Interview & Article

As you may have noticed, a lot of what we get to do involves conversation with musical individuals from all over the world. Most days of the week I have the pleasure of chatting with these creative strangers wherein we speak of whatever exciting project they’re working on at the time. Occasionally, said interaction drifts from the band’s musical happenings to other parts of their minds, and we’re offered a glimpse into the wild and wonderful world of some of my favourite kind of people.

On an afternoon not too long ago, one such creative soul named Matthew sat down with us to discuss his thoughts on the world and a little band he’s a part of called The 1975. We sat quietly in the courtyard of a Melbourne hotel lobby as a group of young teenagers swarmed the entrance in the hopes of attaining a brief encounter with fame. What ensued was a discussion of much deeper proportions than either of us could have expected, but I don’t think I’d have wanted it any other way. Read on.

I see you’ve got some fans waiting out the front for you… Bless them. They don’t know what they really want, do they? I think the problem is internal. But they’ll be alright in the end.

I’m sure they will be! Is this your first time in Australia? Well consciously, yes. I actually lived in Melbourne until I was about 4, but obviously being that age I can’t really remember it. Is there like some kind of Warner Brothers theme park here? I’ve got a vague vision of visiting Bugs Bunny once. This is our first time here as a band though. The jet lag was quite intense initially, but just about over it now.

You’ve been on tour with Big Day Out I understand. How was has that been? Good, we all really like it. People have been calling it the Big Day Off — you don’t really have a lot to do when you’re there. There are so many days off in between. But its good. We’re on tour with some of our favourite bands, the other day we got to hang out with The Hives and Snoop Dogg..

Yeah? What’s Snoop like? Well his crew didn’t have any weed, so the BDO organisers pointed them in the direction of us… So we sorted them out. I like that we’re equally as famous for being stoners as Snoop’s people. So that worked out. They’re cool, I mean everyone’s really nice on this tour and there are a lot of our friend’s bands here too.

Your self-titled debut has done some pretty cool things for you so far. How does it feel for so many people from all parts of the world to be into what you’ve created?  It’s amazing. I don’t know, I’ve learned to take all of the statistical and material acquisitions that we’ve been getting slightly more in my stride. When this band first began they fucking hit me like a bomb — I wasn’t ready for it. I’m not used to it. I didn’t know what it was like to have so many people passing judgment on what you do. So, I don’t know. I think that initially I would freak out. If we got a good review or if something positive would happen I’d get too excited, then if we had a bad review I’d be mortified. I’ve just realized that its a bit of a fool’s game. Its a little pointless. Music’s so subjective — its not a fucking competition. It can’t be. I think that I was worried about the way I was perceived or the way that people depicted me in the media or the press, but then I thought, “Fucking hell. I’m a 24 year old boy in a pop band!” Why do people care so much, like why are there grown ups, adult men who’s agenda is to compromise somebody’s personality in the media. Why? I’m in a pop band. I’m not the new ambassador for the UN. I’m not remotely involved in anything that holds and kind of tangible importance. I’m in a pop band. I mean, I get that people are interested in that but fucking hell… We totally live in a culture now where we over in stow the virtues of celebrities, we pantheonize them and regard them as like — I’ve gone slightly off topic now…

I'm fine with that, do continue. Well I’d rather talk than just be asked generic questions. I was originally head-fucked with everything but I just realized that it doesn’t matter. I don’t really know how to act sometimes, like in terms of music I write about what I know about and this band, this may sound pretentious, isn’t really something that we do. Its what we are, all we’ve ever known. Which is a fair comment. So with that, becoming a ‘celebrity’ type figure, (not saying that I am,) but I understand that ‘celebrity’ now are the new pantheons. Leonardo da Vinci, people like that were famous because their craft and their achievements elevated their social status to that of ‘fame’. It doesn’t work like that anymore. The idea of fame is totally different and totally distorted. The things that people objectify about famous people is not reality, there’s a kind of split there. Its really weird. I find it difficult, take Twitter as an example, I only really use it to let people know what’s happening with the band and to direct people towards issues that I find important. The idea of religious debate, political situations, these kind of things. But it makes me cringe a little bit, because I stop and think, “What are you doing? You’re not fucking Bono.” We’re pop stars. I’m constantly battling with my own self awareness of who I am in the media, whilst also thinking fuck it — if celebrities and pop stars are who people listen too, then it is my duty to make people slightly more conscientious. If no one else is going to do it, I can’t convince the un-educated radio listener of the UK to watch the news every night, but maybe I can use the things that they do like to direct them to things that are important. That’s the kind of thing I’m conflicted with, because I realise that I am just another wheel in the whole pop-culture ‘thing’, and my relevance as a personality doesn’t permeate into politics and that sort of thing. But I don’t know. Its the perception. Its the cynicism of people’s agenda’s. Its really hard now to be altruistic without that having a twinge of self-service. People like Bono for example get given a hard time, but maybe he isn’t just doing it for him. Imagine if he just does care. Why are people so cynical? Its better doing that than doing fuck all. But its easy to sit there and slag people off because they’ve put themselves out there. That’s what I struggle with.

In that vein I suppose, if you could pass on a piece of advise to a large group of people, what would that be? Don’t listen to pop stars. Don’t listen to my advice. Don’t listen to people’s advice. Make your own mind up. I’m normally very confused by mass opinions. You shouldn’t just believe anything. You should stop to figure things out and then form convictions of your own beliefs. Do your own thing. You’re the best version of you that there will ever be so to not be you means you’ll just be a shit version of someone else. That’s my advice.