An Interview: Childish Gambino

Interview & Article

The face of Donald Glover is a familiar one. He jokes, he acts, he sings; and as we all witnessed in the now-iconic “This Is America“ music video, he sure as hell can dance... lets just say he keeps himself pretty busy these days. Making music under the guise of Childish Gambino and having released countless mix tapes and an album, the hip-hop he’s responsible is something pretty special. Bringing with him an energetic show that well and truly gets the people going, it’s easy to see the passion that lies beneath all that he does.

We were lucky enough to spend some time with the powerhouse that is Donald Glover on his recent trip to Melbourne and like all good interviews should, conversation lead to turtles. Read on.

Australian Visits.
I love it here.. I may not go back. It’s really great here. There’s beaches everywhere, the girls are really pretty and really nice. Like, just so nice. I feel like in America its really hard to approach a girl and I feel like here its just different! We were in a car and there were these two girls walking who were really pretty and I sort of waved to them and they just smiled and waved back! I was so surprised -- in America they’d probably curse at you and speed off.

The Ladiezzz.
I haven’t been that bad on this tour, but my brother is a different story. My brother has totally been loving it here. He has this pink phone that he got off a friend to use in Australia so that he’s got an Australian number. It’s this big pink phone and he’s been meeting girls and just putting numbers in it. The other day we thought we lost it and he was like, “its like the Rosetta Stone and we’ve LOST it. We can’t leave without it! Every girl I’ve met -- her phone number’s in that phone!” It was just in the van.

Keeping Busy.
I never really look at anything I do as just one thing. I was writing and writing got me into acting, then acting got me into standup where I was performing, then I realised I really like performing, which is when music came along. The great thing about music is its like all of it rolled into one. Its as if there’s something pulling me towards the things I do and once I feel like I’ve connected with them I get pushed somewhere else.

Music vs. Acting vs. Standup.
I guess if I had to choose it would be music, well at least right now thats my answer. I don’t see myself going back to a lot of stuff, you know. I love performing, its the best feeling. The energy, the songs.. Sometimes it’s even like art, I mean songs are very personal things for people.

Writing.
Sometimes I’ll wake up from my sleep with a beat in my head and just work from there, like for Royalty I was up and had it down in like 15 minutes. Sometimes I’ll just have like a song that’s in my head and I’ll record it and chop it up. I really just let things come to me, I mean, it’s just there or it’s not. If I hear something that really catches me I will isolate it immediately. When I sampled Adele the hook just got me, I just felt it was really cool.

I feel like anything that really connects with you you’ll do a good job on and its got to be special if it connects to you! I’m kind of realising that music is an everybody process; albums are really just like compilations of groups of people -- its making a feeling.

I was writing jokes for so long that I’ve sort of always written with a lot of wordplay and humour. That’s just the way I think sometimes. I think I’ve learned lately that music doesn’t have to make much sense, words are just words. They make you feel things. Sometimes they can be funny, or even quite mathematical! But the best poems are the words that really hit you -- I remember reading one thats pretty much about a man drinking milk from a girls navel and its just this AWESOME poem. Like I loved it. It was very short and powerful and it was the imagery of it, the poetry and art behind it that mattered. So I guess I’m just learning that it’s all a process!

I’ll know I’ve made it when...
Its funny you ask that question because I was just writing about how I hope I never make it. Like, never. Ever. If I ever have the “this is it” feeling then I don’t know what I’ll do. I can’t name one person who’s music I’ve liked or respected that turned around and said, “Well I finally did it!” it’s all a process. It’s about pushing forward, finding what’s next. I mean, if you ever get that “Ahh, we did it” feeling then... You’re like a turtle. Because turtle’s don’t care. They’re not like, “I want a new computer on day…” No. They lay fucking eggs, they eat, then they lay more eggs and that’s it. So I hope I never ever make it. Well, I guess then I’ll know I’ve made it when I’ve given up.

Glastonbury Festival

Article

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts is like nothing I’ve ever known or imagined. When close to 200,000 people are gathered on a farm to celebrate their love of music, art and culture, things are bound to get a little wild. In the case of Glastonbury 2013, “a little wild” doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what could easily have been the biggest 3 days I’ll experience for quite some time. As such, I’m sure you’ll appreciate my struggle to put into words a series of events from the weekend -- the dream like state that is Glastonbury Festival sure does leave a lot of questions in its wake.

Part of the festival’s beauty is in its ability to be entirely different depending on the decisions made throughout and if you were at all familiar with this year’s line-up, you’d know that there were literally hundreds of acts on the bill for the weekend. Considering the sheer size of the event, (it can take 45mins to walk from one side of the area to the other -- conservatively speaking,) all you can really do is choose one or two must-see acts and build your days around them. If you’re doing things right then of course you’ll see more than that, but the idea of ‘letting the music happen to you’ is one that holds remarkably true at Glastonbury. These are our highlights from our time at the festival, all of which will have us smiling for quite some time to come.

Knowing that camping isn’t a strong point of mine, the decision to arrive at site on Friday was a calculated one. As we pitched our tent to the distant sounds of Local Natives playing the John Peel stage, it became clear that the following 72 hours were going to be special. The overwhelming crowds of the festival were well and truly in party mode by the time we made it in and once we’d figured out the important things (i.e. the locations of the nearest bar and toilet facilities,) it was game on. SW favourites Tame Impala, Alt J and Foals performed sets that left no room for disappointment -- each of whom played their songs in a manner well worthy to call the Glastonbury stage home. Mention must of course be made to our surprise highlight of the weekend, when Mr. Nile Rodgers and his band Chic stormed the West Holt stage late Friday evening prompting sing-a-long’s and dance-off’s amongst the thousands of onlookers. We quickly learnt that the end of the day’s performance’s did not signify the end of the day’s partying, with area’s such as Arcadia and Shangri-La becoming increasingly alive as the nights became later.

As one would expect, Saturday morning got off to a slow start. Nursing tired eyes and sore heads, those brave enough to face the bright summer’s sun prior to midday were treated to the soothing sounds of The Staves as the three fine ladies showcased their melodic sounds and tight harmonies to a welcoming crowd. As the day went on we witnessed the talents of Dry The River, who performed a collection of their heart wrenching indie-rock tunes; Noah & The Whale, who’s cinematic and violin-driven melodies are second to none; and Daughter’s atmospheric, brooding ballads that upon completion, had all in the crowd aching to hear more. Finally, (in all possible imaginations of the word,) The Rolling Stones made their Glastonbury debut, acting as the perfect Saturday night bridge between the live music offerings the day had to offer and the forthcoming party that was sure to rage all through the night.

If ever there was a morning seedier than the one before it, the Sunday of Glastonbury was absolutely that. Opting for a relatively low-key start to the day, we made our way to the Acoustic tent to see Matt Corby perform the music we know and love him for. Beyond that the day continued in its sluggish manner as we made our way around the Theatre & Circus area, took gander about the Park Stage, wandered through the Green Fields and finally made our way back to the Pyramid Stage to watch Vampire Weekend do their thing and oh, how they did it well. After that, the Other Stage came alive as Smashing Pumpkins performed a collection of their old and new songs alike and despite the notable absence of their track 1979 on the set list, it was a show well worth seeing. To close off the night and the festival, the wonderful Mumford & Sons took to the stage in their passionate manner to showcase a carefully selected collection of work from their debut and sophomore releases. The onlooking cast of thousands watched blissfully throughout and in a worthy finale, the band performed a cover of The Beatle’s, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ with a little help from their friends, The Staves, First Aid Kit, The Vaccines and Vampire Weekend.

For want of a better way to put it, the weekend itself felt like a dream. Things that happen at Glastonbury are, at times, so far from reality that the only logical conclusion to draw is that the weekend was spent in an altered state of existence. After our festival experience, we’ll never really be sure what went down that one time in Somerset but hey, maybe that’s the point. Glastonbury, we can’t thank-you enough for your hospitality -- here’s to 2014.

An Interview: The 1975

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.

An Evening With Tanqueray

Article

I’ve always known there was something special about Gin. Perhaps the appeal lies in its unparalleled diversity, whether it be enjoyed neat, as the critical component to your cocktail, in its classic G&T form or heck, a friend of a friend of mine once brushed her teeth with the stuff at a festival and still had a good time. *shiftily looks from side to side…* Point being, on too many occasions to count gin has played an irreplaceable part in our adventures.

Having been around since 1830, it’s safe to assume that Tanqueray Gin know what they’re doing. On an evening not too long ago, the brilliant minds behind Rockpool and Tanqueray joined forces to take us on an educational gin-inspired food journey that we would happily revisit in a heartbeat. Professor Charles Spence the head of, (take a deep breath in,) the Crossmodal Research Laboratory based at the Department of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University, (and now breathe out,) otherwise known as a Neurogastronomy expert, appeared on the night to present his findings into the wonderful world of Gin and why in his opinion, it’s the quintessential palate cleanser.

So, without further ado (and with a little assistance from the professor,) here’s all the neurogastronomical info you’ll want to pull out next time someone questions your need for gin at the dinner table.

LANGUAGE WARNING: Hope you don’t mind a sneaky bit of scientist’s slang, because you’re about to be hit with a WHOLE lot of it. You’ve been forewarned.

1. Feeling and Weight.
Ever wondered why liquor sipped from a plastic cup seems different to the same beverage in a fancy glass? Turns out you’re not losing your mind and there’s an actual psychology behind it. A ‘satisfying’ amount of weight in a glass enhances the drinker’s perception of the beverage by subconsciously signaling quality from the very first touch. Who knew.

2. Olfactory Reset.
Olfactory’s a big word, isn’t it? In lamens terms it’s defined as ‘of or relating to the sense of smell’. Can I get a collective, “ahhh – that makes more sense.” According to Tanqueray and good ol’ Prof. Spence, historically chefs and food experts have been of the belief that palate cleansing was all about the tongue. Yeah, not so much… Researchers now believe that 80-95% of what we commonly think of as flavor is derived from information transduced by the sensory receptors in the nose. As such, it’s imperative that a palate cleanser incorporates an olfactory reset – and that’s where Tanqueray comes in. Putting its distinctive botanical aromas to use, the gin refreshes the nose in all the right ways so you’ll be back to enjoying your next course in no time.

