Live Review: The Maccabees and Alt-J @ LSO St Lukes

 Ahead of the Mercury Prize Awards Ceremony on November 1^st, The Maccabees and Alt-J took to orchestral venue LSO St Lukes in Islington to showcase songs from their nominated albums. Tickets were awarded on a ballot-only basis, and the 500-capacity crowd turned up long before opener Alt-J’s set.

Bringing their unexpectedly popular brand of geeky-computer-electro-pop (or something along those lines) to the church setting, the band looked perfectly at ease with their newfound fervent fan base. Admissions of love and adoration from fans at the very front were met with relatively awkward thanks, probably due to the fact that the culprits were about 5 metres away from the band. Their 11-song set, comprised entirely of their debut album An Awesome Wave, perfectly showcased what brought Alt-J to the attention of the Mercury bigwigs, with their intricate, bizarrely manipulated beats contrasting with Joe’s sharp, booming vocals and the band’s sporadic harmonies. The band’s stoicism can be distracting at times, with only occasional movements from lead singer Joe, and can make it seem as if the band aren’t enjoying themselves, however mid-way through the set we’re assured it’s because they’re “concentrating.” Either way, the crowd don’t seem too bothered, as proven by their explosive reactions to the start of “Dissolve Me” and “Breezeblocks”, which are only emphasised in such a quiet, serene environment. Finishing their set on “Taro”, the band leave the stage to a huge applause, seeming genuinely humbled by the crowd response.

 Then it was time for The Maccabees. Since the release of third album “Given to the Wild”, the five-piece have headlined the legendary Alexandra Palace in London, commonly acknowledged as the one-step-below-arena venue (as proven by previous headliners Florence and the Machine and The Vaccines, both set to play the 02 Arena in upcoming tours.) Having played such enormous venues on their last tour, it’s a bit of a change of pace for the band to be playing such an intimate, quiet setting. Instead of forcing their arena-ready third album tracks to translate into such a small capacity, the band choose to play a selection of old and new tracks, including old fan-favourites such as “William Powers” and “Wall of Arms”. Despite the Mercury nod awarded to “Given to the Wild”, it’s the second album tracks that draw the biggest response from the crowd, most of whom seem more familiar with the old material. It seems a shame that the new tracks go somewhat unappreciated, especially as they take on such a new dimension when performed live, and really prove that their latest effort is deserving of the Mercury nod, potentially even the prize itself. Finally, the crowd respond to set-closer “Grew up at Midnight” and a poor fan at the barrier, who had been there since midday, burst into tears at the end. I’m not sure it was the Maccabees strongest performance, or their most exciting set-list, but the new material really solidifies them as a band that can play venues nearly 50 times this size.

Interview: Rae Morris

Half-way through chatting about her gig the previous night, Rae Morris’ press manager gets out her phone to show me photos of the venue that she’d taken on the sly. The venue was Cecil Sharp House in London, and the photos show Rae sitting onstage at what looks like a school hall, flocked with fairy lights. The gig was Rae’s first headline show in London, after playing some well-placed support shows, including Noah and the Whale and Bombay Bicycle Club.

Before being signed by Atlantic Records last year, Rae was writing and touring whilst simultaneously juggling her A-Levels. Fast forward a year, and Rae’s sitting in a sushi bar telling me about plans for her album. Having spent nearly eleven months trying to work out who she is as a performer, and perfecting that idea in the studio, Rae finally feels ready to release her brand of acoustic singer-songwriter folk to the masses. Despite being signed to a major label, there’s still a sense of homegrown-ness to Rae, whether it’s the handwritten letter posted on her website, or the fact that she still designs all of her own artwork.

Between shows on her UK tour, Rae found time to chat with me about the last year, and what’s next for her.

How would you describe your music to someone who had never heard it?

I’m in the process of defining at the moment, because I’ve been performing on my own for quite a long time. I guess the genre is just classic singer-songwriter with a bit of an alternative edge. I write songs that are quite emotional, and really mean a lot to me. I use song-writing to express things that I can’t really say in words. My music is just really honest and really comes from somewhere that means something to me.

What made you want to start writing music?

Until a few years ago, I always thought that writing music was a craft that I’d really have to learn, and I never thought I’d be any good at doing it. I thought it was just the best way of expressing feelings, and I find it the biggest release of emotion, and I really felt like I always wanted to put something down, and create something that lasts forever.

Your lyrics are very personal, is that intentional or just the way you write?

I think it’s subconscious, because I didn’t know what I was doing when I first started writing songs, and it ended up being very honest. That’s definitely the type of artists I am, my songs are just an honest expression of how I’m feeling. I do like to ensure there’s a deep meaning in my songs, because I think it’s difficult to sing about something I don’t really believe in.

Do you find it nerve-wracking playing such personal songs in front of an audience?

Strangely, I don’t! I find it really nice that people can interpret it in their own way, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the exact same circumstances but they can take the emotion from it. For some reason, I find it the most natural thing to do!

Who are your inspirations for your music?

I’m massively inspired by other female singer-songwriters. Songwriting wise, my biggest inspiration is artists like Kate Bush. When it comes to recording things, and the way I want it to sound so natural and real, I think I’m inspired by artists like Feist and Laura Marling. With those artists, I feel that when you listen to something, it just sounds so real, like you’re there in the room with them. There’s something so special about when you feel like an artist is actually there singing into your ear.

When you started, you were juggling your music with college, are you full time now?

Yeah, I feel so lucky! At college I studied Music, Art and English Literature, so I was kinda cheeky because it felt like I was sneaking in all the easiest subjects for me! I was really lucky because even then I was doing what I was enjoying, but now I feel so lucky that I get to wake up and do what I want to do. I don’t want to do anything else! I wake up and this is all I think about, which is pretty intense! I still do my own artwork, because I love the whole ‘creation’ thing, and I love putting pen to paper and making a mark!

You toured and recorded unsigned for a while, do you find it different now that you’re signed to Atlantic? Is there more pressure?

It’s really different, but in a very organised way! Everything’s a lot less stressful, because I feel like I’m looked after. It’s quite a scary world when you’re on your own, and performing on your own! I feel very lucky to be signed with them. I actually feel less pressure, because I’ve been signed for a year, but I just feel like I’ve been given time to continue gigging and really find myself, and figure out what I want to release. The pressure has actually been less than when I was on my own, because I was so worried about what I was going to do!

You’ve toured with the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club and Noah and the Whale, what was it like playing such huge venues?

It was unbelievable, it was so scary! The nicest one for me was playing Blackpool with Bombay, because the amount of times that I’d been in that venue made it really special. I actually went to my first gig there, I went to see Bloc Party with my brother, and I remember looking up at the ceiling and thinking it was such a beautiful venue, and it was a real defining moment for me, playing there.

How would you describe a Rae Morris live show?

