Read this interview on Floatation Suite here

The Leisure Society have been recipients of considerable critical acclaim since the release of their debut album The Sleeper, back in 2009. The band’s debut single ‘The Last Of The Melting Snow’ was honoured with a 2009 Ivor Novello nomination, but not a win, for ‘Best Song Musically & Lyrically.’ Last year the band released their fantastic, mischievous second album ‘Into The Murky Waters’.  I phoned up front man Nick Hemming to ask him some questions.

Hi Nick! What are you up to today?
It’s very boring I’m afraid. I’m trying to do a tax return with a very bad hangover. It’s not much fun.

The glamorous lifestyle of musicians!
I know, it’s really boring, almost putting me to sleep. But I’ve had a nice start to the year. I’ve been down on the south coast, doing some research for a song I’m writing about fishermen and boat building down there, so that was a nice to start to the year. Now I’m back to London and back to reality with a tax return.

Sounds fun. I was going to say, it’s an appropriate time to wish The Leisure Society a happy new year. Happy New Year! How was 2011 for the band?
I think so. Happy new year to you too! It was good. It went in a flash really. Obviously we released the new album and we toured it on and off for a lot of the second part of the year. It was really busy, festival wise. We had festival every weekend in the summer. That was pretty mental; we were going somewhere different every weekend. It was a lot of fun but we were kind of glad when it was over really so we could have a bit of a rest. You just end up doing so much driving when you’re playing a different festival every weekend. But yeah, a really good year. Really productive.
It sounds really tiring. I’m just tired from listening to you describe it.
(Laughs) Yeah, but all good fun. We’ve just got one tour left for the album, which was postponed from October but after that we’ll just be getting into the studio. Finishing writing the new album, then getting into the studio to record it, we’ll be off the road a bit and getting stuck into recording new stuff.

Cool. You mentioned your second album came out last year. Are you pleased with the finished album and the reception to it?
Yeah, definitely.  It was quite an obsessive project. It took us about nine, or ten months to record it, which is quite a long time to concentrate on the same 12 songs. So it was a bit obsessive and I think we went a bit crazy. I definitely did. I think Christian (Hardy) did, when we were mixing it together. When you’ve spent so much time working on the same songs, you can’t really listen to it again for a while. You need to give it a break. I’ve just started listening to it again recently and I’m really proud of it. It’s definitely the strongest thing we’ve ever done. We’re learning all the time about arranging and producing. We’ve definitely raised it up a level from the first album, so yeah, really happy with that.

Yeah, I was going to say, it really does seem like there’s a strong musical progression from the debut to this record.
Yeah, we definitely wanted to be a bit more adventurous with it. I’ve always been into big arrangements and different sounds and the way different instruments work together. We had a lot more freedom this time because first of all we had a bit of a budget, so we could afford to get musicians in and we had time as well. We could just concentrate on it, we weren’t doing in-between jobs so we could go away for a couple of weeks and just concentrate on recording. So we definitely were a lot more adventurous and it’s what we’ve always wanted to do really, so we just made sure we made the most of it really.

Cool. So did you take a different approach to the recording of this album then?
Yeah, it was similar. We went away and hired a house in the countryside. We hired it for about two weeks, we set up all the drums, the bass amps and the guitar amps and stuff and we went through the songs for a bit. We tried to create a more live and bigger sound. So we did that for a bit. Then we recorded in this house, it had some really nice acoustics, some nice wooden floors and high ceilings, then we went away, came back and did another session there. The rest of it, which took a long time, was done in kind of the same way as the first album. We’d get musicians in, like harp players, or brass players, into my flat and we’d record them there.  So the first part, putting down the drums and all that, was a new experience for The Leisure Society, the rest of it was done with overdubs similar to the first album, just a lot more concentrated. That was along winded answer, wasn’t it?

It was good. It means I don’t have to speak as much. So did you not have any annoying neighbours popping in to tell you to keep the noise down?
No. I think we were the annoying neighbours. They were all pretty good. We never got a single complaint. I think everyone was out at work, because we did most of the recording during the day. During the summer, before the release, I spent about two weeks doing electric guitars. You need to really push an amp up loud to get a decent sound and because I was being quite obsessive about it, I’d try takes with lots of different sounds, slightly tweaking it, so I’d be playing a really simple riff over and over again for about an hour, if I’d have been one of the neighbours I would have been going mental. But we didn’t get a single complaint, so either they’re deaf, or they were just at work.

I would take no complaints as compliment. 
Yeah. I’ve moved to a different flat, so we won’t have to put them through that again. (laughs)

You’ll just have to move again after the next album.
(laughs) Yeah, that’s it. We’ve got one album in each flat.

How does a Leisure Society song come about? With so many members, you’re all bound to have varying tastes in music.
Yeah. Well I write most of the songs. I wrote all the songs off the latest album, but it kind of varies really, how they actually start being written.  Like the one I’m writing at the moment I’m writing from the perspective of a fisherman in the 1950s, so I’ve been driving round the coast line a lot. I get a lot of inspiration from being by the sea for some reason. With Into the Murky Waters, I recorded a lot of rough demos of instrumentals I had and just drove around, visiting different places and singing a long in the car and trying to wait for some lyrics to come. So usually I’ll just write an instrumental bit, with a vocal melody and one or two lines, then I’ll spend weeks and weeks obsessing over the lyrics, just trying to get them right. Then I’ll play them to the rest of the band and just pray that they like them. They usually do, I haven’t had any negative responses. So far. We shall see on the next album.

Do you put that level of work and research into every song?
Pretty much yeah. Sometimes they come really quickly, which is usually the best way. There’s a song off the first album, called We Were Wasted, that just sort of came from nowhere. It just sort of wrote itself. It’s nice when it happens like that, but I do tend to obsess a little too much over lyrics. I just hate it when you hear a really good song and if you hear a really bad lyric, it’ll just jar with you, it’ll just ruin the song for you. If all lyrics are poetry, it’s nice to make a bit of effort so it’s just not clichés and it’s actually saying something.

