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Thursday, 28 August, 2008

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Erick Morillo

Starting out as a DJ back when he was just 11 years old playing at weddings for friends and family, Erick Morillo has come a long way. He's had success as a producer, an artist within his own right and also runs one of the biggest independent dance labels in the world. Is there anything left for this man to achieve? Notion trekked all the way to Ibiza to catch up with everyone's favourite party DJ in person... High in the hills of the island of love, and after taking a few frantic phone calls, we arrive at what looks like a Hollywood villa overlooking the beautiful view of Ibiza and the sea. After checking out his fabulous pad, I sit down with Erick and ask him how he is: "Great thank you! I’m basically here for a couple of days now getting ready for this season in Ibiza. The island is buzzing and bubbling quite nicely - in fact I was down at Pacha last night and there was a really good vibe going on!" With the opening parties due to kick off the weekend after our visit, it has to be said that there was a definite atmosphere of anticipation amongst the newly arrived and the locals themselves. Not unfamiliar with travelling and hard work, Erick explains that prior to landing in Ibiza he had been incredibly busy travelling the globe, taking in the Cannes Film festival and Marrakech DJing and generally getting ready for the last six months of the year, within which he has plenty going on. One interesting project is with P-Diddy for his 'Dance Now' album, due out next month. Diddy and Erick met when Erick was working on his debut album as an artist, 'My World', (which also featured the Audio Bullys and Boy George amongst others). "He's a really, really great guy, very driven and inspiring," Erick comments before continuing, "I've also been working on a single with Shawnee Taylor, that myself and Jose Nunez produced, along with another project with Shawnee covering Blondie's 'Call Me.'" All this as well as his residency in Ibiza this year and managing his label, Erick's calendar is fully booked. "I took one holiday for two weeks in Hawaii at the start of this year and my next weekend off is in December, but I'm a self confessed workaholic!" Raised in Columbia, and then New Jersey, Erick grew up on a variety of musical styles, including Latin, reggae, and hip hop, and decided to take a studio engineering course at the local Centre of Media Arts. It wasn't until Erick met Marc Anthony (the salsa king) that he became involved in the house music scene, working with Louie Vega and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales. He spent a lot of time approaching labels with his projects, but the response wasn't great. It wasn't until he took a track called 'The New Anthem' to Strictly under the name Reel 2 Reel, that anyone actually took any notice. This track was quickly followed by the massive club anthem of the 90s 'I Like To Move It'. The track has seen Erick well, alighting the pop charts across the globe and going platinum in Holland and gold in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium and Australia. Something that frustrates Erick though is the somewhat lazy attitude of those using beat matching technology in their sets and calling it DJing - if you're not matching beats then what are you doing? "If I didn't have to worry about beat matching, I'd be fucking turning on cars or something to take it to the next level at least!" exclaims mister Morillo, losing his cool a little bit. Does he see his future in the music industry continuing for years and years to come? "I have been telling people that when I am 35, I'm going to retire and whenever I say it everyone's like NO! But I don't mean retire like that. I mean when I come to Ibiza, maybe doing one weekend a month would be better and the same goes for New York." Does this mean that he is finally ready to take a step back and chill after all these years? "I feel that what's happened up until now has been the first phase of my life, and I do feel I want my life to go somewhere else. I'm not completely sure where but somewhere." Looking forward to Erick's summer in Ibiza, and despite his residency here in Pacha, does he have anyone else he's planning to check out once the opening parties get things going? "Well it's not really possible for me because I only have Monday and Tuesday of each week as I am travelling about the rest of the time. I'm probably gonna check out Cocoon and then some local house parties with friends - this is good for me especially as I don't have that much time off to spend with them." Does he think the island still holds the same appeal as it always has, especially as there are always references made to other destinations as "The New Ibiza?" "I don’t think Ibiza has lost anything," he frowns. "It's ever changing for sure and it has lost a certain element of it's rustic feel, with the building of highways, but it's needed because the island cannot cope with the influx of visitors each year." As an Ibiza resident for many years, Erick has certainly born witness to the changes the island has undergone and as far as he is concerned, Ibiza is still attracting the crowds: "The planes are still full, the clubs are still rocking, the hot girls are still coming here - it's all good. It's still the best place in the world to party and there is no place like it." What is it that makes Ibiza so special to him? "There's nowhere like it where you can touch so many people from so many places, except maybe at the Miami conference... maybe." So after spending so much time on the island over the years, is there one particular night he played that is his fondest memory? Without hesitation he answers, "2001, the closing party at Space after the September 11th attacks in New York. As my last record I played Frank Sinatra's 'New York, New York'. It gave an extra meaning to the night. People were still really freaked out by the whole thing, the planes were empty because nobody wanted to fly anywhere, but that night I turned the levels down and everyone was singing along, some were crying, and American flags seemed to appear from nowhere. I don’t know where they came from as there hadn't been any earlier in the night. It was like wow! Fucking amazing. It reiterates what I always say about the dance music scene - that the music unites us and then it's all about the love..." With that sombre comment the room is silent and Erick seems to have gone back to that night... he soon speaks again, a cheeky grin on his face - "But there was also this amazing threesome I had," he chuckles, and with that the Dictaphone is well and truly turned off! CATCH ERICK PLAYING HIS RESIDENCY AT SPACE IBIZA THIS SUMMER, HE’LL ALSO BE PLAYING AT CREAMFIELDS AND GLOBAL GATHERING IN THE UK, AND IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT TO ANY OF THOSE, HIS NEW ALBUM ‘SUBLIMINAL SESSIONS 10’ IS OUT ON SUBLIMINAL RECORDS ON JUNE 19TH. WORDS: MATTHEW WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY: GRETA ILIEVA

