Kaiser Chiefs Interview with Peanut

KAISER CHIEFS

by Craig Ablitt

We’re coming towards the end of 2007. How’s it been for you?
Good thanks. It went quickly and successfully and I don’t think we could have hoped for better.

You have a massive UK tour that’s going to round things off. What can people expect from these big arena dates?
It’s kind of like us signing off for the year so we want to do it in style. We’ve got a new stage set designed and we’re going to try and play some new songs. It’s important to do that because when you get to the level that we’re at; playing to 20 000 in a room reminds people of who you are and how fresh you can still be.

You cancelled the U.S tour. Didn’t you want to capitalize on the success you’ve had out there?
Kind of. We just had so much stuff booked that was impossible to stick to and something had to give. If we had gaps in the calendar it would have happened. It’s unfortunate because we want to capitalize on everywhere we go, it’s never nice to miss gigs after they’ve been announced.

Will it be weird playing these huge halls?
It’ll be different definitely. When we go onstage at the MEN Arena it’s gonna be manic and we’re not sure what’ll happen, but it’ll be good. Sometimes when you go abroad it can be more exciting because you don’t know what to expect. Fortunately for us, the majority of the time it’s great and people get properly excited. We went to Mexico for the first time and people were waiting outside for us at the gig and there was even bootleg merchandise of ours outside and when I went to go and have a look I just got surrounded by all these kids – I just couldn’t move! It’s nice to be coming home to the UK though.

How does it feel being in the public spotlight do much?
It’s become normal. It’s great when it starts to happen and when people from Leeds say how proud there are of us and good for Leeds and all that, which is nice to hear from people of your own town. Generally it comes with the territory and you can’t be baffled by it. You just get on with it

Tell us about this new material. Why are you so eager to play it already?
You can’t make yourself go away. We could go away for two years and come back, but we don’t want to fall into that trap and system. We are on to the third lot of writing we have done now and might not use it for an album. We could do a small release. We like doing the more interesting and fun things you can do when you’re in a big band. Next year should be a year of us having fun. Little creative things.

Will the new material be of the same melodic, upbeat nature we have enjoyed so far?
I think that’s something we’ll always do because we can’t get away from that you know? That’s how we write songs – doing them so they get in people’s heads after one listen. That’s something we shouldn’t try and get away from. There’s pop records, but also there is this indie sort of rock thing that doesn’t go hand in hand with melody and tunefulness, but we have a good balance between the two. It’ll never leave us and we are going to keep having fun with the music we do. Let’s see where it takes us rather than force it into a place where it doesn’t want to go.

Would you ever go down this Radiohead route of giving it away?
Obviously Radiohead are a successful band with millions of fans so they can afford to do that and know a lot of people will buy the record this way anyway. I went online and bought the box set thing for forty quid where you get the download for free, which is good. I’d love to know what the average price people had paid for it – I’d love Radiohead to do that. I think it’s a good thing and I think that sensible people on the whole will pay the right amount they normally pay for a CD. You will get some people who will only pay 50p for it or something, but on the whole I reckon there’ll be a good average price paid for it. It’s a clever experiment and there’ll be repercussions that haven’t happened yet, certainly.

How has this new material come about then? Was it written on the road?
We don’t write on the road too much. Nick is main songwriter and in his hotel he has a guitar and he’ll stockpile ideas. When we come to write as a band we need to be back in our rehearsal room in Leeds, which is why we were keen in October to do that. In there we turn Nick’s ideas into proper songs. On the road it’s difficult. You get soundchecks and stuff, but these days there is like 40 people around you, so it’s not like a small soundcheck.

So was the new album the ‘difficult second album’ or was it easy in the end?
We were a band before Kaiser Chiefs and made an album that wasn’t released. We viewed Employment as our difficult second album where we really had to pull out the stops and not everyone knew that, but we did. By now, this is really our third album. Employment was the make or break album. It was like the second bite of the apple and you don’t normally get a second chance in this industry. That’s why Employment was great and sold millions of copies, but on this one we’d found our style and found our purpose. We put pressure on ourselves and didn’t get any from elsewhere and I think that’s the best sort of pressure to have.

What was up with the Parva stuff then?
We didn’t have an identity. They say you learn from your mistakes before. When we cut it with Kaiser Chiefs, we’d made our mistakes already. It was a mish mash of styles and didn’t connect. Nick s songwriting got better and better as time went on and we’re stricter too these days too and will ditch tracks we’re not too precious over.

You must have seen a lot of bands disappear after one record in your time?
That is exactly it. Now you have things like MySpace and that – people only need one really good song and if it is good enough it will get round and what can happen is that they get signed too early. A single can come out be a hit etc, then it’s followed by an album, sells 5000 copies, they get dropped and are never heard of again and that’s their career over. You think about bands like U2 – they didn’t get successful until their third album on Island records. Nobody seems to put the time and the effort into developing bands. People are starting to now, because they realize that they have destroyed some of these bands and put them out before they were ready, but now there are labels out there trying to develop bands.

Speaking of U2, did you learn any tips off them when you supported them in 2005?
Yeah, you still need the same confidence and as a small show, you just learn how to project your songs in a stadium with the sound you have and we did. We saw The Edge at some awards ceremony recently and he said: “You guys were really great on tour,” and Bono said to us earlier in the night: “You either get that stadium buzz or you don’t. You either rise to it and you’re hungry for it or it won’t happen.” We gave it our all and felt it worked and did what we needed to. Now with our own big tour we feel totally ready for it.

People say arena gigs are soulless and too big. How will you combat that?
I think from day one we have been a more energetic and engaging band than a lot of others out there. We’ve been to big gigs where the size of the venue has detracted from the quality of the band. We want people to concentrate on the band and not the screen. We have bits and pieces of stage props, but we still get people involved at our level. It’s not a DVD playback where you watch the screen all night.

Is it ever difficult touring with the same people for months on end?
Yeah, we have little arguments and little fall outs, but the good days far outweigh the good days in this band. We have a great crew and a great family and there’s no nob heads. We’re looking forward about all getting out and doing it together – a family away from home and we always have a good tour.

How do you keep entertained with all the travelling?
By watching UK comedies I reckon. Partridge, Blackadder, Fawlty Towers; that sort of stuff.

Tell us about your support bands for the tour?
We Are Scientists came with us on the Employment tour and are good lads to be around. They have this British sort of humor and they are also a great band. We have Pigeon Detective and The Cribs in various cities. I don’t think anyone needs telling why they are great bands.

What did you make about Ryan Jarman’s anti-indie scene comments?
We are really good friends with The Cribs and have always championed them. They’ve been around longer than us and I think they are doing good and I think they are doing alright. I like them because they have very solid values and literally say what they mean with things they feel strongly about. If something’s shit and they think it’s shit they’ll say ‘that’s shit!’ They’ll say that in the press on TV and whatever and I really admire that sort of commitment. I know Ryan is a top guy and he’d never try and offend anyone, but if he doesn’t like something he’ll let you know and we love that in him.

What’s your favorite song to play live?
To play live? Oh My God, which we play at the end of the set was one of the first songs we wrote and its still one of the weirdest ones we’ve done in terms of arrangements and reminds me of Pink Floyd-esque sounds and it’s a monster song.

The View Interview with Kieren Webster

THE VIEW

by Craig Ablitt

I went back to Ireland for New Year about three or four years ago and got a ticket to see The Undertones play a homecoming gig in Derry. Supporting them was a nervous band of yoofs from Dundee armed with a barrage of ferocity in their sound that turned out to be The View. I wasn't the least bit surprised when they exploded with 'Wasted Little DJs' to be honest....

From being a covers band playing the back room in the renowned Doghouse in their native Dundee, The View have become one of the most talked about and loved bands of 2006. As with any band they asked each other that oh so eternal question: How to get a record deal? Bombard labels with demos? Get yourselves up on Myspace? Play a load of gigs? Not The View.

Talking from the bands tour bus bassist Kieren Webster sounds extremely sprightly and explains how one of Britain’s brightest talents went from zeroes to heroes the direct way. “You want to know how we got signed?” he asks in extremely strong Scottish accent, “We waited outside a venue in Dundee for Pete Doherty to turn up with Babyshambles and when he did we gave him a copy of our demo. He took us on their tour bus, liked what he heard and gave us a support slot that night,” he laughs. “The demo then got passed on to 1965 Records and we got signed, we also got to do a full UK tour with Babyshambles too,” he says as matter of fact.

Unbelievable considering that just over a year ago The View were just another hopeful guitar band playing the usual local circuit. Their rise to fame has come so quickly that even Webster admits the band has found the transition all rather odd. “We’ve been talking about how different things have become quite a lot recently,” he explains. “At the moment, adjusting to success quickly is difficult yet very exciting. We’re just trying right now to get a hold of everything but we’ve just got to learn how to do it. I guess the reason we are working our arses off right now is to be at the position we are getting to right now,” he points out.

