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Friday, 04 July, 2008

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Shitdisco

Shitdisco, along with bands such as the Klaxons, Datarock and Goose, have been hailed as one of the forerunners of the current old-school-inspired indie dance renaissance - Notion caught up with them as they record their debut album in London following a hugely successful national tour. The origins of Shitdisco are a classic tale of the sort of student behaviour that make parents shudder and mates from home jealous - all night parties in a Glaswegian tenement with no security, a bring-your-own policy and an in-house band that play till dawn and beyond. Above ground level the floors warped so much it was like dancing on a trampoline and unwanted mattresses were routinely disposed of by setting them alight and launching the flaming mass down to the street below. So infamous were the parties that the house became a mecca for Glaswegian party-goers, "half of Glasgow claims they went to one of those parties" reckons Joel, but it came to a sad yet inevitable end with the threat of a massive lawsuit from the landlord. So No. 61 was no more but the DIY disco beginnings it spawned gave rise to the band name - their house was literally a shit disco and as Jan points out "if we didn't have that place we probably wouldn't have formed the band." so its place in the band's history is assured. Well almost, but just to be sure they have one final request "We want to get a plaque on the wall outside! A laminated paper plate maybe…anyway, the myth has overtaken the reality of those parties, its one of those things. A friend was walking behind these two girls who were on the way to school in Glasgow after one of the parties and she overheard them saying how they'd heard there was blood on the walls at No.61!" The regular parties lived on in Glasgow's immense disused railway tunnels with revellers sometimes walking several miles until they heard the hum of the generator and music. Tales of these parties follow a similar theme to those held at No.61, in that everyone seems to know someone who was there, but the concept of having a massive free lash-up with 100 mates in a giant tunnel is a concept totally foreign to Londoners (and pretty much anyone else) which gives the band an essential 'they really used to do that??' factor. However, one unfortunate side-effect of playing a gig in a large tunnel is that the fumes from your generator tend to a hang around and slowly poison you - another hurdle the band had to overcome whilst up in Scotland. Life changed for the band once they were signed and finished University, they were able to play at slightly more salubrious venues boasting such luxuries as ventilation, mains electricity and a bar - all previously unheard of at a Shitdisco gig. Some months on they've ridden high on a wave of indie dance music during 2006 and played at several massive festivals and some major venues around the UK to thousands of fans, the band have come some way from No.61 and dank Glasgow tunnels to sitting in a plush London recording studio spending some serious cash on recording an album that will undoubtedly follow the sound already established through their currently available material. From the music played at their early parties and a love of old-school dance came a sound that clearly harks back to the early to mid 90s heyday of dayglo dance music and the themes of rebellion and having a very good time whilst doing the rebelling part. Just as The Prodigy, one of the band's main influences, used the inner sleeve artwork of their Music For The Jilted Generation album to protest against the restrictive Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, Shitdisco also have a mild rebellious streak. Their recent single 'Reactor Party' was an ode to underground parties held near disused nuclear reactors in Soviet bloc countries, a swift route to martyrdom in the name of having a good time it might seem but maybe they don't take themselves as seriously as that suggests… "the first record I bought was N-Trance's 'Set You Free' from Our Price with some vouchers I got for Christmas" admits Joel, whilst Joe adds "My first was 'Cotton Eye Joe' by the Rednex…" Some counter-claims involving several slightly more choice examples of 90s dance music follow, the Chemical Brothers and so on, but the sound of Shitdisco is clearly influenced by some of the more popular dance records of the era and is all the better for it. The album recording sessions have had to wait until they finished a nationwide tour with the Klaxons and Datarock, two bands they have a lot in common with both musically and socially "It wasn't like a tour really, it was more like a massive party. …everyone getting hammered every night. I think Datarock had done that all a few years before, they're a little bit older. They're really nice guys but a little bit more reserved whereas we went out partying every night but we were all seeing eye-to-eye by the end of the tour. All really nice guys though" remarks Joe, who also reveals a t-shirt bearing the words The Klaxons Are C**s . Pure irony he assures everyone as they're actually planning to collaborate "we're going to do more stuff with the Klaxons - definitely. We've been planning it for ages." There's also an interesting urban myth that follows the band around - apparently they'd play any free party as long as there's a willing crowd, electricity and enough cold beers to keep them going 'till dawn. So, will they play my front lounge if I give my housemates a tenner to go to the pub and invite all my mates round? Or, rather more charitably, if a Notion reader asked you to play at a party would you do it? Someone might be in luck it seems as Darren explains "it'd have to coincide with something we're doing but yeah. We'd have to be in or near that place, Glasgow or London are always good" and is it like the A-Team - nobody knows quite how to contact you but someone eventually manages? Not at all, "just go on myspace or email us" is the simple answer. "But Darren's got to heal before we can do it" Joel explains, referring to their drummer's recent and unfortunate accident that resulted in a badly broken arm. The arm-bending incident occurred after some late-night dancing on top of the tour van, the dancing wasn't a problem but the dismount was and the band have employed a session drummer to fill in for Darren recently. But to his credit, it was only days since he was released from hospital, he still performed an admirable Bez-style dancer/percussionist role during their recent gig at Kokos in Camden despite his arm being held together by a metal plate and a handful of bolts. One of the reasons Shitdisco have garnered so many fans during their short lifespan outside of Glasgow is because their music harks back to a time when dance music was fun and care-free. It didn't take itself seriously in the 90s and the sort of DIY spirit that prevailed then is something Shitdisco are keen to carry on, they've played at free parties with The Rapture ("we knocked a gas radiator off the wall and almost caused a huge explosion…we almost wiped out The Rapture, the Klaxons and ourselves in one night" adds Joe) and there's nothing to stop them being as big as their friends from New York. Just turn off the gas before they play in your front room and wave goodbye to your deposit. www.shitdisco.co.uk Words: Ben H Murray