3. Texture on the tongue.
The illusion of taste being experienced on the tongue is better known as oral referral. In recent times, experimental psychologists and sensory scientists have been able to demonstrate why we localize food and beverage aromas in the mouth and it all comes down to the sensations we feel whilst eating and drinking. So next time someone makes fun of your dislike of mashed potatoes, slap ‘em with science. Bitch please.

That said; it’s clear the delicious combination of gin, lime, tonic and ice do far more good for the palate than previously believed. For even greater levels of good, pop it in a fancy glass and heck – maybe even dim the lights so your subconscious can go to town. Don’t mind if we do.

And ultimately, for the best results next time you throw a dinner party; make sure the gin supply’s a‘flowing. It’s science.

PLEASE NOTE: Whilst we’re all about a cheeky gin or two, make sure you always drink responsibly.

An Interview: Bombay Bicycle Club

Interview & Article

On a stormy autumn afternoon quite a while ago, I found myself sitting across from two particularly hazy Englishmen on their first Australian tour as Bombay Bicycle Club. One night earlier they’d performed amongst a flurry of dazzling lights (hence the hazy heads) to a room full of enamoured onlookers, most of whom had never seen the band live before. As one of those first-time viewers, I remember being surprised at just how rockin’ their show was although now, having since experienced their live set on a few occasions, I’ve come to expect nothing less. The following day we exchanges stories, chuckled about the future and if my memory serves me correctly, shared a frighteningly close encounter with oncoming traffic whilst trying to cross the road.

Even back then, the pair made particular mention of the music we should expect to hear from the group in the future, indicating a more ‘electronic’ sound was on its way. Almost two years down the track and after a relatively solid year of working towards their forthcoming release, the band’s fourth LP will hit our shelves at the end of the week and after a sneaky listen or two, I can assure you the wait was well worth it. So Long, See You Tomorrow is an album about moments, a journey that delicately delves into the musical world of dark and light -- pausing of course, to reflect on the fleeting emotions it finds along the way. The self-produced record sees the band steer away from the guitar lead sound we’ve heard from them in the past to make way for samples, loops and cowbell galore; all whilst (somehow) remaining true to the Bombay Bicycle Club we already know and love.

The coming year is shaping up to be a thrilling one for the English-bred boys who’ve recently announced an extensive string of shows throughout Europe, the UK and America. Keeping that in mind, I’ve a sneaking suspicion they’ll be making their way down under in the not-too-distant future, so watch this space folks. In the lead up to the release I had the pleasure of conversation with an old friend of mine, Suren -- the extraordinary drummer of a band who according to popular (and our) opinion, can do no wrong. Here’s how it went down.

BM: I think I speak for a few of us when I say the world’s pretty eager to hear the new record. How are you all feeling about the upcoming release?

SD: We’re very excited. So far the signs are looking good and having released a couple of songs already it seems people are into them. Carry Me, the first single, is a bit of a confusing song so we were always expecting a mixed reaction from that, but people have been generally positive about it. More recently we released Luna and people seem to be really into it too, so I’d say things are looking quite good for the album.

BM: As difficult as it may be to choose, do you have a favourite song from the album? Or even, which song do you think will be your favourite to perform?

SD: We’ve actually already played most of the songs from the album, at the end of last year we did a tour of Ireland -- I don’t really want to call it a ‘warm up’ tour but that’s essentially what it was. It was good for us to get used to playing the new songs as it was the first time we’d really played most of them live. The first song on the album is called Overdone and I’d say its probably my personal favourite. It’s just got a good groove. As people will probably notice, guitars have sort of taken a backseat in a lot of the songs on this album and Overdone is one of the few that has some pretty big guitar riffs. It’s pretty rockin’ all round.

BM: Can you elaborate on the story of how that one came to be?

SD: The song originated from a Bollywood sample. It all began by putting an electronic drum loop over the sample and added a bassline, which basically forms the backbone of the song. At that point it had a working title of ‘Hindustanye West’ -- in reference to the obvious Indian influence and the fact that we could see it being the backing track to a Kanye song. We then had this cool beat on our hands, but it was far from being a complete song, so Jack spent some time playing around with a bass guitar and came up with this humongous riff, which turned out to be the key in transforming the loop into an actual song. From there we had a structure so we kept the loop as the basis of the verses and choruses, with the big riff being post-chorus. We added more guitars to further beef up the riff, plus a cowbell rhythm over it all for good measure. After that we added some live drums to the electronic beats, leaving just the vocals so we asked Rae Morris, (a friend of ours who we’ve toured with in the past,) to come in and sing with Jack, which in the end was the missing piece of the jigsaw.

BM: Looking over Bombay’s catalogue of music, is there one song you’re particularly fond of drumming along too?

SD: I’ve always enjoyed playing What If. It’s one of the few very early songs that we still play live. With a lot of the newer material being more grove-based and electronic, it’s always fun going back to our roots and rocking out with that What If. It’s one of the few songs where we can just let it all out.

BM: Should we expect to still hear some of those older songs played live now that there’s 10 more tracks in the mix?

SD: We’re currently in discussion about potential set lists and as you could imagine, there seem to be some conflicting views. We obviously want to keep all the “big hits” from our previous albums in there but at the same time, we plan to play basically all of the new album. Considering that, we’re not left with too much room in the set. We’re generally of the opinion that short and sharp sets are for the better -- I mean, even if I went to see my favourite band, attention would start to drift after about an hour and a half set. Being our fourth album and realising the number of songs that includes, there should be something in there to keep most people happy.

BM: Almost two years ago now we sat down for a similar chat on your first visit to Australia. If you could go back in time and give yourself one piece of advice, what do you think that would be?

SD: Hmm, to try and get better at interviews? I’m still working on that. I’m very conscious that as our profile grows more people are listening to and reading what we’re saying. There are some publications that will pounce on anything vaguely controversial that you say and twist it to make a headline, so it makes me think twice before saying anything really. I’m not interested in all that.

BM: And finally, if you had to spend forever on a desert island with a magical CD player that never ran out of power and could only take 5 albums with you -- which 5 would you choose?

SD: I’d bring Bon Iver’s second album, probably Funeral by Arcade Fire too... I’d chuck a couple of jazz albums in there as well, so Workin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet and Moanin’ by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Then maybe Rounds by Four Tet.

Get Out of Town: Montalto Winery

Article

Funny things happens in Victoria’s colder months. Fire becomes a comforting friend instead of a threatening enemy, red wine tastes smoother and somehow sweeter and otherwise generous sunlight makes a point of hiding itself behind ominous clouds. I’ll be the first to admit that these very things tempt even the best of us to stay wrapped up indoors during winter, yet simultaneously they are responsible for a magic that brings the Mornington Peninsula alive. These things must be experienced first hand to be fully understood and as such, we here at SW would like to draw your attention to a special little spot that captures the essence of Winter in all of its glory. Located just an hour or two out of the city, Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove is up there on our list of go-to spots during the colder months, so go on... Get out of town.

The family owned and operated vineyard has an impressive wine and food offering as well as a location to behold. The carefully considered set up finds itself amongst the rolling hills of Victoria’s peninsula, making it stunning to say the least. Look in one direction and you’ll see acres of vines wrap themselves around the countryside, look to the other and you’ll observe the quiet roar of the sea humming tranquilly in the distance. Oh the bliss.

Despite it’s vineyard title, you’ll find grapes aren’t the only thing grown at Montalto. The gardens are also home to multiple veggie patches so you know when they say the produce is fresh they damn well mean it. If the folks at Montalto can’t grow it themselves they make a point of sourcing it from the region, meaning you couldn’t make the day more ‘Mornington-esque’ if you tried. The winery offers three different dining experiences; the Pizza Cafe for casual visits, the sit-down Restaurant for those looking for something a little more fancy and last but certainly not least, they offer fully catered picnics for visitors who really mean business.

When it comes to their wine, they firmly believe that what they create should be an expression of its origin. The 50 acre estate vineyard is home to many-a-fruit-bearing vine and after years and years of finessing their craft you can be sure that the wine of Montalto is oh so fine. If delicious wines and wonderful are your thing I’ve no doubt that you’ll find yourself right at home amongst these hills. Still not convinced? On the first Sunday of every month the family hold wine-education sessions for all to attend which explaining the Montalto process and a more in-depth view of wine-making in the peninsula, so you can call yourself a wine connoisseur in no time.

If you call Melbourne home, (or anywhere else in Aus if you’re keen for one hell of a drive,) surround yourselves with those you love and make your way to Montalto Vineyard and Olive Grove to get your good wine/food buzz ON. Believe me, its our tried and tested way to ward of those winter blues and let me assure you -- you won’t regret the journey.

An Interview: Local Natives

In special cases we have the opportunity to speak with artists who genuinely make us buzz with excitement. For years now, I've avidly watched the happening's of LA based boys, Local Natives and when told I was able to have a chat with them, it was absolutely one of the aforementioned instances. My fan girl-ing aside, these folk have ridiculous talent and are responsible for a sound that, in my humble opinion, is down-right spectacular. Their sounds evoke emotion and if you haven't already, take a moment to experience the tight harmonies, rhythmic beats and enchanting harmonies they champion.

With their mind-blowing sophomore release, Hummingbird, dropping earlier this year the band are currently on the road playing to sold out crowds all around the globe. Last month they visited Aus (and word on the street is that the guys will be back in town in the coming months so if you missed them then, don't fret!) and whilst they were in town we spent some time with frontman, (and all-round lovely) Taylor, who told us all about being a Local Native.

I’ve got to say, Hummingbird is pretty spectacular. Can you tell me a bit about how it came to be?

It was written mostly in Silverlake in a tiny bungalow studio we built out and basically lived in for 8 months. The songs are more expansive and personal for us, they come from the last two years we've had together, which were really incredible but also had some really difficult moments.

Do you have a favourite track from the album and if so, what is the story behind the song?