tags: | erick morillo | sapce | ibiza | creamfields | global gathering | subliminal | dj | music | more...

Thievery Corporation

Thievery Corporation

Their last album 'The Cosmic Game' took a psychedelic turn, and saw them working with Perry Farrell, David Byrne and Wayne Coyne. As DJs they have contributed several influential sets, including last year’s 'The Outernational Sound' and their famed contribution to !K7's 'DJ Kicks', an exotic blend of dub, bossa and spatial jazz. Added to this the duo own Eighteenth Street Lounge, their home and a residence for Ursula 1000 and The Karminsky Experience. With Rob Garza holed up in a UK studio, Notion seized the chance to find out what makes them tick, and to discover some secrets behind their adventurous treatment of musical styles from around the world. Keeping up with the Thievery Corporation is an expensive but rewarding task. The trouble is they can't stop making music. As original artists, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have made four multi-styled albums, and through these enough remixes to fill a small truck. It's a respected output that matches quality with quantity. In keeping with the duo's approach to music, Rob had a colourful upbringing. "My mother's from Mexico, but I was born just outside of Chicago and grew up very close to Washington DC. I've spent my life mainly in rural areas, but my mother’s from Juarez in Mexico, which is a notorious border town that’s just short of crazy, the kind of places where the third world meets the first world and kinda anything goes, with all sorts of craziness. So I exist between the backgrounds, with some place very rural and nice and then some place like Juarez where I would spend my summers. It really raises a lot of questions, you know - who you are and all that - and for me, music was always an outlet of being able to express, trying to find an answer to that question." Garza describes the Thievery approach as "using music from all over the world and in all of its various forms, and finding a way to incorporate it into what we do." SO IS MULTICULTURAL A FAIR WAY OF DESCRIBING THE CORPORATION’S MUSIC? "Definitely, Our record collection's hugely multicultural. You’ll find music from Ethiopia, from Turkey, Brazil, Jamaica and all sorts of different time periods as well. Our record collection is global, so naturally the music we do would also be influenced by that." Currently Garza's preoccupation is "a lot of late 60s, more psychedelic kind of stuff - it changes week by week though, so you never know what's gonna come across your plate. It's a very interesting time musically, because there are so many people mixing styles with technology, creating all sorts of different textures." The duo retain Washington DC as their base, and the city helps with their allembracing approach. "Oh yeah, definitely - I think in Washington we have about 600,000 people that live within the city, and yet for being so small it is vibrant and varied. You can hang out in the bars in Washington, and you know, it's one of the most concentrated multicultural places I've been to anywhere in the world. A few bars will have like African, jazz, afro beat, Jamaican, Brazilian, Argentinian, you're just going by these bars and it’s not really a novelty! For us it’s been a musically rich environment." They don't perform much in their home city though. "Not so much in DC, we like to be inside the studio and working on our music, and we try not to wear out our welcome - we don't want to be DJing every Friday night and then when we have a special gig people are like, "oh yeah, I've already seen them, you know, five times," so we try to do DJ gigs just once, maybe twice a year." From my own personal experience their influence as DJs is to urge people to go out and explore the styles and artists featured. Garza agrees, "because a lot of young people are growing up with electronic music. For them it's a doorway to discover other types of music, whether it's jazz or bossa or dub, and if we can do that then that’s just amazing, a huge side benefit of making music. A lot of people we meet are really still influenced by the compilation, and at the time it seemed that everything we did was omnipotent, we heard it coming out of bars and cafes. It was something really special." The increasing use of chill-out in the UK spawned many a dodgy compilation in the early part of the decade, but the Thievery have managed to steer clear of the umbrella. "Yeah, for us chill-out never really meant anything. I mean, I consider something like Brian Eno's 'Music for Airports' to be my idea of chillout. For us, when we create our music, we came out of hip hop, chopping up beats and loops and incorporating them with musical tastes and countries from all around the world, places that we would like to visit. "I think we’ve always tried to keep an edge to our music." SO HOW DO THEY FIND THE TIME TO PRODUCE SO MANY REMIXES? "Over the past few years we've been in the studio a lot, and music is what we do because we love it, and we go into work every day and it seems like there's something to do, and we just really enjoy working - and for us to be able to work on other people's music like the Doors is just brilliant." When asked what other remixers he admires, Garza flounders. "Wow, erm... see I'm actually very out of it when it comes to memorising other people and what they do, because I’m kind of consumed in what we're doing so I can't think of anyone off the top of my head!" Their live experience has also taken off, and Garza refers to a gig they did last year on a hot summer night at London’s Koko. "That gig was really surprising as our pre-sales were just 200, so we thought, "well OK, no-one's gonna show up", and then there was this huge demand just before and so many people turned out. It adds another dimension to what we do, whether it's remixing, playing live, DJing, making artist records, DJ mix CDs or compilations." At the moment the two are taking time off from Thievery for a couple of months, to do something in a different style. Garza's working with Brendan Lynch on "some rock stuff - it's nice to do something totally different, exploring other areas. Then I'm going back to DC, and Eric and I will start on the new Thievery album." A particularly sad end to a chapter of their career occurred in February last year, when vocalist and long time collaborator Pam Bricker took her own life. For Garza, there is clearly still a gap she used to fill. "There were so many things we did, you know, thinking about touring, and she was such a vital part of what we did, she brought this beautiful light to everything and so when she passed away it was very difficult. I think at first you don't realise it, because being musicians we were travelling all the time, and we didn't see Pam all the time but when we toured she always toured with us. When we finally did this last tour she was just so missed, there was this space, and, well it's just more about her personality, her friendship and feeling like she was our sister - that's the main thing that's painful about the whole experience." However he is grateful for their current roster of vocalists. "Yeah, you know we've got some really good singers, it's great we have so many different people, we've worked with some famous people, some who aren't famous at all. But Pam - she was the first one we brought in the studio so she'll always have a special place in our hearts." Garza projects an easygoing charm, so it's good to end on an upper when talking about the duo’s sense of style, and in particular the lounge suits they've become famed for. "We're lazier these days though! We're not wearing the suits too much; we're a little more casual. Your wardrobe changes when you're in the studio all the time, it's not important. When you're going to some fancy party, yeah of course we might dress up, but we're just happy in the studio making music, everything's just secondary to all of that." THIEVERY CORPORATION’S ALBUM ‘VERSIONS’ IS AVAILABLE NOW ON ESL MUSIC. WORDS: BEN HOGWOOD

