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Friday April 1 - Friday May 6 2011
oun s for our summer
ENTERTAINMENT - MUSIC SPECIAL
Fly high with
dward harpe and the agnetic eroes Natalya Benjamin talks to Ryan Wilson,
liver elling caught up with haman es ue frontman le bert after his ban pla e ve bac to bac ‘ ir ue e oleil’ st le gigs in on on aterloo’s l ic tunnels Your sound is a uniq ue one - how would you describe it to an alien? I always just say its country- motown- folk music. H ave you ever had your music used anywhere surprising, like a shampoo advert or something? No, but our video for K isses O v er B aby l on will be featured in the remake of the upcoming B eav is and B utthe ad series. That’s kind of surprising. How do you find life on the road We love it. We love travelling, seeing new places, exploring, adventuring...
Alex E bert and his Magnetic Z eroes achieving “lift off”
Tell us a little about your circus-themed gigs at the Old V ic tunnels... We just wanted to have an all- out party with L ondon. I love L ondon and we wanted to really use the space completely. It was a great opportunity for us to invite loads of local artists and performers to participate. Are you coming back to the UK at all during the summer? We are coming back in J une I think. We are doing the L atitude festival and others...or so I’m told. ho or what are your biggest influences in life and music y conscience is a a o in uence an all the oices of s ace thin the sense of wanting to have lift- off is the most driving force for us, we want the entire room to levitate with that feeling. Be sure to make E S& TMZ ’s 2009 sun-drenched album Up F rom Below is a staple of your musical diet this summer and look out for their new album when it drops later this year. The group has been enj oying success in their home country ofAmerica since their debut album elevated them from unknown hillbillies to culthippy heroes. Despite their success in the states, the group’s off-the-wall, euphoric soundscapes are only j ust beginning to make waves in the United K ingdom.
ssential tracks Home Janglin 40 Day Dream Om Nashi Mi
For fans of Arcade Fire Pink Floyd Jimi Hendrix Stone Roses
Pigeon Detectives about songwriting,
FOUR years ago, bands like the K aiser Chiefs, the K ooks and The Pigeon Detectives ruled the indiechart roost. In 201 1, however, many of the bands that used to reign supreme have been swept aside in favour of autotuned R’N’B and dance acts. The Pigeon Detectives are ete ine not to go out without a fight and to prove it, they’re embarking on a tour of the U K and releasing a new album later this month. he ee s fi e iece built on a ten year friendship and named after being teased about their knowledge on pigeons, found themselves a long way from home ( in New York, to be exact) whilst they were working on their new material. G uitarist Ryan Wilson explains how working in New York inspired the band for their third album, Up Guards and At ‘Em. “We found a great up- and- coming producer based in NY so we thought why not head out there,” he says. “A fter all, New York is an amaz ing place.
‘ e inspire ourselves we on’t listen to other ban s an cop them’ “We found ourselves immersed in the city. We think it inspired us a lot with making the album and it’s turned out great, we all love it.” A lthough inspired by the Big A pple, Ryan made it clear that the bands main inspiration came from within. “We inspired ourselves, we don’t listen to other bands and ‘ copy’ them. I guess New York inspired us too, we listened to a lot of bands from NY, like Blondie, The Walkmen and Interpol, but I wouldn’t say our album sounds like any one of them.” Up Guards and At ‘Em has been deemed a more mature sounding album. S o have the group matured since thei fi st two outings “I think we’ve progressed nicely,” says Ryan. “I wouldn’t say we meant to ‘ mature’ or make it sound more mature, it just happened that way.” A fter selling out L ondon’s’ A lexander Palace in 2008 whilst promoting their second album, Emerge nc y , the band has secured a huge following. Ryan thinks fans will recognise their true- to- Yorkshire sound but
Taking in the sights and soaking up the inspiration of N ew York City while record