That’s one of the things that would terrify me about being in a band, making sure you got the right lyrics for the right song, if you know what I mean. 
Definitely. It’s definitely the hardest thing. I spend hours and hours worrying and obsessing over it. It’s just nice when they come and you’ve got something you’re happy with. People might think I write some cheesy lines, but if there was a line that I thought was cheesy, I just couldn’t bring myself to sing it. It’s something I think about a lot. Probably much too much.

Well it won you a Ivor Novello award.
Yeah, that’s right. Well, unfortunately it didn’t win it. We got beaten by Elbow. We were nominated two years in a row. The first I was beaten by Elbow, the second year I got beaten by Lily Allen, which wasn’t as quite as easy to take.

I feel bad for bringing it up now. Sorry.
(Laughs) It was really cool though. The first year, it was all an amazing experience anyway; I was working in a warehouse at the time, so it was just an amazing day out hanging out with loads of pop stars. Because Elbow won, Guy Garvey was there and he had championed the song I was nominated for, The Last of the Melting Snow, more than anybody else. Talking of lyrics, he actually read the lyrics out on his radio show. He asked me to email them to him and he read them out on his show, that was quite a bizarre, surreal, amazing experience.

That sounds mad.
It really was! I was really into them, especially the first two Elbow albums; I was a really big fan. Guy was one of the first interviews I did. I was on my lunch break at work and I went off and did an interview on the phone with him. I heard him on the other end of the phone reading my lyrics out as he was recording the show and I was like “this is just really strange.”

How satisfying was the success of the debut album? Did it add any extra pressure to the creation of the second record?
Yeah it did. It really did. The first time round I was just writing to myself really. I didn’t really know whether… well, one, I didn’t know if whether we’d play them live, because we weren’t really a proper band, and two, I didn’t know if we’d actually finish an album and release it. So this time round I knew we had a fan base, so I didn’t want to disappoint them and I’m quite enjoying being a full time musician, so I don’t want to stop. I put a lot of pressure on myself anyway, while writing songs, taking it far too seriously. I did feel a lot of pressure. There were a lot of sleepless nights about lyrics and stuff but it’s what I always dreamt of doing so it’s good to have that pressure sometimes.

I’m sure having a finished record that you’re proud of makes all those sleepless nights worthwhile.
Yeah totally. I have a real love/hate relationship with song writing because now it’s my life as well; it’s what I make a living from, it’s kind of amplified it really. It’s like when you can’t write a song, or you’re stuck, or you’ve got a block over a line or something like that, it’s just hell on. It’s ridiculous. I hate it and I feel really unhappy and depressed all the time, then suddenly just one line can just suddenly make your week. Yeah, so it’s a love/hate relationship, but there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing.

What inspires The Leisure Society? Anything outside of music?
I don’t know really. I read a lot. I don’t know, like I said earlier, being near the coast line really seems to inspire me personally, maybe it’s something in the sea air that gets the juices flowing. My life is basically just a constant quest to try and write songs.

It sounds like a nice quest to have really.
Yeah definitely. But maybe after the next album I should go back to the warehouse for a bit and feel a bit of real misery.

What do you hope listeners will get from your music? Do you think the context of your work changes within the environment that people listen to it?
I don’t know really. Everyone takes different things from music, some people will just love the beat of something or people are hooked by the melody. I really like it when they get into the lyrics and actually listen to them. We always put the lyrics on the album booklet, in the vain hope that people really take an interest. But I don’t care, as long as people get some sort of positive feeling because song writing, or any kind of art form, is about translating emotions, so if people pick up on that, or it stirs something emotionally inside them, whether that be wanting to dance, or shedding a tear, then that’s kind of what you hope for really.

It really bugs me when bands don’t print the lyrics in the booklets. I don’t know why, but it always has.
Yeah! Often I think they’re trying to hide something. Like maybe it’s not a great line. It’s nice to totally immures yourself in an album, like to have the artwork in front of you, to read the lyrics as it’s playing. It’s nice not to have it as just background music and have it as something you really concentrate on.

That’s one of the reasons why I’m not a big fan of downloads, because what do you get?
Yeah, me too, it’s definitely nice to hold something, as I can attest to by the huge wall of CDs and vinyl in front of me.

I know that feeling. It’s quite a highly populated band, The Leisure Society, there’s seven of you, isn’t there? 
They are seven yeah. We’ve kind of flitted between six, seven and eight for a while but now we’re a firmly fixed seven. So that’s what we’ll be touring with in February. It does make it a bit tough sometimes, seven people plus the soundman on the road. It just makes everything that bit more expensive.

I was going to ask, how do you deal with so many of you? Is there an itinerary or something to make sure you stay on track?
Everyone is fairly well behaved; we’re not rich enough to get a tour manager or anything like that yet so we do it all ourselves. We all chip in a little bit and we all just get on really well. Everyone is pretty laid back and so we’ve never really had any problems yet. But maybe this will be the tour where we all go mental and kill each other. It does make it a lot more difficult, touring with a seven piece line up, but if you do a stripped  back line up with four or five of you, then you have to sacrifice something in the music, with the type of music we play. I think it’s worth the sacrifice in not making as much money, but making it a more enjoyable experience. Which of your songs are you most proud of? If you can answer that, a lot of people refuse to.
Hmm yeah, I don’t know. One that is particularly stuck in my mind at the moment is We Were Wasted, just because it’s been used on a film so I’ve seen it loads of times with this film, so the combination of it being on the end of this really powerful film. It’s called Tyrannosaur by Paddy Considine. So being in a cinema and hearing it really loud over those speakers is just really… well I found it quite moving. It’s really nice to be involved with something like that.

I’ve been wanting to see that film for ages, that gives me a bit of extra incentive to go and see it now.
Yeah, it’s amazing. It’s on the BAFTA list, on the long list, so hopefully it’ll be up for a few BAFTAs. It just won Best Independent Film, so it’s doing really well. Also, I think it was produced by Gary Oldham and when he saw it for the first time he went up to Paddy afterwards and quoted the lyrics from the second verse from We Were Wasted, which is just like a mind-blowing thought. Gary Oldham quoting my lyrics. So I’d definitely have to say that’s my most proud moment of song writing.

