Ahead of Lonely The BraveÔÇÖs co-headline show at CF10, Louis Browne sat down┬áwith Bush and Ross from the band to discuss public showers, GCSE results and why┬áthey class their sound as ÔÇÿdoom-popÔÇÖ.
Quench Music (QM): So youÔÇÖre four days into the Big Cheese tour with Marmozets, how has it┬ábeen so far?
Andrew Bushen (bass): Brilliant, yeah great fun thanks.
QM: This year has seen you blow up as a band and get on the radar of a lot of new fans. With that in mind, did you see bigger crowds than ever before at your festivals slots over the summer?
AB: Ahh, definitely. We did Reading and Download last year, on the BBC Introducing stage and the Red Bull tent, and then got bumped up a bit this year.
Ross Smithwick (guitar): Even throughout the summer, you could tell as people┬ástarted to hear ÔÇÿBackroadsÔÇÖ on the radio. As the festivals went on there were┬ámore people coming to each one, and more people singing and stuff. It was killer.
AB: Yeah, that tent at Reading is huge and we were like ÔÇÿOh my god, is there going┬áto be anyone there?ÔÇÖ┬áYou know, as you get to the bigger stages it obviously doesnÔÇÖt look very good┬áif thereÔÇÖs an empty tent!
QM: Did you have any favourite festival slots this summer? How was playing Glastonbury?
AB: Yeah we did Glastonbury! I had never been before so it was a bit of an eye-
opener for me. IÔÇÖd been to Reading loads and Download, but GlastonburyÔÇÖs a┬áwhole different world of craziness.
RS: Reading was a special one for all of us because it was the festival we all went to as kids. I saw loads of my favourite bands on that stage that we played.
AB: I remember I got my GCSE results and then went off to Reading!
QM: I did that too! ItÔÇÖs a sort of rite of passage isnÔÇÖt it?
RS: Yeah it was like, not giving a s*** about what results you got, and just drinking in a field!
QM: Was there anyone you saw there when you were younger who made you┬áthink, ÔÇÿYeah I want to be in a bandÔÇÖ?
RS: Deftones. And I saw Rage Against The Machine there before they split up.
AB: The first time I saw Queens Of The Stone Age was at Reading and Leeds, that was a big one for me.
RS: Interpol and Mars Volta were on the same stage we [just] played.
QM: You mentioned Deftones and youÔÇÖve recently played with them havenÔÇÖt┬áyou? And Bruce Springsteen..?
AB: Yeah we got some really nice slots! I mean, Deftones in Paris was┬áunbelievable. The Springsteen one was Hard Rock Calling, so we were on the┬ásecond stage and we got to hang around all day and watch Bruce later on, for all┬áhis like three and a half hours… DonÔÇÖt know how he does it!
RS: Neil Young, as well over the summer, in Belgium, which was mental.
AB: On my birthday! They were bringing champagne over and everything, it was very hospitable.
QM: What was the response in Europe like?
AB: Yeah itÔÇÖs been great. WeÔÇÖve been out to Holland, Switzerland, Germany and┬áFrance, and everywhere seems to be really positive. You never really know what┬áyouÔÇÖre gonna get if you do your own headline shows in foreign countries, itÔÇÖs┬álike ÔÇÿIs anyone gonna turn up?ÔÇÖ But, yes itÔÇÖs been brilliant.
RS: ItÔÇÖs that worry every single gig isnÔÇÖt it! Like, ÔÇÿitÔÇÖs gonna be awful,ÔÇÖ but then itÔÇÖs┬áa packed room and weÔÇÖve been really lucky. ItÔÇÖs been awesome.
QM: So, your album (The DayÔÇÖs War) came out on the 1st.┬áIs it true you slept outside the studio in a van for a part┬áof the recording process?
AB: Yeah, some of the time because itÔÇÖs not a residential studio. ItÔÇÖs also a┬árehearsal room, so when there was no one recording then we could just set up┬ácamp beds in the studio. But when people were in and there was other stuff┬ágoing on, weÔÇÖd go and sleep in the van or wherever we could find.