An extremely fine position it is too. Debut single’ Wasted Little DJs’ pricked the ears of the whole UK indie scene and earned the band an endless amount of publicity and in particular attracted the attention of personal heroes Primal Scream who soon snapped the boys up to support them on two UK tours. “Playing with Primal Scream was just mega for us,” Webster pipes up excitedly. “In fact the highpoint will probably come when we support them again later this year on their bigger UK tour, they are real heroes of ours,” still sounding like a besotted schoolboy.

The band are also on course to score a consecutive hit with next single ‘Superstar Tradesman’, “probably the song I am most proud of,” Webster adds, but the question on everybody’s lips is when will there be an album? “The album will be out in January,” he assures. “Owen Morris (former Oasis cohort) will be producing it because he really got into us when he came to the 1965 Records launch party,” he says. “The record is going to sound as live as possible which people might not get hold of because of that sort of rawness, but we want to make a record that represents our live sets and be an album you can play in your bedroom and go mental too.”

As former school friends prepare to go to university or start working a nine to five, we ask what the band have planned for their long term future, something that the they have obviously not given thought to during their whirlwind rise to fame. “A long term plan?” he laughs out loud. “We don’t have one mate! Our long term plans reach about as far as next week. We are taking nothing for granted, we take each week as it comes although I’m sure there are record company people who have some long term plans for us.”

The Charlatans Interview with Tim Burgess

THE CHARLATANS

by Craig Ablitt

When I suggested that The Charlatans deserved a cover story to celebrate the release of their singles album Forever it was met in the office with a couple of furrowed brows and comments of "maybe ten years ago." I got my way in the end. The Charlatans embody everything that is great about British guitar bands and Tim Burgess for me is one of the best five frontmen of all time. My first memory of hearing them was in Barracuda's up the High Street when I was too young to get into clubs, but we made it in thanks to fake I.D and ridiculous bum fluff. 'The Only One I Know' still sounds fucking great when I go out to this day. Anyway.........

When The Charlatans scored their first top ten hit with ‘The Only One I Know’ in 1990, shell suits were in fashion, Manchester was the musical centre of the universe and England had a football team to be proud of. How times have changed! However, The Charlatans are very much still with us (although their haircuts have improved since then) and after sixteen years of success have decided to release a singles compilation entitled Forever to celebrate the fact.

Lead singer Tim Burgess is in reflective mood and is upbeat about the release from the moment he picks up the telephone. “I was listening to the album last night and I think I’ve surprised myself on how amazing it sounded,” he states confidently. “I had the headphones on and I was listening to ‘Indian Rope’, thinking how fresh it still sounds to this day. We’ve had twenty-three hit singles and even had the luxury of kicking five of them off the final tracklisting. I guess it’s nice to have the choice,” he laughs.

As soon as any band releases a greatest hits or singles compilation, the usual rumour mill starts as to whether this is the end, especially with the band finishing off their recording commitments with Universal. “People don’t need to start worrying,” Burgess assures. “I think the good thing about releasing something like this is that it puts a mark on the past and allows you to continue into the future. We’ve got at least another ten or fifteen years in us yet and just want to keep giving people the music because we still want to make our perfect record,” he quips.

So after almost twenty years of continual success, where do the band go to try and find fresh inspiration to better the last record? “We don’t really think about how we are going to better the last album, we record depending on the current situation and climate around us,” Burgess explains. “On the last record I was taking way too many drugs and drinking quite heavily and I think that really came through because it was a very sombre and paranoid record. The next record will be interesting, free from the shackles of drug abuse,” he promises.

As with many bands coming out of the Greater Manchester scene in the late 1980’s, the culture of acid house and ecstasy was rife in the music that was being made at that time. According to Burgess the usage of drugs has been of some benefit musically to The Charlatans over the years. “I think drugs have helped music in some ways, you know, smoking grass, using LSD or E, I think they have provided us with some of our defining moments,” he says candidly.

Talking of defining moments, The Charlatans have had many along the way as well as some tragedy, notably losing keyboardist Rob Collins in a car accident in 1996 before releasing the hugely successful number one album Tellin’ Stories. “I think it goes without saying, that was one of the lowest points of my life,” he sighs. “Without trying to get caught up in the drama of that, we considered the band’s future, of course we did. Without wanting to trivialize the whole thing, it’s like being a kid and falling off your bike and if you don’t get back on you never will.” A real turning point for the band came when Oasis invited them to take part in their Knebworth mega-gigs, the same week of Collins’ funeral. “I think if we didn’t get in front of those 200,000 people at Knebworth that weekend, just one week after Rob’s funeral we would have never of started up again I reckon.”

Luckily for us all they did go on and the period that followed is The Charlatans most prolific according to Burgess. “’One To Another’ went in at number three, Tellin’ Stories crashed in at number one, ‘North Country Boy’ was a big hit, we really became a force again,” he beams. “I also think the Wonderland album was a pretty defining Charlatans moment. We made that in a cocaine frenzy in the jungle of Los Angeles, those were great times and I’m looking forward to a lot more.”

Starting this month, the band will take the singles album out on the road, although for Burgess some of the songs became tedious for the band to perform. “We got really tired of playing ‘The Only One I Know’ and stopped doing that for a while. We sounded like a band from the suburbs doing a bad cover version,” he laughs. “There were a few that got like that, but I think when you stop playing a song live, it gives it time to breathe and reinvigorate itself.”

With the whole interview turning into an out and out retrospective of The Charlatans career, we end by asking Burgess if he had any regrets along the way. “Right now as I speak to you I can’t think of any, which must be a good thing. There may be a few, but if they were worth mentioning I would have,” he chortles. “All In all, I am quite proud of The Charlatans story really. There’s been a few casualties, there’s been a few hits and the odd miss, but I think they just call that life really.”

Craig Interviews Frank Black

FRANK BLACK

by Craig Ablitt

My editor asked me one day: "Jack Daniels have been on the phone and want us to do a promotion with them and interview some of the bands they have playing at some gigs they are putting on." "OK, who have they got?" I asked. "Elbow and some dude called Frank Black." "Frank fucking Black?" I responded. "Arrange that NOW!" She did and one cold September night I was given his mobile number and went outside the office to a little dark street in South London to exchange words with a man whose band was the soundtrack to a million nights out consisting of cheap vodka, chain smoking and Cresta Cars zooming down Rochdale Road until reaching Whitworth Street.

What projects are you keeping yourself busy with at the moment?
Well, right now I'm trying to convince the other Pixies to make a record. I got a few things about at the moment though. I'm recording another solo record right now. I think I'm going to call it 'The Holiday Inn Season Package' because all of the tracks have been demoed at various hotels on my travels on a video camera. It might turn out to be a dance record with more pop-type sounds like the Eurythmics. (Pauses for thought). Yeah, a chick on synths. That would be cool with some awesome bass (pauses to write something down). I do like making my own records becasue you don't have to figure them out with other people and it's never awkward. Oh yeah, my wife has an album coming out too at some point. It's difficult for her though because of the children, the breast feeding, plus they got to learn math and stuff.

The last recording you had out was Honeycomb and was recorded in Tennessee where these JD Set gigs are happening. Are you fond of that part of the world?

I don't know the place at all, just the recording studios, people's homes and that's about it. I know the pace is choked full of musical legends of course. In the Pixies we would hang out in Memphis and our bus driver had a CV installed and I would talk to all the truckers in the area - real friendly people who all really dug country music. When you look at the music that's come out of Tennessee, you get to the roots of some of the all-time great American music like folk, gospel, blues, r&b, motown, soul, bluesgrass.... It's cool.

200 people are being flown from the UK for this particular show. What can they expect from the set?

200 huh? Wow! I've not decided yet. There'll be some Pixies material to look forward to, some new recordings and some old solo things. It'll be different that's for sure.

You've opened up for some interesting names in the past few months, namely Tom Petty and U2. Who was your favourite to play with?

Tom Petty is a pretty nice guy and is very generous financially to his opening acts! That's not always the case when you open up for people though, but I enjoyed the shows I played with him. Those U2 boys were nice. They let you ride in their airplane that has a cappacino station, a margharita station and if you ask their bartender nicely he'll put an umbrella in your drink - very cool.

You have a huge solo tour coming up in the US, are there any plans to bring some of the shows to the UK?

I'll always put on a tour with the UK in mind. You folks have been very nice to me in the past.

How does life on the road as a solo artist compare to being on the road with The Pixies?
The Pixies are my calling card I guess. I've become accustomed to playing larger audiences with them. There's a lot more potential for tension and arguements in that band both on and off the stage. People make a lot out of that though. It happens in every band. There's no story or angle on the Pixies. Sure, we fight all the time, but I bet there are other bands who fight more.