Amazing. Which song do you wish you’d written?
Ooh I don’t know, because if I’d written it I probably wouldn’t enjoy it so much. Maybe something by The Beach Boys. God Only Knows.

Great song.  If the world was about to end, what would be the last song you’d listen to?
Oooh I don’t know. I could say something really wacky like It’s The End Of The World As We Know It but that wouldn’t be it. Can you call me back in an hour when I’ve looked through my CDs? My mind has gone totally blank.

If you don’t pick something, I’ll just make it up.
(laughs) Oh shit! Oh let me think. Again I think it’ll be a Beach Boys song because they’re just a band I keep going back to. And this is the end of the world we’re talking about, right?

Yeah, you’ve got five minutes to listen to one song then the world ends.
Maybe Good Vibrations because it’s totally inappropriate.

Good choice! Who would win a fight – The Sleeper or Into The Murky Water?
It would definitely be Into The Murky Water. It would be a knock out from the first few beats of those marimbas and tribal drums that come in on the Into The Murky Waters title track.

Can you describe the new album in five words?
Er… no. Orchestrated pop music. That’s less than five words.

I’ll let you off since you answered the end of the world question. Finally, what does 2012 hold for The Leisure Society?
It’s going to be all about getting a new album together, finishing writing the songs, then we’re going to go away for a couple of weeks and just jam through the new ideas then go and record a new album at the end of the year, which is quite an exciting prospect.

Cool, well that’s it, unless there’s anything you’d like to add
No I think that’s it. Nice to speak to you!
And to you, see you in Newcastle!

The Leisure Society play The Cluny in Newcastle on 17th February, and their rescheduled UK tour takes place throughout February. For more information about the band and links to buy tickets to any of their shows, check The Leisure Soceity’s website here.

It’s been a hectic year for Aloe Blacc. His breakthrough hit, I Need A Dollar, has seen him thrusted into the limelight, where he has established himself as one of the most in demand performers of 2011. Like many, it was through that breakthrough hit that Aloe Blacc was first brought to my attention, but it was after Glastonbury performance earlier this year that I really took a shine to him. From home, I sat and watched an accomplished soulful performance, that created one of the few moments of Glastonbury 2011 that really made me want to swap my comfortable chair for a muddy field at Worthy Farm.

Fast-forward six months and it’s that performance I turn to in order to persuade me to brave, what I’m going to describe as, apocalyptic winds to see him perform at Newcastle’s O2 Academy. I was hoping he’d bring some soul, sun and summer to a cold, windy wintry night. Those aforementioned apocalyptic winds and the subsequent delays to the metro service meant I was already running late by the time I reached the Academy. A quick jog from train station to venue got me there just in time to catch the last ten minutes of tonight’s support act, a DJ set from Sarah Love, who is joined by rapper Maya Jupiter.

At first it seems odd, with Sarah Love playing through a selection of Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson hits, joined by Maya Jupiter dancing round the stage and occasionally offering the crowd encouragement to join in, but after a few minutes it seems perfectly reasonable and works a treat in whipping the crowd’s enthusiasm up. It also creates one of the most subtle and sleek transitions from support act to main act I’ve ever seen, as the MC introduces Aloe Blacc’s The Great Scheme band, before the DJ slinks off the back of the stage. After a short instrumental intro, Beastblood And Cream, Aloe bursts, on to the stage, adorned in his slick suit and hat combo, and into an energetic Politician.

From the off Mr Blacc has the crowd enthralled and wrapped around his elegant finger, with his lively moves and striking stage presence. “We’re here to celebrate good things. This is not a spectator sport You have to participate in the activities.” he declares, before working into the joyous, upbeat double of Good Things and Green Lights. It’s clear from the start that Aloe is here to put on a show.

Tonight’s show covers a range of genres, from blues to rock, from swing to jazz, but it’s the slower, more soulful songs of the night that really showcase Aloe’s powerful, smooth vocals, like on the delightfully silky, quirky, Velvet Underground cover Femme Fatale, or the beautifully moving Mama Hold My Hand later on in the show’s encore. Throughout the show, Aloe is keen to spread his message of love and harmony, even describing the venue as his “Church of Love & Happiness” before working into a beatbox in his ode to hip hop, Love & Happiness. It’s a message that feels refreshing and genuinely heartfelt.

What follows is one of the highlights of the night. During the sweet You Make Me Smile, Aloe encourages those at the gig with friends or family to take a moment to hug them, before asking them to embrace and dance with the person that makes them smile. With anyone else leading the crowd it might have come across as corny, or cheesy, but Aloe’s charisma and goodwill is so infectious that it creates a genuinely heart warming and touching moment.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, the biggest cheer of the night is reserved for I Need A Dollar and it’s easy to see why it’s such a popular song. Belted out with great vigor by a man happy to give the appreciative audience what they want. An arrangement change sees the song take a more jazz edge and, with the returning Maya Jupiter’s rap, adds a reggae slant.

However, it would be grossly unfair to judge Aloe Blacc solely on that one song, as tonight proves he’s a man of many talents. With the crowd still in the palm of his hand, he parts the captive audience and ask them to dance down aisle, in homage to Soul Train. Much to Aloe’s delight the crowd more than happily obliges.

It’s a master class in putting on a show from a performer clearly at the top of his game and loving every minute of it. It’s charming and life affirming in a way music should be. By the end of the night it’s hard not to leave the venue with a huge grin on you face. Most definitely a good thing.

Since their formation in 2004, Guillemots have become one of the most captivating live bands in the UK. In those seven years their live shows have become renowned for their use of everyday items, such as typewriters and trash cans, as instruments. These days they’ve cut back on the amount of “random crap”, as the band put it themselves, on stage but their gigs remain as eccentric and as exciting as ever, as I was to find out later this very night.