RS: Park bench…
AB: Yeah and it was January too, so it wasnÔÇÖt the warmest. We had to go down to┬áthe local swimming pool for showers and stuff like that. It was good fun though!
QM: Did the circumstances add any grittiness to the sound or influence the record in any way?
AB: Yeah I guess so. I mean the songs were pretty much finished but I guess the┬áway it was recorded obviously affects how it sounds. But yeah, there was quite a┬álot of stuff going on around the band, writing the songs and recording the songs.┬áÔÇÿThe DayÔÇÖs WarÔÇÖ, the albumÔÇÖs title, was all about that day-to-day struggle.
QM: In todayÔÇÖs world of music, many people see artists as commercial, vacuous┬áentities. Yet, you guys seem to connect with the listener in a way that is so┬ávisceral and emotional.
AB: Yeah, when we write something, if we feel it, we stick with it. If we donÔÇÖt,┬áthen it gets put to the side.
RS: All the music we listen to is stuff that is emotional. For me personally ÔÇô I┬ámean, I do like some light-hearted stuff ÔÇô but the real stuff that really gets me, is┬ástuff that pulls at your heartstrings.
AB: We like bands that make us feel something, like The National or Pearl Jam.
RS: Like [bassist] Bush said, if we feel it, and it feels good, then we carry on writing it.
QM: Is it a conscious decision to write music that gives the listener that deep, heartfelt feeling? Or is it simply a by-product of the way you write songs, with the emotional intensity coming at a later point?
AB: ItÔÇÖs a tricky one really. The music tends to come first, and then Dave will do┬áthe vocals later on. HeÔÇÖll be sitting there, sort of trying stuff out and then every┬áso often youÔÇÖll hear something and be like, ÔÇÿooh.ÔÇÖ ItÔÇÖs a natural process really. We┬ádonÔÇÖt think we need to write something thatÔÇÖll be like that, it just kind of, comes┬áout.
RS: ThereÔÇÖll be times when weÔÇÖre thinking of writing a mellow track, and we try┬áit and itÔÇÖs really nice. But then we try it a different way and it works much better.┬áWe just go with the feel really.
AB: Yeah, thereÔÇÖs a lot of trial and error.
QM: ÔÇÿBackroadsÔÇÖ is a song that really hits hard, with some deep emotion┬áattached to it. The video for the song was shot in Ukraine and beautifully┬ávisualises the theme of the song. How did the video come about?
AB: Basically, someone got the track to the director of the video and he already┬áhad the concept. He had met the guys with the longboards before, and wanted to┬ádo something with them, but he wasnÔÇÖt exactly sure what. So yeah, the two things┬ácame together really well. I mean, I wouldnÔÇÖt say the song necessarily inspired┬áhe idea for the video, but it certainly seemed to fit it very well.
RS: ThereÔÇÖs no political edge from our point of view. Obviously itÔÇÖs a political┬ásubject, but the whole point of the video was to focus on the kids in it, and the┬áemotional struggle theyÔÇÖre going through.
AB: With whatÔÇÖs been going on in Ukraine, people can take it as a political┬ástatement, but itÔÇÖs really about the kids.
QM: Is it true the characters in it arenÔÇÖt even actors?
AB: No, they were kids the director met when he was out there, and obviously inspired him to work with them. But yeah, we love the way it turned out.
QM: The release of the album was delayed several months as a result of your record deal with Columbia. Were you torn between signing to a huge label, and then having to hold back the album?
AB: It was a very difficult decision at the time, but now looking back I donÔÇÖt think┬áwe would have done it differently.
QM: WhatÔÇÖs the reception normally like for you in Wales then?
AB: Pretty good! Yeah, we played here in the big room with Don Broco last┬áDecember, and that was really good. WeÔÇÖve got some friends from Wales coming┬ádown tonight, but yeah weÔÇÖll see how it goes.
QM: Some people have been talking about a ÔÇÿBritish rock music revivalÔÇÖ. Raw┬águitar music is getting a lot more daytime play, with bands like You Me At┬áSix, Lower Than Atlantis, Royal Blood and yourselves becoming regulars┬áon the Radio 1 playlist. Do you see yourselves as sitting on a crest of a rock┬ámusic wave or is it just a cyclical trend within the industry?