tags: | thievery corporation | music | dance | dj | club | the cosmic game | perry farrell | more...

The Zutons

Following the success of their last album, 'Who Killed the Zutons?' signed to the Deltasonic label, they spawned an amazing five top 40 singles, and sold over 600,000 albums. Since then, they have forged a reputation as one of the best and most popular live acts in the country. The Zutons are made up of David McCabe (vocals/guitar), Abi Harding (saxophone), Boyan Chowdhury (guitar), Sean Payne (drums), and Russell Pritchard (bass). David recalls his early influences, "I loved Guns 'N' Roses and other heavy metal rock bands." He continues, "When you are young, you get into music. I bought a guitar, but I was the only one that stuck with it. Everyone else just put it down and found girlfriends." So it was the heavier guitar tracks that really got him going?"Really, Nirvana started it. I used to put that on loud and play the bass." The band admit that when they started out they were part of the rejuvenated live scene, especially in Liverpool which at that point was centred around nightclubs like Cream. "I suppose there was a wave of bands in Liverpool at that time. I’m not saying that it was the beginning of something big because it just seems that there's a lot more bands around the country. There's a lot more bands now - that's a fact. There's a lot more bands to go to. It's a tough crowd I think. Scousers don't take easily to a lot of stuff. They won't be polite!" For this reason, the Liverpudlian quintet seem to have acquired much press baggage. Accused of owing more to label-mates, The Coral than either band can surely have felt comfortable with, "I think before people thought we were just like the Coral but not as good," argues McCabe with refreshing candour. “It was a pain in the arse for us because we'd only been together for six months and we didn't really have a clue. Now we know exactly what we want to do, and it's like a fresh start." So does it strike the members odd that they are commonly misconceived as being an “American” band?David: "Well, we are from Liverpool - the other side of the world. We listen to a lot of American music like Neil Young, Sly and the Family Stone, and the Talking Heads. So it's understandable." Despite the initial press frenzy, the band have managed a big crossover movement in their second album bringing their retro-influenced rock to the scene. McCabe admits that the Zutons, "were finding our feet on the first record. Luckily, we had Ian Broudie to push us along. But this time the mood of the band has been more work-lke."With every bit of the band's success equating to hard work. Dave admits to some tensions. "It was a bit studied out by that time and I didn't really want to be there anymore." He reveals, "I'm not a massive fan of studios. We did it as quickly a possible. They can be intense sometimes, studios, I find. You're making big decisions all the time, you're saying "should we leave that on or leave that off?" No matter how you look at it and you can act like it's nothing, but in the back of your head you can know it can affect it." With influences encompassing jazz/soul to voodoo rock, establishing an identity must have been hard?"Not really. Any band, you just put your personality into what you do. It’s not hard. It's hard if you try too hard. I think you just have to be a great band and not think about it too much. You are either good at it or not," explains David. With so much global exposure, including criss-crossing America with The Killers, the band have discovered inspiration in some of the more ardent fans. McCabe explains, 'Valerie' and 'Oh Stacey Look What You've Done' are about two girls I met in America. They're kinda written from the perspective that you're in love with someone but from far away... but I'm not really in love," he clarifies. Success seems to have done nothing to dampen their dark side. The first single 'Why Won't You Give Me Your Love' is an ode to the romantic art of stalking. Abi elaborates, "the new album continues the darkness." "'Stacey' is an exaggerated story - she's going out getting drunk cause her dad died and left her loads of money." So back to Dave, what about Valerie - do you really "miss (her) ginger hair"?He laughs, "That wasn't so serious - but it sounds big and kinda funky. It's a happy accident, that song. Most of the best tunes are ones you write quick and they don't take much hassle." A pair of stalker songs which no doubt shift from the merely creepy to the downright sinister. However, considering the songs' irresistible glam-rock-boogie vibe, it makes it hard to dislike. With the band fronting some extremely catchy tunes, presumably, at times, shifting to new melodies can seem a hard task?"I really just get onto the next song. That's just what happens. I suppose it's because it's been in my head, and then once I work it out with the band, I forget about it. I think the idea is to put it into other people's heads. But it gets out of my head because it had been there for so long. You know what I’m saying? It's been there for so long I have to get it out and into someone else's - I'm just passing the buck, I guess," David laughs. The months of gigging have clearly served The Zutons well, moulding them into a steelier unit. There was obviously no room for breaks explains