First up tonight, however, was Tanya Auclair. Her enchanting, looping vocals, mixed with ukeles and acoustic guitars was a special treat for those who turned up early enough, and paid enough attention, to enjoy. Highlights including new single Origami, a song about being a piece of paper, and the unusual, but frankly brilliant, cover of Chaka Demus & Pliers’ Tease Me. A great, and suitable, choice for support act, as Tanya’s self harmonies set the tone for the evening’s atmospheric festivities perfectly.

A short wait, and about a million tunings of a bass guitar later, and Guillemots enter the stage, Fyfe dressed wearing a Russian-esque black hat and long coat. Kriss Kross is a big, bold, brash and bombastic opening that demands the audience’s attention. It grabs at them and shakes them until they have it, before it builds to its dramatic conclusion. Go Away follows, as it slowly eases and edges, creeping and crawling its way into the seven plus minutes of madness and sensual bass that it is.

“Newcastle. I have some exciting news” announces Fyfe, as he addresses the crowd for the first time tonight. “The battery in my keyboard is dead.” He smashes it to the stage, which appears to reawaken it. “That’s not a good message to send out” Fyfe muses, as considerate as he as eccentric, before working into the sweet Made Up Lovesong #43. Meanwhile, If The World Ends is a haunting ballad that demonstrates the true of effect of a well worked crescendo.

Tonight’s set contains a healthy mix of old and new, and while the new songs slip into the set seamlessly and work well, like the dipping and swerving, spiraling guitar climaxes of Vermillion, the just as chaotic as on record The Basket, in which Fyfe changes the lyrics to “the oilman is chasing me”, and the lovely, downbeat “sad song” I Don’t Feel Amazing Now, it’s the older songs where the real majesty of tonight lies. Tracks that have been honed to perfection after years of being played live, yet still maintain enough chaos, variation and improvisation to make moments that keep them fresh and exciting. Moments like the version of Made Up Lovesong #43 where Fyfe’s keyboard breaks, or the frenzied Trains To Brazil, the soaring We’re Here, or the stripped backed, percussion heavy version of Annie Let’s Not Wait, that followed a haunting new song performed by a solo Fyfe.

“This one’s dedicated to the Oilman” Fyfe says of the beautiful Little Bear, after being distracted by an audience member declaring the Oilman loves Fyfe and then spending five minutes trying to remember a meeting with the Oilman after a gig in Middlesbrough.

New album closer Yesterday Is Dead brings the faux end to the set, as the band prepares to “go backstage for a bit.” They’re not off for long before a deep, dark and slight creepy voice blares out the venue’s PA system, instructing the crowd to scream “fuck yeah” in order to get the band to the stage. Thankfully, they crowd obliges and Guillemots return to play two more songs. The first of which is the energetic, big pop sound of Get Over It, the second is the wonderful Sao Paulo. The epic closer rises up the venues, grappling and climbing the walls and it swoops and swerves from hectic to heartbreaking.

Recently I did an interview with Arista, the bassist in Guillemots, in which she said of the band’s music: “we want people to just feel something.” If you didn’t feel anything tonight, see a doctor, you might be dead.

Hi Arista. What are you up to today?
We’re just, erm, waking up and going to Little Chef for a glamorous breakfast and then driving to Falmouth.

Nice. It is a bit early, sorry about that.
No it’s fine, I don’t know why I thought I’d be awake.

I wasn’t sure if I would be either. How’s the UK tour going so far?
(Laughs) Yeah it’s great. I mean we’ve only done three shows, so it’s early days but it’s been great. Our friend Tanya Auclair is supporting us and everyone has been loving her. So good times, generally.

You recently got back from a tour of South America. How was it?
It was amazing! Yeah. We were in Brazil and we had one gig in Argentina.

It must be nice to have that as your job, a trip to South America.
Yeah, that was the first time we’d been there. Usually it’s UK and Europe, which is still good, but it’s such a different experience. I’ve travelled quite a lot…

What are the crowds like in South America? Are they any different to the UK?
Yeah, you can really tell that music is a part of culture and everyday life, instead of just like entertainment. It seems to mean a lot to everyone. They’re just up for having fun; it’s not just that having to have a drink to get excited, they’re like that all along and they’re just having fun really. It’s much more a party atmosphere, I’d say.

That sounds like the best way for it to be really. People actually having fun.
Yeah, you can really feel it on stage and then you just want to play much better and as best you can. It’s just fun. More fun for everyone!

Cool. Your third album, Walk The River, came out earlier this year. Are you happy with it?
Yeah, we’re happy. We’re always happy with what we do. We don’t really put it out till we’re happy. But it’s a funny time for the music industry I think. We’re going through some transitions as a band. Yeah, it looks like that’s probably going to be the last one on a major label for us, but anyway, that’s another story. Yeah we’re happy with the record and it’s really fun to play live because we recorded it a lot more live than on the last few records, so it’s easier to start playing live, we don’t have to be like ‘oh there’s like 300 instruments playing in that song, how are we going to strip it down to four people?’ But this one was more easier and fun.

Each album feels completely different and almost totally unrelated to the last. Has it been a conscious decision to try and develop the sound into different areas with each album, or was it something that just happened naturally?
That’s just how we roll (laughs). Yeah, it’s been a conscious decision. None of us really want to repeat what we’ve done before, that just seems a bit silly. It’s not like we think about it loads, we do what we feel like doing and then that’s what comes out. I don’t know, it’s a strange process but I’m happy. Yeah and it’s exciting to think ten years down the line listening to everything back.

Well I suppose it’ll be more exciting and more fun if you did it in your way, I’d imagine.
Yeah, exactly. That’s what it’s about as well really. It’s music, it should be fun.

With Red, it was so different from what listeners may have expected after Through The Window Pane, were you ever worried about alienating certain sections of your fanbase?
We didn’t really realise that it was so different, to us it just seemed like a natural progression, but I mean, it’s just a weird process, as I said. We didn’t just think ‘oh let’s make something really different’, that’s just what we felt like doing as a band. Red we kind of wrote a lot more collaboratively, so that’s probably why it sounds like that as well because there’s such different music and different people more involved in the writing. It was a bit mad.