RS: ItÔÇÖs hard to tell! When youÔÇÖre going along with it, itÔÇÖs like a natural thing. You┬ádonÔÇÖt really think about how big you are or whatever.
AB: You definitely notice more rock music on Radio 1 and that kind of thing, but these things sort of come round in cycles.
RS: TheyÔÇÖre definitely supporting rock music and certain bands really well. Like┬áus ÔÇô luckily ÔÇô and Royal Blood.
AB: If weÔÇÖre thought of in the same grouping as those bands, itÔÇÖs obviously a great┬áhonour. WeÔÇÖre just happy to be here really!
QM: You have this big, potentially arena-filling sound, with people liking DaveÔÇÖs┬ávocals to Eddie VedderÔÇÖs. Do you think about transferring your songs to a┬ábig stage when youÔÇÖre writing them?
AB: No, well even with this album we had no concept of what was going to┬áhappen with it. We were just playing small local venues and as far as we knew,┬áthat was as big as it was going to be. The fact that weÔÇÖve got to do some pretty┬ábig stages this year has been just mind-blowing. It was never written with any┬áparticular goal in mind, it was just what came out really.
RS: WeÔÇÖve done one or two arenas. Actually, it was here in Cardiff supporting┬áA Day To Remember. We found out about two weeks before and it went down.┬áI think we pulled it off!
AB: We didnÔÇÖt know how it was going to go down because of the different genres┬áon the lineup, but it was fine.
QM: You do seem to have this sound that can crossover multiple genres, and┬áactually describe yourselves as ÔÇÿdoom-popÔÇÖ. WhatÔÇÖs that about?
AB: We were touring with a band called Bad Rabbits and one of the guys said┬áthatÔÇÖs what we sounded like. ItÔÇÖs kind of cool really and it stuck.
QM: When you play live, your singer, Dave stands towards the back, near the drums. Without prying into your sensitivities too much, is this down to anxiety or nerves, or is just where he feels comfortable?
RS: Yeah itÔÇÖs where heÔÇÖs always been.
AB: ItÔÇÖs pretty much the same in the practice room. We never thought about┬áit that much as itÔÇÖs always been that way really. You always have that thought┬áwhen you wonder if people are going to get it or not, and sometimes people do,┬ásometimes they donÔÇÖt. ItÔÇÖs just the way itÔÇÖs always been for us.
RS: ItÔÇÖs not a gimmick or anything, itÔÇÖs just the way he feels.
QM: Yeah, I suppose it adds to the intimacy and realism of it all and draws you closer to the lyricism of the songs in a live environment.
AB: Yeah and I have always liked vocalists like Mark Lanegan whoÔÇÖs not going to┬ábe jumping around the stage, just standing there looking cool.
QM: IÔÇÖm sure people appreciate and can focus on the vocals in a different way┬áthen. Besides, that means that you guys can do all the running around!
AB/RS: Laughs. Yeah weÔÇÖre doing all that!
QM: Your debut album only came out a matter of weeks ago, but it was a long time in the making. Has this timeframe allowed you to write any new material and tuck it away for the next record?
RS: Yeah we managed to actually fit a bit of writing in over the summer, in┬ábetween all the festivals. WeÔÇÖve got a good few ideas ready for when the time┬ácomes for the next stuff.
AB: WeÔÇÖre just trying to piece together stuff for the second record, but obviously┬áitÔÇÖs a long way off yet.
QM: Do you think that the position youÔÇÖre in now will change the sentiment of┬áthe next record? As you said, a lot of The DayÔÇÖs War was about struggles and┬áhardship, so will this album be lighter and about what youÔÇÖre doing now?
RS: ThereÔÇÖll obviously be a change because times change, and people change. It wonÔÇÖt be a conscious thing though.
AB: I think weÔÇÖll just let it come naturally and see what comes out really, but itÔÇÖs┬áexciting!