I’d say it’s quite emotionally intense! It’s just me and the piano, because it’s what I’ve always done, and I still think it shows who I am quite honestly. I did my first London headline gig last night, and I had a few strings to accompany me, and it was nice because I didn’t feel as lonely! The live aspect is really important to me, because it’s my favourite part.

Do you have any favourite songs to play live?

Oh, I don’t know about that! I have a song called “For You” that I always feel is a bit emotional for me. It sounds quite self-indulgent of me to say! But yeah, I really like that one and it feels special for me when playing that.

Your new song Grow is your first release for a while, tell us a bit about it.

It’s really exciting, because I’d not really given anything to the people for a while, and hopefully we’ll be releasing it in a few weeks ago. It’s actually a very new song, so it feels really nice to be able to play it live already. It’s been one of my first proper studio experiences, and I think it’s the first thing that I’ve felt really excited about.

What’s next? Is there an album in the pipeline?

It’s definitely in the pipeline! I’m actually going on a European tour in November with a band called Fink, and I think December is going to be when I really get into starting to record the album properly. I’ve had the songs for two or three years, just sort of waiting to be recorded! I started writing them when I was 17, so it’s kinda interesting to see what’s changed and the progression since then! It’s really, really exciting. 

Pebble Webzine

Some students at my University have just launched a new online zine called Pebble, and I contributed some photos and a 50-word review of Bestival for the disposable festivals feature.

"Why Bestival lived up to it's name: Idyllic weather, perfect company, and a headline-worthy set from Alt-J. Apart from a few disappointing cancellations (King Krule and Azealia, I'm looking at you) the weekend was perfectly finished with fireworks and laughing as drunken dress-up zebras attempted to dismantle their tents."

Interview: Lucy Rose

        Sitting three doors down from Elektrowerkz, the basement venue in which she played one of her first London headline shows in 2010, Lucy Rose is talking about her debut album. Recorded in her parent’s basement, but mastered at Abbey Road studios in London, Lucy describes the album as “Lo-fi, with tons of character”, and admits that she is terrified of releasing it.

        Since featuring on Bombay Bicycle Club’s critically acclaimed acoustic album Flaws, Lucy has been talked about on just about every platform going, and her brand of husky, atmospheric folk has even been picked up by Radio 1. Not fazed by the increasing word-of-mouth excitement generated over her debut, Lucy insists she doesn’t buy into the hype, and is more excited to hear her fan’s reaction to the record.

        Since 2010, Lucy’s been touring the world with Bombay Bicycle Club, whilst simultaneously doing round of solo tours, with increasing venue sizes each time. This autumn she sets off on her biggest tour yet, playing The Electric in London, a 1,500 capacity venue which is almost double her last London show. Soaking up the last of the sun in London, Lucy chatted about what the last 2 years has been like for her.

Your album’s been a long time in the making, how do you feel now that it’s about to be released?
I feel like I’ve gone through a lot of different stages of emotions about it coming out. When we first started recording I was so excited for people to hear it, and once I got signed I was really pushing for it to come out soon, and then the last few weeks I’ve been like, “Oh god, am I really ready for this now? Am I in the right place for this to be coming out?” and now I think since this morning, I’ve just thought that it’s coming out, it’s happening. Whatever happens happens, and it would just be a waste of energy to be worrying about it now.

Does the album sound as you hoped it would when you started recording?
It’s exactly what I wanted it to sound like! Songs like Shiver, I just thought I’d never be able to capture it as it should be, and I think it’s perfect. Obviously there are always things you’d change if you could go back, but we were doing it in my parent’s house, and it was never going to be perfect. That’s the reason I love it, it’s lo-fi and it’s got tons of character. I think you can really tell when an album’s been made in a glossy studio instead of your parent’s room, and I think that character is perfect for the first album.
Did you feel the pressure of so many people having high expectations? 
I think if I’d been on BBC sound of 2012 or something along those lines, there would be serious pressure to deliver, which can be a curse in itself. I don’t really buy into hype, but what’s nice is that the hype this album’s received is just people excited to hear it. All the radio stations have been really helpful in picking it up, and supporting it. It’s just my first album, and hopefully I can grow on it, and get better.

It was recorded in your parent’s basement, but mastered at Abbey Road studios. What was that experience like?
That was a bit weird, because I wasn’t really involved in that bit. I didn’t know it was going to be Abbey Road until that morning, and it seemed quite ironic because the rest of the process of the album was so different!

A lot of the songs on the album were demos on your myspace a while ago, what was it like to have those recorded with a full band? 
The demos were so rough, it was exciting to do it properly and exactly how I wanted them to be. The worst thing is making a perfect demo, and having this kind of demo-itis and not being sure how to make it any better. Even if I was writing new bits on the day, I wanted the whole band to be playing them so they felt like they were really creating something with me. There were a few moments where it was like “shit, this song doesn’t sound right anymore” but they were the best moments for me, because when you get the right guitar part or the right vocal, it just all makes sense again. I knew exactly how I didn’t want the album to be, I think I’m probably my producer’s worst nightmare, being like “I hate this and this, we have to change it!” but then I’d make him a cup of tea and we’d be fine.

The lyrics on the album are very personal, was that intentional or just the way you write? 
I don’t think about what I’m writing, it’s just a release for me. All those years when I was writing songs and nobody was listening to them, it was just a release for me to say how I felt. I’m such a closed book in all other aspects of my life, I don’t talk to people about my feelings, and song-writing is the only time I do. In Shiver there was a moment where I was feeling what I was feeling, and I wrote the song in my bedroom, and it was nothing more than that.

Do you find it weird having such personal lyrics available to the public? 
Yeah! I think I’m more used to it now, but especially when you’re singing new songs that are really personal, and mean a lot to you, it’s difficult to do that without feeling totally embarrassed the whole time. The first time I played a lot of these songs was scary, to say the least. Especially when it’s a new song, it’s more of a fresh feeling as well, so you’ve just written it and you’re still feeling it and you’re about to sing it to people, it can be quite an overwhelming feeling.

You’ve played a couple of festivals this summer, have there been any highlights for you?
Yeah, there have been tons of highlights! Just before Green Man our van broke down in Cornwall, which is a seven-hour drive from the festival, and we had to hire two cars. Only two of us had driving licenses, so I had to drive for seven hours, more than I’d ever done before, and we got there about half an hour before show time, and we just didn’t know what we were doing. If that show had been bad, I would’ve just jumped off a cliff, but it was so good. It was one of the best festivals of the whole summer, and we got an encore which was really bizarre. Reading and Leeds was really good too, because it’s a rock festival so you don’t expect the crowd, and they were unbelievably special.

How does playing smaller solo shows compare to playing massive crowds with Bombay Bicycle Club? 
They’re totally different. Playing my own music is a different feeling. I much prefer the smaller crowds. In the smaller tents, I love the crowd interaction, whereas in the big tents the gap between the stage and the crowd is so huge, it’s weird. With Bombay, I get to sing on all of their brilliant songs which is lovely, but I’ve had to stop touring with them now, Ally Pally was my last proper show.