The band have been back together now for three years touring. What did you want to achieve with the reformation?
To make amends I suppose for the past. Also to make some money and be loved by fans old and new. It's nice to be in the limelight and be adored.

Are old grievances within the band now laid to rest?

I guess. We probably communicate more than harbour grudges like in the past. I guess we air our grudges more now, especially between Kim and I. Joey's weird though. Nobody knows Joey, he's a riddle inside a riddle.

Was there ever a definitive reason as to why the band split?

No. We never said anything to anyone. I don't even remember sending a letter to our manager to say we'd quit. It just happened.

The Pixies documentary LoudQuiteloud is due for release. What are your thoughts on the film?
I enjoyed process of it and watching the original cut, but I get the impression they wanted to make a story out of it about us not getting on and creating an atmosphere. I found that strange. I was hoping for a film that nobody would get, something more wacky.

You mentioned trying to get the other Pixies to record new material. What are the chances?

About fifty fifty right now I guess.

You are obviously keen, do you have any songs ready that you have in mind for the Pixies?
Ideas always appear in studios and stuff, but I'm not concerned with ideas. I'll just sign on the line to record material and go and do it. Kim has The Breeders which keeps her busy right now and I am kinda busy on tour and with solo records, so logistically it makes it hard. To make it happen we'd need to clear the decks and be cultured enough to do that. Actually, when I said fifty fifty, right now it's more like seventy-five to twenty-five in my favour of material happening. The ball's in their court.

What would a Pixies album sound like right now do you think?

Oh, like a country album I think.

I'm embarrassed to ask, but a friend of mine wanted me to ask you a question..

Don't be shy.

OK. Give one word answers to describe each member of the Pixies.

OK, that's not such a bad question is it!? Kim Deal I'd say is charasmatic. Joey Santiago...(pauses for a long time). Unknown is my answer there. Dave Lovering I would call outgoing. He is like an actual pixie. Actually, Joey is one too. He might actually be one pretending to be a human.

What do you feel is left to achieve with your career?

I've always wanted to put out reggae albums.

And with the Pixies?

Oh lots of things. A soundtrack to a movie where we were also the actors would be something.

Jet Interview with Cameron Muncey (October 2006)

JET

by Craig Ablitt

“Jet are about camaraderie. We don’t take ourselves seriously although we take the music very seriously! We have a laugh that’s it, nothing else.” Welcome back to the world of Jet, probably the most unashamed rock and roll band on the planet who care for nothing but rock and roll. Guitarist Cameron Muncey has just landed in London ahead of the band’s upcoming world tour and is in buoyant mood on the back of the release of album number two Shine On which he hopes will see the Aussie rockers conquer the world.

“It feels really great to be back again,” he says from his Camden living quarters. “I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved with this record. ‘Put Your Money Where Your Mouth is’, is just a sign of what’s to come. Listen out for ‘Shiny Magazine’, I’d have to say that’s as good as anything we’ve ever done,” he says sounding very happy with himself.

Happy is what he should be. After the monumental success of debut album Get Born and in particular worldwide hit ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl?’ the band were launched into rock and roll’s elite with success finding them in a big way. So now onto so-called difficult album number two. How difficult was it to perform under the shadow of success? “Yeah it was a difficult one to write and record,” he concedes. “We kept on rising the bar and put pressure on ourselves to pull it through. Everything just seemed to take twice as long because we kept on opening pandora’s boxes and each time we did that we had to delve into these new ideas and see where we could take them.”

Listening to the record you can see where he is coming from. Although the record is undoubtedly rock and roll in nature, the band has bought more musical elements into the equation, which Muncey explains further. “There was so much experimenting going on in the studio. Yes, it’s a rock and roll record but on some tracks we’ve brought in gospel choirs, strings and more keyboards, I think it will surprise a lot of people,” he remarks.

Although this record has seen Jet tamper slightly with their sound, they have always been on the receiving end of critics claiming that their music was overly derivative of 1960’s and 70’s rock acts, something Muncey brushes aside. “We just juggle around with the sounds that we love and we’re not afraid to wear our influences on our sleeves,” he states. “People call it derivative, but we just know what we like and what we don’t. We’re just recycling some of the things that we love and we’re the only band on the planet who do it well,” he says confidently.

Some have even labelled the band ‘the most British Australian Band of all time,’ something that again does not bother the Jet guitarist. “I think the only British band that actually had a massive effect on me were The Beatles. Sure there are a number of great British bands but we never set out to be some sort of carbon copy,” he answers back. “What we take from The Beatles is that good approach to music which is more to do with the melody than the actual lyrics or meaning behind a song. Jet definitely take a melody led approach every time,” he affirms.

Influences aside, something that has had a dramatic effect on the writing for this album was the untimely death of lead singer Nic Cester and brother Chris’ father in 2004. “I think their father’s death was something that made the last two years kind of surreal,” he sighs. “It was definitely something that affected the amount of time it took to release this record. There are a couple of songs that were written for the guys’ father, ‘Shine On’ being one of them, it’s a really beautiful track. That was a real hard time for everyone involved, but that’s life I’m afraid.”

Moving on in the conversation we steer towards Jet’s imminent world tour and in particular the UK dates happening at the start of November. “I think that in the UK the audiences differ from place to place, but that’s not to say we don’t love playing here because Britain is obviously a nation of definite music lovers,” he compliments.

With a string of huge sold out dates here and a world tour to follow you’d think that physical and mental preparations were needed before heading out on such an expedition. Well in some cases anyway. “You’ve just got to pack an much underwear as possible, that’s all you need to survive on tour,” he says without a hint of a laugh. “As long as you don’t have to start turning things inside out and back to front and smelling like a pig you can face the world with a brave face!”

So no sex and drugs and rock and roll then? “You’d have to ask the other guys about that,” he says. “We toured with Oasis and the guys partied quite hard, but I preferred going to dinner than all night drinking sessions, because there’s always a show to play the next day.”

With album number two just released and selling well plus a sold out UK tour in a few weeks surely there can’t be much more to achieve? “We won’t be happy until we headline Madison Square Garden. That’s when you know you’ve made it to the top of the mountain and that’s where we’re aiming for,” he says cockily.

With their meteoric rise to fame, Jet are putting their money where their mouth is, literally.

Kasabian Interview with Serge Pizzorno (August 2006)

KASABIAN

by Craig Ablitt

If Kasabian’s eponymous debut album was the sound of a band punching above their weight with arrogant swagger to the heavyweight title, then their incredibly anticipated follow-up Empire finds the Leicester four-piece defending their belt with impressive verve. They certainly made a few enemies on their way to the top and some impressive allies. Bloc Party were labelled ‘whingers’, Pete Doherty a ‘tramp’, The Automatic ‘horrible’ and Test Icicles as ‘Kings Cross rent boys’. On the other hand they received Oasis’ Gallagher brothers seal of approval, which as well all know, is very hard to come by and ended up as touring partners across America with Manchester’s finest. On the eve of the Australian release of Empire, guitarist Serge Pizzorno talks to base.ad about the album and the bands’ plans for the future.

“It’s called Empire because it fits the mood, plus I like one word album titles - ‘Entroducing’ by DJ Shadow, ‘Revolver’ by The Beatles. Plus it begins with an ‘e’ and ends with an ‘e’, which helps!” Pizzorno laughs.

The band decamped to the world famous Rockfield Studios in Wales, the scene to many of the world’s greatest recordings and rock and roll fables of years gone by. “We recorded the album over five weeks there. The place hasn’t been decorated in forty years,” Pizzorno explains. “There were tons of old instruments we could mess around with and old recordings - we listened to the original master tapes of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’!” he shouts excitedly.

“We wanted to do it there because it’s part of a great British tradition of bands getting away from the city and going to the country to record,” Pizzorno continues, “It’s that idea of doing things properly in the way bands like Queen and Led Zeppelin did in the seventies - have a cup of tea and then start laying the songs down. There’s a sense of camaraderie. It’s like a pirate ship - all the lads away from home on a mission to steal the gold!”

Between their six-year stay at Rockfield, The Stone Roses were arguably the studios’ most notorious guests, with stories of extreme cocaine binges, car racing at breakneck speeds round the surrounding country lanes and band members fighting, Pizzorno explains that their stay wasn’t quite as debauched. “We didn’t get much chance - we were working pretty intensely in the studio. But we would do the odd raid into Monmouth to stock up on fish and chips and alcohol. There was a great pub down the road - legendary lock-ins!”

On Empire the band have taken their electro-beat rock sound to a new stratosphere, with Serge sighting many new influences on the bands’ sound as well as the obvious classics of before during recording. “It was quite varied, really. Personally I really got into The Pretty Things ‘SF Sorrow’. That’s an awesome record. Then when I got carried away I’d put on DJ Shadow, just to remind me that you’ve always got to keep a rhythm going. Plus all the classics of course - Stones ‘Let It Bleed’; Led Zeppelin,” Pizzorno states as matter of fact.