Abi, "we would have liked to have taken a break but we didn't write on the road so we had to sit down and write an album's worth of material from scratch." She adds, "... we would have liked a week off but we wanted to get back into the studio." Living on a tour bus must be weird and enclosed at times. David suggests, "you have to think, 'I'm in Anaheim, California' and some of my friends are working in factories at home. It's a good job, but it is a job." So how did the album get it’s title?"We got sick of just writing songs and not doing much, we wanted to get back out on the road and the phrase 'Tired of Hanging Around' sums up the way the band were feeling." This also emerges as one of the tracks. So does Abi have a favourite track from the new album?"I think 'How Does It Feel' because it's completely different from anything we have done before, the backing harmonies are very strong and its got a good groove to it." It's clear that with other tracks including the sublime jaunt of 'Valerie', the Scousers have taken the time to refine their sound. McCabe points out, "we know how to put ourselves across better and know how to put our feelings across. It's a lot harder and a lot more soulful." He continues, "we wanted to make this album more like a live album." The band have demonstrated amongst other things a spectacular rawness to their style. As for the current trend for angular guitar bands in skinny drainpipe jeans, it’s not something Dave cares much for. "All that disco beat stuff, it does my head in. What's all that about? I think Franz Ferdinand and the Strokes nailed that one. Interpol, I suppose, were good at it as well, but I think that was enough. There's no need for all the other bands that are coming out now." On the subject of other bands, the Zutons were one of the many gazillion that played at the recent South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. An event that is swamped with wannabe rock stars desperate to get the attention of the music industry and for the British in particular, it's a chance to make waves on the notoriously difficult American market. "There's a lot of bands at South By Southwest and there's too much going on. It's not a festival. It's like two streets full of thousands of people and twelve hundred bands or something. It was just hard work," recalls frontman Dave McCabe. The hard work has certainly paid off. McCabe excitedly reveals what is was like touring alongside the likes of legends U2 and R.E.M, "We were like, 'Yes, this is what we’ve been building up for!' And there was no pressure on because it was REM's crowd." David reminisces, "They’re not waiting for 'Losing My Religion' from us. But we can impress them in the meantime, with our own little songs." It's clear amongst many things including the eclectic carnival of brilliance, McCabe's belting vocals, and slinky saxophonist Abi has helped the band to create a fresh mark. David explains, "We wanted to cross jazz with funk, and soul with country. We just wanted to mix everything together and get every angle on it and finally we've got there." How have things changed for them in the past two years?"I think I’ve become a lovely person," replies Dave, tongue in cheek. "To be honest, I feel people are changing around me and other people that I'm meeting, whether it's for better or worse. It's just like people who were once alright with you, look at you in a different way and I don't know what to think." The band have proved a lot, yet David admits the process was somewhat awkward at times, "sometimes it's just a bit weird. It’s like "why are you looking at me like that?" And these are people you've known all your life. That’s when it hits home that you've done something well for yourself." So it must have been scary and enclosed at times?"Sometimes, being in a band is like standing half-naked on the top of a mountain and people throw either roses or daggers at you. That’s what it's like being in a band. You have to have a laugh and have a good time." For the Zutons, amidst unmistakeable swampy rhythms, vivid lyrical wit, muscular pop and jump-around anthems, it seems the hanging around certainly pays off. With the studio toil done, the band can get back to what they do best, playing live. "It toughens you up, playing all those gigs," muses McCabe. He adds, "I can't relax in one place any more. I think that’s gonna be with me all my life." Which brings us to the future and any upcoming plans?"Just waking up in the morning with a beautiful girl next to me with a yacht in the south of France, it seems that's what everyone else is doing," says Dave. "On a serious note though, just being on tour again and getting into it. It's good to do Top Of The Pops and that, but it's more real isn't it when you’re playing live. No disrespect to anyone, but that is what it's all about really." Indeed it is. "You just live your life. I live my life as days and not days in the Zutons. The Zutons are just a part of life, now. If you think too much, you can lose your head. I'm a thinker and a dreamer, I'm not a nothing person that doesn’t think about things. I think it would be easier if you didn't think about stuff. Life would be easier." THE ALBUM 'TIRED OF HANGIN' AROUND' IS AVAILABLE NOW. CATCH THEM AT THE 02 WIRELESS FESTIVAL IN LEEDS, T IN THE PARK AND CREAMFIELDS WORDS: JANANTHY VIGNESWARAN