Ceilings is one of my favorite songs. Part of that is because it came together so fast in more of a burst of inspiration. We are notorious to mould and push songs around for months, taking them in dozens of directions until they feel like they fit, but Ceilings came together in a writing session we did in a dome rented in Joshua tree, a huge desert a couple hours south of LA. The song is about where the hours at night when you aren't able to sleep take you.

What does your writing process generally entail?

One of us will come to the others with some sort of soul of the song. We play with this together until usually some inspiration branches the song into another direction, which is usually wielded to the original. Normally, the song will hit a wall, or maybe a couple, when we usually try to throw the rule book out the window again and take it somewhere new. From beginning to end, a local natives song has usually lived many lives and taken many forms, and we know we're done when all of us feel great about it. Sometimes that takes months, in rare moments in can take days or hours.

What would you say inspires the music you create?

I think music is best when you get out of it's way and try to use your mind less and your emotion more. The songs that mean the most always come from the most personal place, but taking them to a band context always makes them much more complex and interesting.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

Little Dragon, Nick Cave's new record, the new National record.

Considering you’ve been playing and touring together for quite a while now, I’d imagine there have been some pretty special band moments – any stories worth sharing? Has there been a highlight from your time together?

What's crazy about being in a band is that the other members are sort of more entangled with you than happens in any other place in society. You create together, you live together, travel together, you're business partners, your life decisions have to be largely made together. I think the closest thing it can be thought of is an adult adopted family. One of the best experiences we've ever had together was playing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles with a full orchestra. Playing together that night alone would probably bond us for life.

What would you say has been your greatest musical memory?

The most recent greatest musical memory I have was seeing Grinderman at Coachella. The tent was pretty empty, but nick cave was so intense and incredible, and everybody there was so enraptured by the band. That was the most inspiring live performance I have seen for years.

Is there a ‘wildest band moment’ worth sharing?

hmmm, not sure they'd be fit to print. Suffice it to say that touring for three months straight leaves a bottle shaken enough to sort of go off when it's finally opened.

If you could perform one song on stage with any other artist in the world, who would it be and why?

I'd love to sing with nick cave and the bad seeds on the song Push The Sky Away. I think it's so beautiful, and he's playing lots of festivals we are now so....you never know, but I'll bump into him at catering and convince him.

Complete the sentence, “I’ll know I’ve made it when...”

We play the Hollywood Bowl in los angeles. I've had many a religious experience there, and that would be the ultimate achievement in LA.

An Interview: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Interview & Article

A few years ago on a particularly big night, a friend of mine (who had at that point consumed ALL of the alcohols,) stumbled down a Melbourne street singing a (then) unknown song in an outrageously loud manner. “IT’S THE GREATEST SONG I’VE EVER HEARD!” he proclaimed, and with a vague melody and sloppy whistle he continued on his merry way. At the time I had no idea what he was trying to sing and credited his outrageous claims to the evening’s liquor. On that night I was unwittingly introduced to the songs of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and upon hearing the recorded (un-slurred) version of their song Home around a month later, I was instantly in love.

Nowadays, the band hardly need an introduction. There’s something about their delicate blend of folk, gospel and psychedelic rock that has the world captivated by its spell. The group’s lively sound has been known to turn even the gloomiest days around and over the past half-decade they’ve made a point of bringing their live show to anyone willing to listen. Having experienced said performance a few times in the past, I can confirm that night’s spent with the Ed Sharpe crew are easily some of the greatest. Lucky for Australia they’ll be hanging out on our side of the island next April to play a collection of gigs all around the country. Don’t mind if we do...

On a fine morning not too long ago, we had the pleasure of conversation with Josh from the band who courteously paused cleaning his garage to have a chat. These are the resulting stories. Read on.

From what I hear, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes spend a whole lot of their time on the road. Are you on tour at the moment?

J: We got done with about 5 months of touring about a month ago and recently put on a circus in Los Angeles, but apart from that I think we’re pretty much done for the year. It’s four nights in a row, in a circus tent and a whole lot of fun stuff. We headlined every night and a bunch of our friends bands came out to play as well. We also had a bunch of charities that we’re really into there on the nights to spread their awareness, so it was really exciting.

I can imagine 5 months on the road being pretty intense, I trust this little break is pretty welcomed by you all?

J: Yeah, its nice but I mean the last five months have definitely been good. I think its been really good for the band, obviously everybody’s a little bit tired now, traveling that much gets physically exhausting but I think we ended things on a really high note so cannot complain at all!

What was your favourite place to visit during that tour?

J: Gosh, well we did some shows with Mumford & Sons over in Ireland, Europe and the UK. Those were always really fun because we’ve known those guys for quite a while now and its definitely an honour to be able to play with them at shows and at their festivals. I think the show that most stands out for me was when we played in Lewes in the UK, its this tiny little town with an old castle. Just a beautiful place and was a good day out for all.

Word is that we can expect to see your faces Down Under in the new year. How do you feel about coming back to Australia?

J: We’ll be there in April and are all pretty excited. I love coming to Australia, its always been a fun time and we tend to have some really good shows so its definitely excited. Especially since now we’ve got the new album out, we’ve been playing a lot of the new tunes but by then we’ll be doing even more.

Considering the amount of time you all spend in transit, I’d imagine you’d have a travel playlist well and truly sorted. What three albums make the top of that list?

J: Let’s see. I mean I listen to a lot of Jazz so I’m going to have to go with what I usually listen to. There’s an album called Criss Cross by Thelonious Monk, and then a box set by Wynton Marsalis of him playing live at the Village Vanguard -- there’s like 50 songs on it so that definitely helps the time go by. Then probably like The White Album by The Beatles.

As a band, you seem to be quite an eclectic bunch. I’ve always wondered how you came to play together?

J: It was kind of one of those weird things that almost freaks me out too. There wasn’t really an rhyme or reason to it, it just happened. Christian, one of our guitarists, grew up with Alex so have known each other since they were like 3 or 4 years old. Christian and I later played in a band together, which is how I met Alex... It was just kind of like weird little friends of friends coming together then all of a sudden we were a band. The really interesting thing is that most bands will come together, start a band, start doing shows and then they’ll record an album or whatever. We sort of came together while writing the first album, rather than playing shows so it turned out to be a really interesting process to see work out.

Speaking of your albums, your latest release is rather spectacular. I realise this is probably an impossible question to answer, but is there a highlight track on there for you?

J: I’d swing between If I Were Free and the last track, This Life. If I was going to die this second though, I’d probably have to say This Life. Its a very emotional song, when we recorded it I teared up while we were playing it. Its a heavy track for all of us to play and even when we perform it live we haven’t really practiced it because it has a very deep emotional attachment to all of us. For us to make the song sound right we’ve got to be 100% there and in it, so I think that would be my song.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing you guys play on a few occasions and every time walk away even more excited by your music. Is there a lot of time and thought that goes in to the preparation of those shows?

J: We are definitely not a band who thinks about doing this or that. We’ve never kept to a set list, well actually one time we tried but it just didn’t feel right. Lately we’ve been getting on stage, not knowing what song we’re going to play first so immediately, at least for the band, its exciting because we don’t know what we’re going to do next. You know, the cool thing is that now we’ve got three albums out and Alex can call out to the audience so if someone yells out a song there’s a pretty good chance we’ll play it. We’ve been letting the audience decide the set list lately.

An Interview: MS MR

Lizzie and Max are a NYC based musical duo currently sweeping the scene with the music they make under the name of MS MR. Having released just one EP and single thus far, the two have swiftly moved from strength to strength, achieving widespread attention from all those who hear the sounds they create. The all-round nice-guys exude a passion and love for their art and with whispers of an album set for release later this year, we’re sure excited to see what happens next.

Having recently made their first visit to Aus with Laneway Festival this year, we spent a morning with MS MR that left us beaming over prospects of what’s to come for two of the coolest cat’s we’ve had the pleasure of meeting in a long time. Read on.

Being based in New York would be pretty special -- do you think that affects the music you make?

L: Definitely. In a really huge way, I mean, we don’t think our record could have existed in any other time period or in any other place. Its such a reference to us being there now.

M: Even literally, like we recorded it in a spare-bedroom/closet in my apartment which is right on the street, so there’s moments when you’ll hear a car driving by --

L: Or the crack addicts next door!

M: Yeah, stuff like that.. But you’ll have to listen very closely to hear it.

L: I feel like there’s a lot of that in Bones, we recorded it in the summer --

M: Yeah and I don’t even have air conditioning in my apartment so we’d have to leave the windows open.

L: It was SO hot and it meant that we couldn’t block out any of the sounds. I sort of like it though.

M: Me too.

L: Then when its cold in there you’ve also got problems. Its either really fucking freezing or way too hot.

How has this first trip down under treated you so far?

M: It’s funny, because when we were leaving for this trip Lizzie said, ‘I’m expecting a lot from this trip, but I’m expecting that its going to exceed my expectations,’ and it’s even exceeded the expectations we expected to exceed!

L: It different to see numbers of people on the internet listening to your music or watching a video than to be able to actually watch the real people and put bodies to those numbers is totally different. We always knew we wanted to come here, we always knew it was going to be important to us and of course we hoped that we’d be given that opportunity, but now I think just being here has made it clearer to us than ever before that this is somewhere that we want to give a lot of love and attention too. I mean, we’d love to come back as much as people will have us!

M: At least four times a year. Our manager and I have been talking about when the record-cycle is over, where we’re going to rent a house in Australia, you know just spend a month or two here.

You’re pretty loved over here -- how does it feel to be playing your music to people so eager to hear it?

M: I mean, its hard not to get choked up!

L: It actually gets to the point where I don’t want to sing it anymore -- I just want to listen to people singing it back to me! In those moments people singing are much more exciting than anything else about the performance, I just can’t believe it.

M: I think we’re almost too new of a band for us to just hold out the mic and just let the crowd go.

L: I know! And its so hard, I’m trying to be this moody and broody musician up there but I literally cannot keep the smile off my face because it keeps being just the most AMAZING moment of my life when its happening.

Can you tell us much about the upcoming album?

L: It’s coming in May!

