The Open

The Open are an English five-piece who are not afraid to wear their musical hearts on their sleeves, sidestep convention and make honest music. Music News got the chance to point some questions to Steven Bayley and he [sorry-Ed] 'opened up'.


MN: It's felt like ages since the 2004 release of The Silent Hours. What have you been up to since you finished touring your debut album? Did you have a break before starting to write the second album?

Steven Bayley: We were doing demos about three weeks after completing the tour then Feb-May was writing what became Statues. It not really a consideration taking a break, when you have been writing for a number of years it becomes something that is unstoppable anyway. Lovers in the rain, moment in time and some b sides were written whilst touring, along with some that never made it.

MN: I think that Statues is less immediate than The Silent Hours was. It takes a few listens to get into it, when The Silent Hours was a punch in the face (in a nice way) the first time I heard it. But after a few listens, it's power shines through, and hence it's ultimately more rewarding. Would you agree?

Steven Bayley: That's pretty spot on I think. I would agree that it is a record that needs five listens. Give it five and if you still don't feel it then fine. But you need to give it five listens. You wouldn't eat a twelve-course meal with coffee in the same time it takes to eat a big mac, that's how I look at it. I cant say whether its more rewarding or not, that's your shout and other people who listen to it.

MN: Was it the difficult second album, after such a critically acclaimed debut as 'The Silent Hours', and are happy with how Statues turned out?

Steven Bayley: I am very happy with Statues. It's the record I wanted to make. It wasn't terribly difficult more of a search really. The whole thing is just an ongoing process. They were the songs we had at that time so we recorded them. It wasn't done twenty times or anything. Once we had them written and rehearsed we just recorded them and now it's out there. As far as critical acclaim goes, it's not really a factor because after the novelty wore off of seeing people review us, I tended to avoid reading about the first record.

MN: Whose idea was it and why did you record this album in France? Did it have any bearing on how the album turned out?

Steven Bayley: We wanted to record the record in France because we thought the songs sounded 'a bit French' The studio had a great old desk and a great room. I had been listening to loads of Gainsbourg and Air and it just seemed to fit. Some of the songs like 'Lovers In The Rain' 'Moment In Time' and 'Alone' sounded to me like soundtracks to the French films we had been getting into like 'Girl On A Bridge' 'Amants de Pont Neuf' 'Les Valseuses' etc so it just seemed natural to go to this place. I don't think you can tell it was recorded in France but it was nice to walk out of the studio door into blazing sunshine. The downside of that was enduring the sight of Jim in shorts for five weeks.

MN: Was it a conscious decision to 'move on' from the debut, and experiment a bit, to bring a new dynamic to The Open's sound?

Steven Bayley: We certainly wanted to experiment more and bring in other colours. It was unforced and fairly to an extent unfocused. We got Tony Peers to play trumpet on a demo of 'Lovers' and asked him to improvise over this instrumental we had 'a bit Miles Davis and a bit Wynton Marsalis' and that became 'Forever' so it was pretty natural. All the best things on that record happened by accident and by being willing to experiment.

MN: The art work is superb. How did it come about that the legendary Vaughn Oliver was involved?

Steven Bayley: I love the 4AD covers, especially the Cocteau Twins ones Vaughan did. We sent him the record and he really loved it and really got it. I had one meeting with him for a bit of guidance and that was it. He nailed it. I think its fantastic. I can trust him 100% to nail it every time.

MN: I've often read who your influences are, but not seen it asked....So who are you influences, be it literal or musical?

Steven Bayley: Musically, I really love Magazine, Verve, Air, Pale Fountains, Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Coltrane, Cocteaus, loads of stuff really. And what all those people stand for. Films really help to articulate feelings too. They taught me to step back and view as the third person. My favourite authors are probably Camus for his truth, Burroughs for his wit, Orwell for his vision and Salinger for his stories, but there are literally hundreds of influences its hard to narrow it down.

MN: How has the response been to the new material at recent gigs?(bearing in mind that there hasn't been too many due to the postponements)

Steven Bayley: Well there hasn't been many as you say, but the response I think has been great. I think a lot of people have accepted we have changed and moved on a little and they appreciate that. 'Lovers' 'Forever' 'Mystery' and 'My House' really come alive in a live setting too, both visually and musically. I am very excited by the prospect of playing shows.

MN: What next for The Open? Are you playing any festivals this year?

Steven Bayley: We will be touring, small venues, big ones, supports, acoustics on the back of a lorry if we have to get our music out there. Haven't heard about festivals yet but fingers crossed.

MN: Thanks for your time. See you at Kings College. I'll be there with a whistle, or maybe even a tambourine!