also fin so ething f esh in the new material. u fans will efinitely now it’s us,” he says. “It has a classic ‘ Pigeons’ sound and feel but we tried a few different things on it too which might surprise a few people.” L ead vocalist of the group, M att Bowman, once said he got into “a spot of bother” whilst the band were in New York, but Ryan qui ckly put that rumour to rest. “M att didn’t get into too much trouble,” he says with a chuckle. “We all had a few craz y nights but we were there to do a job and that was to make an ace album – j ob done!” The band are set to play a number of venues around the country during their 201 1 U K tour, including the S hepherds Bush E mpire, The O2 A cademy in Oxford and The Old Fire S tation in Bournemouth. The band take it all in their stride though, as Ryan explains how the
group enjoy the hard work that comes with the job. “We love it, playing live and touring is the favourite bit for us,” he says. “It gets hard sometimes with all the travelling but we try not to let it bother us and we crack on.” The Pigeon Detectives are dedicated to their passion for music and since forming in 2002 have put in the elbow grease to get to where they are today. H aving played at the L eeds and Reading festivals, supported bands such as the K aiser C hiefs and Dirty Pretty Things and received support from some of the U K s’ top DJ s such as S teve L amacq and J o Whiley, Ryan advises anyone who dreams of gaining success to “do as much as you can”. “Whatever your speciality or passion just follow it regardless of how pointless it feels or how hard it gets,” he says. “If you don’t you’ll miss all your opportunities.”
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Friday April 1 - Friday May 6 2011
ENTERTAINMENT - MUSIC SPECIAL
the Pigeon Detectives
drummer for lad-band the America and inspiration
ing their album last year.
For a band named after a joke in a pub, the groups list of accomplishments is far from funny. But is Up Guards and At ‘Em a make or break album? Ryan doesn’t seem to think so.
‘If it sells 1m copies or 100 copies we’ll still start writing a fourth album’ “No not at all,” he says. “We own our own record label, Dance To The Radio, so we have the luxury of not being thrown in the garbage if it doesn’t do well. “If it sells one million copies or 100 copies we’ll still start writing a fourth album.” It seemed natural to test The Pigeon Detectives on their “extensive knowledge of pigeons,” by asking
Ian Cheek Press
them just why it is that you never seem to see baby pigeons. “You never see baby pigeons because there aren’t any!” says Ryan. “They are the only species in the world that are born fully mature. That’s the truth...not!” Over the past few years, the band have seen their debut album Wait for Me, go platinum with over 300,000 copies sold. Suffice to say they’ll be waiting with baited breath to see if Up Guards and At ‘Em can emulate that success.
Cover art for Up Guards and At ‘Em
Detecting a winner
The Pigeon Detectives are back with their new album
Review THE PIGEON Detectives are back with their first album since their 2008 hit This is an Emergency. Set for release on the April 4, Up Guards and At ‘Em sees The Pigeon Detectives return true-toform with their Radio-friendly sound, and a few new tricks up their sleeves. On the opening track, She Wants Me, the band experiment with synthesisers and electric drums, to great effect. It doesn’t take long for them to revert back to their well-known indie sound though, as the rest of the album is more or less indie-by-numbers, which isn’t a bad thing. The final song, I Don’t Know You, is given the same experimental flair (courtesy of the synth) as the opener, which hints at again at a move away from their signature sound. As with the last album, This is an Emergency, the captivating words and catchy chorus melodies will have you singing along within minutes of
Ian Cheek Press
listening. Songs like Go at it Completely and Turn out the Lights are a testament to their tried-andtested winning formula. Focusing on what they know, lead singer Matt Bowman’s strong Yorkshire accent powers through the chug of guitars, mixing heartfelt lyrics about love and relationships, with obscure and rather unusual phrases such as: “I want to dance with you, but my hands are on fire”. Unlike such bands as the Arctic Monkeys and the Wombats who have drastically changed their sound over the last few years, the Pigeon Detectives have been brave, stayed true and stuck with the winning formula that got them where they are today. If you are searching for a new sound and a different side to The Pigeon detectives be prepared to be disappointed, but if good old guitar riffs and uplifting indie pop sounds are your thing, then you’ll be soaring with the...err...pigeons. By Amie Mowlam-Tett Up, Guards and At’Em is out April 4