Tom Williams and the Boat: Interview

Nestled under a stained glass window, satsumas in hand (Tom had tweeted earlier requesting them for the band's rider. He's getting a cold poor love.) we spend a night in the rather atmospheric St Pancras Old Church, getting to know the eponymous Tom Williams of 'and the boat' fame. Hailed by Lamacq, beloved by fans for their hands-on approach and more ubiquitous at this year's Glastonbury than Home Counties girls in angel wings, TW&TB are one of our tips for keeping your peepers on in 2011. Don't say we didn't warn you...


For those who don't know you, who would you say influences your music?

Bruce Springsteen, Pavement, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Tom Waits. The last supper of musicians.


You started as a solo singer. Why did you choose to form a band? It's a reverse of what normally happens...

It was mainly borne out of the fact that I didn't want to be that singer-songwriter guy, but I also wanted the chance to make people dance.


This church is pretty atmospheric. Is it the strangest place you've ever played?

At Glastonbury we ended up playing a massage tent, a café, and a place that had to be powered by bicycles. The only people there were the people on the bikes who got up and left halfway through, so two of our band members had to stop playing and start pedalling so we could power the PA. And our local venue where we started out is a toilet. Literally. It was an old toilet that was bought by the council and turned into a venue.


So you started out in a toilet and ended up at Glastonbury?

From a toilet to Glastonbury – the story of the boat. It could be the title of our next album.


You're good at having back and forth with fans, sending out free EPs, retweeting etc.. Is that important to you?

I really enjoy it. You can get down between gigs and you can feel low between campaigns thinking that people have forgotten about you, but if you keep it going then you keep those relationships alive.


Tell us a bit more about the upcoming album...

It's out on February the 21st. We've been recording it over two years but we've only actually managed eight days in the studio because we've had so little money, so it'll be nice to get it out the way. We're also releasing a single in April which will bring us into the festivals and we're hoping to record the second album over the summer and have that out hopefully by the end of the year.


It's going to be a busy year then?

We're really keen to keep the momentum going because we figure that the upside of being our own bosses is that we have the freedom to release as much as we want. If we were signed to a major they'd only let us put out a record every three years so if we're going to be penniless and poor we might as well get the drip, drip, drip of material out there. When you hear a band for the first time you don't go and see them straight away. It's after you've heard them five times and your mates have mentioned them and then a ticket comes up. It's all luck. You could like a band and never see them live, so I think the constant drip, drip of material is very important in terms of getting us out there.


Time for some boat questions.... If you were a pirate, who would you pillage?

Is that a sexual term?


It could be if you wanted it to be...

Well in that case I would pillage Bruce Springsteen, his talent and his body.


Who would you least like to go on a cruise with?

Ke$ha. She looks so dirty, like she should be in those NHS adverts where the people are wearing those pants that say Gonorrhoea.


Who would you like to take for a ride on your loveboat?

Well that definitely is sexual. I guess Jeff Buckley. When he was alive though. I'm not into dead people...

Johnny Flynn @ Shepherd's Bush

You know you're old when you're standing in the queue praying for a seat. In my defence, it's been a long and hangover-inducing week and I'm spent. Anyway, Johnny Flynn, God love him, is hardly the sort of performer who's enhanced by standing. It's music to sit down and read the Guardian to, maybe after a bracing country walk. It's pretty much a relief then, when I'm ushered into my squishy Shepherd's Bush chair. Happy as a pig in the proverbial, I sink in, G&T in hand (another sign that I'm secretly middle-aged) ready to party in as mild a way as possible – it's way past my bedtime.

Good job Johnny is in a far less weary mood, striding on stage beaming at the screams of adulation he's receiving. The girls love him and boy are they making it known, screeching so loudly that they've left behind 'loud' and entered into 'Beatlemania' decibel levels. It's like he's Matt blimmin' Cardle or something. Frankly, if they'd remembered to bring a spare pair of knickers he'd be swimming in them right about now. Not that he's a traditional sex symbol. Don't get me wrong, he's a real cutie, (all lantern jaw and Royal Family-style ruddy cheeks) but tonight he's unassuming, hiding behind slightly longer floppier hair than normal, dressed down in casual checked shirt and jeans like a grungy Kevin the Teenager. He's even bought his younger sister and band member Lily along for moral support, and as they hug and he introduces her, every woman in the place has the same thought – wouldn't he make a great father?