tags: | shitdisco | ben h murray | klaxons | goose | datarock | london | glasgow | scotland | uk | more...

Nightmares On Wax

Nightmares On Wax

George Evelyn aka Nightmares On Wax, is fast becoming a British hip hop institution, whether it’s writing or DJing, he’s been performing at the highest level since the early 90s. Notion caught up with him 100km outside of Madrid as he reaches the halfway point of his latest idea. He’s moving his studio from Leeds to Ibiza and decided to drive with all his stuff in a converted van while recording new music. I’ve flown to Spain to hear what he’s got to say about the compilation he created for the first record of the ‘My Definition’ series (a major insight into what made him who he is, from the first record he ever bought to the track he would most like to remix and everything in between), what he’s been up to and what the future holds. The Nightmares On Wax ‘My Definition’ album is very personal. How did you go about picking tracks that represented your life? “This is only the third mix compilation I’ve ever done and I like to choose them wisely. You know you’ve got it right when it feels right with you and the person you’re hooking up with to do it. Sometimes it’s nice to switch off and do stuff like this. I don’t DJ as much anymore – I’ll do it for a month and then will stay in the studio for two months. There was a nice overlap with DJing and choosing the tracks for the album.” How long did it take to put this together? “They asked me to do this over a year ago now – it’s the first one of a series and it took that long to get it right. It was nice to take my time over choosing the tracks. I wanted to choose over 50 tunes and then take the best mix of those. You don’t always get to do what you want on compilation tracks. Even though it’s called ‘My Definition’ I wanted my one to be like a journey, which probably says a lot about my music. I wanted to get back to the “head nodding society.” Which connects to the social surroundings I come from – whether I’m just listening to music at home or at a club; I want to be nodding my head to the tunes. I wanted to take it back to that. That’s why I’ve put in some new stuff and also some stuff that was around when I first started clubbing. There’s gonna be some people who have never heard of some of the tracks. I chose some of those as they remind me of really dancing and b-boying. There’s not many other types of music that make you do that – not where you have people going up and taking each other on. When I finally got down to what I wanted, I realised I had the album – I just had to put it together, and see where the journey took us. I’m really happy with it as it’s come out in a way that I like to listen to music. There’s enough on there so I can share some of the artists on the record with people who may never have heard of them, they’re from part of an era they might not know about. A lot of the tracks like the DAS EFX one are from what people are calling “the golden era” now. I remember breaking in the clubs and in sports centre to them. They weren’t just hip hop tracks – they were massive tracks in the clubs. I think the basis of most hip hop tracks now come from that time with the way people like Tribe Called Quest changed beat constructions. Although a lot of the stuff called hip hop now isn’t true hip hop in my opinion – it’s just a fact. They’ve taken small bits of hip hop and put it in pop records – it’s more “hip pop” nowadays.” Were there any tracks that nearly made it but didn’t quite? “There was a Sizzler track that came out on Jet Star and remixed by Bronx Dogs that I really wanted. I only unearthed it recently. I’ve just moved to Ibiza so I’ve had to go through all my tunes – and I’ve got like 10,000 tunes to go through, so putting this album together was done at the perfect time. There was a bunch of stuff that didn’t make it, for example there was a Keith Mansfield, KPM library track ‘Morning Glory’ that was used in the Danger Doom album. I loved the track, it’s awesome but it didn’t make the album as it wasn’t right for the mix. I think you can tell from the journey that my influences are really heavily rooted in hip hop but there’s a lot of soul in there too.” What’s your favourite track on ‘My Definition’? “My favourite track at the moment off it is the Camp Lo and Black Nostalgia using the Curtis Mayfield loop. I just can’t believe I forgot about that tune! It’s like WOW! That’s such a classic. It’s in my box now – as soon as I rediscovered it about eight months ago it’s been in there. It’s a timeless classic and works in any club. I also like the Black Grass one and JD73– that’s British, honest music and I like the fact a lot of people don’t know about them so I hope they’ll go and check them out and buy their albums. I would have liked it to have come out in for the summer to be honest but I hope it keeps the summery feeling through the winter months.” Is there any one artist you wish you could work with? “The Crusaders. Definitely The Crusaders. I put that on last because it makes you feel good. It’s like the last track when you’re playing a club – that’s how the night should end. If people don’t know The Crusaders, they should get to know them… they used to be called the Jazz Crusaders and were a heavy influence on my music. That track has a real smoking memory for me, I first discovered that tune in ’88 in the summer when me and my mates used to sit and smoke to it.” You’re from Leeds, which