Bombay Bicycle Club frontman Jack Steadman sits down with Jade Atwood and a cuppa to discuss ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ and the band’s immediate future.

With a highly successful UK tour, a number one album and positions on some of the biggest festival line-ups under their belts, Bombay Bicycle Club have arguably reached the highest peak in their career thus far. It seems everything has finally fallen into place for the band, yet they remain remarkably humble.┬áÔÇ£I just live a very traditional English lifestyle; Radio four, keeping warm, get the fire on, cup of teaÔÇØ says frontman Jack Steadman of his current priorities in life. Far from the rock star lifestyle youÔÇÖd expect of a seminal part of one of the most successful British bands of the moment, man of the moment (steaming cup of a strong PG Tips in hand), Jack exudes a sense of relaxed modesty.

Finishing 2013 with the release of ÔÇÿCarry MeÔÇÖ – the first single from new album ÔÇÿSo Long, See You TomorrowÔÇÖ – it set a high benchmark for material to follow in 2014. With ÔÇÿCarry MeÔÇÖ being reminiscent of their earlier thrashing style of ÔÇÿI Had The Blues But I Shook Them LooseÔÇÖ with an electronic twist, their next release, ÔÇÿLunaÔÇÖ, hinted toward the capricious style of the album. It teased the ears of those in wait for ÔÇÿSo Long…ÔÇÖ, leaving us all questioning what the album had in store. February 3rd came and much to the bands attribute, the album delivered on all levels, defiantly pushing Bombay into the limelight. ÔÇ£We were definitely confident about the record, but when we heard it was number one we couldnÔÇÖt believe itÔÇØ. The success of the record has markedly correlated with their stylistic progression away from their folk roots of their first EPs, presenting fans and critics alike with a brand new sound to delight at. Much of this development manifested from SteadmanÔÇÖs worldly adventures during the two-year gap between this and their previous record ÔÇÿA Different Kind Of FixÔÇÖ. ÔÇ£In terms of song writing, I just needed to go away and first take some time off and not think about it, and get that hunger again to start writing. I didnÔÇÖt want to do it all in London and I wanted to go and be excited by new placesÔÇØ, says Steadman of the writing process. That hunger and excitement certainly seems to be illustrated in the developed and eclectic sound of the record as a whole, taking listeners on a journey of intricately interweaving distinct global music instrumental elements. The final ten tracks chosen for album balance between the bandÔÇÖs fresh influences and diverse sound. ÔÇ£There was about 15 songs to choose from, and we chose 10. That was a real luxury to have, because we were really, really hard on ourselvesÔÇØ. Being uncharacteristically hard on themselves is reflected in the overall quality of the whole composition, with Steadman admitting, ÔÇ£Some of the songs that didnÔÇÖt make it on the album probably wouldÔÇÖve made it onto the last album. Because ÔÇÿCarry MeÔÇÖ was one of the first songs that was written that was the benchmark and itÔÇÖs really important to have that early on to set that goal to match.ÔÇØ

Never ones to rely on just their music as a form of artistic expression, the band also wanted to evolve the representation of their new sound into visual perception. Throughout their career Bombay have always accompanied their music with unusual album covers and alternative videos; it was a wonder what the band could do next to step up their game. ÔÇ£Ed the bassist, heÔÇÖs the most talented in terms of the visual side of things, he does love painting. HeÔÇÖs always done our artwork, and because the artwork for this album was based on animation and loops we thought it was natural that we should incorporate that into the live shows.ÔÇØ Taking the band all around the country, the tour finished in Manchester, a departure from their usual natural closing of tours in their hometown, London. The scheduling, however, was a conscious choice; ÔÇ£We always end tours in London, and this one we did it right in the middle so there was no pressure. There wasnÔÇÖt everything leading up to that moment and it was just like another gig.ÔÇØ┬á In compliment to their album, the tour took a move away from the bandÔÇÖs usual simplistic approach to playing live. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve got an extensive light show and projections behind us. WeÔÇÖve never put so much into a show like this, outside of the music.ÔÇØ The UK tour married both the visual and musical elements to conceive a beautifully produced performance ÔÇ£babyÔÇØ, which Steadman admitted the band wants to present in the best way possible; ÔÇ£We take our gigs so seriously and I really like that. WeÔÇÖre not that young band that are just incredibly excited about getting fucked up all the time on tourÔÇØ. Without a doubt this maturity however is seldom seen in a lack of motivation on stage. Instead of feeding off young naivety and substance-induced excitement, it seems they take their dues from the crowd and atmosphere of the gig, which isnÔÇÖt always the easiest of tasks. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖre always feeding off the crowd and I canÔÇÖt pretend to be having a good time. IÔÇÖm still learning how to combat thatÔÇØ.

