soul stuff… like Stevie Wonder, and then Jimmy Hendrix… But everything really. You know I love - I absolutely adore Parliament Funkedelic … any kind of funk, I'm really into… I think they're awesome.
Interviewer: Is your music quite funky?
LUKE: It's going a bit less funky now
MAX: Yeah it is
LUKE: It was when we started
MAX: There's a mix of stuff
LUKE: It's quite dancey
MAX: There's a groove though, there's a groove
LUKE: A lot of reggae as well
MAX: It's like groove, rock and reggae
LUKE: We're trying to make it dancey
HUGH: Yeah
LUKE: …because I think - like - that's a really important thing… especially when you play live it's - you know - really cool for dancing.
HUGH: Definitely, kind of fun music that when you play live, a crowd can dance to and have a good time to as well; not just kind of…
LUKE: And that's how we can be quite diverse - you know - because we've got the song-writing stuff.
PAUL: It's great to be on a stage, as well, when that happens.
Interviewer: So talking about playing live, have you been on tours, or have you done much playing?
PAUL: Yeah
MAX: We've played loads over the past year
LUKE: Absolutely loads.
MAX: We just came off tour with the Subways which was brilliant; they were kind of mid-sized venues, weren't they?...Like 400 people.
LUKE: Pretty big venues…for us
MAX: But that was absolutely awesome…yeah that was huge for us. But then we played with the Thrills before which was pretty mad because they were - like - huge venues in comparison. Our first tour was - like - playing to - like - four people, five people - you know - in places where people didn't know who the fuck we were…and then all of a sudden we went on tour with them and we were playing in these huge places… I mean, the venues weren't full, but they were a damn busier than four people in Leeds or something.
LUKE: A thousand people there
MAX: It was quite daunting but it was awesome
Interviewer: That must have been nerve-wracking
MAX: It's less nerve-wracking than the small gigs though.
PAUL: It was almost like - I don't know about you guys - but I felt - when we played the first gig at Reading Hexagon - I felt like I was doing an assembly like being in the rock band in an assembly at school… because - you know - you're on a stage, and there's loads of people… and you're just like, "alright carry on", and you just do your thing and then you finish and everyone goes, " yeeeah" - you know.
LUKE: (laughing) That's exactly what it was like as well, that's hilarious
PAUL: Weird.
Interviewer: So is there anymore touring coming up?
LUKE: I think we're on tour with Dead 60s actually
PAUL: Yeah, Dead 60s pretty soon.
LUKE: They're a fucking brilliant band, have you ever heard them?
Interviewer: I've heard of them, I haven't heard them
LUKE: Blinding live band
PAUL: We played with them on the Thrills tour and they were sound, really sound.
LUKE: So excited to get that tour
PAUL: Yeah
MAX: Yeah, it was awesome
PAUL: Great band
LUKE: Ah, it's amazing
HUGH: I think touring's the funnest part of all this
LUKE: Yeah definitely
HUGH: Definitely
LUKE: Travelling England's quite weird, because - like -
MAX: It's a dump ha
LUKE: England is a dump..definitely..well..yeah, but you meet so many cool people. It's just weird because we're all from England but - really - know so little of it - you know?
PAUL: Yeah
LUKE: ...It's quite crazy… But it all looks the same anyway
Interviewer: So have you got any good tour stories for us
LUKE: None that we could tell you
HUGH: What goes on tour stays on tour.
PAUL: Yeah
LUKE: The Subways one was full of…
PAUL: Hilariousness
Interviewer: I think that's covered pretty much everything... When can we expect the album…when's it out?
MAX: We don't know
LUKE: Not for a while… Probably - like - maybe, late August..
HUGH: August/September I think
PAUL: Yeah, hopefully
Interviewer: We'll be seeing a lot more of you in the next six months yeah?
Nods - yeah…hopefully... |
About Petrol Records
About Petrol Records