always seems to be a bit like Manchester’s poorer brother for music, have you got any plans to go back to doing nights in the city to refresh the scene? “Leeds is a great city, it’s an innovative place with a lot of talent but it’s only known for its house music. A lot of people ignore the alternative scene it has there like the Invisible Circle stuff or the guys doing the dub step down at the West Indian Club like Sub Dub - these people should be in the town centre but they’re not offered the Saturday nights, as the club owners only care about numbers. The bar culture there has really hit it hard as well as people can drink there until late and then go on to the clubs at like two or three in the morning. I feel the clubs don’t promote their residents enough at the clubs either – they rely on the guests coming in. With so many students in Leeds, they should big up their residents to keep punters coming back to the club every weekend – not just coming once to see the guest. I’ve done promoting and stuff but it doesn’t interest me anymore. I started doing it when I was 15 and it got to the point where I was thinking “I’m just paying for everybody’s night out.” You book people you really want to see but only you and the DJs know who they are and not the Joe Public. It’s a lot of hard work for not a lot of return. I’d rather throw a house party and everything be free.” How long have you been on this road trip? What’s it like driving and writing at the same time? “It started about six days ago and we’ve been travelling from Leeds across France and through the Pyrenees. I’ve only seen about a quarter of it. Once you’re in that creative bubble, you’re not coming out of it. We had an amazing time the other day coming through the mountains at this little village called Toldra. It had been pissing it down all morning and then we hooked up this fresh new tune and the sunshine in this tune was there and as it really came alive the clouds parted. We were driving through this canyon with the tune and the sun and the synchronicity was there totally – that was like when I really felt it. I don’t really remember France, it didn’t really grab me… and the time through Pyrenees took anything that France might have left me with away.” “We’ve treated the writing exactly the same as we would in a studio – the whole process is exactly the same. We just made sure everything was comfortable in the van as we didn’t want to change the way we work. The number one thing about our writing is to not be premeditated about it, just go with it and see what comes. That’s exactly what we’ve done – tunes have just been opening up. We’ve been knocking two of them out a day. And that’s fucking wicked – I’ve never done that in my life. My whole vision for this trip was just like my vision for my music; it’s about a journey and not about a destination. To actually physically do it… it’s like “This is it! Let’s do it and see what happens.” I’m in no doubt that we’ll have an album by the time we get to Ibiza.” So you’re driving from Leeds to Ibiza. Why are you stopping in Spain? “I just thought I’ve got to get from Leeds to Ibiza. I’ve got to get my studio there and there’s no way I’m putting it on a truck and hope that it turns up – that’s just not gonna happen. So the only way to bring my gear was for me to bring it with me. And I figured I might as well do something with my gear if I was with it. I’m picking up different musicians up on the way and have been creating beats the moment we left Leeds and we’re seeing what happens. We just figured this bit of Spain would be cool to stop off for a couple of days and hook up with some more musicians. To me, if you can think of something then you’re going to be able to do it. Luckily everyone else has helped co- ordinate it and I’ve been able to concentrate on the music. It’s 10 days until Ibiza and I’m like “I’m gonna make this album in that time” and what a beautiful way to make that album. We’re videoing it and everything for a DVD and we’re never going to forget this time we’ve had. It’ll be cool when we get there – my wife will be there with my mum and we’re all going to have a big banquet and chill in the pool for a few days. I’ve got no idea how the others are gonna get home though – they’ll all have to hitch through Europe I guess.” What’s next on the horizon then? “Well after ‘My Definition’, this album we’ve been writing will drop at some point next year. In between those two releases we’ve got about five projects with my label Wax On Records with different artists finishing off albums. We’ve got a remix EP coming out with people from the label and people I’ve met on my travels – it’ll be with a load of bedroom producers that are trying to get a look in. That EP will be out for early next year I think and then as I said, this album will be out for the summer. I’m the busiest I’ve ever been and it’s all good. Everything’s good.” ‘My Definition’ is, as Nightmares On Wax intended, a real journey through hip hop seen through the eyes of someone who has lived every step of it. It’s got classic tracks that aficionados will kick themselves for forgetting about, and will open the eyes of the generation of younger fans to the music that formed the foundation for what they’re listening to now. ‘My Definition: Nightmares On Wax’ is out now on Apace Music Words Josh Jones Pictures: Mattia Zoppellaro

tags: | george | evelyn | nightmares on wax | british | hip hop | notion | madrid | leeds | more...