Listening to Empire, it only takes a couple of listens to realise that Kasabian are here for the long-haul with many tracks on this release being definite possibilities for big hitting singles. Pizzorno talks us through some of his favourites from the album starting with last track ‘Doberman’. “Jesus Christ, I love that tune! I wish I’d been there to hear it played back for the first time without having been part of the process, if you know what I mean, It’s special isn’t it?” Pizzorno exclaims proudly. “When a band gets that in tune with itself, it’s magical. It was written in my kitchen at home. It’s got this really high roof and I was sitting there playing these individual notes on the guitar and it sounded really atmospheric. It had an ominous feel to it, like the chimes of a bell,” he explains. The song is a celebration. It’s about rejoicing in what you’ve got. It’s got a cinematic feel to it too. It makes me think of Clint Eastwood arriving in a deserted town, knowing it’s all about to kick off, but he’s ready for it,” he says with the trademark Kasabian air of confidence. ‘The Doberman’ also sounds like the title of a fucking incredible movie, something Tarantino would direct. And of course we’d supply the soundtrack!”

And what of title track and single ‘Empire’? “Empire is a word we’ve used for years which means something we think is amazing. It could be anything - a record, a night out, you name it. It suited the mood of the song. It’s an anti-war tune. But it can also be related to any part of your life - it’s about disobeying orders and doing what you feel is right instead,” he states.
“We did the video with Wiz (legendary short film maker responsible for Flowered Up’s ‘Weekender’ and Oasis ‘The Hindu Times’ video). It was a long hard shoot over two days but I’m really pleased with the end result. Tom (Meighan lead singer) really got into his role as the army captain - I think we might lose him to Hollywood.” Pizzorno says in all seriousness.

The next single to be released is the electro-rock stomp of ‘Shoot The Runner’, the track many fans are sighting as the key track on the album. “It started off as bass line I had. It’s really simple - only two chords. It had a sexy, sleazy groove and we worked it up into this full-on party monster. It’s ended up as this huge Marc Bolan style stomp. Lyrically it’s about debauched hedonism. It was partly inspired by seeing the film ‘The Libertine’ about the Earl Of Rochester and the party scene in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. It’s a soundtrack to the maddest party you’ve ever been to. ‘Shoot The Runner’ is a reference to seeing someone leave when the night is still in full swing. That’s a good rule of life - never leave a party early!”

Speaking of great parties, Kasabian found themselves supporting the likes of The Rolling Stones and Oasis (which turned into a ‘marathon piss-up’ according to Pizzorno) as an up and coming band around the world, but now they have reached a huge status of their own, Kasabian are now in a position to pick support bands themselves and choose a certain base.ad favourite for the top. “We’re taking The Fratelli’s on tour with us. I love the album, and they’re great chaps. We get on really well with them. They’re not frightened of doing their own thing.”

With the album now due for imminent release, the band are now putting plans in place for the Empire world tour, with Pizzorno relishing the prospect. “I can’t wait. It’s when everyone’s together that you can conjure up the feeling. Playing in front of 40,000 people at a time is something else. It’s magical. We did two solid years of touring but now we’re back and recharged we can’t wait to get out there again.”

Craig talks to Sir Carl Barat

CARL BARAT

by Craig Ablitt

At the arse end of an exciting summer in London town, the sun is setting over Tower Bridge and I'm perched on London Bridge with two VIP passes to see Dirty Pretty Things at The Coronet, a half empty pack of B&H Silver and all is well with the world, plus I've got Carl Barat on the phone for a chat....

Good day Carl, how’s the collar bone now?
It’s not quite there yet as I discovered today but it’s getting there. Getting better now I am.

How was the recent tour of America?
Blinding it was, a real trailblazer! We got some great reviews, played some great cities and all the venues sold out which was good, but we didn’t get any radio coverage. Fuck knows why not!

Are audiences much different in that part of the world?
It’s different all over the world. The culture is different there, they just go fucking mental for gigs, no matter where you go there is always a pocket of English people Britain flying the flag. It’s a very contagious place to play in

You often throw a few Libertines classics in on tour – how do you decide which ones go into the set?
If we’re going to do one, it depends on whether our bass player can play it! He’s not quite as technical as our old bass player.

You’re playing this one-off gig for Make Roads Safe – Can you let us know what your motivation was for getting behind that?
We played with the Chili Peppers in Ipswich and three girls who went to the gig were killed on their way home which was tragic. We’d actually got involved with the cause before the accident happened. These things happens all the time, so it's time something was said.

Looking back over the year, how has touring with this band compared to life on the road with The Libertines?
It’s like early days of The Libertines; one for all, all for one, that kind of thing. It’s not all too different actually. There’s a lot of Libertines die-hards and lots of new people aswell coming to the gigs. it's all good.

After what’s been an extremely busy year for you, what’s been the highpoint for you?
Leaving Taiwan! I got too fucked there and all that stuff happened with me breaking my collar bone. A real fucking low point that was. There were people walking around naked all the time for some reason, it was like being backstage at cats or something. The best bit so far was the initial response we got on the first British tour; people still cared and were still waiting. It was heartwarming and reassuring and inspired me to want to carry on fwith this music lark.

Were you happy with what you have achieved with this album?
I conveyed what I felt so I’m happy with that. I'm glad people understood it and now I’m ready to do something different now.

Has your approach to songwriting changed much since releasing Up The Bracket?
I guess so, obviously I don’t have the same writing partner as such anymore and I’ve learnt to be confident in my own ability and to trust my own instincts.

The new single will be 'Wondering', what’s the story behind the song?
It’s the first song we wrote together on a sunny day while we were rehearsing for the producer Dave Sardy in Northumberland . It’s about a feeling and a mood about moving on. A summer song really.

Any more singles to be had?
There’s talk of putting 'The Enemy' out but that’s kind of record company stuff really, but we’ve been getting our heads down and will play some new tunes tonight.

Oh yeah? What are they then?
There'll be a couple tonight which is a bit scary. They're called 'Chinese Dogs' and 'Puffing On A Coffin Nail'. One of those we used as a B-side but never played live. The other was written and recorded on the spot and there’ll be a surprise guest tonight.

You're people have kindly sorted out passes for us. Who's this guest?

You're coming are you? Come and say hello! We've managed to get in some bloke called Paul Weller to play a few songs with us tonight for a bit of a laugh.

What’s next for you once the tour and promotion for this album is over?
Two months to write and reflect on it all and then i'll try and get back in touch with the fans again. I've been here in the machine for so long so I'm gonna get back on the internet, send some emails about and then do some little gigs in pubs and stuff and stuff keep the sprit together.

You and Pete spotted out together at Dublin Castle recently and started the usual Libertines reforming rumor. I have to ask; what's the chances?
Maybe one day. Who knows? We get on alright now me and Peter. There’s no war, there’s no rivalry. I went to meet a mate of a mate really and we ended up meeting in an old pub just like the old days really and it ended up with loads of people taking pictures.... well of Pete anyway!

So all this talk of a dramatic falling out is to be taken with a pinch of salt then?

People just want to sell papers at the end of the day and this meeting we had was only in The Sun because of Pete really. Maybe one day The Libertines will get back together when we’re not doing this stuff that's keeping us al busy right now.

Do you still class yourself as a Libertine?

I always will be!

The Libertines are considered by many as one of the best ever British bands – how do you think they will be seen in a few decades?
I really couldn’t say. If people have grown up and been genuinely inspired by The Libertines and it stays in their hearts then I'm glad to have been a part of that. Let's gope for the best, who knows?

Are there any bands since the break-up of The Libertines you'd mark out for big things?
Probably The Metro Riots. You know when I said I was out of the loop and in the machine?

Yeah..

Well, that's not entirely true because I've been getting loads of demos from bands and been collecting tracks from new bands I've seen along the way. I'm trying to think of some of the others I've liked of late. Hmm, I'll get back to you later tonight on that if you bump into me at the gig. Right now I'm going to negotiate with my body whether I can handle another five beers...

Badly Drawn Boy Interview - November 2006

BADLY DRAWN BOY

by Craig Ablitt

Badly Drawn Boy aka Damon Gough seems like a very hard man to please. After scooping the Mercury Music Award in 2000 for debut album Hour of the Bewilderbeast and subsequently releasing four more acclaimed records, all has not gone to plan according to him. “The plan was just to keep moving forward but I’m not so sure I’ve always achieved that,” he remarks. “Career wise I can’t complain because I’ve made five records that people have appreciated, but I don’t think I’ve had the success I’ve deserved.”