It was like a really big pop record. I thought it was quite refreshing, to see a band go to that from where you came from.
Yeah. That’s what we wanted to do. We went a bit mad, to be fair, but that’s just where we were. We enjoyed it, you know, we had our own studio and the record label saying ‘you’re going to be massive’ and it kind of goes to your head and in you’re just in this little bubble. We just got right into it. I still think it’s a great record. It got pretty slated by the public but I mean, well.

No I agree, I love that record. How does a Guillemots song come about then? With tracks like Sao Paulo and Go Away from the first album and more recently Sometimes I Remember Wrong and Yesterday Is Dead from the new album. Do they come from an initial idea or from lengthy “jam” sessions?
Pretty much big jam sessions (laughs). Yeah we used to record a lot of our jams and rehearsals and stuff on minidisc. Go Away definitely was, and still is, quite free and improvised, we jam it out a bit, it’s quite long. Sao Paulo also came from that, then Fyfe (Dangerfield) kind of worked on it and structured it. That’s generally what happens. We make noise and are quite free and improvised, then just sit back and just keep listening back, then Fyfe usually structures it into a more proper song and writes some lyrics.

Is that the same for tracks like Trains To Brazil and Get Over It? They seem a lot more geared for radio, in a way.
Yeah, that’s not a conscious thing, they’re songs we just started playing. Most of them are from improvised, initial ideas and then listening back and turning them into something else.

Will those minidiscs ever see the light of day?
I don’t know. We’ve always fantasised about it. I mean, we’ve got hundreds of them. We’ve always wanted to release a compilation, edit bits of it together. It’d be very, very mad listening to it but someone might enjoy it.

You could do it with the 2020 reissue of Through The Windowpane, just in time for the reunion tour.
(Laughs) Yeah, if we’re all still alive and kicking. We make jokes about that quite a lot.

What do you hope listeners will extract from your sound? Do you think the context of your work changes within the environment that you listen to it?
Yeah definitely. I mean, I don’t know, I guess we want people to just feel something. I like to think we make emotional music that’s moving, that’s what I take out of music, you know. It makes me feel like someone else feels like I feel and that’s a good thing, so you don’t feel alone all the time (laughs). Every song we’ve recorded we’ve talked about landscapes and food, and strange things like that. Like ‘yeah! That sounds like… you know when you eat a chocolate mousse’ and other strange things.

That’s strange because I was talking to someone yesterday and I said The Godfather theme tune sounds like you’re eating pizza. That was totally irrelevant, I know.
(laughs) Yeah. Cool. No, I know what you mean.

I’m glad someone does.
Yeah, and I think, like you were saying, where you listen to music does change it a lot. Like on a plane, or on a boat, or walking up on a mountain. I love that, when you’re doing something and you just find the right album that totally goes with what you’re doing. Fun.

I found Through The Windowpane to be very good for bus journeys, to look out the window to.
Yeah, yeah exactly! Well we talked about that a lot actually on Walk The River, kind of being on a train and going quite fast and just watching the landscape go by.

I love doing that. It’s a great feeling.
Yeah, the things that music does! Okay, so I’m now in Little Chef, which is really quite scary.

Do you know what you’re getting?
No, I’ve no idea! Can you recommend anything? Do you eat here?

Is it one those Little Chefs that Heston Blumenthal did up?
Oh definitely not, no.

Oh, I don’t know then, if it doesn’t have frozen ice cream with frog’s legs, that sounds like something he served.
(Laughs) I don’t think so. Where are you?

Me? I’m in an office in Sunderland.
Oh right. I just couldn’t think where that accent was from.

I’m just glad you can understand me, I’ve had that problem before.
Is that kind of where from The Futureheads are from?

Yeah, they’re from, well not far from this office. There’s a big hub of bands from this sort of area. Do you know Field Music? They’re really good as well.  Check them out, that’s my tip. Anyway, I’ll get back to the interview and not talk about Sunderland.
(Laughs) I don’t mind.

In between the last two albums, Fyfe went off and released a solo album. How did the rest of Guillemots feel about that? Was it strange seeming him out on his own?
Yeah, he always gets annoyed with me for being honest about this, but of course it’s weird. We basically live together in Bath and then all of a sudden he’s off somewhere else with some other people. No one resents it, I think it’s great, we’d all like to side projects and different things and you can’t hold someone back, if they’ve got an idea and a vision and they want to do something then great. I think, it was more about the way it was presented to the rest of us and it wasn’t clear what was happening, so that was a bit frustrating. We were just told by management that we’re starting a record, then it was like ‘err not this one because Fyfe doing this’ and it’s like we have lives too you know.

Did it feel like he was cheating on you with another band?
To be honest, it did a little bit, but nothing serious. Little twinges but then you’re like don’t be silly, it’s only music, you should play with lots of people and enjoy it, so yeah.

What did the rest of the band do during the time off?
Well, (MC Lord) Magrão (guitarist) and Greig (Stewart, drummer) have a kid each so they were quite happy to be at home and be family men, be daddies. I was kind of writing. In a way it was good because we had been so busy up till then that it was nice to just do normal stuff, see your friends and stuff like that… Sorry I’m just trying to decide what to eat.

It’s alright, I’ll give you a minute.
Two rashers of bacon, free range scrambled eggs and two of our famous breakfast pancakes, that’s an American style breakfast.

Sounds good.
Shall I just do that then?

Yeah. Do you get the syrup with it though?
Yeah. Well, this is what it says: “with Maple flavoured syrup.” Flavoured.

Hmm, strange. Is that just like syrup with maple extract or something?
(laughs) Yeah, it sounds dodgy.

Is there not a Tesco you can nip to and get a bottle of proper Maple Syrup?
Oh no, we’re in the middle of nowhere. Sorry, this is not very professional, is it? But it’s life, live.

I’m down with the nitty gritty of touring with a band here.
Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty interesting, isn’t it? You can write about this. So I’m taking your advice and I’m having the American style breakfast. If it’s crap, I’m going to phone you back.