The Magic Numbers

The Magic Numbers

The Magic Numbers’ debut was one of the albums that can lay claim to soundtracking the summer of 2005. A festival favourite and radio playlist staple, their second album is jam-packed with harmonies and breakneck guitars. It’s raining in Notting Hill. It’s dark and gloomy and the wind is quite literally howling down Queensway. It is therefore a relief to eventually find my destination of a small flat above a busy, but not especially trendy west London boozer. Here I sit and wait on a lonely kitchen table while a photographer fiddles with bright lights and dingy sofas, trying to make sure everything is just right before the band put in an overdue appearance. Eventually The Magic Numbers arrive, smiling and friendly, apologetic for making people wait and seemingly happy to chat all about themselves, the craziness of the past year and the imminent release of their new album. With formalities aside, the band take their place on the sofa, and in-between sipping glasses of water, proceed to talk like I am the first journalist they have spoken to in months. Unless I was planning on mentioning Richard Bacon, this was never going to be a particularly difficult interview. Sitting in front of me are two pairs of brothers and sisters. The Stodarts, Romeo and Michelle and the Gannons, Sean and Angela. The former siblings moved to London from New York when Romeo was 16 and met the Gannons through school and general neighbourly appreciation. A significant age gap between the elder brothers and their younger sisters is evident both in facial appearance and outward mannerisms. Romeo and Sean are more commanding, more confident and appear to take the lead in the questions. Michelle and Angela are initially more inclined to let their brothers do the talking, nodding or gently asserting agreement before adding something previously overlooked or disregarded. It is clearly a natural dynamic that may have helped The Magic Numbers avoid the egotistical bickering that sometimes occurs in close knit groups. You see, however much the band would probably deny it, The Magic Numbers would not be where they are today without chief writer and guitarist Romeo. And thus, when I ask how it all started, it is Romeo who is first to respond. “When we moved to London we went to school with Sean and Angela’s other brother and sister and we all became friends. Then I saw Sean play in a band and I thought he was really cool to hang out with. And he stole my drinks one Christmas Eve.” Cue Sid James laughter from Romeo and a knowing look of recognition from Sean. “But the thing is,” Romeo continues, “we just hit it off and started playing together, going through loads of different band members for about 11 years. It was just something that we had a passion for and we just loved music, loved the same bands. We’ve seen no other thing that we wanted to do in our lives.” I ask Sean whether there was at all an element of wanting to hang out with the cool American kid when Romeo strolled into his life? “I don’t want to say that,” he winces, “but you just might have something there. He had long hair; there weren’t a lot of people around with long hair and beards at that time and I just thought, ‘yeah, he looks cool, I’ll hang out with him.’ Of course I let him hang out with me as well.” Soon enough, the younger sisters wanted in on the act and through a combination of regular appearances at gigs, singing at various weddings and family jam sessions, The Magic Numbers formed as the band they are today. “It just kind of evolved,” Romeo informs me, “It wasn’t something we ever thought about, the four of us being in a band together, but when it did happen it was like ‘hey, we should have thought about this a bit sooner’.” It all came together perfectly last year though. Hit singles like ‘Forever Lost’, ‘Love Me Like You’ and ‘Love’s A Game’ helped their self-titled debut album reach number seven in the charts. A nomination for the Mercury Music prize soon followed where they were listed amongst an exceptionally strong line-up that included albums from bands such as Coldplay, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs, The Go! Team and of course, the surprise winner, Antony and the Johnsons. I ask the band whether they felt they deserved the acclaim and the plaudits that were heaped upon them from the industry magnates as well as from the public? Romeo certainly thinks so. “I think in terms of the albums that came out last year it’s got to be in there as one of the best ones, if not the best one,” and although this comment generates embarrassed laughter from the rest of the group, it is a comment Romeo is at pains to justify. “Some good albums came out, a lot of new kind of things, but in terms of the music we’re making, when it came out last year everyone viewed it as ‘wow, this is a different sound,’ especially because at times everyone tries to do the same thing. I think what we were doing, and what we’ve always done and we will continue to do, is do our own thing and hopefully remain unique.” Unique or not, something that all the class of 2005 have had to learn to deal with is new found fame and attention. I ask the band what has changed; what life is like now that they are no longer trying to make it and they actually have made it. Michelle seems keen to answer. “I think it’s really awkward when you’re with someone who actually knows you really well and then you have someone just screaming your name down the street. You’re just caught in this non-realistic world and you have to pinch yourself and think, Jesus, there’s someone there I don’t know, calling my name.” Angela then highlights a practical problem as well as a psychological one. “It’s always an awkward one, because if they do actually know you and you have met them before and you don’t remember, well, you feel kinda bad.” But it can’t be helped. At present, the band live in a constant whirlwind of faces and questions, everyone wants an interview, and everyone wants their little piece of The Magic Numbers. Do they ever feel like they are being pulled in too many places; that they are no longer in control? “It’s weird when you get a stream of interviews,” explains Angela, “you just get put in a cab and they know where you are going and you haven’t got a clue. The last two weeks we’ve been getting into cabs and none of us have known where we are going.” I wonder if they feel tired with the media rollercoaster and the constant touring? “It’s a different kind of tired,” replies