These sorts of statements are typical of Gough. He accomplishes big, sets out higher, yet fails to meet his own personal demands. It all sounds like the symptoms of a perfectionist surely? “I couldn’t give a fucking shit about perfection. If something sounds good and feels good then that’s all that matters,” he snaps. “If I sought perfection, that means everything would have to be fundamentally right and I like everything to be fundamentally wrong. I do things that I know people might not want to hear and hate things being too clean and normal. Saying that I don’t think I’ve made an album I could have bettered, yet I know I’m still to make my best record.”

Never easy to convince, his UK tour sold out in typically easy fashion to promote his latest album Born In The UK, yet he doesn’t seem particularly upbeat about how it has gone so far. “Some nights I walk offstage and think that the gig was shit, but the rest of the band come off going ‘ah that was amazing’. It feels like I’m at a different gig some nights even though we’ve always left the stage to standing ovations,” he explains.

It is evident talking to Gough he couldn’t care less what other people think about him or his music as long as it pleases himself. Although for Gough, this album has been the most difficult for him to record. “I suppose every album has been difficult for whatever reason, but on this one I piled more pressure on myself than ever before to prove that I could make a record that was worthwhile,” he points out. Personal pressure is one thing, but what of record company pressure? “Nobody puts pressure on me because if they did I’d tell them to fuck off because I couldn’t give a shit what anyone else thinks,” he says angrily. “If a record is shit or not up to scratch it’s not up to anyone else except me.” That’s the world told.

So high were his expectations for releasing an album that pleased him, he also scrapped an albums worth of material along the way, which he claimed was the right thing to do at the time. “The album I scrapped took eight months out of my life and £200,000 to record. I took up a lot of people’s time. I wasn’t trying to be clever or cool, it just wasn’t the right album for me to release at that time.”

One person the stubborn Gough did listen to on recording Born In The UK was producer Nick Franglen (of Lemon Jelly) who constantly badgered Gough to persist with the tracks he felt weren’t up to scratch on the record. “I just thought that every vocal, every guitar part and every piano bit sounded shit. Nick kept on telling me it was good enough and it sounded great,” he says. “He bounced loads of ideas around in the studio and had the enthusiasm and expertise to help me make the record I wanted to make.”

With many Badly Drawn Boy fans citing the now classic Hour Of The Bewilderbeast as his best work to date, Gough typically disagrees and believes his least commercially successful album is his best yet, with Born In The UK being too new to judge. “I’m bored of hearing about how good Bewilderbeast is,” he fires off. “That was just a record I made that came off the top of my head. One Plus One is One is my best album so far, although judging from sales everyone else disagrees. But like I say, I don’t really give a fuck about what anyone else thinks because my soul goes into each record. Born In The UK, I’ve not even listened to since I recorded it. I always find it hard to listen to my records after release.”

As Gough constantly strives to better himself, we wonder what it is that would make him truly content with a piece of his own work. “I know it sounds crap, but I think having that number one record would be great,” he says. But we thought he didn’t care what other people thought? “I don’t, but as an artist you always want your work to be appreciated by the listener. People say I’m silly for wanting to a number one record, but I want that iconic record which is held in high regard for years to come,” he states. “All I ever wanted to do with my life is leave my mark on the world, which the track ‘Without A Kiss’ on this album talks about. I hope that happens if it hasn’t already because fulfilment and contentment are the most important things in life.”

So there you have it. Buy Born In The UK, send it to number one and help make Badly Drawn Boy satisfied, finally!

Mystery Jets Interview with Blaine Harrison (November 2007)

MYSTERY JETS

by Craig Ablitt

As Thamesbeat capsized into the river claiming the lives of several crew members including Ladyfuzz, Les Incompetents and Larrikin Love, you would probably have found the captains of the vessel; Mystery Jets conquering the mainland with their debut album Making Dens and the immense singles ‘You Can’t Fool Me Dennis’ and ‘The Boy Who Ran Away’. As their London friends ventured into the choppy waters of the music industry never to return, this Eel Pie Island five-piece were snug on the HMS Success as they shared tours with the likes of Arctic Monkeys, Maximo Park and We Are Scientists. With Making Dens, the band came up with twelve songs completely at odds with each other in terms of structure and instrumentation that garnered them praise from the critics and a dedicated fanbase to boot that set them apart from their capital contemporaries. Today, we find frontman Blaine Harrison on his way to the studio as the band put the finishing touches to their eagerly awaited second album produced by dance maestro Erol Alkan; a record Blaine has promised us will be something rather more considered the first.

“I think it’s going to be a more concise record than Making Dens,” he outlines immediately. “The first time round, we wanted to do justice to everything in our heads, but this one is going to be a shorter record with a more consistent sound and one people will want to listen to at least five times in one night when they hear it. I think it’s really going to connect with people, because Erol has helped give it a real all round freshness as well.”

Before people you freak out and expect an Alkan produced record to turn Mystery Jets into another one of a long line crossover electro bands, think again. Although he has produced the nu-ravetastic Late of the Pier’s latest material (and done a stellar job too may we add), Harrison is quick to reassure the Jets’ fanbase that album number two will entertain the Mystery Jets’ eccentricity and new prog identity, not just because he is a great producer, but because there is a side to Alkan that those who don’t know him even existed.

“He’s an indie kid at heart,” says Harrison. “He grew up listening to Blur and Suede, so we used to bring him CDR’s of rough demos we’d done when he was DJing at Trash and he’d just shove them straight on the decks and play them to everyone!” he laughs, still sounding relatively surprised. “I was like; ‘he’s fucking amazing, we have to work with him’. He has this technical nouse, and understood that we use a lot of different instruments, so he’d go away and find us bits of gear to record with. You’ll have to wait and see what it sounds like, but this is not an indie dance crossover record – which we’re glad for, it’s going to be a surprise!”

Thankfully, we won’t have to wait too long to hear the results of the album sessions as the band take to the road to play an incredibly intimate tour to test the new material out on fresh ears. However, Harrison is quick to point out that these forthcoming shows won’t be to celebrate the past, but to turn the page and begin a new chapter in the Mystery Jets’ career path, but surely they’re going to play ‘You Can’t Fool Me Dennis?’at least?

“I think ‘Dennis’ is a gem, but we won’t be playing it much anymore,” he says convincingly. “Maybe one day we’ll play it as a one off to surprise people. It’s not that we don’t like it, we’ve got to the point where we feel like we’ve got to put some of the old material to bed, because I prefer these new songs to the old ones,” he explains. “I know our fanbase isn’t particularly fickle and the people who bought the first album will be people who will be interested in the next one, but our fanbase knows that we have to move on as artists. I just want to play people all this great new material we have written.”

Kings of Leon Interview with Nathan Followill (November 2007)

KINGS OF LEON

Fore! Kicks

by Craig Ablitt

If Kings Of Leon were a drug, they’d be the most pure form of heroin. The hit of Tennessee rock & roll you get from listening to their records is of the most untainted variety, with no junk or filth from the outside given chance to infiltrate the pleasure gained. As preachers sons; brothers Nathan, Jared, Caleb and cousin Matthew Followill weren’t allowed to listen to rock & roll thanks to their strong religious upbringing and had only listened to The Beatles when they were in their twenties, by which time they’d already formed Kings Of Leon. In Britain, where almost every band is spoon-fed by an industry trying to make them sound/look like the hottest band of the moment, Kings Of Leon, influenced by nobody but their own spirit, landed in Britain in 2003 looking more like rock & roll refugees with their unwashed denims, long hair and huge beards. To soundtrack their arrival, debut album Youth & Young Manhood was crammed full of brash, straight up, melody heavy rock & roll, which quickly ushered the Kings Of Leon to the bosom of every self-respecting music fan across the land. Britain hadn’t had it so good since Led Zeppelin were at their all-conquering best.

Four years on, several world tours completed, a second album in Aha Shake Heartbreak – equally as well received as the first, Kings Of Leon released album three Because Of The Times this year, which has elevated them to rock stratosphere. Although a record somewhat different to the unabashed simplistic guitar blasting rodeos of the first two; it is an album with tracks akin to the stadium shows they have sold out on their forthcoming UK tour. Today, we find drummer Nathan Followill backstage at Baltimore, Maryland ahead of another headline show in the USA, where they have now got to the point where they are starting to see their monumental success in Europe replicate itself back home.

“It’s weird man.” Followill begins to explain in thick Tennessee drawl. “There’s a drastic difference now when we play in the States than there was on the first two records. We’d come home from playing to 80 000 kids in Glastonbury and arrive back at the airport where our Mom was the only person that knew us,” he chuckles. “People used to laugh at us with our tight pants and moustaches, but it’s got to the point now where we’re playing some big big venues we’d never dreamed of playing at, let alone headlining.”