Certainly his progeny would inherit enough musical talent to drown a bag of kittens. As the night progresses he moves seamlessly from guitar to banjo to violin before whipping out his trumpet (easy!) to get a bit New Orleans swing on us. In between there's that voice, which he uses as an instrument in itself, wobbling it up and down the scales to communicate the emotional punch of his lyrics. Previously a touring Shakespearean thespian, Flynn has an actor's gift for timing, using dramatic pauses and stop-start vocals to emote his delivery in Oscar-winning style. Between songs though, he's less accomplished: shy, nervous and continually thankful for being allowed to play such a large venue. Perhaps he's happy that there's still a place for him in a world where the Mumfords have rather stolen his indie-folk crown. In his absence over the last few years, they've rather left him eating their dust. Still, no hard feelings; he invites Mumford's missus and his BFF Laura Marling on-stage for a collaboration.

Despite this, he seems to be keen to distance himself from their radio-friendly nu-folk. As a result, Flynn has gone more traditional with his new album and also slightly darker. Many of the songs sound like Neil Young plugged into 'rock' mode. Others go pretty old school and sound like something you'd hear at a crusty cider and folk festival in a tent that smelt of organic sausages and farmers. While the oldies are received with the loudest cheers, there is a sense that new tunes 'Kentucky Pill' and 'Barnacled Warship' could yet become classics. Those in the audience tonight seem keen to embrace the authentic side of folk and pretty much wet themselves any time one of the band picks up an obscure mandolin-like instrument. As the encore 'Tickle Me Pink' rolls round, I feel energised, the transformative power of folk whacking me round the chops and dragging me out of my stupor. I'm even bopping my head slightly. Who's ready for an after party?

Another Rock n' roll Christmas....

Christmas comes but once a year, which is good because any more than that and you'd probably want to punch a kitten in the kidneys. Seriously, enough already. Before you get shitfaced, scream at your Nan and fall over the Christmas tree, listen to our pick of the best Yuletide songs of all time ever ever ever. It might help you feel a little less Grinch like.



This song, like all Gary Glitter songs, pretty much kicks ass. OK, so you might baulk a bit at the line "I love to hear the children sing" but god damn it, it's Christmas. Good will to all men and all that. Guys? Guys....?



Possibly the coolest Christmas song ever. It's got a Blondie vibe, plus it has the feel of all those cool 90's surf girl bands (hello Sleater Kinny) and a lovely wailing sax. Incroyable.

p.s only the original Waitresses version is acceptable. The Spice Girls version can fuck right off.



Yeah it's a cliche, but it's still fucking awesome. The video is brilliant (and has Matt Dillon in it fact fans) and the mix of Kirsty's lilt and Shane's drunken drawl (that you can almost smell the whisky on) produces, as the X Factor judges would say, 'musical magic'.



The trombones that sound like someone creeping, the perfectly executed rat a tat of the drums, Louis' wonderful gutteral howl, the excellent sound effects (whistling wind! bells!) This song is perfect.



It's not exactly a classic Ramones track, but for the simple fact that it's a Christmas song by a punk band and that it doesn't have a shit Christmas sleigh bell sound effect over the top, it gets my vote.





Two amazing versions of one classic hit for you. The first by Grace Jones manages to make a song about a little boy and his drum into an utter electro sleazefest which makes us feel dirty, a bit like getting a vibrator from Santa. The second is a masterclass in why talking should never, ever be used in songs. "Do you go in for any of the traditional things in the Bowie household at Christmas time?" "Oh yeah, most of them really, presents, trees, decorations..." Bing and Bowie work wonderfully together when they're singing but their stilted banter makes you want to hide behind the sofa and drill pencils into your ears, reminding you as it does of the most awkward date you ever had, multiplied in awkwardness a million fold. Jeepers.

Patrick Wolf @ Bloomsbury Ballroom

A stranger bunch of people you've never seen – green ink writers the lot of them. There are middle-aged women practically wetting their Tena Ladies with excitement, several people of indeterminate sex, a girl with sparkly silver pipe cleaners for eyebrows and two guys who look like they've just rolled up from the best acid rave you've never been invited to. Next to them stands a smartly dressed man in his sixties while behind him two dudes with glittery black trousers stand chatting to a woman who manages to have red, purple and electric blue hair all at the same time. And she's wearing a clock.

Roll up, roll up for the Patrick Wolf circus. The venue is pretty odd as well. Bloomsbury Ballroom evokes images of Regency glamour, maybe of Virginia Woolf and E.M Forster hosting scandalous parties. The reality is a little more tired: it's peeling a bit around the edges, the carpets in the bar need a going over with a hoover, and the music over the PA is a 'best of' garage and funky house mix tape. Yuck.

Thankfully Wolf lends an air of extravagance to the occasion, as we are ushered into the ballroom proper to be greeted by his band – a mix of the orchestral and the electronic – and the glamorous singer dressed in a red suit, accessorising with a jaunty red corsage. Maybe it's one too many shandies but the velvet curtains suddenly look hopelessly romantic and glamorous. Once the lights are lowered, you can almost convince yourself that you're on the set of Strictly Come Dancing and while nobody is going to be attempting a rumba tonight, the gig has an instant celebratory atmosphere.