Has touring with them inspired your writing and sound, do you think? 
Definitely! Jack’s just such a brilliant songwriter, I’ve definitely been inspired by him at some point or another. The band themselves are just so tight, it’s probably pushed me to make sure me and my band were equally as tight.

Do you take inspiration from any other artists when writing and recording? 
I’m sure I do subconsciously. I’m sure that deep down the music I listen to inspires me, because it’s what I love and what I listen to. At the moment I’m listening to the Maccabees new album, Feist, Cat Power, Kurt Vile. When I first started writing this album I was listening to a lot of Neil Young, which I think drove the direction of this album.

Do you think that playing with a full band now has given you more confidence performing live?
I think I just enjoy it more, because it’s exciting. When I used to play in the school orchestra, it was 40 people picking up instruments and making this amazing sound together. I love that feeling with the band, everyone’s playing something and together you make a noise. Playing music with your friends is so exciting when you’re creating this wall of sound.

Do you have any songs that are your favourite to play live?
I think the band and me love to play Watch Over live, because it’s exciting and it changes. Lines is also a lot of fun to play live, when the chorus kicks in that’s really fun.


The video for Bikes is so different to any of your others so far. How did that come together?
We were in a meeting and the record company asked if I had an idea for a video for Bikes, and I was like “Actually…I kinda do” and I said that I want to be on a bike, in the American desert, with lots of Hell’s Angels biking with me, and a bar fight. They were just like “Alright, let’s do it.” Some of the label wanted to do it in England, and the whole idea was the desert and the whole American dream concept, and I didn’t know if we could do it in the Lake District, so the main debate was getting them to fly me to LA for two days. It sounds like a bigger deal than it was, I just sat on a plane for my own for two days!
Do you still have your tea and jam onsale at shows?
Yeah I do! The next tour there’ll be lots of tea and jam, and I’m trying to get tea towels. And maybe t-shirts

You’re about to tour some big venues this autumn, does that make you nervous?
Massively so. I don’t even want to think about the difference in venue sizes, I’m dying! We play our hardest every time, and it’s quite hard to make it different each time, but everyone will have the album this time, so they should know all the words! Hopefully the shows will be more upbeat in places than people imagine, we can make a serious amount of noise together!

Photo: Dry The River at Ben Sherman Session

Accompanying interview to be published on PebbleZine.

Interview: PEACE

“I think inconsistency is our consistency” concludes guitarist Doug Castle, when considering the back-catalogue of Peace, the latest guitar band to emerge from Birmingham. Their soundcloud hosts only four actual songs, but those songs have been enough to see them grace the introducing pages of just about every magazine going.

With their first singles Bblood and Follow Baby being compared to Foals and Wu-Lyf respectively, the band are the first to admit they haven’t quite found their sound yet. It’s no wonder, considering lead singer Harrison lists his inspirations under the broad header of “electronic music”, that they’re efforts thus far has been so diverse. Latest single California Daze leaves behind the schizophrenic riffs and shouty vocals of the past, replaced with harmonies to rival The Beach Boys and a singalong chorus.  

Hailed as leading the new charge of Birmingham indie, the band are endlessly compared to Swim Deep, their long-term friends and one-time band-mates.  What’s often ignored or left unnoticed is that the comparison is tenuous, given that they don’t actually sound much alike at all. “I think you’re the first person to say that” says Harrison, who insists the sudden influx of Brummie bands is purely coincidence.

 Just ahead of releasing their debut EP, Delicious, and after staging a three-month tour that saw them play 46 dates, the band are about to play their largest headline show to date – Village Underground in London. A few hours before they took to the stage, they sat down for a chat.

How did the band come together?

Harrison: Sam and I are brothers, and we always used to play together, and Doug and Dom met in school and played in a funk band together. Me and Dom really just wanted to write songs, and then we got Sam playing bass, and it all eventually came together. It was really slow actually, to get to the point where we were a band. It probably took like 3 years to form the band in total.

What’s the story behind the name Peace?

Harrison: I saw a photograph from the end of the war, with everyone holding peace banners, and I thought it would be a really good album cover if your band was called Peace. At the time we were looking for a band name, and I looked online and thought it was weird that there wasn’t a band called Peace already.

Doug: My friend did actually send me a song by another band called Peace, but it’s not similar at all.

Sam: We did an interview once where they were asking us questions as if we were that other band.

Harrison: I didn’t research that much, but when I was looking online I couldn’t find another band. It’s quite nice that it’s not very google-able, because it means that the internet isn’t necessarily that important for us. It’s very important to everyone else in the industry, though, so I don’t know if that was wise.

Who would you say your main influences are?

Harrison: There’s definitely an electronic music influence without it actually being electronic music. from I can remember being in Fabric, and I think there was a band called Wet Yourself, and I remember listening to them and working it out in that moment and thinking that if we can recreate this sound with guitars, this is how it should sound. The energy of house and techno music was an inspiration, too.

Doug: I think it’s just all music that’s based on good grooves, so from House music, to Electronic music, to Rock. I think all the songs have that basis in them.

Harrison: We definitely love grooves. And the tribally sounds in Techno…and bongo drums.

How does the writing/producing get divvied up between you guys? 

Harrison: Some songs we’ll just do in a room, like Bblood was just done together in a room.  I do quite a lot of the rough demos, but then they become real songs when we’re together.

Sam: Harry’s always produced the demos with our friend Dom. It’s his house we record at, and he’s always come on tour with us.

Harrison: He’s a really close friend, and he produced a lot of demos for Swim Deep, so he is the Birmingham sound, essentially.

There’s been a massively positively response to new single California Daze, were you expecting it to be so well received?

Harrison: Not at all! It was only going to be a B-side. Before we released the lead track from the EP, we really wanted to put a song on the internet.  I didn’t really know whether people liked us for our sound, and because it’s so different to that, I didn’t expect so many people to like it.

It’s quite a different sound to previous singles, is it more of what we can expect to hear from your new EP?

Harry: The EP’s quite diverse, we don’t really have a sound that’s consistent I suppose.

Sam: There is a consistency through it, but I’m not really sure what it is. I guess the way it’s recorded, produced and the fact that it’s us?

Doug: I think inconsistency is our consistency.

Harry: Now that we’ve nearly got an album’s worth of material, I’m noticing that the songs are all written quite differently and with different influences in each song, but there’s something there. It kind of works, which is a relief.

You’re about to start another big UK tour, what can people expect from a PEACE show?

Doug: Oranges and confetti canons have been our staple diet so far.

Harrison: At our last London headline show, we had 500 oranges and put them all along the bar, and everyone was throwing them everywhere after, it was very messy. We try to push the live shows as far as we can. We haven’t planned it so much yet, but I’m sure we’ll come up with something!

You toured with Mystery Jets and Manic Street Preachers, what was it like playing such big venues with them?