Don’t blame me. I warned you about the syrup, so don’t blame me for that.
Yeah you did. So… what were we talking about? Yeah, it’s all good. It would have been bad if he did that, split up with the band, then never came back but he didn’t so it’s okay. It’s funny how a lot of people have been ‘oh you split up, but now you’re back together!’ No we didn’t.

Which of your songs are you most proud of?
That’s a really hard question. It depends what mood I’m in, when you’re playing things for different people, it depends.

Which song do you enjoy playing most live then?
That’s hard. That depends on my mood too. I always enjoy Sao Paulo because it’s quite a different song and I enjoy playing double bass. So yeah, I’d say that one. People enjoy too. Even in England we can get people jumping up and down.

Do you still use the typewriter and trash cans on stage?
No. We’ve scaled down on the random bits of crap on stage because it’s a technical nightmare and we’re not on a tour bus anymore, we’re in a van, loading our own gear and setting up. It’s just impractical.

I suppose you don’t want a trash can in the back of the van.
(Laughs) Yeah, it’s really hard to fit in efficient pack.

Which song do you wish you’d written?
The Stevie Wonder back catalogue.

If the world was about to end, what would be the last song you would listen to?
That’s too difficult for 10:30 in the morning! I have to actually think, I’m not used to thinking for interviews. It depends on the situation, how it was ending, who I was with. I mean, I might not have any headphones with me.

Not everyone puts this much thought into this question.
Sorry, I’m still half asleep so I’m being rubbish. I’m going to be weird and say A Love Supreme by John Coltrane.

So, outside of music what are your passions?
I don’t have any. It’s just the music.

Just the music and Little Chef then?
Yeah pretty much. Music and food. Food is a pretty big part of my life too. That makes me sound so boring, but it’s true.

Eating and cooking food? Or just eating in general?
(Laughs) No just mashing it in my face. Cooking food as well. I grow my own vegetables and hope to have chickens one day.

Ah right. What would be your signature dish? If you were cooking for someone, what would you make?
Oh god. Again it would depend on my mood, I’m a girl, you know. Probably some sort of Asian food. Sushi, or noodles. That’s very clear isn’t it? Roasts! I like making roast dinners as well. Lasagne, I like making lasagne. And fish, I like fish. Anyway, I’m just listing foods now. Food, sex and music. That’s about it, really.

That’s all you need really.  The new album is called Walk The River, if you could walk on any river, which would it be and why?
(Laughs) Oh my god, I don’t know the names of any rivers! Well, since I’m in Devon I’m just doing to say The Dart. It is a nice river actually.

Is it? I’ve never been, I’ll have to take your word for it. Who would win in a three way fight between Through The Windowpane, Red and Walk The River?
Oh my god, you’re making me chose between my children! That’s not very nice.

Right, forget I asked that. I don’t want to cause a scene in Little Chef.
Yeah, I’m going to start rolling around in the store, chucking stuff. To be honest, I’m going to have to say Through The Windowpane. Not because I think the music is better or anything. It’s just the first album, first time in a studio, the first time I recorded with the band. It was really just an amazing opportunity and a great experience. People were still spending money back then, so it was nice to have a little experience of that.

I’ll ask you one last question then let you get to your meal, can you describe Walk The River in five words?
Oooh, umm. Moody… oh this is terrible, I don’t know! Why don’t you just make something up? I trust you to, choose wisely.
Really, really, really, really good.
Yeah? You like it?
I do. I really do. Thanks for your time. Sorry for getting you up and making you talk to me so early.  Is there anything you’d like to add before I let you go.
I don’t think so.

Thanks then, I’ll see you in Newcastle next week.
Okay cool, come say hi to us!

Guillemots play the Riverside, Newcastle on November 8th and tour the rest of UK throughout the month. For more information about the band, and links to buy tickets for the shows, check their website here. You can eat at one of the many Little Chef restaurants across the UK anytime you like.

Interview originally posted on Floatation Suite here.

But as the good Doctor himself once said: “everything’s got to end sometime. Otherwise nothing would ever get started” and so it came to pass, Brilliant Mind emerged. James, Paul, Callum, Kate and Josef combined to make a sound that’s wise beyond their years. Their debut single Our Osprey was released last June on a, now sold out, limited edition cassette in a beautiful package containing badges, a poster and a unique photograph of the bands favourite South East Northumberland industrial estates. The catchy hooks, jangly guitars and witty lyrics remain in a track that brings to mind the likes of The Housemartins, with a chorus jammed full of “oohs.”

Meanwhile, Leave Your Friends Behind, the stand out track on Zip It Up compilation, hints at a darker side to the outfit, as Calum instruct us to “leave your friends behind/leave them at window screaming to the street outside/leave your friends behind/leave them pinned dow, bloody and begging for life.” More recently, Christmas of Association, a free download available here, is a stripped back affair highlighting the bands knack of song crafting.

Emerging in mid 2010 Sunday Girl, so named because she used to work Sundays in a pet store, quickly became a hot prospect in both the fashion and music world, playing, as she did, the Wireless, Bestival and Lovebox festivals and becoming the face of River Island’s graduate design forum campaign. Having already supported the aforementioned Ellie Goulding on her recent UK tour and gaining praise from Popjustice, the pop music fans online bible, Sunday Girl is making waves. Her blog is home to regular updates from the music, fashion and art world.  Indeed there are many strings to this 21 year olds bow, but is she any good?

Well, while I was turned off by her recent revamp of Laura Branigan’s Self Control, Stop Hey is a wonderful slice of pop brilliance. It introduces itself with jagged synths before shimmering into a gloriously infectious pop gem.  Williams seductive vocals mixed with the sparklingly produce synths make for almost hypnotic listening. Williams oddly brings to mind Brandon Flowers, with vocals vaguely, and strangely, reminiscent of The Killers front man in the songs closing refrain of “I know a place and I, I know a place.” Released in January, this could well be the big hit to thrust Sunday Girl into the mainstream limelight, where this breath of fresh pop deserves to be.