After all, a lot has changed in Wolf's life since his last release 'The Bachelor'. He's now in a long-term relationship, has seemingly finished battling depression, and seems to be a thoroughly happy chappy. The difference in sound is evident. Songs from his forthcoming album (due for release in Summer 2011) are chirpy affairs, with lyrics about survival, hope, and keeping the flame alive. He has described them as “music for your first kiss” and “not cheese but happy, pornographic music”.

He's not entirely right. They are a little bit cheesy. But they're also extremely loveable. He's the kind of guy you want to do well, even when he extends a clenched fist into the audience and closes his eyes while singing, suddenly becoming a bit Michael Bolton (to squeals of delight from the crowd). When he warbles about finding “the greatest peace you'll ever know” with his rich caramel voice, and intones that he “won't back down any more”, your heart skips a beat and your brain gets that same mushy feeling you get when you sniff a baby's head. Or maybe that's just me.

Newbie 'The City' – featuring the refrain “I won't let the city destroy our love” – is an ABC-aping anthem about keeping a relationship going during the credit crunch and perhaps best sums up the electronic troubadour's new direction. It's markedly different from 'The Libertine', a protest song featuring lyrics like “The hitch-hiker was bound and gagged, raped on the roadside”. 'The City' is also sort of a protest song, but it's a protest that's nowhere near as angry or bitter: basically it admits that there's nothing that's that worth getting too worked up about if you have someone to snuggle with on the sofa. “I'm sorry, but I just love this song. I could play it for hours,” says Wolf as he goes in for another chorus and the 'Lexicon of Love'-style sax solo wails up again.

Nobody's stopping him. Frankly, he's given us all something to smile about. Even me, bitter, alone and Bridget Jones-esque as I am, find myself smiling at strangers on the tube on the way home. Sadly, they edge away and bury their heads in the Standard.

Dave Brubeck and the Expanding of Horizons

A couple of nights ago on the One Show there was an item about how the English language has changed over the last 60 years or so. The usual Daily Mail nonsense about how we're all going to hell in a hand basket because we use Americanisms and how the purity of British speech is being diluted and blah blah blah. Leaving aside the fact that there are hundreds of foreign words in our vocabulary- bungalow, cul de sac, avocado, you've got to wonder why people really care? Does it really matter that some of us say train instead of railway tracks or sidewalks instead of pavements?

The whole point of language is communication; communicating a thought or an emotion or a warning. As long as you're able to understand what is being conveyed, it doesn't really matter what words you use. If you're the kind of person who gets their knickers in a twist about 'correct' manners of speech then you clearly fail to understand the concept of language as something beautiful and nuanced. Only a slabbering moron would want to limit the number of words in use, for they then deny themselves the pleasure of using language to the full. New words keep language relevant and engaging. People would look at you like you were insane if you started speaking in Chaucerian English because it's no longer relevant. Language is a living, breathing organism that is constantly being developed. You have to move with the times and keep innovating or you might as well give up.

Which brings me neatly to the subject of Dave Brubeck, who I had the pleasure of watching a documentary about on BBC 4 later that night. Brubeck was a man who was constantly experimenting- playing with time signatures and encouraging his drummer to lay down wildly chaotic beats while his saxophonist swirled round and in between with a beautiful crisp reediness. All the while he kept the pace going as he gently stroked the keys of his piano. He was greatly influenced by modern art and featured famous works and sculptures on his album covers. Listening to his music sounds a lot like being trapped inside a Miro painting. He was one of the first to see jazz as a mainstream pursuit and to take it out of the seedy nightclubs and into the concert halls, whilst still remaining wildly avant garde. He did this by garnering the support of students, taking his band on tours of campuses. This led to him being featured on the cover of Time magazine, the first jazz artist to win the coveted slot.

His most famous song 'Take 5' is written in 5/4 time, which gives it a fabulously jittery edge. Although it seems cool (if it was a colour it would be the bright white of the arctic snow), it's far from mellow. For one of the highest selling jazz records of all time, it's pretty out there and yet it's all delivered with such precision that you barely notice how radical it is. It perfectly sums up the Brubeck sound- a mixture of the familiar and the what the fuck?

Still going at 90, he isn't a man who is short of ideas. He regularly composes songs dedicated to his fallen idols and in the last few years has written music for the Pope, conducted choirs and had a go at penning arias and hymns, as well as continuing touring with his jazz band and recording songs with legendary blues and classical composers and artists. He's never stopped toiling at trying to remain fresh and, most importantly, he still looks like he's having a bloody good time even though his fingers are stiffened with arthritis. His message should be one we take on board- don't become someone who is annoyed by change (whether it's musical, linguistic or social), but enjoy it for the excitement it can bring.