Sam: It was really exciting.

Harrison: I didn’t really notice it at the time, but looking back, especially when we played Brixton, that was pretty nuts. I wouldn’t have thought we’d do a support slot at Brixton so early on. I was just thinking “Don’t fuck up” and we’ve been quite unlucky with broken and stolen equipment.

Sam: On the first day of a Vice 6-day micro-tour, and our van was broken in to, and we had £3000 worth of gear stolen. Luckily our friends really banded together and got some kit sorted, our manager sent a massive email to all of his contacts saying he wanted to get the gig to happen, and in the space of one day we managed to sort it for the gig in the evening.

Harrison: Yeah, ever since then I’ve been pranging that something’s going to go wrong with our kit at every show.

How do you think support slots compare to headline shows?

Doug: There’s less pressure when you’re supporting, because you’ve got nothing to lose.

Harrison: I find them a bit more stressful, because you’ve got a shorter set, and less time to sound-check. When you’re headlining you can sort of lie around, and take as long to sound-check as you want.

Dom: There’s never been that much pressure with our headline shows so far, because people don’t really know us, or know our songs yet.

Now that there are so many bands from Birmingham emerging, do you feel any sense of competition between you guys?

Harrison: There’s a healthy energy, not so much competition. It spurs us on, because we’ve always been getting popular alongside Swim Deep, and it’s good because we’re pals. There’s competition in a good way, yeah, but we don’t sound similar enough to compete directly. We’ve always helped each-other out loads because it’s nice to have pals doing the same thing.

Sam: Comparisons are going to happen when you’ve got more than one band coming out of Birmingham. A lot of focus has been placed on the fact that us and Swim Deep are both from Birmingham and both from the same social circles, but it’s coincidence, really.

Harrison: Kav from Swim Deep actually used to tour with us, he was our merch guy, and he was the worst merch guy we’ve ever had. He’d just get drunk and I’d see him handing out free t-shirts to girls, and we don’t actually have any merch now because he gave it all away.

What would you guys be doing if you weren’t in a band?

Doug: Painter and Decorator

Sam: Yeah, we’d all be painter/decorators together

Doug: Or I’d be in Swim Deep (rest of the band laugh)

Harrison: I’d be in a cover band. My dad’s in an amazing covers band, and has been since before I was born. I want to do that at some point in my life anyway. Him and a bunch of his friends just do whatever during the day, and then go on stage on a Saturday night and smash it with the charisma of a thousand Mick Jaggers. You get paid more than bands like this too.

Harrison: I want to start a Lucy Rose cover band. We’re on the lookout for a Bjorn impersonator.

Interview: Friendly Fires x Aluna George

(Originally published on The405)
Bacardi Beginnings is a new project which sees established artists collaborate with and mentor up-and-coming musicians with a £10,000 budget from Bacardi. First was Mylo and singer-songwriter Ronika, followed by Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, and singer Jessie Ware.

The latest collaboration comes from Friendly Fires and AlunaGeorge, and it came about when Ed first saw the video for “I Know You Like It”, completely unaware that the Aluna of AlunaGeorge was his friend from back home in St.Albans. The two bands met up in Miloco Studios in London to start working on their collaborative remix, and I caught up with them to learn more about their involvement with the project.

Friendly Fires

What was it about AlunaGeorge that made you choose them?
Ed: It was my initial reaction. When I first heard “I know you like it” was kind of like that era of RnB that I really enjoyed, kind of like Timbaland and Missy Elliot. Aluna’s voice is amazing, and it sounds really sexy, and not super trancey like most RnB you hear on the radio at the moment. I didn’t know that it was the Aluna that I knew from back in St Albans. It’s really satisfying and great seeing someone that you’re friends with succeed.

Do you try and pay attention to up-and-coming artists and bands?
Ed: It’s relatively easy, because when you’re in a band you spend so much time sitting around doing naff-all. If you’ve got a laptop in front of you, you can pretty much listen to everything.

What comes under your mentoring responsibilities?
Jack: We’re just going to do a remix of their new single, and I don’t know if we’ll be teaching anything…
Ed: I don’t think anybody’s really going to be learning anything
Jack: If anything, it’s going to be a two way process. It’s nice having them around here, because it means it’s going to be a bit more collborative, which’ll be interesting.
Ed: It’s definitely more of a collaborative remix than us just being back in our garage and having 100 percent control over it. I’d find it quite weird if it was us hovering over someone doing a remix of us, and being like “Are you sure you want to do that?”

How has it been working in Miloco Studios?
Jack: We recorded a lot of Kiss of Life here, when it was just a big oblong room. It’s a great space, because there’s so much room to do things.
Ed: What I really liked about recording here in the past, is that the desk was in the room with the band, so it was all very involved.
Edd: It’s great being back here on someone else’s money! We can just enjoy the time and not have to worry. And the free coffee and endless rhubarb and custards isn’t too bad, either.



AlunaGeorge is quite a different sound to FF, what was it like working on something so out of your comfort zone?
Ed: We’ve had about four starting points, and now we’re finally at one that we’re happy with, and we’ve tried to keep it close to the RnB feel of the original track. We haven’t sped it up or anything like that, and I think we’re going to try and include more a live aspect to the track, and make it a little less electronic.
Jack: We were listening to it last night, and listening to Aluna’s vocals over and over again, and it didn’t get boring or annoying. It’s kind of nice to start with a really great vocal and be able to meld everything around that. The way we usually work is building up some instrumentals, and then the vocals coming later, so that was great.

Has the different kind of production used for the remix changed the way you’d like to produce any new material?
Ed: I think the way George works, which is very minimal, is quite inspiring, and the way he comes up with interesting and creative ideas kind of reminds me of when we were starting, as we had a really stripped down set-up. We’ve brought in a lot of new gear since then, and it’s made it easy to lose sight of what’s important, which is writing a really good catchy song, so I feel like I’ve been inspired by that from doing this project.

Apart from the Bacardi project, have you guys been writing/recording anything new?
Ed: We’ve been getting a lot of ideas together, but at the moment each song is sounding completely different to the next, so it’d be kind of unrealistic to predict what the sound of the new material is going to be yet. We’ve been writing all of our music here, and coming here is a nice change from being in my garage!

What’s next for the band after Bestival?
Ed: We’ve been very strict to say that our last show is going to be Bestival, and we haven’t got anything planned, so I think the plan is to get right back in the studio and knuckle down and focus. I can’t wait, because we’ve been touring for ages.

AlunaGeorge

How did AlunaGeorge come together?
Aluna: I was in a band, and George and the guy I was working with had been talking on MySpace, and then George did a really cool remix for us. I got together with George to see if I could write a song for the band, and we got in the studio and wrote stuff that was completely unrelated to my old band, and we thought “hmm, that was fun….that was surprising.”
George: We just kept writing because we thought it was so much fun. It just clicked, very organically and very easily. As well as it working musically, it was just very fun to hang out. I got to know Aluna as we got to know each other musically, too.