Herein lies the beauty of Kings Of Leon; they never dreamt, they just played rock & roll to see where it could take them. As mentioned, their preacher father Leon shielded them from usual human temptations: drugs, sex, alcohol, rock & roll etc. and kept the boys on an even keel – attending church, helping with chores in the neighbourhood and so forth. When rock & roll finally did find the Followill’s; they were already planning on moving away from the clutches of their religious upbringing and into the world of music, but it is this shielded lifestyle that makes Kings Of Leon all the more endearing: That the rock & roll they play comes straight from the heart and is in no way influenced or a replica of any other act – simply because they didn’t know who the others were.

“We had led pretty sheltered lives, especially musically,” Followill confesses. “We discovered rock & roll in a way most people did; break out a joint and listen to a Led Zeppelin record,” he says, still sounding impressed with his discovery. “We decided we wanted to do this when we got tired of painting houses in the summertime and working our asses off, so Caleb started writing songs with me and we thought ‘let’s give this a try’. We thought if we could sell 10 000 records we’d be happy,” he outlines. We got interest from a record company who came to see us play in our mom’s basement, so we thought ‘ok, we’ll just buy our brother a bass and our cousin a guitar. They came down, signed us and haven’t questioned anything since.”

And with their foray into the world of rock & roll arrived the women, the alcohol and the self-confessed use of drugs (although in a recent interview, Nathan said they’d stopped using cocaine “because they were scared to look their mother in the face”) that came with the territory of being in one of the world’s hottest bands, perhaps also as an act of rebellion against their upbringing. However, after four years of stories of groupies, supermodels, paparazzi attention and general debauchery, Followill tells us that these days the band get their kicks in a more civilised manner.

“We play golf everyday now,” he reveals. “Especially if we can get a day off, just to remove ourselves from the machine that is touring,” hinting of fractious times that may have occurred on the road. “At first, when we had to share hotel rooms, things got a bit crazy and we wanted to kill each other, but now everyone does their own thing and we have girlfriends now,” he says, fending off our persistent questions about life on the road. “The paparazzi thing is kinda funny though,” he laughs. “At first it’s great, we were like ‘we’ve made it!’ but that sort of stuff isn’t cool if they catch you picking your nose, scratching your ass or coming out of a club drunk!”

The press attention and frenzy that has started following the band around now is understandable, especially with people now comparing them to some of the greatest names in music history as they now venture into stadium territory alongside bands they once supported like U2 and Bob Dylan. But like anything that the band have had thrown at them so far; you get the impression from Followill that Kings Of Leon will just take it all in their stride.

“We’ve always been a fly by the seat of your pants sort of band and whatever happens, happens,” he explains. “When we toured with Dylan and U2, we saw that no matter how big the show was you could still have fun, even if there was 15 000 people out there, you can still make it intimate and be personal with the audience because you’re still playing music for your fans,” he points out, sounding more than ready to conquer Wembley.

As the touring commitments begin to wind down for the band after another whirlwind year, we ask Followill about the bands’ plans for the future with regards their fourth album, which he says will be out “winter or fall next year,” and his desires as to how far Kings Of Leon can take their sound. However, in true Kings Of Leon fashion they are planning for nothing. Record the record, see where it takes them.

“We’ve got to a point where we can play for 3000 to 5000 kids in any city in the world. Japan, South America, Australia, anywhere, you name it, we can fill the venue. I don’t think we’ll be touring as much in the future though. If any band toured as much as we have for another ten years then someone is going to get killed or go crazy!” he says, with real conviction. “We’ll be doing this for a long time though and always want to be creating good music for our fans as long as we are able and hopefully one day Dylan and U2 will be opening up for us.”

Interview with Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler from The Jam

BRUCE FOXTON AND RICK BUCKLER

by Craig Ablitt

Its twenty-five years ago this month since The Jam played what would be their final ever tour. Despite being at the top of their game, Paul Weller decided to split Britain’s greatest ever trio to at the age of just twenty-three to concentrate on other projects, leaving a nation and his bandmates Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler in a state of shock. This may seem like overenthusiastic hyperbole from a journalist and fan, but the impact The Jam had on music and culture in this country cannot be understated. Breakout their seminal albums All Mod Cons, Setting Sons, Sound Affects and The Gift and find the generation-defining likes of ‘Eton Rifles’, ‘A Town Called Malice’ – not to mention non-album tracks like ‘Going Underground’.

It was with genuine excitement earlier in 2007 then, when it was announced The Jam were to reform, albeit without Weller, which begged the question: How can you have The Jam without Paul Weller? Step forward Foxton and Buckler – the formidable rhythm section of The Jam, who recruited frontman Russell Hastings and keyboardist Dave Moore, announced a UK tour under the banner ‘From The Jam’ (which sold out in ten days) and gave fans what they had been missing for twenty-five years: Blistering performances that did absolute justice to the sound and energy of The Jam. Ahead of an even bigger sold out UK tour which will see them play their first London gigs in quarter of a century, we caught up with Buckler and Foxton.

“Early on it was something we were concerned about with Paul not on board,” says Buckler. “He’s made it clear that he had no intention in joining this reunion, but it wasn’t going to stop us from doing it,” he informs defiantly. “He cut all communications after the band split with myself and Bruce and it didn’t seem worthwhile trying to stay in touch if he didn’t want to, so we just tackled it ourselves. It’s a shame Paul’s not there, but that’s the way it is and as time goes on it doesn’t seem to hold that much importance for me.”

A shame yes. Something the whole world would like to see? Absolutely, but go to one of the new shows and see for yourself the excitement, the energy, the passion and euphoria pouring out of the throngs of fans old and new, reminiscent of Jam’s gigs of old, which is not just a gut feeling from the fans, but the band themselves, perhaps owing to the fact that Weller’s songs have stood up to the test of time.

“It’s been absolutely brilliant to be back on the road,” Buckler states. “Yeah, it’s been an unbelievable buzz,” Foxton butts in. “It’s been so long since myself and Rick have played these songs and we both have a new enthusiasm and excitement from doing them again,” he beams. “First and foremost its Paul’s quality songwriting that has made the tunes stand the test of time so well,” Foxton continues. “We were always passionate about the music, and our audience still are today. It makes an excellent combination.”

So what of the so-called ‘Weller replacement’ Russell Hastings? From the outset his vocal sounds like Weller, he uses exactly the same guitars and set up as Weller, some would argue he even dresses like Weller did in The Jam’s hey-day. So is he trying to be Weller? “Russell doesn’t sound too dissimilar to Paul,” agrees Foxton. “But he has his own way of phrasing the songs.” Buckler interjects at this point: “Russell does a great job. People will have to come down to see the shows to appreciate it properly. He carries it well, but at the same time he is his own man, judge it for yourself.”

The most significant thing about this UK tour as mentioned, is it marks the twenty-fifth anniversary since the split, with the tour culminating in the exact same venue that marked the end of The Jam at Weller’s behest – The Brighton Centre, which will no doubt evoke memories of that dark night in 1982. A deliberate arrangement perhaps to address the history books?

“I don’t think we’re rewriting history, I hope not!” proclaims Buckler. “What was going through my mind at that last show is that we’d never play these songs again, but now we have a second chance and it’s going to be fantastic,” he says, excitedly. “A lot of people have been saying to me it’s like we do have some unfinished business to take care of because the band ended prematurely at that venue,” adds Foxton. “We’re not trying to add to The Jam’s legacy, hence why we called ourselves From The Jam, because it’s not The Jam without Paul, obviously,” he outlines.

So what next for From The Jam? There’s talk of new material, which Buckler informs us that the band would “like to turn their attention to,” but the question on the lips of every fan of arguably Britain’s greatest ever band after The Beatles is: Will Paul Weller ever rejoin The Jam? “It would be nice,” informs Foxton. “We have always said that the door is open, but I don’t think he thinks much of bands reforming like The Police or The Jam for that matter, but you never know!”

Whether Weller rejoins or not, one thing about From The Jam’s is certain: That’s Entertainment.

Editors Interview with Tom Smith (Dec 2007)

EDITORS

by Craig Ablitt

When we get hold of Editors’ well-spoken and entirely charming leader Tom Smith, he’s fresh from recording an appearance with his band on Jonathan Ross’ chat show, sharing that famous green room with such luminaries as Hollywood megastar Will Smith, “a cool, nice bloke,” remarks Smith, the Strictly Come Dancing judges, “obnoxious”, and tit rag/trash mag darling; the ‘cocaine hovering, Mum of the year’ Kerry Katona, “a sweetheart really, a normal girl,” he surmises.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about these public figures, sharing television programmes with such recognisable names is simply a measure of how highly regarded Editors have become in the two and a half years since they crash-landed into the album charts at number two with debut album The Back Room. In a year that has seen the Birmingham-based band go one better with not so difficult album number two An End Has A Start, conquering Glastonbury and selling out the Academy-sized venues reserved for Britain’s musical glitterati, Smith and co. are safe in the knowledge that 2008 could be their biggest yet, after watching the likes of Alexandra Palace sell out with ease for next March’s tour.