This candid honesty of performance is something that the band has admirably maintained, despite their recent success. But with a busy summer ahead of festivals – including T In The Park and Latitude – the biggest challenges are yet to come. Never ignorant of the relaxed festival atmosphere, itÔÇÖs always a challenge to get the right crowd. ÔÇ£At festivals you do just get people who want to come casually check you out.ÔÇØ However one such gig which most certainly will combat this usual challenge posed by festival crowds, is their NME stage headline spot at this yearÔÇÖs Reading and Leeds. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm still really excited [about Reading], itÔÇÖs always been a really special festival for us and itÔÇÖs the first one I ever went to when I was a kidÔÇØ. Attending the festival for years and performing over the August Bank Holiday on six separate occasions, the band progressively moved up the stages at the respective festivals, finally achieving main stage status in 2012. But with that as their peaked stage placement youÔÇÖve got to question why theyÔÇÖve regressed back to the smaller stage of NME. ÔÇ£This year we really wanted to be in a tent, because I feel like weÔÇÖre a band that likes intimacy. Especially with the light show, we didnÔÇÖt want to be second or third, when thereÔÇÖd still be a bit of daylight, because the projections wouldnÔÇÖt work. I always prefer seeing bands in tents at festivalsÔÇØ. Again showing the amount of care and pride in their new creations, their headline set will most certainly be one that cannot be missed.

So where does a band with this much success go from here? In terms of future material, the band and fans alike are left in an ambiguous state. ÔÇ£We havenÔÇÖt really talked about another album yet, and it terrifies me to think about it to be honest. Just because it was such an emotional ordeal to write this album, produce it and spend so much time with it on my own in my studio.ÔÇØ With an album most certainly off the cards in the immediate future, it begs to ponder whether their positive commercial reception will affect any new material? For many bands itÔÇÖs tempting to rest on the winning formula which proves to impress fans and the masses. ÔÇ£I think, with us, success is the reason you try and do something different, because trying to repeat yourself is always very difficult for me anyway.ÔÇØ In terms of repetitiveness however, all of their material harks back to a degree to their indie/folk roots; the foundational steadfast sounds which first established the band as one not to ignore. Steadman commented on their future material; ÔÇ£I want to release an EP called ÔÇÿWarm Up SongsÔÇÖ – just all the stuff we do before we go on stage. WeÔÇÖre always sitting in the dressing room, and I have an acoustic guitar, and everyoneÔÇÖs just singing to warm up their voice but itÔÇÖs quite a beautiful thing.ÔÇØ Therefore it looks like we have a possible EP, combining both the new and well-loved elements of the bands sound, rather than a fully developed album.

But for now Bombay Bicycle Club arguably donÔÇÖt need to think about anything but their immediate worldwide escapades, and soaking up the glory of all their graft. ÔÇ£IÔÇÖm just enjoying the touring now and not having to think about song writing, so weÔÇÖre just hoping we can be on the road as much as possible and travel as much as we canÔÇØ. Finally gaining the recognition they deserve, creating an outstanding record and being one of the most sought after bands of venues and festivals alike, Jack deserves to ride his success, ending each night with slippers on and Radio 4 streaming in the background.