How would you describe your music?
Aluna: We still find it very difficult to explain to people what we’re doing, because we don’t have a genre to compare to, and we were never trying to do anything in particular. We were just making a track, and then another track, and then another. I think we were just trying to do something that we hadn’t done before. Generally, there’s a good beat going on, good melodies, and a good song structure.
George: I think at the moment we’re just trying to match the most interesting music we can make, and having the best song on top of it. Not letting the music overshadow the melody, and just trying to make it interesting to ourselves.

How does the writing/producing get divvied up between the two of you?
Aluna: George does all the production, and I backseat drive sometimes, and I do all the singing and the melody stuff, and George backseat drives that! We’re often mixing it up.
George: That’s by-and-large how we work, but for Your Drums, Your Love, Aluna had the song with different chords and in a different key, and we paired it to a song I had, and started with it again. Sometimes one of us will have a more finished idea.
For the aesthetic, it’s more Aluna’s thing than mine, but we’ve got to look like what we’ve got to look like! We kind of want to hold on to that control.
Aluna: I don’t make my own clothes, but I have been known to try.



What do you think attracted Friendly Fires to choose you guys?
Aluna: The video, apparently! I guess Ed came across the video somehow, and noticed it was me!

You guys have done remixes for other people, what’s it been like having your music remixed?
Aluna: We’re always really excited to get remixes back, because it’s something we know so well, and something we’re almost bored of, so it’s a fresh injection of creativity. We’re currently tantalised by speak of the Friendly Fires remix. We haven’t heard a note yet.
George: When we’re able to get hold of someone that we’re fans of, and when we get to hear a producer we really like working on our song, it’s awesome. We try and get someone who has their own sound, and do something with it that I wouldn’t be able to do.

If you could collaborate with anybody other than FF, who would you choose?
Aluna: I would like to play games with Grimes.
George: Maybe Thom Yorke.

What’s next for the band?
Aluna: We’re going to get our album finished off, and we’re going to do a little tour round some places!
George: A little headline tour in November. It’s daunting, but hopefully it’ll all work out!

Interview: Charli XCX

Originally published on The405

Mid-way through my interview with Charli XCX, her attention is caught by the television in the background and she’s distracted. “Is it weird that I’m kind of totally obsessed with Connor Maynard?” she asks, before professing her love for him. Considering Charli, real name Charlotte Aitchinson, cites her influences as the Spice Girls and Nirvana, it doesn’t really seem weird at all.

After first releasing music under the XCX moniker aged only 14, Charli has since been working on her debut album, set for release this October. Recorded in London, Sweden and LA, her debut has been 5 years in the making, and in that time Charli’s been touring, recording and writing worldwide. Her earlier work, including singles “"Emelline/Art Bitch” and “!Francesckaar!” got Charli noticed in what she calls the “East London Party/Rave scene” and some high-profile support slots (Coldplay and Justice to name a few) secured her a fan base. From there, she was signed to Atlantic records, and given the opportunity to work with producers Ariel Rechtshaid (Glasser) and Patrik Berger (Robyn) on the new album, which she is keen to release.

I met up with Charli in her studios in London, where she’s putting final touches to her setlist for her upcoming US tour.

How would you say your music has changed since releasing your first few singles in 2008?
I was putting out my very first stuff, I was only 14 and I had just been introduced to this world of London raves. I was going to these warehouse parties and rave scene, and I was very overwhelmed. I didn’t really know who I was as a person yet, so I guess when I was younger I was just replicating a lot of sounds that I like, and making that into my own version, but not really succeeding. When I put out my first stuff, which I personally think is really terrible, I was just experimenting and I didn’t really have much of a goal for it. I guess I went away, got signed, and started writing and travelling with loads of people. I feel like ‘Stay Away’ is the most representative of my sound, it was really like starting again, and I want this to be my sound and my direction.

As you started on MySpace, a lot of your earlier work is still available online. Do you wish you’d been a bit more reserved when you started? 
Not really, because I feel like there are two sides to that. If I hadn’t put that out, I wouldn’t be where I was today. I feel like those songs were just really in the scene that they were supposed to be for, which was the east London party/rave scene, and people loved it. I guess by putting it out when I was still encapsulated in that world, I didn’t get a chance to step back and see what it would sound like in the wider game of things. I don’t regret it, but I wish that maybe they’d been a bit better informed, and a bit better!

How do you approach writing songs, in comparison to how you used to when you were younger?
I never really had a set way of writing. I just kind of write when I feel like it, it doesn’t matter where I am. It’s often from personal experience, but sometimes it’s something that’s happened to a friend. My writing process is very much a mess.
Do you remember what first inspired you to start writing music?
It was the Spice Girls! I was obsessed with them when I was a little girl, and I still think that their songs are amazing. They inspired me to want to be a pop star, like most little girls did, and I just pursued it. I think the 90s were the perfect era, because you had the cheese pop like Shampoo and Aqua, and then you also had Hole and Nirvana, I feel like now people are beginning to mix those two things in terms of sound and look.

Wikipedia describes you as goth-pop, do you think that’s a fair representation of your music?
I think in very basic terms, yes. I feel my style is pop with emotive, passionate melodies and beautiful cinematic lyrics, but with like a sprinkle of magical glitter, so if Wikipedia could say that, that would be great. But simplified, goth-pop will do.

You just covered V magazine with Grimes and Sky Ferreira, how was that?
I’d never worked with such a high fashion publication before, and it was amazing. The whole shoot was inspired by Robert Palmer’s video, Addicted to Love. We got to wear incredible Givenchy clothes, and the funniest thing was that because we had real mice, they were just shitting on us and weeing on all our amazing clothes, and they kept saying “just go with it!” but I guess that’s fashion. I feel like me, Grimes and Sky are all sort of up-and-coming female artists, kind of like the second rising of Girl Power.

Why do you think magazines like V and Pitchfork are so responsive to your music?
Pitchfork find it interesting that I make pop music that’s quite emotional and passionate, but is inspired by people like Spice Girls, and at the same time I’ll listen to These New Puritans. I think in general pop music is having a rebirth, and it’s cool again, and people care about it again. I feel like for a while it’s just been kind of vanilla, and now in the music and fashion industry, there’s a real rip it up and start again attitude, and it means that good shit is going to come out.

How’s preparation for the album release coming?
I’ve been making this record for so long, that I just need to get it out there and see what people are saying about it. Until yesterday, I thought it was definitely done, but I listened to it like 12 times on the plane and decided I wanted to do more, I wanted to go to write in France, and do all these different things. I need to step out of that mindset, because it is good enough, and I’m very proud of what I’ve written, and I think it’s going to get a good reception. Half of me thinks “Fuck it, let’s just do it” and the other half thinks I could just keep it for another year, but then it’ll never get out.

