The Coral Interview

The Coral have just released their seventh studio album and are midway through their UK tour. The band have been on quite a journey since they first started out in 1996.They received critical acclaim for their first album, had a crucial member leave and had a period away from making music. They have now returned, stronger and more focused than ever, original line up reinstated and ready to get the music world talking again

What do you prefer writing and recording an album or touring?

I like it all, like anything really, too much of it can be enough. When you come to the end of an album or tour you’re knackered but it’s great, it’s why you do it really. I appreciate live more now, you can’t download it, you can’t cheat; it just is what it is.

How do you feel about downloading and distributing music for free?

Well you know I don’t mind it, its ok if you want my music but we don’t really make our money from records, its all made from live gigs. In a way you don’t know how many people have got your music and it’s hard to keep track of it. My only problem with it is that I want people to hear the music in the quality we have recorded it, we recorded it like that for a reason and I don’t want people to hear a downsized version of it, that’s more what bothers me. I just want everyone to hear it in the real quality it deserves or there is no point in going to all the effort to make it sound great.

Are you quite a perfectionist when it comes to putting your songs together?

Yeah, probably on the last album, I wanted it to be just so. On the first album and the last album I was really on it in that way.

Have there been any live gigs that have really stood out for you?

There have been so many good gigs; the first one we did at Liverpool University was a really good one and it was right after the first album. For this tour we did the Philharmonic, which was a great gig.

You have been hugely successful, but haven’t gotten really famous and have protected your anonymity, is this something you have consciously tried to do?

I don’t think we would be allowed to even if we wanted to. It’s more just about the music and getting your message through, that’s always what it has been about for me. Celebrity is now a whole new industry and its not something that I want to be a part of or that I even agree with really, I think its cheap and I think you have got to be better than that and people just don’t know it.

It that one of the reasons you have had such longevity as you have solely focused on the music?

Yeah that’s just want we want to do, we are in it to do music, especially since we got it all together with the band again, I have always been like in 20 years time I see myself with the band.

You have had your ups and downs as a band, how has your relationship as a band changed whilst you have been together?

It’s better than ever really these days, you all go through your own stuff as you get older, and when you are younger you have all these possibilities that you think you can do and when you get older you realise that you should just stick to what you are good at.

Do you think the music industry has changed for the better or the worse?

It’s the same as everything, some things are better and some things aren’t. I liked it at the beginning when there was a lot more money to go around but there are still a load of crap bands and a load of good bands, same as ever. I think it’s down to the people and that’s what it always been down to and it always will be.

Do you have any advice that you would give to bands starting out?

Stick with the music, love the music and it will stick by you, that’s what I always think, I wouldn’t want to preach to anyone. I think if you are good and you believe it and you want it, you will get it.

You were quite young when you started out and had so much success quickly, was that a hindrance or helpful?

I mean it’s both. I probably wasn’t that well equipped for it but now I would be, but I wouldn’t change anything.

Is image something you have consciously thought about as a band?

Yeah, you want to have a good image, you all want to be within the same kind of thing and look nice, we are all friends so it’s natural we all wear the same clothes. We never wanted to be a London band or go to London or look like one of those bands, we didn’t want to wear baseball boots or that sort of thing.  Doing our own thing was our image; we didn’t want to fit into any trends as you become dated. I never wanted to be in a club ever. 

Published in the Metro