Sean. “Travelling really knackers you in a weird way. You get on a plane for an hour and you’re just sort of hovering. I think being up that high in the air in a tube is just not natural.” “Everyday is so unpredictable,” Romeo adds, “you don’t know where you are going to be, who you are going to meet. It’s kinda mad.” But a little bit of madness in your life is simply the price of fame and success, something The Magic Numbers may have to deal with on a greater scale if their new album is as successful as the first. Recorded over the summer in a hidden location in upstate New York, ‘Those The Brokes’ is the sound of a band that know each other inside out and have musically grown together over the past year. “We did the record because we thought we were on fire,” explains Romeo, “we were playing strong as a band, really tight, we were blown away by the songs and blown away by the opportunity we had been given to go somewhere for six weeks, hole up residentially and just do our thing.” This time around, doing their thing involved producing the album themselves, albeit with the aid of their former associate on the debut release, Richard Wilkinson. “We very quickly established a good working relationship with Richard where it was very hands-on,” clarifies Romeo. “We found someone who was prepared to be there when we wanted to work till six or seven in the morning. It was all about finding someone who was able to give his all.” Did he become a fifth member of the band? “Almost yeah,” states Sean. “You need to trust the person and the person does need to come into the circle, or it just will not work.” Romeo has a fuller explanation. “Basically for us, if you know what you want, you’ve got to do it yourself, and that applies to everything. Me and Michelle worked our asses off till it sounded like it did in our heads. We really wanted to capture something special in that room, especially on the vocal tracks, much more so than the first album. It was definitely a liberating experience.” It seems that the development in recording style has coincided with a development in the group’s musical output as well. I ask Romeo whether the stuff he has written about for the new album has moved away from the topics of the first album? “I think the first album lyrically drew from a relationship that ended and the idea of finding love again, dealing with those feelings really. This one deals with questions unanswered. I think it’s actually quite confused in some ways because that’s how I have felt for the last year. Sometimes when your big dream comes true and your living a life that is everything you’ve ever lived for, you still at the same time want to find contentment in other areas. You can be happy about one thing but you’re always wanting more and there’s a yearning of just wanting to know what it is you are searching for.” And when you listen to the new album, you would have to agree. The sound has moved on dramatically from the first offering. The debut was all about the feel-good factor on warm summer days, about being in love, splitting up, but generally feeling optimistic and happy about life’s progress. As Uncut magazine described the band on the release of their album: “They understand, like The Beach Boys before them, that the best way to soundtrack a broken heart is to drench it in sunny, three-part harmonies.” However, the new album, although still uniquely The Magic Numbers, is far less clear-cut. The lyrics reflect a confused, less optimistic frame of mind, whilst the music itself has moved into darker, less shiny areas. Whereas on the first album it was conceded that “love is just a game,” after a few listens to the new record it becomes apparent that the band are questioning whether it is a game still worth playing. Take, for example, the first track, ‘This Is A Song’. It has a typical Magic Numbers introduction and verse, cheerful, almost country-style guitars with harmonies and lyrics seemingly concerned with the bright, embarrassed side of love: “I don’t want to tell her I lie awake in the dark” runs a typical lyric. But then something unexpected occurs. The song builds into a dark and almost haunting sound. “I don’t wanna hear it, don’t wanna hear it,” repeats the refrain, almost agonisingly cried at times. These are dark, but beautiful harmonies. In fact you could almost describe it as slightly sinister, making you think that the earlier line, “baby look over your shoulder, you’re not alone” is not a typical line of reassurance but is in fact a warning of danger. Instances such as this are frequent throughout the album. Thus, confusion and doubt runs through ‘Those The Brokes’ in a way few could have expected after the success of the shiny-happy debut release. There is also a change in the role that the girls play on the new record. On the first release it could easily be argued that although Michelle and Angela’s voices contributed to the sound of the band, they were not vital components in the overall composition of the songs. On the new record it has all changed. Michelle and Angela’s harmonies do not only complement Romeo’s melodic musings, they are an integral part of the melody. They have also taken the lead on a number of tracks. As a result, the album sounds bigger, tighter and less whiney than the first offering. It is thus altogether a more substantial body of work. However, do they think they have achieved what they set out to when they entered the studio earlier this year? “We wouldn’t have put it out if we hadn’t,” replies Angela. “That’s the main thing with us, always to be happy with what we’re putting out.” So are The Magic Numbers here to stay? The band themselves certainly think so. “Without a doubt,” Romeo insists. “Stopping playing and settling down is not an option.” “The interviews might fade and maybe the photographers will fade away,” concedes Michelle, “but I think we’ll always want to bring out albums and that will make us stand the test of time.” And with that the band are whisked off for a pre-photoshoot change of outfit and a post-interview round of cigarettes. However, before he leaves, Romeo has something important to clear up. “We just want to enjoy it though man, it’s there to be enjoyed isn’t it?” You can tell that from the constant giggles and smiles that it certainly is. The album ‘Those The Brokes’ will be available through Heavenly Recordings/EMI on November 6 th . The band are touring throughout November and at the start of December. Check out http://www.themagicnumbers.net for dates. Words: Simon Cooper