You recorded the album in LA, London and Sweden, what did you find were the main differences?
LA was my favourite place, because I really like the atmosphere there. Like it’s this stereotypically beautiful place, but underneath it’s quite twisted, and dark. I feel like Sweden and London are kind of the same, so I’ve picked 3 places that are really representative of how I want my music to sound. When I was recording, I wasn’t really living anywhere; I was just travelling between places. It was fine though, and because I don’t have a set way of writing, hectic works for me.

Do you consider your image, and the clothes you wear, an important part of Charli XCX?
Definitely! This is just how I dress and I don’t want to have to conform to a fashion thing. I feel like a lot of my look is about Riot Grrl and Girl Power. It’s all about a kick-ass look and girls who run the world. Image and visuals and that side of things are very important for me. I studied at Art school, and I think I learned a lot there about my own visuals, what I like and what I don’t like, in a live setting as well.



How would you describe your live shows? 
It’s very emotional for me, very energetic. I dance like Isadora Duncan on crack, so it’s very weird. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I get totally absorbed by what I do, and I feel like I drag the audience in with me. Like, if I’m going down, they’re going down with me.

You’re playing a run of festivals this summer, which ones are you most excited about?
Definitely Bestival, because I feel like it’s everybody’s favourite festival. The theme this year is wildlife and I’m going as a unicorn. What’s really annoying about some festivals is that you drive there, play, and leave, and I was at a Swedish festival where I could hear the Cure playing as I left, and it’s the worst thing. I’ll definitely be sticking around for Bestival, though

If you weren’t releasing music, what would you like to be doing with your time?
I’d be a Disney kid. Or a rapper, Eminem style.

Review: Latitude Festival 2012

Performers in the Comedy tent are all too quick to point out how middle-class Latitude is. The festival, now in it's seventh year, has a long-running reputation for being overrun with families and posh folk from the neighbouring Suffolk towns. It's probably fair to say that's it's a little more polite and pretty than festivals like Reading and T in the Park, but I struggle to see why that would put anybody off.

As well as being set in the middle of a forest and offering the most scenic festival camp-site of them all, the line-up this year was one of the strongest yet. Headliners included Bon Iver, Elbow and Paul Weller, but the most exciting acts were on the smaller stages, especially the Lake Stage and i Arena. This year saw performances from Twin Shadow, Alt-J, Splashh, Tall Ships, Weird Dreams, Peace and Perfume Genius on the smaller stages, and proved that Latitude are just as good as getting up-and-coming bands as well as established headliners.

These were my highlights.

Lana Del Rey

After so many mixed reviews for Lana's live performances, my expectations for her set at the Word Arena were muddled. Having thoroughly enjoyed her album, I really wanted her to be brilliant live. Instead, Lana sashayed from one side of the stage to another, trying but somewhat failing to sing in time to the music, and looking incredibly nervous. The silence and wait between each song was hard to ignore, and cut into the set quite awkwardly. Her descent into the audience mid-way through the set left a huge gap, and didn't do much to excite the people further back in the crowd. However, the set list definitely showcased the best of her album, and her nervousness and confusion was actually weirdly quite endearing. Ending the set on current single National Anthem, Lana gave her strongest performance and just about managed to win the crowd over (those of them who had stayed long enough, mind).

Metronomy
Metronomy's slot just before headliner Bon Iver could've proved tricky for them, considering they don't necessarily share a fanbase, but even oblivious audience members seemed to be quietly tapping their feet. Frontman Joe Mount reminisced about the first time he played Latitude, and how good it felt to be playing "at the top of the hill, now." Since his first performance there, all the way back in 2007, Metronomy have gained a bassist and a drummer, and songs from latest album 'The English Riviera' fit perfectly with tracks from their first two albums in a career-spanning set.

Bon Iver

Taking to the stage just as the sun began to set, Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon and his massive band (including two drummers) launched straight into Perth. At this point, a devoted (read: drunk) fan next to me burst into tears, and didn't pause for breath until the end of the set. Her reaction was obviously over-the-top, and should have been irritating, but I think everybody in the audience could sympathise with her. Songs from both Justin's debut, and Grammy-winning eponymous follow-up are transformed live, with his full band giving a thickness and a fullness to the songs that couldn't quite be captured in a studio environment. Predictably, mega-hit Skinny Love garners the best audience reaction, inciting a deafening singalong.Other highlights include fan-favourites Holocene and Beth/Rest, again both from the second album. However, the encore is comprised of first-album tracks, The Wolves (Act I and II) and For Emma, Forever Ago. Whilst the size of the band threatened to overpower the more sparse songs, instead they served only to emphasise them, and this is where Bon Iver gave their strongest performance of the night. 

Summer Camp
A last-minute cancellation meant that Summer Camp were booked to play in the Film & Music Arena directly after Bon Iver finished. Backed by their usual footage of 80s films and dance sequences, Elizabeth and Jeremy played a set of songs from the Young EP, debut album Welcome to Condale, and new EP Always. For a band who only released an album last October, they have an impressive amount of material to play, and were given a generously lengthy set to show it off. The band seemed genuinely thrilled to be playing the festival, claiming they were big fans of it (Jeremy had also previously played there when he was still a solo act) and it might have been excitement about their booking, or excitement about their latest release being so critically praised, but Summer Camp gave one of their most energetic and brilliant performances to date.

Theme Park
Sound problems aren't uncommon at festivals with a high turnover of bands, and unfortunately this time it was Theme Park that suffered. Their set, which was comprised of very promising sounding songs from their upcoming debut, was interrupted a few times by harsh feedback sounds, and the vocals were somewhat lost under overpowering guitars. Regardless, the band played an excellent set, and the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, it's just a shame their performance was interrupted by something they couldn't control.

Laura Marling

With a back catalogue of three albums (and a fourth in the making) to choose from, it must be difficult for Laura Marling to choose a set list. Having seen her a week before at Royal Albert Hall, where she played her entire third album in full, as well as a selection of old and brand-new songs, I was interested to see what made it to the festival set list. By some miracle, the crowd (largely comprised of Elbow fans - AKA dads/drunks) stayed completely silent for the entire set, which is exactly what you'd want at a Laura Marling gig. Playing songs from her second and third album, and a guest spot from first album bonus track Alas, I Cannot Swim, Laura was quiet between songs, but her minimal interaction included a thanks for the audience for coming, and an appreciation of the lovely weather and setting for her performance. Laura also introduced the audience to her band, before revealing that this would be her last gig for a "very long time", before ending on an encore-worthy trio of Do Not Ask Me Why/Salinas and I Speak Because I Can.

The Horrors
Playing on almost the year-anniversary of the release of third-album Skying, the Horrors set was a perfect way to round off a year that saw them tour the UK multiple times, and win the NME award for Best Album. The Word Arena was looking pretty empty as the band took the stage, which could've had something to do with them clashing with headliners Elbow, but as soon as the opening bars of Mirror's Image began, a stampede of people came flocking up the hill to the tent, which filled out considerably. Playing a set of songs from both Primary Colours and Skying, including newly-added You Said, The Horrors filled their headline slot perfectly. Strongest were the singles from Skying, I Can See Through You and Still Life, and the would-be encore 15-minute version of Moving Further Away. 