Or maybe not, as Night People, the first single from the band’s forthcoming tenth studio album Credo, suggests. After a ten year recording break, their last album was 2001′s ‘Secrets’, The Human League return with a developed sound, that remains so fresh it could be 1983 all over again. Opening with the electronic, repetitive vocals of “night people, night night people”, the track slowly builds into a sinister, cult like call to arms with bizarre lyrics encouraging the listener to “leave your cornflakes in your freezers/leave your chocolate and your cheeses.”  The extended break down on the longer album version of the track only emphasises the band’s knack for nailing a catchy, infectious hook.

The E.P. comes with a host of remixes by some of todays most sought after producers, proving just how highly regarded the Sheffield three piece still are. It’d be easy for the band to sit back and rest on their past glories, but in Night People we hear a set of artists still rebellious, still attempting to push the boundaries of a modern pop song, most notably in the wonderful line: “think like the children, not like teachers.”

Not deterred, as the old saying goes: what doesn’t split you makes you stronger, the Wakefield five are back, with a new line up, new sound and with this Double A-Side,  and first single from forthcoming, sort of debut album, This Sporting Life.

The first of the two new tracks is The Lonely Hearts Of England. A Pogues aping, rattling humdinger of a tune, that eases its way in with gentle guitar stokes, alongside front man Matt’s Yorkshire vocals, before it erupts into the pacey Irish-esque melody. It’s Matt’s distinctive delivery and wry observations, describing the drunken loneliness of a night out, that really set them apart. “If you’re looking for a girlfriend, or your hiding from your wife/if you’re drinking on your pension, if you’re young and fancy free” he sort of talky, singy, raps, like a charming, Northern Mike Skinner narrating an episode of BBC sitcom Early Doors.

On the other side, 43 Degrees signals a different, darker, yet more optimistic side to the band. Where the previous track was all about the loneliness, the anticipation and expectations of nights out are detailed here, with Matt exclaiming “all we want to do is get high” in the track’s repetitive refrain.

With this single released on independent label Heist or Hit on Independence Day this year, there’s a lot to be said for standing up and doing things for yourself, something which the five piece seem more than prepared to do. It’s enough to make that a road well worth travelling, even if the van doesn’t always start.

Hyde & Beast

What do you get when you cross a Futurehead with a Golden Virgin? A hot, psychedelic mess is what. Terrible, terrible openings aside, Hyde & Beast are set to take Split Festival by storm this year, as they unleash their own, special brand of psychedelicness. The two-piece sees Dave Hyde, that’s the Hyde part, step from behind his drum kit and day job as Futureheads beat keeper and into the frontman limelight. Neil Basset, former Golden Virgin and the beast in this set up, joins him on drums to create a sound that’s unlike anything either has produced before.

Hyde & Beast provide a compelling mix of psychedelic jams, and carnival-esque music, with influences ranging from Fleetwood Mac to 60s/70s Americana. Written, produced and recorded by the duo solely in Neil Basset’s own room3recording studio in Sunderland the record, released this year and entitled Slow Down, has been two years in the making.  Live, Hyde & Beast consist of two drummers and three frontman, as they become a six piece of entity. Joined, as they are, by Futureheads’ lead singer Barry Hyde and folk troubadour and former Golden Virgins lead man Lucas Renney amongst others. Fascinating stuff. Join them at Split for what is sure to be an enthralling set of wonderful psychedelic nonsense.

Ganglians

Hailing from California, Ganglians will be bringing their raw and real sound, and hopefully some sun, to Split Festival this year. Channelling the best sounds of their home state, the Sacramento four piece sound like a cross between the lo-fi, noise-pop of Wavvves and the blissful Surf rock pop of The Beach Boys, with some of Pavement’s messy blasts of feedback thrown in for good measure. They first came to prominence back in 2009, when they released their abrasive and aggressive self-titled EP. Described as scattershot, with the song Hair touching the surf-rock genre and then tracks such as Rats Man, sounding more frayed and heavy, the E.P. thrusted them into the hipster limelight.

Shortly after an appearance South by Southwest, the band began to work with a new engineer who gave them an altogether more accomplished and strong sound whilst still allowing the music to remain free and organic. With this new sound they produced 2010′s Beach Boys aping Monster Head Room. Where Ganglians was perhaps harsh and hostile, Monster Head Room is a more spookier, lo-fi affair. With a second album, packed with even sweeter melodies and more boisterous lo-fi fun, due out just before Split Festival, Ganglians are sure to be playing a fresh and exciting set, the perfect accompaniment to a sunny Sunderland Sunday afternoon.

Dinosaur Pile Up

After Ganglians have got you all feeling rather relaxed and subdued, it’s the turn of Leeds based alternative rockers Dinosaur Pile to stomp on stage and deliver an energetic set of screaming, beer throwing, guitar smashing, riff-wielding, punky, post-grunge greatness. Dinosaur Pile Up were born in 2006, formed out of an obsession with Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters, and a disgruntlement with the demise of frontman and songwriter Matt Bigland’s former group, Muther Vulpine. The three piece released The Most Powerful EP In The Universe! back in 2009. Harnessing that power in the live arena, their scorching gigs soon began garnering some favourable attention. That attention led to a busy year for the band, with festival and European tours with the likes of Pixies, UK tours with The Kills, The Automatic, Feeder and many others.

2010 saw the band release their debut album, Growing Pains to glowing praise, Artrocker describing it as: “huge, grungney ‘alt-rock’ with its own beautiful edge, and it’s brilliant. This album makes you feel cool. as. fuck.” Get ready to feel cool as fuck at Split Fest this year as Dinosaur Pile Up smash through a gnarly, visceral set that’s sure to leave your foot tapping and your bones shaking.

The King Blues

When Dinosaur Pile Up have finished smashing their guitars, The King Blues will arrive on stage to smash the system. Fusing a myriad of genres, ranging from punk rock and hardcore punk, to ska and, erm, drum and bass, their sound has been described as “radical music that should unsettle the rulers of this country” and by the band themselves as “a mixture of reggae, hip hop, folk, doo wop, punk rock.” Rousing stuff.