tags: | the magic numbers | simon | cooper | those the brokes | richard | bacon | more...

Gossip

Idle talk is not something you’d associate with Gossip (formerly The). Certainly not frontwoman Beth Ditto, whose straight talking lyrics are teamed with sharp, punk pop music of danceable intent, pricking up the ears of anyone who hears it. As a band that has been on tour with, and befriended, the White Stripes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, you know to expect something special – and their sharp pop sensibilities are now being carried by word of mouth. As the band’s biography begins, “Gossip is young and full of blood.” That they can make this statement after seven years together says a lot for the spirit in the band. Ever-presents Beth and guitarist/bassist Bruce Paine are out of Arkansas, while drummer Hannah Blilie is from Washington. Naturally Ditto is the focal point of the band, but anyone who sees them live will testify to the fact that Paine and Blilie aren’t exactly innocent bystanders Sadly I don’t get to meet Beth in person, which is a shame as her striking looks and sharp dress have already marked her out as a distinctive and interesting character. She’s great conversation on the phone though, and her surprisingly sultry tones are still laced with mischief as she picks up at her Portland home, even at the very un-rock n’ roll hour of 10 in the morning. She’s just got up. “I’ve got a friend visiting from Bristol at the moment, so today we’ll be doing some shopping downtown, and going to a rock n’ roll camp for girls who want to play instruments. It should be cool…but I have to say I’m sorry if I sound like I’m talking out of my ass, it’s early here!” The band may have been together a while, but while public awareness has been a little slow in coming they’ve had a ball while waiting for it to happen. “Gossip started when we moved out of Arkansas in 1999. There was a circle of about 15 of us, and when it was us – several bands – sticking together, it was easy to enjoy. At the time there were just two in Gossip, but we got a new drummer so now we’re a three-piece.” And have they changed much since the early days? “Well, I’m not 20 years old any more!” she sighs. “I’d say it would be impossible not to change, you start writing songs that are about different subject matter, maybe not about yourself. A lot of people think our style has come about because of bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs being our main influence, but they opened for us when we first met them. We were friends in that band way, the same with the White Stripes. Actually I think Karen O is really really good, and I really appreciate her. People are quick to think that we would have grown up with them, but we listened to bands like Bikini Kill, Sonic Youth and all the 90s riot grrrl stuff. We’ve got loads of people who’ve been influential on us and not just music either.” For one of the band’s primary objectives is to make people throw themselves around. “People who don’t know say “hey, you’re a dance band now” but we’ve always been a dance band, we were all about movement. We came from Arkansas where there wasn’t even a scene! It was like something out of Footloose, you know! It was bad to dance there, and when I was 17 I remember my brother even had to get a petition together to put on a dance, it was something they hadn’t done in 40 years or so.” These stark beginnings put the UK’s relative glut of bands and venues in a different light altogether, an observation Beth is quick to take up. “You guys don’t even know what you’ve got in the UK. Sometimes you seem so…I dunno… disinterested. But this record has an approach to dance that makes you move. You should have attitude, and that’s what we continue to have. Dance is so expressive; it’s about using your whole body.” The record Beth refers to is the recently re-released second album ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’, featuring a hot single of the same name that looks set to break them further in the UK. Tongues have certainly been wagging about it in the US, not only for its forthright musical language but for its hatred of George Bush’s stance against gay marriage. “The reaction’s been amazing,” gushes Beth, “better than I ever expected. I didn’t do it to get a reaction; it was a really personal statement, but having said that a lot of people have tapped into it.” And what of its observations? “Well thinking about that, I reckon