tags: | zutons | who killed the zutons | deltasonic | david mccabe | abi harding | more...

The Kooks

Well, perhaps that doesn't apply to absolutely every guitar band, but as Luke Pritchard from the Kooks reveals, it was on a bleary night in the city of angels that he discovered his very own saintly guardian was none other than Blaine from the Mystery Jets. "Blaine saved my life in LA. It’s true!" he laughs, before explaining exactly how his continued existence on this earth is all down to a scruffy musician from Eel Pie Island. "The Mystery Jets are our mates and we went to see them play a show when we were all in LA. Afterwards, outside the gig, I thought it would be a really good idea to jump on top of a van and start singing Nina Simone songs. All these other people got up and joined in, a friend of ours and some girls, so we were all on top of this van. We were making a really friendly noise, mind you, we weren't smashing it or anything - but the cops turned up and were none too happy about it." At this point Luke's voice changes to a stern American tone, Terminator-style, as he impersonates his interrogators shouting at them to "get the fuck down." "So we got down and we were just stood there, rabbit in the headlights style," he continues, "and one guy asked for our ID so we showed him, to prove we were over 21, and then this one cop turned around and spat in front of me. He properly spat, and I just went, "Mate, do you know you can spread tuberculosis doing that? It's disgusting." And that was it - he just went mental." An almighty row ensued, with Luke still not realising quite the depth of the hot water he might have got into. One suspects that a drop too much alcohol may have been involved in the singer's decision-making that night. But then, just in the nick of time, Blaine appeared from inside the building - and swiftly explained to the cops that the van was his. "He told the coppers that he was totally fine with it, that he didn't mind us jumping on his band's van, even hinting that we did it all the time. The cops were like "Are you sure? This is a federal offence." But he just spoke to them with such authority that they eventually let us go." A night in the cells with the LAPD might have caused more than the blues - Luke would also have missed the band's flight home the next day, and possibly jeopardised his right to return to the USA on future tours. "Afterwards I turned to Blaine and was like, "Man, I'm so glad that was your van," and Blaine just goes, "but it wasn't our van." Which seemed like the most hilarious thing in the world at the time. Until the next morning when I woke up and was like, I am such a dick. You just don't talk back like that to American policemen." Rock and roll indeed but Luke seems to need a bit of that youthful folly, as he's a self-confessed worrier. The Kooks' debut album, 'Inside In/Inside Out', trades in paranoia and unease; ennui seems to nibble away at Luke's young soul. "I just worry about everything," he confesses. "This morning I woke up at eight, we'd only got in at six am, but I was up and awake, running through everything in my head. I'm quite paranoid definitely, and frustrated a lot of the time." A recent trip to Mexico to shoot part of the video for their forthcoming single, 'She Moves In Her Own Way', should have been blissful, but ended up causing the guys a fair amount of discomfort, as filming took place in a red light district. "Tijuana is a fucked-up place," recalls Luke unhappily. "It was pretty embarrassing actually, we were filming at night and there were all these people there trying to go about their lives. Our song was playing really loudly and we had to walk down this street, but there were girls doing business in front of us and we really felt we should't be there. One guy came up and shouted at us, asked us what we were doing there. We were stepping into the third world - it just didn't seem right." But were there not at least a few young Mexicans excited about seeing a pack of sexy, English rock'n'rollers on their street? "No!" insists Luke, "we haven't released anything over there, nobody had a clue who we were. There were just angry people everywhere we went." The Mexican trip did provide at least one moment of fun though: the chance to go to the beach and bury guitarist Hugh in the sand, and then leave him there. This proved enormously amusing for everybody apart from Hugh. "Yeah, he was over the moon about us doing that to him," Luke fibs. You get a sense that Luke is one of those people who starts life old and grows younger. Perhaps this comes down to having a lot on his shoulders at a young age - his musician father died when Luke was just three years old, and he was later to lose his stepfather too. After this he was sent to the progressive boarding school Bedales, where he would encounter a whole new set of rules