M: Yes, its all finished -- we’re very ready to put it out there. I think the EP was a good introduction to the band. It sort of set a foundation for the MS MR sound. As we were writing the album we never really thought about it as one cohesive body of work, it wasn’t until after it was written a tonne of songs that we went back and were able to see unifying factors within it. I think the album branches out a little bit more -- there’s a full on dance song, a sort of country-inspired song, there’s a darker moody ballad, maybe even a power ballad too! Fantasy, our latest single, is almost an introduction to another side of MS MR that will be on the record.

You’re video clip for Fantasy is a little bit bizarre.. Is there a story that goes with it?

L: Thank-you, we want it to be bizzare for sure! I think we’re always trying to establish the fact that we’re a pop act, we want to go about making pop music and being pop artists, but in a very different or alternative way. I think a lot of the artists that we love in the pop world have always sort of found themselves really pushing the boundaries or what is or isn’t acceptable, so we’re always going to work to that.

M: We wanted to build off ideas that we started in the Hurricane video, you know to present some visual ideas to people and let them make their own conclusions. I never want to be too specific about them, not dictating what others should be thinking about it.

L: To just really stay true to this identity that we love in a couple of different formats. I think that the music is bizarre and surreal, so we want that to come across in the visuals.

“I’ll know I’ve made it when...”

L: When I’m headlining Glastonbury!

M: I really do want my own studio. Built just how I’d like it, with a nice grand piano. So just when I’m making music forever. Dammit!

An Interview: James Vincent McMorrow

I once wrote that I’d never tire of James Vincent McMorrow’s music and despite the years that have passed since making that statement, I still wholeheartedly stand by it. In a way I suppose his music is like an aged bottle of wine -- the combination of what’s inside mixed with anticipation is what makes it so special. As such you can imagine my delight when after four years of admiring his first release, it finally came time to crack open the bottle with his sophomore record, Post Tropical. In the time since his debut LP in 2010, JVM has amassed quite a following for the dreamy, atmospheric music he creates. Post Tropical is a pensive record, one that shifts focus more towards what’s behind the songs rather than what’s in them while still holding true to the core things we saw from him in the past. This album see’s him make a conscious effort to step away from many of the acoustic nuances Early In The Morning championed and into a more electronic realm where anything is possible. The result is a glorious glimpse into his musical mind and is an utterly pleasant journey from beginning to end.

On his most recent visit to Australia, we spent some time with the charming Irishman to see what he had to say about it all. Read on.

I’ve got to say -- Post Tropical is stunning. I understand you’ve been working on it for a while now, does it feel different releasing an album the second time around? It’s very different, yes. My memories of putting out an album in the past were putting out a record, no one caring than me going to work. Then slightly more people started caring and then a few more, so it was quite an even rise. This is obviously very different. Levels of expectation have risen since the first album, obviously once the first record had sold as many as it did there’s a certain amount of people in the world expecting a second one. It made for a different process, but its cool. My job now is to play it and talk about it, so right now I’m excited about that. Give me five or six months and I probably won’t want to talk about it anymore, but right now this is all new. People caring and expecting, people coming up to me and talking about how excited they are is a new thing for me. I don’t resonate on that level, I’ve never really thought about it like that. Obviously as a music fan I get excited about other people’s records, I never thought about people getting excited for mine until quite recently.

And you’re okay with that? Yeah, I’m pretty confident in the record that I’ve made so I’m not a worrier in that sense. Just excited more than anything. Obviously you have those moments after you create something when you’re living with it by yourself for a little minute and haven’t played it for anybody where you’re like, “Am I crazy or is this good?”, so its nice to give it to people and for them to tell you that it is in fact pretty good. I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a sense of relief. It’s not validation or anything like that, I make music because I like making music for myself, but it is a nice thing when people dig it.

Is there a track from the record that you particularly enjoy performing at the moment? It jumps around, but at the moment the first single, Cavalier is quite nice to perform. We’ve been really enjoying it. The last two shows especially have been really fun, they were festivals, which are really tricky with an album like this because its so delicate and vivid, you lose so much of the nuance of the songs live. Cavalier is more physical and I think because of that we’re particularly enjoying playing it. The thing is, these are the first few shows that we’ve done behind this record, the first of 300 or something, so its at that point where everything is still fresh -- you’re not sure when you play a chord if its the right one, or if when you press a button on the keyboard its going to be the right one. Its tentative and quite in our heads at this point, so its hard to really enjoy them at this stage. As a track, Cavalier is quite far along in our heads because it was the first single. Its hard to say in terms of a favourite from the record though, I do listen to it a lot. It was important for me to make a record that I would want to listen too -- in the least narcissistic way possible. I think that’s a part of the job, I don’t really get musicians who don’t listen to their own albums. Be like fucking Kanye West who’s all about sitting in a room and listening to his own music. I do dig it all. There’s moments that will resonate with me from time to time depending on my mood, but that’s the point of it.

One that particularly resonates with me is Glacier -- are you able to elaborate more on that song? When it comes to what my songs are ‘about’, your guess is as good as mine. I don’t really understand that. My favourite songs are some that I don’t even know half the lyrics to, its about the general tone and feel of a song to me. People are becoming more aware of with this record than they were before, but I’m a big hip-hop guy. My background is there. I’m a drummer, and this album is a drum record where every song is based on a rhythm and a pattern. That one, (to a certain degree,) is a trap rhythm where the song came from the interaction between the snare and the hand clap. For the most part trap music is strip-club music, you know -- listen to a Juicy J record and they’re all stripper anthems and shit like that. I get these ideas in my head where I like the idea of creating a beautiful piece of music on top of something that usually wouldn’t have that. I love the idea of taking those rhythms and interactions that I love about trap music and applying it to songs that I make. So I guess that’s where the song came from -- me trying to write a trap song. It’s funny what the ear is drawn too. There’s certain things in hip-hop music that people are drawn towards and if you take those elements and apply them to other things it doesn’t always have that same affect. Then, if you talk to them about it they go “oh, yeah -- I get that”. That’s the trick, to not make what you’re doing overt. I don’t want to take the exact things that I love and just plonk them in a song. The job is to try and make them unique and special... Which is why it takes so long to do.

How long were you working on this material then? Maybe February 2012 is when I started working on it. We were still touring the first record, the nature of it was that it just kept going and going. I think I’d started this record before my first Australia trip actually, which was March of 2012, so I’d started working on it then. It was just ideas at that point though, nothing was well formed yet. It didn’t actually become well formed until the end of 2012.

Post Tropical definitely has similar characteristics to Early In The Morning but it does move into new territories for you. Was it where you were going with music anyway? What do you think brought about the changes? I don’t really understand how it happens. I grew up making certain types of music and listening to various types of music. I listen to different things, like I love classic songwriting but I also love the production value of a Flying Lotus record more than I love the production value of... I don’t know, any standard modern release. I’ve produced both of my records, although I wouldn’t go as far as to say the first record was produced -- I sort of just fell across the line with it. This was more of a production. Until the very end I think I was a producer more than a songwriter, so much of the record was based on instrumental sections and movements. It wasn’t until the very end that I started to tie the songs into it. That’s my world -- I understand production more than I understand songwriting, I don’t really sit and write songs. I think its easy to sit with a guitar and construct a melody and build a song out of it. Its a lot trickier to find a song in a production and to make it work, flow and stay interesting. Lyrics are less for me than for other people, I think. They come at the very end, sort of like the icing so I understand why people are so interested. The people that I admire manage to move through a song in a linear fashion but keep it interesting. They know when to make changes and when to make things move. I think that production has always been where its at for me, it’s where our art form is being pushed forward. Songwriting is songwriting, you have a classic structure that you work with which kind of bores me to a certain extend. I like the idea of trying to do things differently which isn’t really an option in songwriting. I like doing things differently then not making it overt that you’re doing it. In production world, its not like that. I genuinely don’t understand someone who wouldn’t want to delve into production because there’s so much shit that’s available to you nowadays. With the first record, I didn’t have money. I had a guitar and I had a microphone so I did what I could with that. I guess its the same with this record, I just did what I could and this was the result.

If you could produce with anyone else in the world, who would it be and why? I mean, there’s people that I’d love to be in a room with to see how they work. I think I’d pick moments in time to see producers work. I’d like to be in the room with someone like Pharrell 10 or 12 years ago when he was, well he still sort of is, really ahead of the curve. Like some of the songs that he built, for example that first Justin Timberlake record or the first N.E.R.D record were just amazing to me. There was this moment when everything he did was gold and I’d like to see those kind of things. Even like, Timbaland when he was working on the Missy Elliot record. Logistically though, I do like working by myself. In the real world I think I like the idea of working with producers but by the time it gets to the point where I could bring someone else in I’ve already gotten so far with the ideas. There are people I love, John Congleton is a modern producer that I’ve a huge amount of admiration for, he’s brilliant. But I inevitably end up working by myself... Maybe I’m just anti-social. It’s not a dictatorial thing, I just have strange ideas musically and it take a while to make them real. If I exposed them to other people too soon they might tell me I’m a bit crazy.

All that being said, who’s your favourite hip-hop artist at the moment? I’m a huge Drake fan. When he was working on his last record there was actually a window of time to submit stuff for it, which I highly considered. Drake’s team put the call out to everyone working on a record who might remotely be in his world to submit something...

How does it feel to be in Drake’s remote world? Oh well I don’t know about that. It’s more like the world that his management are in. I have some incredible producer friends and pretty much everybody submitted a song for the Drake record. Only Sampha made the cut. Anyway, I feel like his world is very organised. I love people that curate work and he does that really well. I mean, I’m also a big Kanye fan... Even though he doesn’t make it easy. I really appreciate people that curate on a hip-hop level. Kanye’s genius I think is in his ability to segue what he does into what other people do. His new album is amazing because its 10 of the greatest production minds in music at the moment doing their thing. I’m a huge fan of them all, but no one knows they exist right now. He sort of found them all, brought them into a room together and curated it. Drake does that really well too. I think Take Care is one of my favourite albums at all time. People have this perception of him that he’s this crooner-ish, cheesy guy, which I guess he can come across as, and singing live he’s not the greatest thing in the world, but production wise on his records, he’s amazing.

