INTERVIEWS
Ross McGibbon quizzes Ross Millard of The Futureheads.
Yeah, we're all massive fans of the Flaming Lips - though I must say it's probably the records such as 'Hit to Death, 'Satellite Heart' and 'Clouds Taste Metallic' that are our true favourites. It's great to see a band like that, who've paid their dues for a long time, and who've really made a musical contribution to really get serious recognition. They're massive now, around the world, and that shows that the good really does come out in the end. They've got a great imagination and musical palette - and with Wayne they have a lyrical visionary - and with Stephen they have a musical genius. That helps. Their new record is good - the single was great, but for us, I think their earlier stuff is what contributed to our blueprint. How about your own musical journey to this, your fourth album? Well, I think we've made four very different sounding records. The first was the brattish, snotty, eager child - with a lot of energy, ideas and communication troubles. The second is a more slow-paced affair - I think it's got some of our best songs on there, though. It's more thoughtful - plaintive, if you like. The third record is as close as we'll ever get to FM Rock - we wanted to make an anthemic straight-ahead rock record - with Youth as producer you're always gonna come out of the studio with huge choruses - it's what he's all about.. Our new record brings the chops back. It's gonna be great to play live, because there are a lot of riffs, good guitar interplay, the cut'n'paste harmonies are back, and the songs are dead good fun. What's changed for you since 2003? A lot of stuff has changed since '03 - I mean, we hadn't even signed our first record deal back then. I was in my last year of University, and the other guys had just quit their jobs. We toured with the Kills in March '03 and never looked back. Single after single, tour after tour.... You don't stop and think, you just get on with it. Obviously we release our own records these days, you know, running the label. It's been a massive learning curve, but it's pretty empowering to own your own label and be 100% responsible for your music. Not many bands can say that they've truly got that liberty.
I'm a firm believer in getting on with life and just dealing with everything as it comes. I'm pleased that every day has taught us something new about the music business and the our fans and playing live and stuff like that. I would hate to be the guy when we were starting out that knew everything about the business and networked with all the industry bods and knew the DJ's and asked questions about 'point of sale', 'producer points' and 'the airplay chart'. I think the best new bands have that wonderful naivety about the music business. It's best not to think in terms of sales, tickets, charts or downloads. It's what kills creativity. It's hard to avoid those things at times, but you have to, for the sake of your sanity! How's it been, running Nul Records? It's a good outlet for us because after our difficulties with 679, all we wanted was a fresh start and a chance to make music without any of the politics that the mainstream 'machine' can create. Warner Bros. were good for us in a way, because we gained a good fanbase from their monetary investment and we toured lavishly all over the world, but there comes a time when you get this sort of epiphany - you realise that you write songs and perform them for a living, and running our own label has been very satisfying in a metaphysical way - in a sort of 'in touch with our roots' kind of way - to know that from beginning to end, every step has come from us and our close team of people - that's brilliant. We learned a lot from 'This Is Not The World', and it's exciting to put those lessons into practice with the release of 'the chaos'. It's been two years - what have you been up to? Well in 2008 we spent the year on the road - in support of 'This Is Not The World', but the last 12 months have been spent writing and recording the new record - 'the Chaos'. Dave, our drummer, had a son with his girlfriend Katie, and we decided to take our time a little more with this album - we didn't need to rush back for anything. I think taking more time has benefited the record massively. You get a much better perspective on your writing and where you want the record to go. What are you proud of with new album, The Chaos? We've written songs now in every way imaginable. We don't write separately so much anymore. It's a far more collaborative effort. Barry and I have spent a lot of time writing lyrics together, or working out guitar stuff. I think we're proud that the album has a cohesiveness that the amount of recording sessions we've done wouldn't necessarily suggest. I think that the band sticking together through some of the most trying times any musician will ever endure is testament to our friendship and the fact that we'd do anything to be in this band and make it work. Touring the new album will be a joy, too. How easy is it to translate your work to the live setting. It always seems a lot faster to me and maybe with less emphasis on tunes. Is that deliberate? A by-product? I think 99% of all bands play the songs faster live. It's that nervous anxiety - that excitement - it's unstoppable. One thing that has come to define this band is the speed of the songs. In the beginning it was a rule that all of the songs would be that fast. Then the second album came and the rules had to change. But live, we've always had that punkrock approach of blitzing through the songs. I wouldn't say that there is a lack of emphasis on tunes. I think that's a huge component of this band. An unorthodox pop band - that's what we are. And we're the best live.
I think that if you're touring a specific album, you have to do it justice by concentrating more particularly on that record. I think we'll always play our bigger hits at shows - people pay good money and should feel like it's been well-spent - but you can't play to everyone's tastes when you've got 4 records. I think it's healthy for some people to leave wanting to hear different songs. You have to encourage a certain hunger from the audience. It's neither attractive nor alluring to just put all of your most obvious stuff out there on display at the same time. What do you look forward to on tour? That 70-80 minutes of unbridled release. The whole day is geared up to the show. I love that focus - I miss it when I'm at home. The travel we get to do is awesome too, for sure. And what do you miss on tour? I think you can miss the familiar surrounding of home if you've been on the road for a long time - but it's been over a year since we were last on tour, so right now the idea of 12 months on the road is exactly what I need! Being on tour can encourage you to live in a bit of a bubble - you need to make extra efforts to keep in touch with friends, family, news in the real world - but as long as you can keep on top of that, then it's just about perfect. Have you got a favourite place to play (apart from home....) and why? I think New York is a great place to play shows. Last time we were there (July 2008) it really felt like a hometown show. I think you can cultivate a loyal following and love anywhere, really - but a city like that, that is so magical, vast and creative - to have a good show or experience in a city like that - it stays with you. The venues are majestic too. Bowery Ballroom, Webster Hall - those venues have real history. We can't wait to go back to the US on this record - we've signed a deal with a label called Dovecote Records and we'll be doing a full US tour this year.
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