about life. "It was weird," he explains, "I felt a bit out of place there cos I'd been to state school before. Everyone at Bedales is the son of a record producer or the daughter of a billionaire. It's kind of freaky - but great. When I look back I think what amazing friends I made, so that's really cool, but there was a time when... there were a lot of beatings going on." Beatings? In a school notorious for its interest in the arts and luvviedom? "Yeah, where I used to sleep, I was 13 or 14 and in a dorm with guys who were much older. They'd do things like, wait til you were lying in bed and then come and strip all your bedclothes away, and then draw a line around your body in pen. Then they'd leave you, saying they'd be back in a few hours and if you'd moved an inch from the line... And of course you would move, because it's impossible not to, so they'd come back and grab a hockey stick and - you know..." He stops. It sounds pretty grim, but Luke begins to laugh at the memory. "It wasn't severe beatings," he adds hastily "none of that character-building shit. How did we get onto this subject anyway? It's hilarious!" After Bedales, Luke went to the Brit School of Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon, aged 16, and began to understand how desperate some people's race for fame can be. He watched his fellow students place sucess and stardom above everything else in life. It's something he also sees nowadays on shows such as X-Factor, although their contestants don't even share the talent of his college contemporaries. "I find those programmes quite sad and distressing. People get exploited and basically laughed at - it might be fun to watch but those contestants build all their hopes up only to get them smashed. It's pretty fucking horrible - people making money out of other people’s misfortune." Luke prides himself on writing songs from the heart, and he and his bandmates claim it doesn't matter how trivial the subject is. If the song itself matters to you, then you can sing it with pride and feeling. So keen are they on doing things the genuine way that they recorded their album on tape, which had to be brought in from overseas as it’s so rarely used in this country these days. Presumably, the Kooks think it's better to work from the bottom up like they have done, playing gig after gig, rehearsal after rehearsal, until a band gets good enough to attract a record label, as they did with Virgin, who were impressed with their loyal Brighton fanbase - or do they? "Well I don't think it’s easier or necessarily better that way, no," Luke claims. "You do it the way that you do it, whatever's best for you will work for you. It's just that the TV route seems to be for people who are very desperate and allow themselves to be moulded by that culture, which is completely separate from anything we would do. Obviously there's never going to be any decent music coming out of that place, it's always going to be laughable music." I point out that Will Young has done alright for himself. "Yeah but he's still shit! It's not like you're gonna put on his record at home are you? He has used them rather than letting them use him, which is something, but he still doesn’t have an ounce of soul in him. I wouldn't care if I thought he had at least one good song, but he doesn't." At least other forms of music are in a healthier state right now. Luke is thrilled about the kicking indie scene that Britain is once again enjoying, and reckons it might well have topped its predecessors. "It's pretty damn good right now, isn’t it?" he enthuses. "Music's better than it has been for ages. It's better than Britpop. Well I mean, there's bands I like and there's bands I hate, but still..." He trails off here, having learned not to engage in too much inter-band bitching. His comments to one journalist about the Kaiser Chiefs came out sounding overly negative in print, and led to the Leeds band ditching the Brighton boys from a tour support slot. Luke learned the hard way to mind what he says. An equally tricky subject with the media has been his relationship with a certain Katie Melua, whom he met at the Brit school and then went out with for three years. Their relationship is over, but it’s something Luke, who clearly loved her deeply, feels awkward talking about. Not that that stopped Simon Amstell from putting him through a cringeworthy series of questions about her on Popworld, most memorably, "Were you never tempted to call her Katie Manure?" Schoolboy humour, but the discomfort on Luke's face made for unbearable telly. For a frontman, Luke doesn't always seem to enjoy being the centre of attention. "I suppose that’s true," he agrees, "I hadn't really thought about that but it's true actually. Because of that thing with Katie, a lot was written about that, when actually, I just find it really weird. You see