If you only had 5 albums to listen to from now until forever, what would they be? Voodoo by D’Angelo, Boxer by The National, Take Care by Drake, probably something like On The Beach by Neil Young and then... I don’t know. It’s a tricky thing to think about because when you talk about these things your mind tells you that your favourite records are the most obscure things you can think of, but I’m trying to think of the records I listen to the most consistently. Maybe something from my youth, like At The Drive In’s Relationship of Command. I feel like all that would cover the gamut of introspection.

An Interview: Chvrches

CHVRCHES is the collaborative musical effort of Iain, Martin and Lauren and on this very day, their debut record The Bones Of What You Believe is released in Australia. Due to a little bit of luck and a sneaky time difference, we get the record 4 days prior to the rest of the world and we’re oh so okay with it. If I were you, I’d drop everything I was doing and get your hands on the record. Unless you’re in the middle of brain surgery in which case -- carry on...

A little while ago whilst the Glaswegians made a whirlwind trip down under we spent some time together wherein they told us some of the stories behind The Bones of What You Believe and despite the widespread hype, the trio remain some of the loveliest, most humble folk I’ve had the pleasure of conversing with. We discussed musical origins, wild times in Sydney and their, (namely Martin’s) burning desire to play a game of table tennis against Win Butler. In a happy coincidence, early next year both Chvrches and Arcade Fire happen to find themselves in our fine country touring with Laneway and BDO respectively, so here’s to hoping that table tennis tournament occurs. *furiously crosses fingers and toes*...

I - Iain
L - Lauren
M - Martin

SW // Can you tell me a little about how The Bones Of What You Believe came to be?

M - It's interesting because, we've been effectively recording this album since the first day that we were a band; its just the way that our process works. There's no 'demo stage' or 'album stage', with an electronic project like this one you stay in the same place from the first day you start writing until you're done.
I - I've got a basement studio in Glascow and we recorded pretty much everything there, apart from a little bit of vocals which we did in a hotel in El Paso... That was interesting, it was about 120F degrees and we had to turn the air conditioning off so that we could actually get a clean signal on the mic. We were just sweating like crazy -- it was brutal.
L - All for the sake of Art.
I - In a way, the EPs we've released so far show slightly different sides of the band compared to the album, I mean on the record Martin does some vocals, there's some down tempo stuff and some more happy stuff. There's some stuff that people will have heard already while other parts are entirely new. Just mixing it up.

SW // How does a CHVRCHES song usually get written?

I - Generally all the songs will start with either a beat, a sound from a synthesiser or a vocal sample or maybe another recorded sequence. The first hour of working on something tends to go really fast with a whirlwind of activity, running around plugging things in and getting the idea down before we forget it. Thereafter it's usually a slow development which could take days to finish, it just depends on the song. But that's how things usually happen so far. The three of us just working together in a little room.

SW // How did the three of you begin playing music together?

M - We'd all been doing our own thing musically for a long time. Iain and I had known each other for years, we've been friends for nearly 10 years and through that time had worked together at different capacities. I started working on Iain's old band's last record in the studio and went on to tour with them after it. That was my first experience of being on the road. That band split up and we'd always talked about doing something. Loads of time passed and at the end of 2011 we sat down in the studio again and finally got something happening. We found out about Lauren through Iain because they were working together at the time so all came together in the studio to try things out. We then started writing songs together and it's all gone extremely fast since then!

SW // It seems like you guys have spent a fair bit of time on the road recently in the lead up to this album, has there been a moment that stands out? Maybe a wildest moment?

M - The wildest moments in our band are usually schedule related...
I - There's quite a lot of wild moments to pick from, but the wildest from the lot was probably playing on stage at the Sans Zero football stadium with Depeche Mode in Milan. That was a real, "Oh my God what are we doing here" kind of moment. It was probably the coolest thing I've ever done.
L - We went to a place called Consello's in Sydney the other day and that was pretty wild...
M - That was sexy and wild.
L - I feel like that stretch of street could get pretty spicy after a certain time of night.
M - We were the spicy ones! We were the ones in the bar just fucking slamming shots all night.
L - I was doing a pretty impressive job of pretending to drink the shots. I was quite proud.

SW // You mentioned earlier that you were coming back for Laneway and I'd imagine you've played some great festivals in your time so far, if given the chance to share the stage with any other artist in the world, who would it be?

M - Probably Radiohead. They're maybe my favourite band of all time.
I - Or maybe Arcade Fire, they seem like nice guys.
SW - They'll be in town for Big Day Out late January next year, maybe you guys will cross paths...
I - That'd be great. We're kind of friends with one of their tour managers so apparently we've got an infinite guest list at their shows.
M - I just want the chance to play Win Butler at Table Tennis. I hear he's pretty special on the court.
I - Well they tour with a competition grade table tennis table. It's inspired us, I think we're going to buy one for our next America tour.
M - Seriously, we're going to do it properly.
SW - So maybe next year when you're both in Australia it could happen?
M - Well that's enough time to practice.
I - Really? You could get that good by then?
M - Come September we could have a table, then I intend to play every day until we get back to Australia.
SW - And how are your table tennis abilities right now?
M - I feel like I have an outrageous amount of potential..
I - Maybe that's what the album should have been called!

An Interview: Matt Corby

Interview & Article

A little while ago on a cold winter’s night, a few of the folks behind Small Werld sat on a dimly lit patch of grass with a boy who was lucky enough to spend his days doing what he loved and who just so happened to be g’damn amazing at it. Later on that same evening, we watched him play his songs to a backyard filled with no more than 150 fans, each of whom were enamoured by the captivating sounds they were hearing. Two years later we stood in the same city as part of a sold-out crowd at the Palace theatre, ready to see the aforementioned talent take to the stage as part of Matt Corby’s recent Australian tour. The onlooking cast of thousands lost their words, their breath and in many cases, their hearts to the show that was before them -- watching with an intensity that made it seem as if their ability to comprehend the importance of anything else in that moment, was gone.

These past two years have seen Matt and his band reach heights that I’m sure still don’t seem like reality. With a much anticipated album en route, we’re confident this is level of success is merely a drop in an ocean much deeper than one could imagine. Despite possessing a fame that many will only dream of achieving, Matt speaks from his heart and remains one the most genuine artists we’ve had the pleasure of conversing with. We spoke of the bizarrely brilliant adventures he’s thus far encountered and the wonderfully wild moments that have ensued. Read on.

I understand you’ve been overseas for a while recording songs for your album, is that the case?

I’ve been in Los Angeles working with a guy out there who’s name is Mocky and we got some pretty good stuff done. Of course we missed the mark on a few things, but that’s pretty standard.. A lot of people I think do that, some are more afraid to admit it than others but yeah.

Do you think we can expect to hear it soon?

I guess the easiest way to answer that question is to say that you’ll hear it when you hear it. That’s maybe the shittiest answer ever but yeah, its not done. Well in my opinion, its not done and I feel like my opinion in the whole scenario should matter when it comes to making my own art... We’re going to continue to work on it through this year but there are obviously other things that I’m doing outside of recording so its likely to be a rather disjointed process. But I think it will help me gain perspective on what’s been done so I’ll know what to continue to do. So there is an album coming and then another one after that and so on and so forth. This is the first time I’ve done this though, so I want to try and do it the way I see as being right. And hopefully, do it well.

A short time ago you released Resolution, which is pretty spectacular... Was that one written recently?

It was, as a part of the album recording. It was something that shone through a little brighter than everything else. I wrote it probably only around three and a half weeks before we went into the studio and it had never been performed before and we cut all these songs live, so it was pretty heavy for us to just go for that option. But it was better than the other way, putting everything to a fucking grid and having electronic instruments over-dubbed. For us there’s an organic sound that comes from just hitting things, that adds another more tangible level, which I think is much better than just making digital sounds. Which I guess is just my really long winded way of saying that we hit drums for real as I was singing and someone else was plucking strings...

I feel like the track has a very hopeful sentiment, what does the song mean to you?

It does. The context in which it was written in was a crazy headspace that I was in. I had basically isolated myself from the world for a few days, just got into a weird kind of mind and decided that people are scary and constantly trying to consume something. It was freaking me out. I mean, I’ve never totally been that way inclined so I decided that not in some weird spiritual way, but via basic logic, that its probably better if you try to help instead of hinder. So the song was written when I came to the realisation that people are really all you’ve got. We’re all in a constant state of being or living at this point in time, but because time is linear and really just a way of understanding our impending doom, we should start to understand that people are it. Just don’t fuck with them man. You’re doing something which is either creating a positive or negative outcome, so that song was written because I realised that its better to love someone than to hate them. To live by that mantra is not an easy thing, its a decision you make and a means of how you see the world, a way of perceiving. So Resolution is my way of understanding that, at that point in time. Which I’m sure will change as time goes on.

We were at your Melbourne show recently and I’ve got to say, the room was packed. How does it feel to stand in front of thousands of people utterly enamoured by what you’re doing?

It feels strange. I mean, you’re putting yourself in front of a bunch of strangers in one of the most vulnerable forms, like I’m not up there naked, but you know its bearing ideas I’ve conjured out of wherever, I don’t know where ideas come from, but that’s a scary thing to do. I’ve done it for a long time but I think it can be a beautiful thing if you let it become one. You see a lot of people that play music put on a show, which is cool, but there are some artists who do it and see it as a negative things because a) they’re not happy with the music they’re creating or are unhappy with the people that are liking it or b) their looking at it as a means to negativity instead of the opposite. I had a moment the night after the Melbourne show actually in Brisbane, where I just realised that its really cool, its my hour where I get to show people something which is fucking cool! And if you see it in its most simplistic form like that, it should be a scary thing, it shouldn’t make you feel any different as a human, it should just make you want to continue to do that in a good way. At the end of the day, people are going to go to the show, see it and probably go home to get on with what they’re doing with their lives. Trying not to adopt some sort of weird notion of myself as being bigger or better than anything else, but sharing what I have to share with people in the best way possible. So the frame of mind we come from is a good one, the band and I tour together and we’re all good friends. We love one another and play together for people, which is an incredible thing to be able to do. Music is another language, it doesn’t conform to anything that is clear. People who are only well versed in one dialect can like music from another. So you are doing something special when you’re on the stage, its a spiritual thing in whatever way you want to look at it. And hey, maybe I’m just talking a whole bunch of shit, but I guess that’s for people to decide.