people aren’t necessarily quick to judge, but I think they’re not keen to make a judgement, which can sometimes be just as bad. With all the war making that’s been going on it’s really good that the mid-term elections are coming up in November. I really think the Democrats are going to get in this time. Everyone is holding their breath.” When talk turns to the man at the helm Ditto’s mood changes noticeably. “I just can’t think about him, I get so upset. He really fucks with people’s lives. The best way I can think of describing it is like when you’re 18, and you go away to college maybe and you have room mates that have everything provided for them, and don’t know what the meaning of the word “need” is. They just get everything done for themselves and don’t do anything for anyone else. Imagine that, a rich kid like that running the country. You wouldn’t even trust him to look after a cat! Gay marriage, war crime, rights of prisoners, I could go on – but I think it’s a really scary time to be living in America with all that stuff going on. And then they say that the people haven’t spoken, well there’s been a lot of demonstrations over here with literally millions of people in the streets, so how can you say that?” Considering her homeland’s plight has brought pertinent issues to the surface. “I’ve been thinking about things, not just the present day, but what was the underground doing in the 40s and 50s, did they just leave? Did they do enough… and am I doing enough now? What do you do about it?” The ensuing pause on the other end betrays this as a frequent preoccupation for the singer. She makes clear that she doesn’t dislike the country itself, more the people who are running it. And while acknowledging that some pretty odd stuff goes on at government level over in the UK, she feels it has plenty going for it. “I feel it’s way more open to music than America, and as we’re not a very conventional band I think people seem to understand us better. I have friends in the UK that I’ve known for a while now. We started coming over here in 2001. Glasgow was the first show – it was amazing, a show of completely eye-opening madness! The best show I can remember though was in Hull; that was one of the best gigs I can remember us doing.” She speaks with such enthusiasm that I have to ask if she would consider moving over. “Well I think I probably would in some ways. I love Brighton, it’s so rad. I feel like I have more friends in the UK in that music way as well. Maybe I will move over, but I think I need to get married or something for that. Hey, how about it – do you fancy getting married?!” Whilst mulling over this shock proposal (it wouldn’t work – she’s taken, in any case) I ask her to consider the immediate musical future. “We’re back in the UK very soon. The future’s really exciting right now, we’ve got loads of options – and we’re not even knowing which ones to do. After seven years we’re getting pay-off which is great, and we’re all really exciting. We only really came into this because it was something we loved doing, we didn’t ever expect to be making a living out of it, although we believed the music was good enough. I guess now a guide to how well it’s going is when your parents see what you’ve been up to and start talking to you about it, like “Oh, I’m always seeing you in some magazine!” or something. And if your parents are hearing about you, you know there’s something’s going on!” No doubt their increased exposure will take in more TV appearances, especially after the Gossip’s cameo on Jonathan Ross, where they played ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ and chatted to Russell Crowe. “He was really, really nice, and he gave us one of his CDs,” says Beth enthusiastically. And he leaned over and said to us “I’m not so much a musician as a poet,” which was, like, quite far out.” She’s almost ready to go now, the town beckons, but she sounds a bit distracted. “I’m just getting my eyeliner straight right now but it’s difficult to do it while I’m on the phone. It’s black, and I’ve got pink eye shadow pencilled in but I can’t get it straight.” A couple of seconds later she’s happy and ready to go. “I just don’t feel dressed without my make-up on, you know?” ‘Standing in the Way of Control’ is out now on Back Yard recordings. The band are on tour in the UK in November. Check www.gossipyouth.com for details. ‘Jealous Girls’ from the album will be released as a single in January Words: Ben Hogwood