all that stuff in the papers and, I dunno..." Once again he trails off, struggling to find something he is happy adding to the column inches already filled with the subject. "I'm just starting to get comfortable with it," he adds, unconvincingly. Much of the album's inspiration has been attributed to their relationship ending, and you can see why. With nearly all of the songs mentioning a nameless "her" or "she", they offer ripe pickings for tabloid-style speculation. "Take me back to the place where I loved this girl for all time, why must life take away every good thing one at a time," sings Luke on 'I Want You', perhaps also referring to the deaths of loved ones. There are also racier moments - on 'Sofa Song', the catcy chorus goes "And I will do my best /just to get under her dress," while 'Time Awaits' is graced with the punchline "She tore those panties down, and loved me wetter." However, these last two songs were both co-written by bassist Max Rafferty, and it's unclear who is responsible for which line. But one song that is definitely close to Luke's heart is the new single 'She Moves In Her Own Way'. Max also shares the lyric-writing credits on that one, but Luke explains that he didn't realise what he was saying until after he'd written it. "Sometimes you've got an idea that you know you want to write about, but other times you don't know why you’re writing something. You don't realise until way after, when you go fuck, that makes sense now, I can see why I would have been saying that at that moment in my life. It’s happened loads of times, and 'She Moves In Her Own Way' was probably one of those songs." It’s a song about watching a girl become successful, and about her in turn watching him. It comes across as something of a gentle morality tale, with him warning her that what matters is not the superficial things like her make-up, or how she shapes up "to these tiresome paper dreams." It also shows gratitude and humility - "she came to my show / just to hear about my day," he sings, sounding genuinely glad for the companionship. Friendship is something Luke doesn't take lightly. When hard living took its toll on his bandmate Max, Luke wondered how they could play tour dates without him - although they did. And it's not just musicians from his own band who make up his social circle. As well as the Mystery Jets, whom Luke really admires not only for their songs, but for the quality of musicianship, the Kooks are close to the band Larrikin Love, who will be coming with them on tour this summer. They're not too sure about being part of any perceived "indie" scene, though, as Luke explains. "We've got various friends in London who are in bands, but it’s not like a conscious network of bands all hanging out together. In fact we haven't been in England that much lately, which is annoying cos we'd like to get involved in the music scene more. One of the shittest things about being in a band - in fact it's the only shit thing about being in a band - is that you can't ever go to see bands that you like play, cos the chances are you're playing that day too." A case in point is Coco Rosie, a female duo whom Luke has longed to see play live for some time, but who have consistently evaded his timetable. Luck has continued to escape him on this - the duo's next English gig coincides with the Kooks being in New York. Luke makes a joke about changing their schedule so he can fly back to London just for that one day. There's one schedule Luke won't be changing though - and that’s an extra special tour of the British coast this autumn. Towns such as Torquay, Skegness and Blackpool will all be graced by a band whose frizzy hairstyles look set to grow even frizzier, as the wet salty winds have do battle with their curls. Nonetheless, it’s something that Luke is particularly excited about. Given that the band formed on the south coast, while studying at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music in 2003, the beach has always played some relevance in their history - their album even opens with drummer Paul Garred's homage to falling in love beside the waves, 'Seaside'. It was their manager’s idea to quit touring all the obvious venues and find a more imaginative way of presenting the gigs, but the lads jumped at the chance. "It's gonna be wicked," says Luke, "we're playing on the end of piers and on a beach. We’re gonna have a party at the end of every night, have a barbecue and just see who comes down. We can't wait." CATCH THE KOOKS THIS SUMMER AT THE FOLLOWING FESTIVALS: ISLE OF WIGHT (JUNE 10TH), T IN THE PARK (JULY 8TH), OXEGEN (JULY 9TH), BENICASSIM, SPAIN (JULY 22ND), LEEDS (AUGUST 25TH) AND READING (AUGUST 27TH). THEIR AUGUST TOUR TAKES IN THE FOLLOWING SEASIDE TOWNS: HASTINGS (AUG 18TH), FOLKESTONE (19TH), TORQUAY (22ND), BLACKPOOL (23RD) AND SKEGNESS (24TH). WORDS: SOPHIE HEAWOOD

