++INTERVIEW++

Interview with The Maccabees

Ric Rawlins chats to our guest editors The Maccabees about their new album, singing like Pavarotti, comic books & Matador jackets.

ARTROCKER: You're currently on a hiatus from touring. Is it good to have the focus back on song writing?

ORLANDO: I know Felix much prefers being on the road, but I like this (recording), even though at the moment it's being really really frustrating. The best thing for me about being in a band is when you're frustrated for weeks, but then you come out with something and you feel validated.

FELIX: When you go on tour you're seeing the fruits of your labour. And when you're sitting making the record, that's when you earn it. It's when you have to be self critical. It's stressful, but only because you care about it.

"We worked out this terrible blues jam, which we think is funny but Orlando won't have anything to do with it. He gets in sulk and gets his cartoon book out."

PART ONE: THE NEXT RECORD

ARTROCKER: What can you tell us about the new album so far?

FELIX: Hopefully it's going to be a really spirited pop record, but it definitely won't be anything like the first one. We can safely say that. We're understanding the possibilities of how to make a record now. We've got about six songs down, and two or three are easily the best things we've ever written.

ARTROCKER: Is 'The Accordion Song' on it?

ORLANDO: That's one of my top songs! I think it's great.

FELIX: On the demo we've got Orlando singing like Pavarotti on the instrumental section. I think the world should be able to hear that!

ORLANDO: It's actually called 'The Pound Is Strong' now. Because we were playing it in America, some guy shouted out "How much was the squeeze box?" and when I told him he said "That's so cheap!" and I said, "Yeah, that's because the pound is strong." It's so easy - I don't know why people find naming songs hard.

PART TWO: COMIC BOOKS VS BLUES JAMS

ARTROCKER: Are there any good books you've read lately?

ORLANDO A year ago I didn't like reading. I could just about manage the papers. But now I'm onto this - it's an amazing piece of literature called Our Cancer Year, about a guy called Harvey Pecker. he's about when the war in Kuwait is starting, and it's autobiographical. It is a cartoon, but it's really interesting.

FELIX: Is that the one you read when we're doing blues instrumentals in rehearsals?

ORLANDO: Yeah.

FELIX: Ha ha! We worked out this terrible blues jam, which we think is funny but Orlando won't have anything to do with it. He gets in sulk and gets his cartoon book out.

ARTROCKER: Are you doing Doors style blues jams?

ORLANDO: They're not playing The Doors. They're doing this really shit.... I don't even...

FELIX: That's the charm of it. It's purposely shit!

PART THREE: SONGWRITING TIPS

ARTROCKER: Now that Toothpaste Kisses has become one of your better known songs, are you encouraged to write more twinkly acoustic songs like that in the future?

FELIX: It's nice that people like it - if anything it was to prove we're a band that can do more than one thing. But I wouldn't suggest we write more songs in that vein.

ORLANDO At the end of the day, if we write a good song, it'll go on the album.

FELIX: Yeah, I can't imagine that any songwriter can predict exactly what he's about to write.

ORLANDO: If you're a really competent musician it might be easier, because you can understand how songs work together, and deconstruct pop, and anthems, and figure it out. But we're not competent enough!

ARTROCKER: That's probably a beneficial naivety though, isn't it?

FELIX: Hugely beneficial. There has to be an aspect of not having a clue what you're doing - because that's when the best stuff happens.

PART FOUR: FASHION ROCKS

ARTROCKER: Orlando, where do you get your decadent cardigans from?

ORLANDO: I got my first one from a shop in Wolverhampton, then one from Save The Children in Brighton. But then I saw something that put me off them: I saw someone wearing one, and I got a bit hurt because I thought... what if I look like a twat as well? So I took it off. But they might come back... my ego might soar from the ashes!

ARTROCKER: What's going to replace them then?

ORLANDO: I've got two Matador jackets. Proper leather padded Matador jackets. Tassles, gold trim, everything. I've got an admiral hat... loads of stuff I never wear. The thing is you see, I miss dressing up. It's ok when you're a kid but you just can't do it anymore... unless you're fucked.

PHOTO BY JO PATERSON
THANKS TO EMILY KENDRICK & GABRIELLE TRUNDLEY

++ The Maccabees ++

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