“It has been a great year for Editors in our relatively short career,” agrees Smith. “It seems hard at the moment for bands to get a second album out which is more successful than the first, but ours went to number one, which is something you dream about doing and not a realistic aim,” he quips a little too modestly in our opinion. Modest due to the fact that An End Has A Start realised the expectations raised from the melodic, chorus led, soul-baiting euphoria of the first record, notable on the grandiose and ambitious gestures heard on tracks such as ‘The Racing Rats’ or the big world optimism of ‘Escape The Nest’. Although, throughout the interview Smith remains considerate of his words, distancing himself from bands who “shout from the rooftops, proclaiming that they are the biggest band in the world,” (anyone see our Hard-Fi interview?) Smith seems more comfortable explaining how Editors have tackled their second album that has – if you excuse the cliché – elevated their status.

“I think it was the confidence we got after the success of The Back Room that made us more ambitious on this album,” Smith points out. “Before, we would have been scared to pick up an acoustic guitar or sit at a piano, or add strings and things like that, but I think we channelled that confidence into ambition to make a record that wasn’t just four people in a room,” he adds, nodding to the at times wall-of-sound feel to the second record. “It hasn’t made us the biggest band in Britain, but the gigs have been getting bigger, we’re a better band than before and it feels good,” he continues, assessing the band’s success in a justified manner.

“When we were making the second album, we couldn’t wait for people to hear it. We have this quiet self belief that we won’t let get too big as you can come across as arrogant, but it is inside us,” he continues, choosing each word carefully as not to sound like one of many of Britain’s notorious rock & roll big heads. “You do need a certain bravado and arrogance when you’re in a band though and need that when you get onstage to perform to a room full of people.”

Anyone that has been in these rooms can testify that it is in this environment where the true energy and the quiet self-belief Editors possess fully unfolds itself, garnering them a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts to see in the country. The evidence is clear from the size of venues the band step up to with each tour they announce. Last year they smashed Brixton Academy with three sold out nights, as already mentioned; they were one of the highlights of this year’s Glastonbury, and next year sees them taking in some of the biggest halls in the land, with the aforementioned two night stand at the gargantuan Alexandra Palace. Typically of Smith, his modesty and both feet on the ground attitude towards being placed in such lofty scenarios translates to the live arena also.

“It’s all a bit bonkers really,” he chuckles, when it is put to him that near on 100 000 people will be attending next year’s UK tour. “It’s a big deal for us that we get to play these big shows, and if you analyse that too much, you’ll go insane!” he laughs. “We’re very excited about it though and we’ll go at it with al guns blazing, but it will be hard, because we’re new at this and not an arena band by any stretch and in front of 8000 people you need bigger gestures to work the bigger rooms, so you need to do something big,” he says, remaining consistently grounded about the prospect.

So what will this ‘big’ thing be? Pyrotechnics? Pink Floyd-esque theatrics and ridiculous stage props akin to the cock-rock hair metal fools of the 1980s? Of course not, it’ll be just the band unleashing An End Has A Start’s anthemic qualities tin the size of venue it deserves, whether Smith agrees of not.

“You mention the word anthemic, and some of our songs are big songs with big chorus’ and melodies,” he agrees with us. “Traditionally, those things work for other bands in big spaces and I don’t know if we’re quite there,” he says, continuing the reserved and unnecessary theme of almost self-deprecation. “Maybe it will work, maybe we’ll fall and look like idiots, maybe it’ll be magic. I do know this; when we recorded and rehearsed songs like ‘Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors’ and ‘The Racing Rats’; the hairs on the neck stood up and moved us. Hopefully people will feel that connection as well.”

As we come to the end of the interview and of course the end of 2007, now is the time to ask Smith what 2008 has in store for Editors. Another album so quickly may be a bit too much to ask seeing as we only got An End Has A Start this year, but according to Smith, he’s already putting the wheels in motion for what he describes as “the third record we need to make.”

“I already have three or four songs in me trying to get out,” he reveals. “There’s no fixed ideas on how the record will sound, but we’re hopeful that we can get at least a couple of new songs up and running to play on the tour and at festivals next year,” he continues, revealing news that will please those attending next year’s dates. “We enjoy playing live and there’s an element of intensity and size of the sound of something about playing live that I don’t think we’ve captured on record yet, so that’s what we’ll be aiming to do with the next album.”

So how to sum up Editors? The country holds them in obvious high regard, but there’s a burning feeling you get from Smith, that in his eyes whether he’ll admit it or not, that the band have got their eyes on something a lot bigger than they already have their hands on. “Doing this does feel like Christmas and birthday all at once,” he offers. “Very few people find that thing they love doing and manage to do it for a living and be successful or be in between that, and that’s where I think we are at this moment – in between. We don’t want to let any of this slip, or take it for granted.”

The Feeling Interview with Richard Jones

THE FEELING

Fill Our Little Worlds Up Again

by Craig Ablitt

Here’s some things we know about The Feeling: 1) They were the most played band on UK radio in 2006. 2) ‘Never Be Lonely’, ‘Fill My Little World’, ‘Sewn’ and ‘Love It When You Call’ were all major chart hits. 3) They scooped the ‘Songwriters of the Year’ award at the Ivor Novello’s last year. 4) They’ve played the new Wembley Stadium. 5) Their debut album Twelve Stops and Home has been bought by more than 800 000 people in Britain alone. 6) The subsequent tour to support the album shifted more than 115 000 tickets. 7) Their leader Dan Gillespie Sells is a singer and not a salesman. 8) They have a new album out this month called Join With Us. 8) The week before release, bassist Richard Jones gave an interview to Craig Ablitt.

“Yeah, it’s been an amazing journey so far for us and quite difficult to explain because it was such a whirlwind year,” Jones shares. “We went from leading relatively normal lives and suddenly we were touring non-stop, more and more people were coming to the shows and it all just kept getting bigger and bigger,” he attempts to surmise. “There were some moments that stood out though, like the Diana Memorial gig at Wembley Stadium and playing to 50 000 people at the Isle Of Wight Festival. It’s been quite a jump to playing pubs in Liverpool to shows like that in the space of a year.”

This amazing leap in fortunes is testament to the songwriting abilities of singer Dan Gillespie Sells and his knack of being able to write a song with ‘top ten’ written all over it. So what of album number two? With the band’s MySpace claiming them to be indie as well as classic rock, can we expect them to lean towards less commercial sensibilities or more of the ELO meets Supertramp pop variety that led them to their initial success? Thankfully for existing fans, it’s the latter.

“Musically, all we’ve ever been able to do is write what comes naturally and the core of what we do is still the same, in the sense that we like music that is based around the song and the melody,” Jones explains. “Therefore we could never have made a completely different album. At the same time we don’t go out with the intentions of making music for commercial success as it probably wouldn’t have worked and I doubt we would have liked it anyway.”

Whether or not Jones likes it, The Feeling are a pop act, which is of course nothing to be ashamed of. In the eyes of the more serious music buyer however, the credibility factor of producing songs that some would claim take no risks musically is somewhat of a cardinal sin and is a subject that Jones along with his bandmates evidently find as a constant source of annoyance when concerning their art.

“We get asked a lot of questions about this credibility thing,” he grunts. “To us, we just make the tunes and then go and play them. It’s more about what people say rather than what is actually true. We got wound up when we read a review of our first album that claimed we weren’t genuine and were dreamt up in a boardroom,” he adds in a disgruntled manner. “Perhaps people just want to feel like that because they don’t understand how a band can want to play radio friendly pop and be a rock band. The truth is; we just do.”

Regardless of opinion on The Feeling, there are few people who can claim that one of their chart hits hasn’t found its way into their subconscious and with album number two, the only thing that concerns the successful five-piece is being able to maintain their popularity and remain in the minds of the record buying public for as long as they’ll have them, beginning with Join With Us.

“Sure, it’d be amazing to headline Wembley Stadium or play the O2 Arena, but there aren’t many bands that can manage to be able to do what we’re doing for ten or twenty years; making albums people want to listen to. That’s our dream.”

So can Join With Us do this for The Feeling? “I don’t know,” shrugs Jones. “I don’t think it’s down to what we as a band term as good music because so many great albums I’ve loved down there years haven’t done well, but we can walk away from the recording of this album knowing we couldn’t have done it any differently.”

Korn Interview with Jonathan Davis - January 2008

KORN

Life's Still Peachy

by Craig Ablitt

Musical innovators, fusing metal with a diverse range of genres such as funk and hip hop, creators of the unusual down-tuned seven string guitar sound now aped by many, generators of some of the darkest, heaviest and most aggressive music since Ozzy Osbourne went soft and purveyors of the grimmest, most taboo lyrics courtesy of frontman Jonathan Davis; Korn’s magnetism to a global audience seemed an unlikely feat when they appeared in public conscience fifteen years ago. As parents and guardians became outraged at the band’s – to put it mildly – ‘controversial’ and ‘confrontational’ nature; their children were probably snapping up the band’s latest release.