All hail Brubeck- a man who wouldn't give a fuck how you pronounced the word 'scone'.

Fiction

Recently it seems to have been all about America, especially the West Coast. Admittedly the new penchant for surf rock doesn’t immediately make you think of Blighty. The Drums might have been put off surfing if they’d have had to contend with the artic North Sea. Good on Fiction then for reppin’ our ends and showing that while we might not be able to get anywhere because of snow we can still do the tropical thing as well as those Yanks.

A London-based four piece who've recently jumped off the Warpaint tour bus, Fiction set tongues a wagging and feet 'a grooving when they played at Offset Festival a few months back. They make music that combines delicate vocals with off kilter percussion just as well as any of the greats. Listen to their upcoming single ‘Big Things’ and you can hear the reverb tropical-punk of Talking Heads, XTC and Yeasayer, but really it’s tropical in the least tropical way possible. These guys take the tube to work, not a surfboard, and so they also stir a very British mean and moody synth pop into the mix. ‘Phyllis’ is definitely at the Maccabees end of the dance-punk spectrum while elsewhere you’ll be reminded of Joy Division. Although, as they point out, every band in the world is influenced by Joy Division so that’s a bit of a lazy comparison.

The band obviously have their quiffs set to stun and their hearts focused squarely on the big time. They’re full of grand statements about how they plan to revive music, and we blimmin’ love that. After all, if you’re going to make it, you’ve got to have a bit of bravado about your mission statement.

In fact, Fiction are already working on their own mythical status. Living up to their name, bassist Daniel Djan told NME journalists that he wears a key round his neck because “My grandfather owns a castle in Germany and I’m just waiting to find that castle. I keep trying with every lock when I go on holiday.” We're expecting to be seeing this on every press statement issued about them from now on.

Fiction then, you might not believe their tall stories but you should believe in them. These guys deserve to be big.

Kano: Interview

A lot of reviews have said that ‘Method To The Maadness’ is your most dancey record to date. What do you reckon? Is it an album designed for the clubs rather than the underground?

There are tracks for the clubs like 'Get Wild' and 'Crazy' but it's not a dance album in my opinion.


What do you dance to in a club then?

Possibly House Of Pain- Jump Around. But for me right now it's Rick Ross- BMF. That always gets the party started.


Any of your new tracks that you're particularly excited about?

I'm really proud of 'Get Wild' and 'Spaceship' but it's a complete body of work really, every track is from the heart and so unique.


You’ve previously spoken out about artistic integrity. Why is that so important to you?

If you are a true artist then you will always try to remain true to what it is that you do. I can't make music I hate, but I think the masses will love. Or music somebody tells me to make or worse, makes for me. I'm not a puppet, but there's a lot of them out there right now...


Jay-Z obviously thinks you're doing something right. He recently gave you a shout out on radio, that must have been quite an honour...

Yeah, it was. I really respect him as an artist and value his opinion. It's nice to see someone of his stature taking notice of what we're doing over here. He basically lives up there in the clouds so to be on his radar means you're standing out from the crowd.


He caught you on the Gorillaz tour. How has that been?

The tour's been great. It's my first time spending so much time in America and I've been playing in arenas every night. I can't complain. To be part of a show with a group of people that would never have normally got together is amazing. A real life changing experience for me. A world tour! It's been crazy.


And how has it been working with Damon?

I will always work with Damon any chance we get. We've done about three or four songs together now and it's always a new vibe with him. We're always thinking how can we push it further, whether its musically, lyrically, or whatever. We always want it to be different to what's out there at the moment and what we've done before.


The tour has given you the chance to collaborate with some amazing people. Anyone else on your wish list?

I'm blessed to have most of my favourites on 'Method To The Maadness' - Vybz Kartel, Wiley, Ghetts, Damon. I just missed out on Mos Def but hopefully that will happen at some point soon.


You distribute music via your own record label. Why did you decide to do that?

Just to have full control of the music I put out. Obviously when you sell records you make more money than you would otherwise too, but it's more about what suits me creatively at this moment in time.


Was it partly a reaction to the way the music industry is going?

Well, I think major record companies are gonna be in big trouble over the next few years. They know that too. They're not stupid. But their way of dealing with the immediate problem is by taking from the artist even harder than they were before. I think that's a bit wrong, but I get it. The thing is people will always need music. They've just got into a habit of not buying it.


You’re beloved by indie hipsters as well as hip hop heads. Why do you feel that is?

I don't know. They have good taste?! But really, all my albums have been diverse and so have the features I've done, from Gorillaz to Shy FX to Chase & Status, so its not surprising when I play a gig and the audience reflects that diversity.


What can we expect from you in 2011?

Another album. Maybe mix tapes too.



Finally, what do you want for Christmas?

A fucking present for once!