James Arden checks out the garage rockers latest album.
The Christian rock band from Brighton bring religion to the masses.
Recipe for modern R'n'B album: liberal helpings of guest rappers and an overdose of sexual euphemisms.
The Title of your latest album, Dark is the Way, Light is a Place is from a Dylan Thomas poem? What influence did he have on you?
I find Dylan Thomas a person full of contradictions, in one poem he’s a Christian and the other he’s an atheist! His poems are full of relativity and ask questions such as what is life.
Would you say it’s your best album yet?
Undoubtedly.
During the recording process, what comes first, instrumentation or vocals?
Always guitar. I listen to the guitar tracks that sound best to me, then try and build my vocals into the song, then the song is produced around it.
You’ve covered bands like New Order. What influence do British bands have on you?
British bands are a huge influence, possibly the biggest influence on our band! Bands like Joy Division, New Order , the whole Factory Label really contributed to our influence, and later bands like Radiohead. However, the British media scene is really different to the US media scene. For example we got 2 stars in ‘Q Magazine’ – they really liked our music, our sound but they complained it wasn’t original. What they didn’t seem to realise is that it was our 5th album! They’d focused on a microcosm while ignoring the bigger picture The British music scene is obsessed with finding a ‘new sound’ and rushing a band to stardom.
Do you think that the internet has contributed to this rush and not letting bands develop?
The internet has both helped and harmed us. It allows us to build up a fanbase and tour in places like Australia to people who have heard our sound over the internet, and to build up a worldwide presence. However it’s killing creativity.
However bands such as Radiohead have given away their music for free…
Yes but Radiohead are a massive band! They can afford to give their music away for free. For the smaller bands, it’s much harder for them to get a record label deal. Say I’m a record produce,. I have a family, kids, I need to find music that sells. If I’m given ten demos, I won’t pick the more eccentric, indie bands. I’ll pick a boy band, a country artist, a rapper! Major labels are obsessed with the quick dollar, for people to buy a single or three or four songs on iTunes then the popularity will fall off. I doubt we’ll see a band like U2, who have achieved huge popularity, touring when we’re in our 50s and 60s. We have an ADHD generation, who chase the music rather than bands.
Do you think the album is dead as a result?
No not at all! The Beatles started by releasing singles; when tapes came out they had singles and a B-side, and people warned that that would kill albums, yet it’s still here.
You signed to a universal label, but before you did so you did up to 200 tour dates a year. What kept you slogging away, week in, week out?
Touring is an exciting journey. The most important factor in being a band is loving what you do, the creation and production of new records, touring and being friends with your other members.
Any plans for the future?
We’ve not run out of ideas, as long as the fans keep coming we’ll keep recording!
You must have a few interesting stories from touring?
Once when we were in a van, a turkey went straight through the windscreen. The windscreen was totally shattered, but the turkey just got up and waddled off. The last time we were here [The Cockpit, Leeds] one of our band got his ID stolen, his laptop everything, and we had to tour abroad in a few days and get him out of the country without his passport.
How would you sum up your band?
Energetic new-wave meets American indie rock.
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