20 | October 17, 2013 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News
Music
Deaf Havana: “We’re like the most unorganised bunch of idiots in the world.”
H
AILING from stick-of-rock central Hunstanton, Norfolk, Deaf Havana are an alt-rock six-piece often put in the same bracket as We Are The Ocean, The Blackout and Young Guns. Currently made up of James VeckGilodi on vocals, Chris Pennells on lead guitar, Lee Wilson on bass, Tom Ogden on drums, Matthew Veck-Gilodi on rhythm guitar and Max Britton on keys with Grace Barrett on backing vocals, there’s basically a lot of them. Since starting out in 2006, there have been several line-up changes, a quite successful debut album (Meet Me Halfway, At Least), followed by a slightly more successful second album (Fools and Worthless Liars), and now, new album Old Souls, which is quite different to their previous stuff. They’re playing the Cambridge Corn Exchange on their autumn tour (with support from Charlie Simpson and Big Sixes) and we nabbed a brief chat with lead singer James. This is how it went: So, you must be the most successful band to come out of Sunny Hunny right? I think we’re the only band to come out of Hunstanton aren’t we? So we sort of win by default. It’s been a busy year what with Zane Lowe backing you (he made single Mildred his Hottest Record), an acoustic tour in the spring and a whole load of summer festivals (they headlined LodeStar). What’s been the highlight? I think the highlight has been Reading. Reading Festival this year was just phenomenal, that’d be my highlight because I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was. The tent was completely full and it
Editor: Paul Kirkley Writer: Ella Walker Email: whatson@cambridge-news.co.uk, ella.walker@cambridge-news.co.uk
ELLA WALKER caught up with Deaf Havana’s lead singer James VeckGilodi who, complete with hacking cough, had almost definitely been woken up by her call ᔡ Deaf Havana, Cambridge Corn Exchange, Thursday, October 24 at 7.30pm. Tickets £14 from (01223) 357851 / www.cornex.co.uk
was so much better than the festival was last year, even though we played the main stage last year (this year they made the BBC Introducing stage). But didn’t you also support Bruce Springsteen at Hard Rock Calling in June? How was that? It was pretty weird, but amazing at the same time. We’re still pretty new to massive crowds so it’s a bit daunting but the best thing about it was the fact that the people there weren’t necessarily like fans of the band so we had to win ‘em over. I quite enjoyed that because you can play loads of new songs. And what about supporting Muse on the German leg of their tour – did you get to hang out with them? Not really, we met the drummer (Dominic Howard), but that was about it, they keep themselves to themselves… Shame. Still, six lads on tour, you must get up to enough rowdy antics without adding Matt Belamy to the mix. It must get pretty mental sometimes?
Every day! It’s awful, there’s a lot of unnecessary boozing going on and a lot of things that I won’t mention. Pretty much it’s all a bit over the top. It is fun, and then it gets a bit tedious (laughing). You’re really selling life in a band… Well… Are there ever any moments when you consider giving it all up? There’s loads of moments when you think about that because it’s quite hard at times. It looks like it’s a laugh and everything’s easy but, especially when you’re away from home for ages, you can get pretty down about stuff. I have thought about it, but to be honest, if I give it up there’s not really anything else I can do, so I’m pretty much stuck with it. So you’ve not got a fool-proof back-up plan? Not really – I’m crap at everything else. I can’t do anything. That can’t be entirely true… Trust me – it is.
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Well, the band is looking like a pretty safe bet at the moment. Your latest album Old Souls is attracting quite a bit of attention. What do you think of its reception so far? It’s been amazing. I was really worried before because it is quite different from anything we’ve ever done before, I didn’t know how people would take it but, the fact that the reception has been so good, is just like a reassurance that it was the right thing to do so it’s been amazing. You announced on Twitter that if you get in the top 10 you’re going to wax your manager’s chest. Are you really going to do it? Yes we are. Ok. His whole body actually. Wow. Is he up for that? Not really.* It’s been said that a lot of the tracks on the record are quite autobiographical and very personal to you. Would you say that’s accurate? Yeah, because when I started in music I never really thought I’d write lyrics. The only way I really know how to write them is pretty much autobiographical or stuff that’s happened to me or I’ve been involved in, so I guess every single is [personal]. Does that make it difficult sometimes, reliving tough emotions over and over again, particularly in front of a live audience? It does make it more emotional but also, if it’s a song I write about someone it’s like a weight off my shoulders if you know what I mean. So it kinda makes it easier as well because I mean it more than if I was writing any old shit down. Would you consider yourselves “Old Souls”? Ha. Yeah, I think so. We feel a lot older than we actually are, but it was our producer, he described us as “young people with old souls” and when we heard him say it, we were like, that’s a pretty good name for an album, probably nick that.
What are you listening to at the moment? I just got the new Placebo album, I’m listening to that. That’s it really (laughing). Who inspires you then? Umm, loads, too many people to mention! I guess Springsteen, I love The Smiths, a lot of people that inspire me don’t necessarily come through in our musical sound. Like I love Bjork, Joni Mitchell (laughing) – I love loads of hip-hop as well. So should we expect a hip-hop album next? If I had an American accent I would have already done it. But I don’t think English accents sound very good in rap music, so unfortunately I’m not going to do that. What have you got planned next after the tour? I dunno really. We’re like the most unorganised bunch of idiots in the world so we don’t really know, but I’m sure there is something planned. I wanna go to America and tour a bit because this is the first time we’ve released an album in America so that should be good. What are your big dreams for the band? That we get massive and I don’t have to play music ever again and I can just sit in my house and be rich. No – I’m joking – that’s not true. Just to travel around as much as possible really and see as many different countries and stuff as we possibly can. Ok. That seems like a pretty good dream. Final ask: tell us something surprising about yourself. (After a brief pause) I’m currently lying in a bed next to a half-naked man (laughing). That’s good to know – which man? Matt our guitar tech – there’s a lot of man love going on. No, there’s nothing really. I’m pretty boring to be honest. * Old Souls charted at Number 9, still no word on the waxing though…