I imagine a lot has happened since we spoke last, what would you say has been your wildest moment over the last two years?

That’s what happened the day after my Melbourne show, in Brisbane. This is about to get heavy.. Basically, I don’t read reviews. I fucking hate it and think its the worst thing to do ever, to buy into your own hype because it doesn’t make you any different as a human being. I read one on that day because my manager said, “You should read this, its really good.” So I did get slightly enticed by the idea of reading something nice about myself and decided to read it. It was better than what I expected someone to think about what I do. Then my drummer said, “Well if you’ve read that one, you should read this one,” and he showed me another one, which was equally in the vein of weird admiration beyond what I should expect. So I casually got up, nonchalantly walked out of the room and just broke down. It was this crazy moment of just thinking, “What the fuck is going on?” like, what is this. What have I created for myself and what am I a part of. It started to overwhelm me and I started to hyperventilate, but then I came to a point where I felt that this thing, is an opportunity to make something good and not bad. At the end of the day its not about me or the way I feel about what I make, but I’m able to make music for my job and affect culture in this capacity, whatever the scale may be. It took me about 15 minutes of re-wiring myself and had this thing where I felt I should just play music and be happy about it. In the end, that’s all it is. Which probably sounds like a really obvious thought, but it hit me really hard and when you apply it to everything that is around you it makes some things really simple. I think people just need to de-complicate life because they’re stressing themselves and not really enjoying what is going on around them.

If you could go back to when we sat down with you at that Secret Garden show all those years ago and give yourself one piece of advice, what do you think that would be?

It would be, stop frowning you miserable cunt. Basically.

And do you live by that now?

Well no, I have to tell myself that every single day. I think where you are is all a matter of perception. Where you are and how you feel is not only based on what’s going on around you but by the way you see it. Everyone, myself included, is trying to figure out what’s going on but I think to keep it simple, that would be my only thing. Life is going to take a course regardless so you might as well be okay about it rather than being a sad fucked up person.

“I’ll know I’ve made it when...”

Well, that’s fucked. I can’t answer that, its fucking crazy. I’ll never make it, ‘it’ is undefinable. So I guess I’ll make it when ‘it’ is definable.

An Interview: Cloud Control

Just over three years ago four fine folks from Sydney stormed the scene with the release of their debut record, Bliss Release. The foursome otherwise known as Cloud Control, (Al, Heidi, Ulrich and Jeremy) have since spent their days and nights playing shows and festivals in countless cities both local and abroad. The band make a peculiar kind of music that is refreshing, unique and yet strangely familiar -- a sound that manages to resonate in a way words cannot adequately capture.

Tomorrow mark’s the day that the group’s sophomore record, Dream Cave, is released in Australia and after a cheeky listen (or six,) we can confidently say that it’s one of the best LP’s we’ve heard all year. Whilst markedly different from Bliss Release, the album holds within all that we fell in love with years ago and simultaneously captures the growth that Cloud Control have clearly experienced throughout all these past few of years. Many highlights are sprinkled throughout the record, including quintessential rhythmic melodies, powerful and dynamic vocals, groove-able bass lines and intriguing sing-a-long’s. Admittedly yes, these attributes of the band have shown themselves in releases prior to this one, but in the case of Dream Cave they’ve been pulled apart, puffed up and cast under the spotlight, creating a release well worthy of the accolades. All that aside, word on the street says it’s also coming out on PINK vinyl... Because you weren’t already excited enough.

Dream Cave should be considered as a new chapter in the tale of Cloud Control -- a story that we hope continues for many years to come. And so on the eve of the album’s release, we sat down with Heidi and Al to chat about exploding rocks, maximum wage and the thrilling adventures that have brought them to this moment. Read on.

B: Beth
H: Heidi
A: Al

B: How does it feel to have Dream Cave finished and ready for people to hear it after all these years in the making?

A: I feel a bit nervous. I mean, we just want people to like it. I like it, I think its a good album. But it is coming out on pink vinyl, soo...

H: Its been finished for a while so I think we’re all just pretty excited to have it out. I really just think its good music and I can’t wait for people to be able to enjoy it. Its quite different to us, I feel like when people first put it on they may be a little confused at first, in a good way.

A: We were talking to someone yesterday who thought they’d put on the wrong CD at first. Only from the first track which doesn’t exactly have normal vocals.

B: Is there a story behind the album? What brought this collection of songs about?

A: The album is named after the song and I guess as a whole there’s no overarching story to it. It was inspired by a lot of different things and places, for example the song Dream Cave was written during rehearsals in the studio, it was a really shit rehearsal studio -- like no natural light or fresh air, but anyway I was really into Roy Orbison at the time and was trying to imagine what it would be like as him stuck in a cave. Like, what sort of song would he come up with if he were in a cave for 20 years.. But all the songs come about in different ways and are inspired by different people, different songs, its complicated.

H: I think the only common theme is the four of us trying to write music.. Other that that, anything goes!

A: And everyone has to like it. If one person doesn’t like it it doesn’t get off the ground.

H: When that happens it just keeps getting worked on until everyone’s happy with it, unless whatever the problem with it can’t be solved. We find it pretty important to play songs that we like, I mean with each release we’ve got to potentially tour them for the next three years so if they’re not going to sound good live and if we’re not all on board there’s no real point.

A: I couldn’t bear to think of Ulrich behind me, crying whilst drumming away to a song he doesn’t like for three years...!

B: Since the release of Bliss Release I’m told you guys have kept quite busy and I’d imagine there have been some pretty special moments together during that time.. Anything worth sharing?

H: There’s heaps. We spent a month together on an island in France which was probably up there in the best times of life.

A: Or when we had that fire on the beach and found exploding rocks. We had this beach fire going with wine, food...

H: I’d made a fennel and orange and parsley salad.

A: That was really good.

H: Yeah so we cooked up some fish and then basically spent about an hour searching for driftwood for about an hour scouring the coast. We had bikes, so I remember trundling back half-trees on my bike to throw on this fire. It ended up getting so hot that the rocks started exploding.

A: We had to leave because it was that dangerous. We didn’t even realise that was a thing but you know how when things get hot they expand, the theory is that there may have been air bubbles in them, or something else that was making them pop. We’d just hear cracking then rocks would fly everywhere.

H: My favourite red jacket was a victim of said explosions. There was a big burn hole from one of them!

A: You could have died!

H: Well it wasn’t on me at the time, but yes.

B: Is there a track that stands out for you all on the record?

H: Well maybe Island Living which we wrote while on that trip. We actually wrote like four songs on the album on that trip, so that was pretty good.

A: Its funny because our UK label didn’t really like the songs we wrote there, but hey -- we totally showed them because now they love it.

H: Or even Happy Birthday -- some of the lyrics on the track are inspired by our road crew in the UK, these english guys who speak with great British accents and who say funny phrases like, “Are you holding it down?” that at first didn’t make a lot of sense to us.

A: I think means, “Are you about to puke?”

H: Well I think it can be used whenever you’re in a compromised position to ask whether you’re coping or not.

A: But if you’re ‘holding it down’ it means you’re coping really well with the situation.

H: Like, if you’re really hungover in a room with your girlfriend’s mum and you’ve just shat yourself but don’t portray that, you’d be ‘holding it down’. Anyway, that expression ended up as a key lyric in that song!

B: If given the opportunity to share the festival stage with one other band/musician to perform one song together, who would you choose and why?

A: Moondog. Because he looked like a viking and ah, I imagine he was a really great guy.

H: He’s a really good pianist.

A: I just really love his music. And he’s such a character. Playing on stage with a guy that looks like a viking would just be awesome.

An Interview: Marika Hackman

A couple of months ago the lovely Marika Hackman released her debut mini-album That Iron Taste for the world to hear. The remarkably talented 21 year old champions a brooding and at times, dark style of folk music that is beautiful to say the least. Since the release she has been making waves overseas which we’re betting will be hitting our shores in the not-too-distant future. Her hauntingly beautiful voice coupled with some captivating guitar skills make for an enchanting sound that is stealing hearts both near and far. The record is a collection of heartfelt tracks that showcase the lyrical finesse, intricate storytelling and slightly off-kilter sounds she’s all about and if you’re yet to give it a spin -- we’d recommend getting to it STAT.

Being relatively new to the Australian scene, we imagine that the future holds brilliantly bright things for the young English chanteuse and we can’t wait to watch the adventure unfold. On her recent whirlwind tour of the country, we spent a few moments with Marika to discuss the music of Led Zeppelin, bringing Kurt Cobain back to life for a day and that one time in Sydney when a fly made a point of getting up her nose. Read on.

BM // Welcome to Australia -- is this the first time you’ve played alongside Laura? How did that come to be?

MH // Yes it is! The shows have been really really good, I’ve enjoyed them so much and the crowds have been great, I think with the venue’s which have all been big churches its a given that everyone will sit down, listen to you and be really into it. As well as the fact that they’re there to see Laura play, so its the type of audience that are into the music and really appreciate it. They’re been absolutely amazing and I’ve enjoyed every single one. This is the first time we’ve toured with her, I played a couple of shows with her in England when she did this kind of secret-cinema event where everyone had to dress up in 20s themed clothes. It was in this big, old school that was decked out like a hotel and the idea was for it to be an immersive experience. I played at one of those shows so we got talking and the next day I got a text from my manager asking me if I wanted to tour Australia with Laura Marling in a week.. So I said okay!

BM // Your mini-album That Iron Taste was released a little earlier this year and I’ve got to say, it’s spectacular. Was it long in the making?

MH // Well I recorded it late last year and I only spent about a week in the studio. Two of the track’s I’d worked on earlier so that sped things up but it was still quite a quick thing. Some of the songs on their have been around for a while, like I wrote Bath is Black when I was about 17 and still at school and I’m 21 now so that’s been around for the last 4 years. Some of them were only written a few months before we took them into the studio so there’s quite a wide spread on there. I thought because its my first release and the songs all worked quite well together I’d show the kind of development throughout the record. It was also really fun to work on the ones that were four years old, I guess we just took them into the studio, forgot about the demo and re-did them to see what would happen. It was just a nice process to breathe some new life into them.