Lucy Rose

"I know exactly who I'm clashing with, and I can't thank you enough for coming" says Lucy, mid-way through her set. She was talking about a very ill-thought-out clash with Ben Howard, who drew one of the biggest crowds at the Obelisk Arena for a daytime slot. Despite the clash meaning the audience at Lucy Rose was about half of what it would have been otherwise, Lucy was still heckled with marriage proposals and admissions of love. Her set was made-up of songs from highly-anticipated upcoming album Like I Used To, which has just been mastered at Abbey Road Studios, and is set for release this September. Highlights were fan-favourites Night Bus and Bikes, which Lucy has been playing for the longest, but the newer songs suggested what we can expect from the new album, and it's very exciting stuff.

Interview: Little Boots

Originally posted on The405

Try as I might, I can’t get Little Boots’ Victoria Hesketh to reveal her new album title. She’s keeping it a closely guarded secret, an all-encompassing title to fit a collection of songs she’s been working on for nearly 3 years, since debut album  Hands. Likening the naming of an album to the naming of a baby, Little Boots wants to ensure that it’s entirely perfect before she reveals it to anyone, even her manager.

This meticulous attention to detail and fine-tuning process has become habit for Little Boots, who has spent the last 3 years quietly writing and sampling, as well as touring the world playing DJ sets and releasing mixtapes.

After her Record Store Day release, Every Night I Say A Prayer, Little Boots is finally ready to showcase her first single, and a taster of what’s to come with the new album.

What have you been up to since Hands?

I’ve been making the new record, which has been quite time consuming, I’ve been DJing lots and travelling around to work with people. I’ve definitely not been on an island sunbathing or anything, I promise you. I wish! I’ve released a few mixtapes. They were one of the first things I did, back in the day, and I’ve done three now over the last year or so.

What’s the appeal of DJing? 

It’s like going to a party where you get to choose all of the music, and you get paid. It’s the most ridiculous job in the world. The more I treat it like a real musical job, instead of just a fun thing to do, the more I get out of it, and I’m really enjoying it now. It will never compete, or give me the same satisfaction as playing live, but it’s a great other side of what I can do.

Has any of the music you’ve been playing in your mixtapes influenced your new material? 

Definitely. I’d always done it for fun, but it meant that after I’d stopped touring I could still find a way of getting out there and getting a reaction from the crowd. It’s the whole reaction from a crowd thing that I miss when I’m not on tour. I can see how people react to what I play, and old disco and new disco, old and new house have been going down really well, and you can definitely hear that on the new record.

You did a record store day release with Andy Butler from Hercules and Love Affair, how did that come about? 

I’m a huge Hercules fan, I have been for a while, and I’ve asked about working with him before. I was playing in San Francisco and he came, and said we should work together. We hooked up in London and had a crazy time, and it was very productive. I love him, and he’s crazy and fun.

Do you think you’ll do any more vinyl releases with the new album?

I would love to, I love vinyl. I have a lot of vinyl at home, and I think if you’re going to get a physical thing, you might as well get a vinyl instead of a download code. The practicalities of it adding up are a problem. The last one we did had Gold embossing which was very expensive. The nicer it looks, which is the point of doing it, the more it’s going to cost.

The new single Headphones has quite a disco sound to it, is this indicator of the new material? It’s one of the happier tracks, they’re all upbeat but they’re not all necessarily happy. I was thinking more of Deee-Light Groove is in the Heart kind of sound, really dancey track. There’s a lot of sampling in it, and it’s really that Old Disco sound that I’ve been listening to, and trying to sample it rather than recreate it, to do a modern influence to it. There are some tracks that are darker house tracks on the new album too.

How will the new album compare to Hands? 

Because it’s me writing all of the songs, I think I have my own lyrical and melodical style, so that’s not going to change too much. It’s still going to be a synth record, but there isn’t so much of an 80s pop thing going on. I’ve tried to really strip things back a bit and make sure  that the sounds that are there, are sounds that really needs to be there. Nowadays, anyone can download the latest synth software and make a synth album in their bedroom, so it’s made me take more care over the sounds.

You supported Scissor Sisters in London, how was that? 

It was so much fun, they’re amazing. Their show is so big, and I’d love to get that stage where I can have ten dancers, ten lazers, ten backing singers. There’s loads of people on stage, it’s like having a party on stage, and it totally amazes you. We can’t afford to take ten people on the road, so it’s always limited.

Did their live show give you any ideas for your live show?

It felt like that show could work in any situation and be great. We have to work with what we’ve got, and even from day one when I had a crappy little mobile laser, and a crappy smoke machine, I’m never gonna stop thinking about other elements. It’s difficult to tour, because often you’ll have to get an easyjet flight, because it’s the only airline that flies to where you’re playing, and checking a laser harp into excess baggage on an easyjet flight is just not gonna happen.

Are you looking forward to getting back into full touring? 

I can’t wait. We’ve got a few one off gigs, and I’m off each week either DJing or playing. It really is full on, but I’d love to do a proper tour of the UK and Europe. I want to get all the new music to people.

Did the tour give you a chance to preview some of the new material?

Yeah it really did, and it actually feels to me that the new songs go down better than the old ones. I don’t know if it’s just because you’re playing with new energy because they’re fresh, but they go down brilliantly. We played in Berlin, and I was worried it’d be super trendy and they wouldn’t be into it, but they loved it more than the old stuff.

What do you miss most about touring?

The continuousness of it. You’re on a bus every day, you become a little family anddo a show every night for your fans. You know that everyone there is gonna be there for you, which is different to festivals or support slots, where you don’t really get that buzz or that connection. I miss the bubble of being on tour, when it becomes your world.

Have you got a release date for the new album? 

Autumn time, we don’t have an exact date. I’m not telling anyone the title, I’ve got one in my head, but I haven’t told anyone. I had a few different ones, and everytime I told someone, they thought it was wrong for the album, so I’m waiting until it’s finished to reveal my new one. It’s like naming a baby before you’ve seen it, so I’m waiting.

Summer Camp collaborate with Odd Future on new single

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON THE QUIETUS

Summer Camp are no strangers to featuring guest vocals on their music, but it’s more often characters from John Hughes films than rappers. In a wholly unexpected collaboration, they’ve enlisted the help of Odd Future rapper Pyramid Vritra on their new single, City.

Bizarrely, this isn’t the first time that the LA-Based hip-hop collective have shown an interest in the synth-pop London duo. Last year, Tyler, the Creator featured ‘Ghost Train’ by the band on his mixtape, also entitled ‘Summer Camp.’ The collaboration came about when Pyramid Vritra asked if he could remix one of their songs. The band responded by sending them the original version of ‘City’, a track from their upcoming EP, Always. They must’ve liked what he came up with, because his rap verse has made its way onto the official version of the song.