We won’t bore you with all the details of how they became one of America’s biggest musical exports. To date they’ve shifted over 30 million albums worldwide, Follow The Leader, Life Is Peachy and Issues are considered seminal to the nu-metal movement, their worldwide fanbase is endless, their live shows are scenes to outpourings of aggression and emotion...the sheer magnitude of Korn is a tale familiar to many.

After losing founding member Brian ‘Head’ Welch (who quit the band to find religion in 2005) and long-term drummer David Silveria (who departed to recuperate and spend time with his family), Korn’s popularity remains as fervent as ever, despite an obvious mellowing within the band’s personnel (which will be demonstrated in this interview). 2007 saw the release of their Untitled Album and last month saw them begin a new UK jaunt under the moniker Bitch We Have A Problem Tour, which will see them take in rare theatre and club gigs. We pick up the story with Jonathan Davis literally hours after stepping onto British turf.

“I’m excited about this tour man!” he beams on introduction. “It’s cool to come here and do this and play these smaller venues than we’re used to because arenas can have no vibe whatsoever,” he points out. “Fans can expect to be fucking blown away by these dates too, we’ll be playing a lot of tracks that will please all of our fans; a mixture of the hits and the older songs for the hardcore,” he promises, before adding: “Our UK fans are great and are in this for the long haul, unlike in the States where people get into bands who come and go like fucking nothing. The mentality here is great.”

As expected, the UK jaunt which sees them play outside of Manchester and London for the first time in seven years has seen tickets snapped up in quick time, with a second leg of their visit to the UK set to take place in March. This effect however is not exclusive to just the UK and America; the Bitch We Have A Problem tour will travel to a further seventeen European countries as diverse as Russia and Latvia, not to mention the fact that it will go on for months to come in Asia, Australia, Africa and South America. Although mind-boggling how one band can manage to traverse such radically different cultural climates, Davis sees the reasoning as quite basic.

“Our music is real,” he offers simplistically. “People feel the emotion in it and can relate to a lot of the things we talk about and in the music itself, the energy that’s there enables people to get their aggressions out,” he explains. “It’s the sort of music that touches people on an emotional level, whether it be letting them vent the way they feel or just to be happy at jumping about and rocking out.”

As well as being evidently happy to be back in the UK, Davis also appears more than contented at the results and feedback of the band’s latest long player Untitled Album, arguably Korn’s most experimental album to date with its atmospheric and deep feel, with many critics welcoming the expansion felt in the band’s already diverse musical canon. It is also an album Davis sees as a chance for the band to reinvent themselves and keep them at the cutting edge.

“People seem to be digging these songs which is cool, because with this record we made a conscious decision to change things up a bit in order for us to stay ahead of the curve,” he justifies. “When we put out early albums like Life Is Peachy, everyone just jumped on the bandwagon and it kinda diluted what we did, plus I think there are some amazing songs on there too,” he adds.

This level of experimentation that has crept onto the latest Korn record is understandable then, when Davis reveals to us that he is looking to push his own solo project further this year, which will see him return with a personally hand-picked band to play some UK festival dates this summer. Don’t be expecting another Korn-esque outing however.

“Korn is so heavy and I wanted to do something that was the complete opposite to that with this shit I’m doing,” he outlines. “What I loved about the solo thing was when I was putting it together as I wasn’t even sure what it was going to sound like until all the players in the band got together and now I’m like, ‘wow, this band is fucking great’. It’s a five-piece band that plays some insane shit, which you got to see!”

Juggling all of these projects at once is testament to Davis’ continued commitment to his art and fanbase, a project he doesn’t need to add to his existing workload, especially when he tells us of the ongoing struggle he faces with trying to manage the two most important aspects to his life: Music and his family – a far cry from the image perhaps portrayed through Korn’s aggressive and controversial exterior.

“I find it fucking hard man,” he sighs. “If I ever get time off from a tour or whatever, I’m one hundred percent there with my kids. I’ll wake up with them, fix their breakfast, put them to sleep at night and do as much for them as I can to help their Mom get a break,” he details, revealing a side to him disturbed parents and detractors of the band’s past will be somewhat surprised to hear.

Before ending the interview we get on to the topic of when we can expect Korn’s next album, which will dispel any rumours circulating the internet following the departure the day after our conversation of guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer (who in fact left the tour for personal and family reasons), with Davis promising a new album “when the tour is over and we get time to regroup.” However, fans may have to wait a while for that to happen, as for the first time in their history, Davis feels the time is right for Korn to take a well-earned break, adding: “We’ve been going for like fourteen years straight, so this time we’ll be taking at least six months off to chill and the next album will begin and as soon we’ve had that, because as soon as I get some time off, I’ll be straight home to see my babies!”

Guillemots Interview

GUILLEMOTS

Like Kids In A Sweetshop

by Craig Ablitt

When the Guillemots arrived with their debut album Through The Windowpane in 2006; Britain was greeted with the sort of wide-eyed, melody laden, zestful enthusiasm that could only be attributed to the sort of musical genius likened to Brian Wilson. Windowpane demonstrated their irreplaceable leader Fyfe Dangerfield’s ability to paint musical landscapes with no attention to rules, genres or blueprints made real by the eclectic tastes of his multi-instrumental bandmates and rightfully earned them Mercury Prize and MOJO nominations for best album.

Next month sees the Guillemots release their sophomore album Red, which if to believed, paints an even broader sonic palette than the debut and will once again throw the cat among the pigeons in the all too often predictable popscene we ‘enjoy’ today. Given the fact the band now has their own studio and nerve centre in a converted synagogue in Bethnal Green to do as they please, we tracked down drummer Greig Stewart to find out just what to expect from the intriguing prospect of Red.

“Having our own studio certainly gave us the opportunity to spend more time experimenting with lots of different sounds,” Stewart offers in his gentle Scottish tone. “We have all these small rooms and places in there so we took advantage of that. For instance; we recorded in the lift shaft on one of the dancier tracks and also recorded the sound of air whooshing out of an air bed!” he laughs, before adding: “There were some bats in there too, so we recorded the sound of them and there was one track Fyfe wrote, where he went away for the weekend and he came back to find this weird drum sound on there. He was like ‘what’s that?’ ‘Oh, it’s a cheese grater!’ I guess we’ve been like kids in a sweetshop!”

Paired with the usual array of bizarre instrumentation, Guillemots have of course let their imaginations run away with them when approaching the sound and melody of each track. Where in the past Dangerfield would come to the band with songs of his own, Red sees Guillemots take a different approach to recording with all four members pitching in their own ideas. Interesting given the quartet’s diverse musical background; guitarist MC Lord Magrao is known to love metal and experimental house, bassist Aristazabal Hawkes is a classically trained pianist and jazz lover, Stewart a rock fan, also into world music and Dangerfield; well a bit of everything.

“On paper it’s hard to see how we manage to work as a unit! It does, but even I can’t explain it,” Stewart chuckles. “At the beginning we just started jamming out all these different songs and ideas and it was a little chaotic and took a while to get used to, but we got there in the end,” he states. “I guess the only difficulties came at the end when we were mixing the album and discussing minute things and parts we didn’t like that someone had done, but it was a democracy and everyone got a fair say.”

Fans will have already heard a taster in new single ‘Get Over It’, but unlike many artists; this snippet offers no clues to the variety of sounds and ideas portrayed on the album. Take the wonderfully bizarre deranged disco refrain of ‘Kriss Kross’, the porcelain-like fragility of ‘Standing On The Last Star’ and the track that’ll really catch the attention of fans of their unexpected nature; the modern US and A R&B pop attack of ‘Big Dog’. A bold genre-leap if there ever was one. A risky jump even by Guillemots standards.

“At the beginning we did want some of the tracks to have this American, sort of Timbaland production and even tried out one of his guys Jimmy Douglas to produce a couple but it didn’t work out properly,” he reveals. “We’ve really been into the sort of stripped down, new R&B pop stuff like Justin Timberlake’s ‘Sexyback’, but once he (Douglas) sent the tracks back; it was obvious our take on R&B and his must have been different!”

For any Guillemots fans beginning to worry that they have transformed into a multi-genre pop music experiment that has lost sight of melody and their trademark craftsmanship; Stewart is quick to point out that for any band to stand out and progress; experimentation is key.

“We couldn’t just make Windowpane part two,” he offers. “Fyfe maintains that The Beatles were really experimental and still managed to make great pop records with good melodies, but these days if you do something weird you run the risk of being called kooky and pretentious,” he adds. “Some of Red is dancefloor motivated, some of it is ballady, some of it you can jump up and down to. We want to appeal to new people as well as our fans but you can’t please everyone at once!”