Glasvegas Interview

Scottish rock band Glasvegas are just starting a European tour promoting their second album Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\. I wanted to find out what it was really like for a rock band on tour, so spoke to bassist Paul Donoghue to find out.

What the best thing about touring?

That’s such a hard question as there are so many good things about it. Getting to travel around the world, we are lucky enough that what we do for a living takes us around the globe. There was a time two years ago when we did festivals in ten different countries in nine days. You get to see quite a bit of the world, though usually from the window of a tour bus.

New York has always held a place close to my heart. We recorded the first album there and as soon as I got off the plane it was just like everything you see in films. An hour after we arrived we had sore necks as you are constantly looking at skyscrapers. When we went there people were saying we would really hate it because it’s so fake but we actually liked it so I don’t know what that says about us.

Who has got the worst habits on your tour bus?

At the moment Rab keeps beating me at football on the Xbox and he keeps gloating so that’s probably the worst habit. That and I’m apparently quite smelly, I don’t mind that though.

What can’t you live without on a tour bus?

One thing is definitely a laptop, if you don’t have a laptop you are kind of cut off from the rest of the world. We have internet on the bus so we can find out what’s happening with music and watch films. If we didn’t have laptops we would have to talk to one another and nobody would like doing that!

The Unthanks Interview

It’s an exciting time for The Unthanks, a sister folk group from Northumberland. They have just come back from Australia, are about to begin a UK tour and their fourth album ‘Last’ has just been released. If that wasn’t enough to keep them busy Becky, the younger sister, got engaged just before Christmas and Rachel and her husband (Adrian McNally - who plays the piano, drums, is the arranger and manager) are expecting their first child. I spoke to Becky who was jubilant and animated as she talked about her love of folk music and clog dancing.

The band is quite a family affair how does that work?

Ever since we were kids I would never sing without Rachel, I just didn’t see the point and was very shy. I used to go to this summer school where you go for a week and stay in the halls of Durham University. There was always a concert where people would get up and I would make Rachel come especially for that concert to sing with me. I never really wanted to sing because I wanted to show off my voice it was just about us singing together. I think we are really lucky that we work together. My boss is basically my brother in law, when we are on the road and missing home it’s really nice to have that comfort and have that solid unit of having Rachel and Adrian around. I think you also become like a family when you are in a band, you spend so much time together that it either works or it doesn’t and if it does you become a family unit.

Your parents were both singers did that inspire you?

They have always loved to sing, my dad sings in a shanty group as well as other things and my mum sings in choirs. Its not like they have ever done it professionally but they have always just had a love for singing and encouraged us to sing. I think its good for the soul. We have always sung at family parties and on the way to festivals. It has always been something we have loved to do; my parents have definitely influenced us and inspired us.

The Wombats Interview

When I speak to The Wombats Tord Øverland-Knudsen, he is in Liverpool helping to get all the gear ready for the bands run of live shows. The next few months will see the release of their second album ‘This Modern Glitch’, a tour encompassing Europe and Australia and a host of festivals, they just can’t announces which ones yet.

What can people expect from one of your live shows?

It’s quite an energetic live show; it’s going be quite a bit different with the new songs. The first album was quite punk heavy and the songs very guitar driven. With the new songs it is going to be a more synth orientated. We are also working on the visual element. It’s going to be quite impressive to see and listen to.

With the first album doing so well, reaching number 11 in the UK album chart, do you feel any pressure for this album to do better?

I think we have felt a pressure the whole way through, especially from the label early on. We just carried on writing song after song. There is a lot of pressure from ourselves as well as we want to do well. We want this album to do as well as our first record and hopefully better. I think we are onto a winner, hopefully.

Early on in your career did you ever imagine you would have the kind of success you have had with The Wombats?

I come from a little town in Norway and always wanted to be in a band. I was in loads of bands from when I was thirteen. I guess it was always a dream that I would be able to do music full time, but on this sort of scale I had never even dreamed of it. We are really lucky to be doing music on the level we are doing.

Jamie Woon Interview

You might not have heard about Jamie Woon yet but that’s all set to change with the release of his debut album (scheduled for April) and coming forth on the BBC’s sound of 2011 list. Ahead of his latest tour I chatted to him about his inspirations and hopes for the year ahead.

For people that haven’t heard your music before how would you describe it?

I call it R&B because its groove led and it’s inspired by R&B, old and new. It’s quite atmospheric and sort of quite mellow. It’s got a sort of melancholy to it, which just comes from living in England. There are so many genres it could fit into.

What can people expect at one of your live shows?

On this tour I have a four-piece band, to an extent. I’m sort of manipulating my voice with electronics, playing guitar that adds some more textural stuff. There are electronic and organic drums, sort of a hybrid kit, its very clever. Guitar, keyboards, it’s a pretty traditional band set up. It’s all about trying to use those sounds to create more processed sounds and not letting that detract from the connection with the audience. I haven’t really been on the road the last few years so now I have a chance to get in the groove, which I am really looking forward to.

Your mum is a Celtic folk legend (Mae McKenna sung backing vocals for Bjork, Michael Jackson and Kylie Minogue and has appeared on more than 20 number one songs) would you say music is in your blood?

I always liked singing, when I was about 15 I decided to pick up the guitar, I just got really into it then got into music college and that was it, I didn’t really think about anything else after that. I was always encouraged to sing, everyone in my family sings, that’s a big part of my make up and my mum is my biggest influence, she was signing while I was in her stomach.