tags: | gossip | beth | ditto | ben | hogwood | white stripes | yeah yeah yeahs | bruce | paine | more...

The Long Blondes

The Long Blondes

Sheffield 's immaculately styled and wonderfully named The Long Blondes have made an impressive start to their fledgling career. Having forged a reputation as the hardest working unsigned band in showbiz, the five-piece signed to Rough Trade in April and now find themselves sitting on the most eagerly awaited debut album since, well, the Arctic Monkeys. The band are eager to distance themselves from lazy comparisons to the Monkeys' My Space bothering teenage juggernaut, with singer Kate Jackson insisting it's purely coincidence that two critically hyped groups have emerged from Sheffield’s music scene in under a year. "A few bands from Sheffield are doing well right now," she says. "But there's an age gap between us and the Arctic Monkeys, and our sound is pretty distinct." Indeed, the escapism fuelled ' Someone to Drive You Home' is at first listen a million miles from the gritty, kitchen-sink vignettes of ' Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I’m Not'. A swaggering, glam and gloriously pop record, The Long Blondes' debut is also fittingly literate for a band partly formed from ex-Sheffield university library staff. "We want to write classic pop songs," explains the group's foppish guitarist Dorian Cox. "We're part of a lineage that started with Elvis and Dusty Springfield, and went through everything from 70s disco to Stock, Aitken and Waterman. We want to be as good at writing hit songs as Abba were." This might sound like a new band's attempt at being fashionably arch and gaining some column inches in the process, yet ' Someone To Drive You Home' does go some of the way to fulfilling the group's manifesto of forming, they say, the "ultimate fantasy pop group: Nico, Nancy Sinatra, Diana Dors, Barbara Windsor." In fact, the real Long Blondes are all brunettes. "We think it's subversive to write a really good pop song, when the story behind it is not necessarily particularly cheerful," says Cox, who co-writes the often rather introspective lyrics with Jackson . Early single ' Giddy Stratospheres' is a dancefloor friendly case in point, offering a barbed warning to an ex-lover's new girlfriend in a sugar-coated, hook-laden package. In this sense, a more accurate pointer to their influences would have to include those other Sheffield purveyors of seedy glamour, Pulp. If it's hard to imagine Pete Waterman and co penning a hit with lyrics that make reference to Anna Karenina, as The Long Blondes do during ' Lust In The Movies' , it's certainly less of a leap to imagine Jarvis Cocker doing the same. The group often appear keen to avoid naming obvious influences (their website features a list of who their influences definitely aren't, which includes both The Rolling Stones and The Beatles), yet it's surely significant that the album is produced by former Pulp bassist Steve Mackay. The band must be hoping that Mackay has done a good job; being unsigned critical darlings has proved a poisoned chalice in the past, just ask Gay Dad. If the pressure of an incessant industry buzz and a precocious fan base that used to turn up at the band's places of work wasn't enough, winning the prestigious Philip Hall Radar gong at February's NME awards certainly confirmed the group as everyone’s one to watch - previous winners include Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs. "We’re lucky to have had the attention," shrugs Cox. "I do believe we've got the quality and staying power to survive any backlash." It's a testament not only to the group's joyful music and iconic looks that they’ve made it this far. Their speedy rise through the indie ranks since they formed in February 2003 has also been aided by typically Northern qualities of commitment, hard graft and tenacity. In between holding down full-time day jobs in surroundings as glamorous as Sheffield University , a Leeds art library, and the media studies department of a Rotherham college, the band managed to support Franz Ferdinand at a sold out Alexandra Palace , play New York and Sweden , and fit in the 340 mile round-trip to play regular London shows. It was left to sole driver Jackson to take the wheel of their humble tour bus. Despite the twin pressures of their musical and working lives, the group resisted the temptation to sign the first deal that was thrust at them by the hordes of hungry A&R men circling in the Blondes' waters. "It was like leading a double life," says Jackson . "But it was important that we held out for the right deal. Not getting one straightaway was good for us. When Rough Trade came in for us we were ready." "We didn't want to jump into anything headfirst," agrees Cox. "We had to make sure that we made the right decision. Complete artistic freedom was important to us. So was cash." Signing the deal has of course freed the band from the monotony of the nine-to-five grind, meaning an end to turning down gigs because of early starts and pulling sickies in order to play New York . Now that The Long Blondes are full time musicians, looking the part isn't doing their marketability any harm. "We used to see each other walking around the city. We were already the coolest people in Sheffield , so we obviously had to from a band," says Jackson, who sold vintage clothes on eBay for a living during their unsigned days. Jackson provides a striking and iconic focal point for the band's energetic live performances, and is the most photogenic member of a group that includes two other stylish females in guitarist Emma Chaplin and bassist Reenie Hollis. "Looking good doesn't do any harm," she says. "But I don’t like the suggestion that a band must be style over substance just because there are girls in the band." That she lost out only narrowly and rather incongruously to Madonna as Sexiest Woman at the NME awards illustrates how far her own star has already risen. She has drawn flattering, if obvious, comparisons to Blondie's Debbie Harry, for both her vocal style and her attention grabbing presence. While Jackson insists that she looks up to nobody in the rock frontwoman stakes, it's a refreshing prospect to have one of the first truly memorable female singers in indie since the days of Elastica's Justine Frishmann and Sleeper's Louise Wener. "I had posters of Justine Frishmann on my wall when I was younger," says Jackson , "there aren't enough girls in bands that make it to a decent level." With Jackson and the girls garnishing much of the attention afforded to the band, it's easy to imagine Cox and drummer Screech Louder (named by hippie parents, who may or may not have been ' Saved by the Bell ' fans) feeling left out. Yet Cox insists that they love shopping "as much as the girls do." The Long Blondes show a healthy wariness both of the attention they have already received in their short existence, and of being lumped in with an arguably non-existent Steel City scene (along with the ubiquitous Arctic Monkeys, and the less well known likes of Milburn and Razor Stiletto). "Sheffield is not some kind of musical Mecca ," insists Cox. "But since there’s not much going on there at times, young people can concentrate on rehearsing and writing songs." The city's educational establishments may have brought the group’s members to Yorkshire, but it was the cheap, youth orientated and easy going lifestyle it offered that kept The Long Blondes in Sheffield and allowed their music to emerge free of the pressures more fashionable locations might have exerted. "Being in Sheffield kept us out of the public eye long enough for us to develop, it gave us the freedom we needed," says Cox. It has been a suitably singular development so far for a band that formed "almost by accident," but if The Long Blondes debut album is anything to by, it sounds as though Sheffield's newest industry, imaginary or not, is doing just fine. The album 'Someone To Drive You Home' is available now Words: James Hurley

tags: | the long blondes | kate | jackson | rough trade | arctic monkeys | sheffield | james | more...

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