From their beginnings, back in 2004, as a two man ska outfit, consisting of Jonny ‘Itch’ Fox playing ukulele/vocals and Jamie Jazz playing acoustic guitar and contributing vocals, to their expanded line up, and more politically charged, louder, tighter, latest record, 2011’s Punk & Poetry, The King Blues have always created a soulful ska sound with raw folk feel and a punk rock attitude. “We are fighting back and we are fucking angry” declares vocalist Itch on the aptly titled recent single We Are Fucking Angry.  This is a sound of a band on the cusp of greatness, a band packed full of songs that will not only get you dancing but inspire you to make a change, a band who will save the world and who will get the girl. Remember where you where at Split Festival when The King Blues changed the god damn world.

Frankie & The Heartstrings

After The King Blues have sorted out the world and it’s problems, Sunderland’s very own Frankie & The Heartstrings will lead us all into a brave new world of old fashioned pop greatness. Returning to Split Festival as conquering heroes for their hat trick appearance, Frankie’s lot complete their remarkable year with a huge homecoming set. Since appearing at last year’s Split the five piece have released their critically acclaimed, Edwyn Collins produced, Top 40, debut album, Hunger. Filled with lovingly crafted old fashioned pop mixed with exciting punk, the album is packed with ten tracks to fall in love with, break your heart to, before falling in love all over again.

Driven by Dave Harper’s manic drums, guitarist Michael Ross’ piercing guitar work and front man Frankie’s flamboyant stage craft, their Split set will no doubt be packed to the rafters with sheer pop wonderment. From the anthemic call to arms Hunger, to the heat wrenching, almost balled set closer Fragile. From the exhilarating and messy It’s Obvious, to the bright, Orange Juice-esque single That Postcard. The homecoming set is sure to be unmissable and one of the highlights of the weekend, warming you up perfectly for Split Festival’s Sunday night headliners.

The Charlatans

This year Split Festival has saved the very best to the very last. Closing Sunday night, and 2011’s festival, Split is honoured to welcome and to present indie royalty. The Charlatans. Formed back in 1989, when bassist Martin Blunt recruited fellow original members Tim Burgess, Mark Collins, Rob Collins and Jon Brookes, the band have spent the past two decades at the top of their game. Through some incredible highs and desperate lows, The Charlatans have remained a mainstay and an influential part of the British music scene. In those twenty two years, the band has released eleven studio albums, all of which charted in the Top 40 UK Album Chart, three reaching number one.

In their long, illustrious career, The Charlatans have supported a number of high profile bands, including for The Who and The Rolling Stones, at their respective Wembley Stadium and Twickenham Stadium shows, just to drop a couple of names there. To this day, The Charlatans are still writing, recording and touring, sounding as fresh, and as relevant as they did over 20 years ago, Expect a hit packed set, full of indie anthems, making Sunday night at Split Festival THE place to be.

It’s a cold winter’s night in the heart of the North East. Like many others, I’ve braved the arctic conditions to get the magnificent Sage Gateshead, to see a band I discovered through heartbreak. If gigs had themes, tonights would most definitely be love. There was a stereotype I was slightly concerned about this evening.  Even as I made my way to my seat at the start of the gig I interrupted one man reading. However, I needn’t have worried, as Belle & Sebastian are a band in the process of breaking stereotypes. Gone is the twee, indie band, instead replaced by all round entertainers more than capable of holding the capacity crowd.

Daniel Kitson and Gavin Osborn are a delightfully unusual support act, but considering Belle & Sebastian are here on the back of an album titled Write About Love, they seem entirely fitting.  The comedian and singer songwriter duo take turns in regaling the audience with a tale of love, not so much lost, but never acted on. Kitson’s enthusiastic reading makes for compelling viewing, while the accompaniment of Osborn and his impressive set of lungs adds a depth to the tales. As their stories begin to intertwine, it leaves members of the audience, those who arrived early enough for this treat, on the edge of their seat with the greatest cliff-hanger this side of The Italian Job.

After the gloomy opener I Fought In A War you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a gig full of melancholy, but there’s plenty to be joyous about tonight.  A jazzed up version of the usually downbeat Piazza, New York Catcher follows, as front man Stuart Murdoch takes a seat on the front of the stage to deliver the lyrics with a certain sense of sorrow. Stevie, whose hyper-ness tonight is explained by the fact he’s on “half meds”, offers the crowd the chance to join in with the first sing along of the night with the bubbly I’m Not living In The Real World.

Backed by the London Contemporary Orchestra, the already lush songs are given a whole new lease of life. A bombastic, stunning rendition of Sukie In The Graveyard is the perfect example, while Fox In The Snow, restored to the set thanks to appropriate weather conditions, is all the more heart warming for their accompaniment. Sarah Martin’s pretty vocals lead a catchy I Didn’t See It Coming, “make me dance, I want to surrender” they sing in the songs closing refrain and it’s difficult not to.

Stuart mixes theatre and audience participation to great effect as he gets a member of the audience to apply mascara to his eyes, while singing the beautifully delicate lyric “blue mascara running over your eye” during Lord Anthony. During If You Find Yourself Caught In Love, he sprints to the back of the crowd, leans on the sound man, before sprinting back to stage, receiving high fives as he passes enthusiastic members of the crowd.  By the time the band reach crowd favourite The Boy With The Arab Strap, it’s becomes harder for everyone present to hide the huge grin across their face. Murdoch heads into one of the boxes at the side of the stage to drag members of the audience to dance on stage, as the song reaches its conclusion Stuart hands each of them a medal reading, “I made it with Belle and Sebastian.” “Not in a rude way, you understand” he adds.

After blasting through the short Simple Things and Sleep The Clock Around, they head off stage to a standing ovation before returning after a five minute period of applause. “We’ve got them on their feet now, what do we do?”asks Stuart as they return. Another Sunny Day shouts one audience member and the band duly agree blasting through an irresistible rendition of the second track from 2006’s The Life Pursuit.  The rollercoaster set is drawn to a close with a frantic Me & The Major and the band once again leave the stage to rapturous applause, bringing an end to a wonderfully joyous night in a room full of love. The sold out crowd make their way back into the cold night feeling warmer than they ever have before.