The track is a departure from the fuzzy, 80s synth-pop of the majority of their debut album, and takes on a darker sound similar to that of ‘I Want You’ and their other releases from the new EP. Whilst it’s definitely exciting to see Summer Camp try something new with the collaboration, Pyramid Vrirta’s verse interrupts the song at an awkward point, and the swearing feels a bit out-of-place when embedded in a song with Elizabeth Sankey’s sweet and innocent vocals.

Summer Camp’s EP ‘Always’ is out on the 9^th July.

Interview: Best Coast

Bethany Cosentino has had a tough time of it lately. Success of debut album Crazy for You flung Best Coast into the spotlight in a way that she had never expected, and she admits herself that she wasn’t ready for the criticism that came with it.

As much as Crazy for You was highly-commended by Pitchfork and NME, it was slated by other for it’s simplistic lyrics, particularly the mention of Bethany’s now self-parodical cat, Snacks. Having been portrayed by the press as a cat-obsessed stoner-girl, and with her relationship with Wavves frontman Nathan Williams being closely followed, Bethany retreated to LA with Bobb Bruno, the other half of Best Coast, to write and record a second album.

Ditching the lo-fi production of their previous effort, the band have brought in record producer Jon Brion to aid their much-anticipated second release. The result is The Only Place, and will be released on the 14th May. The band are about to start a run of US and UK shows, including a headline show at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and Bethany is feeling more confident than ever.

What have you done differently with The Only Place compared to Crazy for you?
Sonically, it’s very different. It’s not a lo-fi record; we didn’t want to make another one of those. We wanted to make something brighter and cleaner and more produced sounding. We recorded at Capitol studios in LA, and we basically wanted to utilise every tool that they had there. Lyrically, it’s less about romance and trying to figure that out, it’s more about figuring life out. It’s about different emotions that I started to feel from touring and being away from home so much, so it was inspired from a very homesick place.

r Yeah, a lot of songs on the album are about California. How homesick do you get?
I was particularly homesick at the point of writing the album, because I had been touring for almost two years, and I was spending so much time away from home. It was really intense, and part of writing the record was to help me get over it, and help me grow. It’s more about figuring out how to handle the chaos that comes along with this job. Now I’m better with travelling, and I focus more on what I have to do for work, and less about what my friends are doing back home.

What do you miss most about California?
I miss the weather, so if I’m in places that are cold, I definitely miss the warmth. I don’t mind the rain or the cold, for a little bit. We did a tour that was in the winter, and it was absolutely awful. It was the dead of winter in the US, and I was just like ‘I can’t tour like this anymore.’ I also miss being in my own house, and being in my own bed, and using my own bath products.

You’re spending some time in the UK this year for your tour, how does England compare to California?
I love London. I’m getting a lot more time off this trip, or at least more time to explore and do things. Yesterday I walked through London for hours, and got to walk through different cities and different neighbourhoods, and we’ve just really enjoyed being here. We have a good fanbase in the UK, and our gigs are always pretty good.

Do you have any favourite British artists?
I’m actually really bad with new music. I like all the typical English bands, like the Smiths. I literally only listen to Fleetwood Mac, and they’re British, so there you go.

Were you prepared for the success of Crazy for You, and the attention it would bring?
I didn’t expect it at all, and I think that’s why I started to feel the way I did. I had just dropped out of college, and I was working retail in a soap store. I started this band, and then next thing I knew I was performing as a professional musician, and life just completely flipped over. It got me down a little bit because I didn’t know how to react to the success. So this record is really a reaction to having to see myself in a different light, and being criticised in a different way. I was growing up when the band started; I was only 22, so to try and make changes to yourself in a spotlight is really hard. I think that writing the record is really therapeutic for me, and it’s helped me get over a lot of those things.

Who was involved with the song-writing for The Only Place?
I write all the songs myself. Me and Bobb have decided that we don’t ever really intend to write together, it doesn’t really work for us that way. It’s easier when one person is creating the blue-print for something, and hands it over to be completed.

Your lyrics are still very personal, do you worry about how the public will respond to them, after the criticism of Crazy for You?
Somebody always tries to put a spin on things, and say “this is what I think it means” but that’s the point of music, to have your own interpretation of it. Because my lyrics are so straight forward, I think I’m not giving you a lot to imagine. When people go in depth and try to figure out what things mean, they should just try and take it at face value. I was homesick, that’s what this record is about.

You worked with record producer Jon Brion on the new record. What affect did his input have?
Working with Jon was really different for us. Our first record took two weeks to make, and this took 6 months. It was kind of a reaction to being in Capitol Studios, and having all of it to our advantage. Jon really taught us to relax, and not freak out about making the second record, because the pressure was definitely on. Sonically I think he enhanced our sound, and make it more crisp and clean, which we really wanted to do.

You’ve changed the live line-up since Crazy for You, how has it affected the live shows?
It’s much bigger-sounding live, and we did that because the record is a lot bigger. We definitely just wanted to do something different and change it up, to make a fuller, stronger band.

Do you feel more confident in the new line-up?
I do, yeah. I just feel more confident in general. Travelling so much and touring so much has given me a new found confidence. I remember when we first started playing how nervous I was, and I never knew what to say to the audience or how to get a crowd to react to things, and I don’t feel like that anymore. I know pretty much exactly what I’m doing, or at least I think I do.

What’s the story behind The Only Place artwork?
It’s actually a piece of art from some sheet music from 1921. It’s called “I love California.’ I saw the picture and thought it was really cute and cool, and my publicist send over a bunch of mock-ups for album art, and that was one of them. I hadn’t even told them that I had seen it, so I thought it was a sign and that it should be the artwork.

You collaborated with Drew Barrymore for the Our Deal video, how did that come about?
We met Drew Barrymore at one of our shows in LA, and she was a really big fan. We didn’t explicitly speak about doing anything together, but we exchanged phone numbers and stayed in touch. MTV does this thing called Super-Video, where they pair famous actresses and producers together to make music videos. They contacted Drew, and she totally wanted to do it, and she cast the whole thing. It was a really awesome experience, the video got a lot of attention, and I think it really helped our band a lot.

You also collaborated with Urban Outfitters on a clothing line. How did that come about?
It actually just kind of fell into my lap. I was approached and asked if I’d like to do a line for Urban Outfitters, and I was like “uh….yeah, that’d be really cool.” The pieces were all inspired by pieces of clothing, or something that I saw in film or television. There’s a dress that’s called the “Cher” dress, which is inspired by a dress that Cher wears in the film “Clueless”

You’ve got a UK tour coming up, what can we expect from the new live set-up?
We’ve got an extra person on stage now, and I think that makes a massive difference. We’ve also got a lot of new material, so it’s going to be nice being able to choose the setlist more carefully, and not have to play the exact same songs every night. It’s going to be good.