BM // Do you have a favourite track from the record?

MH // That’s like asking if I have a favourite child..!

BM // Well how about one that stands out a little more than the rest....?

MH // I guess it goes in waves, I like to perform Plans because it makes my sound engineer cry.. And I suppose I like to make her cry. Bath is Black I’ve been performing for so long that its almost muscle memory, but that said I do really enjoy playing it. It really does vary, but I think Plans is one that I do look forward to a lot.

BM // Can you tell me the story behind Plans then?

MH // Its sort of about feeling a bit weird and sad and a bit odd really, but to the extent where it feels quite oppressive and stopping you from doing a lot of things. I guess it is a very sad one, but it is I guess about getting some of that feeling out.

BM // How do you usually write your music? Is it the lyrics or the melody that come first -- or do they happen together?

MH // I spend a lot of time sitting in my room with various guitars, I don’t really write on anything else and sort of fiddle around with it. I play old stuff, I play covers, just try different things and if nothing’s happening I’ll go and try to work on other stuff. Usually I’ll get a little idea, a bit of a melody and some chords, then I’ll start working on it and bits of lyric will pop in -- its all very organic. As much as I do sit down to work on songs, sometimes I can’t even really remember, (not in a cheesy and lame way,) but I can’t really remember what’s actually happened to get from A to B with a song. It just happens. Then other times I’ll be working on a song for months and months and it never seems to go anywhere and suddenly something will click and it’ll become my favourite song.

BM // If you could write a song with any other musician in the world, dead or alive, who do you think that would be?

MH // The first person that comes to mind would be Kurt Cobain. I don’t know if it would be fun, but it would just be really cool to work with him. I think it would be a really cool song too, it would be great to do a duet. I think we’d write something quite grungy together but it would err vaguely on a side of folk as well. I think in a way -- this is going to sound really weird -- but I think his writing already had a bit of folk in it. Some of his melodies just seem that way to me. So yes, I think I’d choose him.

BM // What sort of music did you listen to growing up? Do you think that has influenced what you create now?

MH // Load of different things. My parents have a very wide taste in music, I mean one of mum’s favourites is Led Zeppelin so I always used to have that on in the car on the way to school, or Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkle, Pink Floyd. I think just listening to a bed of amazing writers is going to sink in somehow and they’ve all got different kinds of writing styles so there’s a lot to be learnt. There are bits that have always stuck in my head and made me think about them. I mean, people don’t really link Led Zeppelin to my music but I think that sort of stuff has definitely influenced me in some ways.

BM // Favourite musical moment thus far?

MH // Well I’m not a massive gig-goer, which is really bad, and I’m terrible at finding new music. But I remember when I was at college and someone was selling a couple of Warpaint tickets and I just thought fuck it -- I’ll go. So I bought those and at that point they weren’t really well known, but it was amazing. There were probably only about 150 people there so it was pretty special. I’m sure there’s been some really amazing times when I’ve played, but nothing comes to mind right away! Actually, in Sydney a couple of weeks ago I was on stage playing quite a sombre song and about half way through it I noticed there was, what I first thought was a piece of dust, floating around in front of me. I then noticed it was moving itself around and I realised it was a fly drifting towards me and I thought oh no -- I can see what’s going to happen, then sure enough as I inhaled to sing my next note this fly went straight up my nose. I had to stop mid song and apologise. So I just snorted it out, had a bit of a laugh and went straight back into the song.

An Interview: Jagwar Ma

Jagwar Ma results from the collective musical efforts of Sydney-siders Jono Ma and Gab Winterfield. I dare say that at this point in time they are one of the most criminally unknown Australian artists I’m aware of but with their debut album, Howlin’, dropping in the coming week, I’d suggest that’ll be changing soon. Their electric style of rock n’ roll is one that’s captivating -- the type of sound that creeps into your consciousness and wraps itself around you in a warm, fuzzy, psychedelic embrace. Naturally, we’re more than okay with it and highly recommend you jump on board to join in the party.

In the past the guys have toured with Foals, The XX and -- I’ll stop the namedropping there, you get the idea... As well as their aforementioned album drop, the lads will be performing at many more exciting locations around the globe over the coming months, i.e. Glastonbury Festival, Splendour In The Grass and headline shows in the USA, the UK and Europe. In the lead up to their prolonged absence from our side of the world, we caught up with Gab to chat about the exciting adventures that are underway for the band. Read on.

Can you tell me a bit about how Howlin’ came to be?

Its been a few years coming so will be great to have it out. But its one of those weird things, I don’t really think you can put a time on how long we’ve been working on it. The way we were writing for this was changing for every song. Sometimes it would be me writing with vocals, guitar and a pen and paper, then other times its Jono making beats and me singing over the top of it.

What would you say inspires you to create?

Generally speaking with music, I feel like its very much like a funnel. Its very difficult to say what things you draw influences from and I mean, you’re an ‘artist’, so the world around you provides inspiration wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. I think in our case, there are also logistical things that impact what we do. When you’re touring with bands you just learn and get better at what you’re doing, better at being on the stage or on time. Actually, I’m horrible with those sort of things, I’m never on time for anything -- hence we’ve got a tour manager! She’s a very nice girl called Caroline, and she’s kind of like our mum. She really just makes sure we get places, you know, that we’re in the lobby when we’re meant to be. Its kind of nice having a female tour manager as well, from what I’ve seen they’re normally like these big seedy old guys who are like, “Come on already you cunts,” when she’s this wonderful little English lady who says, “Now boys, its time to go downstairs. We’ve got tea for you!” She’s like our fairy-god-mother.

You’ve been on some pretty exciting tours in the past with some pretty amazing artists.. Has there been a highlight moment?

There’s been a few moments like that. Playing with Foals in Paris was unbelievable. And even playing the Hordern in Sydney recently was one of those moments. I remember going there as a kid and I mean, even just being the support act at those places is pretty amazing. I guess also just hanging out with the bands is amazing, a lot of the time they’re people you’ve looked up to at some point.

You guys are playing at this year’s Glastonbury Festival -- I can imagine that will be pretty exciting. How does it feel to be on the same line-up as The Rolling Stones?

I haven’t even really thought about it. Its unbelievable. I’ve heard that its potentially going to be their last show so even just to be there. It’ll be an event that you can’t afford to miss.

Greatest musical moment...

I don’t think its fair to say. Its like asking a painter what his favourite painting is in the world, so I really don’t know. I guess there was a moment when I went to a club in Berlin called the Berghain after just seeing Radiohead play. The whole this with the Berghain is that you go there on Sunday morning, its open all weekend for 72 hours straight. We went there on this Sunday morning, completely sober, you know we’d seen Radiohead the night before, went home got some sleep, then went to this place the next morning for breakfast. I was sitting at the bar, sipping on sparkling mineral waters and just people watching. The sound was just so incredible. There was something about that, and this will sound lame, but I actually think that clubs are more than just that if they’re really really good, just being surrounded by interesting people and great music.

“I’ll know I’ve made it when...”

I’ve never really thought like that... But I really like the ending of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory when Willy Wonka says, “Remember Charlie, what happened to the man who got everything he ever wanted” and Charlie says, “What happened?” and then he says, “He lived happily ever after.”

So maybe I’ll know I’ve made it when I’ve got everything I’ve ever wanted.

An Interview: Little Green Cars

After releasing their debut album earlier this year, Irish five-piece Little Green Cars have been taking the world by storm. The debut is a collection of songs the group has been working on since their high-school years and in a bizarre way, captures the innocence of their youth while simultaneously exploring the brooding side of ‘growing up’. The captivating music Little Green Cars are responsible for is a perfect mix of both folk and rock, whilst lyrically delving into the world of love, loss and life as the 20-year-old Irish folk they are.

For the first time in history, the band recently visited our shores to play at the one and only Splendour in the Grass Festival. During their visit we’re told they played an impressive run of shows alongside Daughter, with word on the street saying they were nothing short of spectacular. We spent a little time with Stevie and Faye from the band and despite a battling whole lotta’ jetlag, it was a nice time. Read on.

S // Stevie
F // Fay

SW // How does it feel to be so far away from home playing music to countless adoring fans?

S // It’s kind of scary, kind of exciting. It feels weird to think about being this far from home. Because in a weird way there’s no turning back now! You know how when someone goes into a major operation where they don’t know if they’re going to survive or not and then the gas goes on and they’ve got 5 seconds left of memory before they drift off… It kind of feels like that!

SW // Your debut release, Absolute Zero, was released earlier this year and I understand it was quite a while in the making. Can you tell me a bit about the story behind it?

S // It was recorded in about a month but we were writing it for three or four years. We had four weeks to record so just made a point of condensing all the material into that time.

F // We’d been writing music since we were teeny-weeny – or trying too – so there comes a point every now and then that someone will bring something to the table that lifts things up a few notches where you’re like, “that’s fucking good.” Because of that process it bumps the standard up and because we’ve been doing this for a while it meant that the stuff that didn’t meet the higher standards were eliminated for us automatically, it was completely natural.

S // When we first started being a band we never really played any shows, just wrote and demoed our music. That was for about 3 years before we played a bunch of shows. I guess in that period we just never really felt like it was ready, always like there was a little bit extra for us to go. So when it came time to start recording, there were only about 2 tracks on there that were on the original album sheet. It changed so many times. And because of how long it took, the songs matured as we matured. But now that its done I think in a way its nice to put all those thoughts to bed.

SW // How does a song generally come to be?

S // Me and Faye will usually write the song on the acoustic guitar or just write down the idea together and bring it to everyone else. We’ve always thought that the songs are quite emotional and emotions can be ugly, ugly things. So the struggle is to try and dial them up to the right place. We came into the studio with these ugly ‘monsters’ and had to put them through a make-over process so that they’d be accessible to the rest of the world!

SW // Over your time together as a band, has their been a highlight moment?

F // They just keep coming! One thing will happen then before you know it another will come along and surpass it. And each time that happens its hard to remember what the last awesome thing was!