tags: | luke pritchard | kooks | blaine | mystery jets | isle of wight | t in the park | oxegen | more...

Notion at SeOne

Notion at SeOne

Notion and Rogue Indie are hosting their pre-Ibiza UK tour at SeOne on Saturday 27th May. Here is a round-up of the acts you can see live on the night. Hadleigh Ford Hadleigh Ford is a man, but also a band. Since the age of fifteen, armed with just an acoustic guitar, Hadleigh Ford has performed to audiences across the length and breadth of the UK. His songwriting draws upon influences as diverse as Nirvana, Bill Withers and XTC, and hence is not shy of a catchy melody or riff. Spending his student years on the south coast in Brighton, Hadleigh played extensively on the live circuit there gaining a reputation as an accomplished songwriter and performer in the process. This paved the way to a headline set at the Concord, plus support slots with Glen Matlock (ex Sex Pistols) and Sam Flynn (ex Eurythmics). To complete the line-up, in 2004 long time friend James Cliff was recruited to occupy the drum stool, followed by bassist Dave Kidd. An intensive batch of rehearsals and low key gigs fused the band's sound and in 2005 they recorded two tracks ('All Pieces Together' and 'Trust') at Animal Farm studios in South London, which feature on their current sampler CD. WWW.HADLEIGHFORD.COM Halagoogoo Halagoogoo are a funk rock trio that formed in Bristol from a friendship at university. They put the fun back into funk with their toe-tapping bass lines, head nodding beats, hooky/funky guitar riffs and infectious vocals. To summarise, Halagoogoo are much like Charlie Dimmock's cleavage because they are facing in the right direction, fun, both guys and girls look at them and they are well supported. The band are setting off a tour of the UK in July/August with dates including festivals in Stratford-upon-Avon and Manchester and clubs throughout the UK including Moles in Bath, The Fleece in Bristol, ULU in London and a Headline at the Clapham Grand. WWW.HALAGOOGOO.COM Amy Bullman Compared with artists as varied as PJ Harvey, Karen Carpenter, Bjork and Dido, Amy's songs have a classical feel, with lyrics to make your hairs stand on end, all wrapped up in her soft sultry vocal. Singing from the start and songwriting from 13, Amy has spent the last three years concentrating on building a catalogue of hits. Working with a group of writers and producers (including Zed Bias, Sam Frank, and Felix Howard) she has combined her love for both live and electronic styles, and her songs have been pitched to the likes of Janet Jackson, Jamelia, and Sugababes. 2003 saw the release of DJ Zinc’s album 'Faster', on which she has two tracks, one of which hailed by Music Week as the standout. You can currently see her performing a rawer version of her songs in and around her home city of London. AMYBULLMAN@BTOPENWORLD.COM The Rips Hailing from the outskirts of Essex and London, these four school friends have been playing together for two years, and gigging the London indie circuit for around a year. Dirty riffs, heavy basslines, melodic vocals, self-confessional and sometimes dark lyrics, are all ways to describe The Rips sound, but always with compelling and catchy tunes. Think the Ramones and the Buzzcocks, mixed with Queens of the Stone Age, and you're on the right track. Live, The Rips are a great spectacle, Terry (guitar) and Matt (bass) tear into their guitars with riffs that are so addictive you can’t help but rock your head and your body, while Dan’s drums effortlessly flow with the guitars keeping the band tight. Lead singer Cole is a true rock frontman in the same vein as Jim Morrison, and delivers the songs and lyrics with true emotions. WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THERIPSMUSIC Lamplight Lamplight is a three piece band from Romford, Essex, consisting of singer and guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Richard Jones, and drummer Chris Kemsley. Chris and Steve first met at a local bands project scheme run by their local council. Both were playing in different bands but wanted to work together, and a number of years passed before they finally got together with Steve's younger brother Rich and formed Lamplight. The songs written by Steve gave the band scope and room to add a wide range of influences and ideas to give lamplight their sound. They have just completed two days in Court Yard studios in Oxford working with Ian Davenport (Athlete, Supergrass), and look set for bigger and brighter things. WWW.LAMPLIGHTLIVE.CO.UK Belle Park "When it comes to song writing it's important to start with a quality song", says frontman Steve Wilmot, "then we tend to pull in our own directions until we’re totally happy with the final arrangement." Their unique sound and growing fanbase led them to finish as runners up in the UK final of the largest international battle of the bands, where they drew the highest crowds of any band throughout the competition, packing out the Mean Fiddler. They were handpicked to play at a pre-Glastonbury showcasing event (where they were filmed and interviewed by MTV) and were selected to play alongside Morning Runner (on tour with Coldplay) at the Oxford Summer Ball. Wanadoo Discoveries chose Belle Park as one of their top ten new UK acts for 2005, ahead of many signed bands. WWW.BELLEPARK.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE NIGHT AND FOR DETAILS OF ARTISTS APPEARING IN THE OTHER ARENAS, VISIT WWW.SEONELONDON.COM TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FROM WWW.TICKETWEB.CO.UK

tags: | notion | music | bands | live | seone | club | glastonbury | mean fiddler | more...

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