S // When we were in the studio there was a man-made lake with a tiny little boat on it. We decided to all go out on the boat for a sail, but managed to sink it in the middle of the lake. That’s probably the funniest thing I’ve ever experienced.

F // It was just one of those really gratifying moments, you know?

SW // How about a ‘wildest tour moment’?

S // There was one time Faye brought a completely mad woman back stage. I’d fallen lifting an amp earlier and really hurt my back in the process.

F // She was a chiropractor.

S // Apparently…

F // It made perfect sense to me at the time!

S // She ‘adjusted’ me.

F // Pretty roughly, and I have a great video of it.

SW // What music are you guys listening to at the moment? Do you think that influences what you create?

F // I’ve never really found that. Its one thing that just doesn’t happen for me. I’ve never consciously tried to emulate something else I’ve heard. I mean, I wish I could. Imagine listening to something you love and being able to make something just like it. Creating music for us is almost therapeutic, so it just comes out. Maybe that’s lazy, riding off our emotions but I mean between the five of us we listen to such a wide range of music.

S // I grew up with a strange mix of music but have always really loved folk. My dad was a classical pianist, my brother was really into punk music and I was into folk. You’d go from one room to the other in my house and all of a sudden be listening to Slayer, listening to Chopin then to Woody Guthrie and back to Rachmaninoff then into The Misfits… So I had this weird three-headed-beast of music surrounding me!

F // And I guess I was a massive Queen fan from too young of an age, although not sure you can ever be too young for Queen. But its all the kind of stuff that you’re parents listen too and you can’t really escape it! I remember some of the first things I ever played on guitar were Queens of the Stone Age riff’s.

An Interview: Sleigh Bells

Serving as a waiter in New York on a night not too different from the one just passed, a young musician and producer by the name of Derek struck up conversation with a woman and her daughter enjoying her meal. Once the expected exchange of pleasantries occurred, fate interrupted and conversation drifted to Derek’s search for a songstress to accompany the music he created. Coincidentally, the woman’s daughter, Alexis also made music and was considered quite the vocalist and with a little dabbling from a Mum who knew best, Derek and Alexis found themselves together in the studio. Then magic happened.

Fast forward a year or so and despite being the rockstars they are, the talented pair are as humble as you could imagine. Having released two inspired hit-records thus far and considering the current whispers of a third, we’d suggest keeping your eyes on these two in the years to come. That is, if you like exciting things.

We spent some time with Alexis and Derek a week or two ago which proved to be a thrilling conversation to say the least. Sharing stories of the charmed life they lead and the music they make within it, we couldn’t have encountered a cooler duo had we tried. Read on.

Festival Life.
A - I always get a kick out of touring, especially when you come on festivals. I mean, there are a lot of pinch-me moments.. Like ‘casually‘ passing Karen O in catering and nearly screaming out loud.
D - We were talking about her jacket earlier actually. Karen O has this jacket -- the K.O. jacket and Alexis happens to have a similar one.
A - Well, I literally had it made to be like hers. Totally ripping her off. I was watching her set yesterday and she was wearing the jacket, then when we were walking back to our dressing room her stylist was right in front of me holding the jacket over her shoulder. Its moment’s like that when you’re like, “Shit! These are my idols and I’m sharing the same space as them...” Its just surreal.

Reign Of Terror.
D - The album came out of a lot of really unfortunate circumstances. It definitely wreaked havoc. The way I like to describe the recording session is -- as corny as this sounds -- as one long therapy session. Treats was much more fun and I mean, at the time I was in a bit of shock with it all but it was the point where music wasn’t just for living anymore; it became life. Then everything that had happened settled in and made its way into Reign Of Terror. When we were finished that was a sign of relief. I’d gotten everything off my chest and was able to put it behind me. So while I appreciate it, I’m very ready to move past it. I’m no longer in that headspace, now I’m in a much better place and its already come out in the new material. We’re half way done with the new record.
A - We’re got five new songs and they’re just brighter.
D - Its like the gloom has lifted. I mean, it won’t be called ‘Reign of Terror’, to put it that way.
A - We’ll call it ‘Sparkly unicorns’....
D - Yeah, of fucking ‘Rainbows and Dolphins!’

Music Together.

D - The way we write has changed a lot this time around. I still write and produce everything and work with most of the lyrics, but now the biggest difference is that I give her instrumental pieces of music then she takes it home, I take it home -- actually that doesn’t make any sense because most of it happens when I’m at home in the first place -- but we take it to the studio and bring our ideas and melodies together. Hers are always vasty more interesting than mine are, but I guess I’ve still got one or two solid contributions? She definitely does most of the heavy lifting with melodies which has made a massive difference.
A - Its kind of the natural evolution of things. With Treats we’d just met as strangers and acted in a singer/producer kind of way, Reign of Terror we started a bit more collaborating.
D - It’s difficult and awkward to sing somebody else’s melodies, no now Alexis is able to sound a lot more like herself. It’s as if now there’s actual chemistry, making it so much more interesting for the two of us.

Music with others.
A - I’d love to eventually do something with another female musician. Like right now I’m a massive Jessie Ware fan, there’s just something about what she does! But that’s the great thing about being in this community of music. You can just meet someone, hit it off and from there just go into the studio.
D - It just has to make sense. You know, the timing has to be right. Right now, we can barely fit in our own ideas let alone others, but eventually! Until it slows down I feel like it’ll just be Alexis and I.

“I’ll know I’ve made it when...”

D - I feel like we already have! I mean, don’t get me wrong we’re ambitious and we’ll take things as far as we possibly can. Well actually, I went to the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn for the first time recently and Jesus Christ I’d love to play there, but whatever. Honestly I’m already amazed at how far we’ve taken it.
A - I think it’s like, “I’ll know I’ve made it when I’m continually surprised by what I’m doing with life every day”.

An Interview: Foals

Earlier this year, Oxford natives Foals toured the country ahead of the release of their latest album, Holy Fire. The immensely talented lads have been releasing music together since 2008 and sure know how to do it well. With a constantly evolving sound that has a reputation for its heavily melodic and rhythmic attributes, their latest LP is easily their most sophisticated yet.

Holy Fire easily finds itself counted as one of our musical highlights of 2013 thus far and just months after its release, the band have announced they’ll be returning to Australian shores to play a string of shows around the country. We recently had a conversation with the band’s drummer, Jack who shared stories of days spent lying in the sun in Buenos Aires and the occasional hummingbird sightings a rockstar’s life allows. Read on.

Holy Fire: The Record

I think with this record we felt like we were just going to write without giving ourselves any restrictions. In the past we’ve done things differently, I mean with the first record we’d never made one before so we had nothing to go by. Then on the second we set ourselves restrictions that were going to help us ensure that we didn’t make the same record again. This time I guess we just decided to fuck it and just write -- so if we ended up writing a one minute punk rock song or a nine minute post rock song we would just go with it and not worry until the end. I mean we’re lucky though, it could have turned into a big bag of shit! We did end up with a lot more material that didn’t always make it onto the record but we put things together in such a way that we made a cohesive record. It’s our most diverse in terms of style and tempo and that kind of thing.

Milk & Black Spiders

Its probably my favourite track on the record, it kind of does everything I would want it to do in a track. I mean, I think its really pretty in the beginning with its guitars and drum beats then its got quite a big build so for me its great. I do really love all the tracks on this record -- out of the three that we’ve made this one’s what I’d say I’m most proud of. I feel like there’s always a track that I’ll be in the mood to listen too. Yannis had a guitar loop that he’d been fiddling around with in his room and he played that for us one day and I’d been practicing separately and had a beat that we put over the top. The whole first half of the song came together by us jamming it out. Then there was this dance track that had a pulsing bass which inspired some of what we put onto the track. As well as that, there was something separate that we’d all been jamming which sat really well and in the end it all just fit itself together.

Inhaler: The Video Clip

We’ve worked with Dave Ma, who’s this amazing director that we’ve known since like 2006. At the time he was working in a kebab shop in London and was just coming down to take pictures of us. He’s Australian, and basically he had a whole lot of ideas for the Inhaler video which sort of conveyed the sense of claustrophobia and a need for space. It was actually quite a hard video to make, there’s a scene where we’re playing in the pool and he was actually running around firing fireworks at us. We were just playing and he was shooting at us -- I thought I was going to have my eyes blown out.

Visits to Australia

I think there’s just something about going to the other side of the world and to be able to play to that many people is not something you ever grow to expect. Its really not normal. I think when we’re back its around the time of my birthday so I’m definitely going to have to organise some sort of after party.

Touring the World

I find that when we’re on tour for a long time there’s moments that happen every now and then where I think, “Fuck. This is amazing and I can’t believe its what I get to do”. It actually happened to me earlier today, I’d been sitting on a deck chair in the sun for like five hours and I looked up and saw a hummingbird and all I could think was, “Fuck -- that’s a hummingbird in the wild, this is ridiculous!” But I don’t know, like we played the Royal Albert Hall the other day in England which is just such a big deal to us, its one of the most prestigious venues we’ve got over here and it just felt really amazing. All of our families came down, it was my cousin’s first ever gig, which was really quite sweet...

“I’ll know I’ve made it when...”

I feel like its really hard to answer that question without being a dick. I could say, ‘I’ll know I’ve made it when I always fly premium economy instead of just economy’, but we might not actually ever get to that stage! [laughs] actually the other day I not only put down the wrong day of the week but the wrong fucking year in my application to arrive in Brazil, so maybe I’ll know I’ve made it when I don’t remember what fucking year it is.

An Evening at Dandelyan

An Interview: Childish Gambino

Glastonbury Festival

An Interview: The 1975

An Evening With Tanqueray

An Interview: Bombay Bicycle Club

Get Out of Town: Montalto Winery

An Interview: Local Natives

Diageo Reserve World Class Bartending Competition

An Interview: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

An Interview: MS MR

An Interview: James Vincent McMorrow

An Interview: Chvrches

An Interview: Matt Corby

An Interview: Cloud Control

An Interview: Marika Hackman

An Interview: Jagwar Ma

An Interview: Little Green Cars

An Interview: Sleigh Bells

An Interview: Foals

Father John Misty Live at The HiFi

An Evening at Dandelyan

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