About twenty minutes before The Twilight Sad entered the stage at XOYO, I had a quick interview with vocalist James Graham in the lovely backstreets of London’s Old Street, in a sheltered back exit somewhere behind the venue.
The band are currently midway through their co-headlining tour with fellow Scots-Errors, which has seen their first ever mosh pit in Dundee, and some great drunken nights out post-gig, with James recalling Manchester as one of the best.
A while back, I remembered reading an interview that James did with The Fly magazine in which he stated that he didn’t really know where they fitted in, in terms of the music industry. When I asked James the same question last night he gave a similar answer. The feeling for the band seems to be that they’re not part of a scene as such, and probably never will be (admittedly James believes there to be ‘a lot of shite out there at the moment’-which I definitely don’t disagree with). He certainly doesn’t see them ever being a band to ‘be on the front of a magazine’ and says that he’s only ever wanted to be in a band that can ‘make they’re living out music and be proud of the albums’ they release.
It’s this refreshing emphasis on the music, which drives the whole gig. The band’s live sound is just as intense as it is on the record, if not more explosive. With no breaks between songs, as the feedback rings, James devotes most of the gig to singing his heart out, (at times away from the microphone and into the crowd), with the intense layers of sound behind him, keeping the audience completely attentive.
Over the past couple of years I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Idlewild’s Rod Jones and Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchinson, two musicians who James has become close friends with over the years. A recent collaboration for charity under the name of Fruit Tree Foundation will soon see the release of an album. James admits that he didn’t have much input in the record as a whole, apart from laying down his vocals; but says that it felt completely natural recording and gigging with the other guys, due to the close nature of their relationship.
As their set approached, I asked James about Twilight Sad’s (excellent) Smiths ‘Half A Person’ cover and wondered whether there were any bands that he wouldn’t dare to touch. At first he said that there definitely were some but couldn’t think of any, before admitting that he probably have said The Smiths, but then again…’we did that!’
As we chatted and agreed about some of the poor bands around at the moment, I asked James his opinion on reality shows like The X Factor, and whether he felt strongly about them. Rather confidently he came straight out with the unexpected answer of ‘I watch it!’-although stating that it has ‘absolutely nothing to do with music…it’s an entertainment TV show’. Fairly, it was the shows where bands try to shortcut their way to fame that annoyed him...‘put in the hard work!’.
In terms of the gig itself, favourite ‘I Became A Prostitute’ shattered the ears of the crowd, yet it wouldn’t have worked any other way. Title track from their latest EP ‘The Wrong Car’ also transferred to the stage superbly. The only slight disappointment in terms of tracklisting was the omission of ‘The Room’, which was a definite highlight off the ‘Forget The Night Ahead’ record. The impression however, was that the tracks themselves weren’t the important factor, the crowd were too busy starring wholeheartedly at James’s devoted performance, whilst being transfixed on the roaring sound of the musicians at his side. It wasn’t a sing-along gig-it was one to stand, become immersed and forget everything whilst amongst the music for an hour.
James revealed that the band are set to record a new album some time before January, which we can expect in the first half of next year. If you haven’t caught them live yet, keep your eyes peeled for their next tour, as it is most definitely worth the soar ears!
The band are currently midway through their co-headlining tour with fellow Scots-Errors, which has seen their first ever mosh pit in Dundee, and some great drunken nights out post-gig, with James recalling Manchester as one of the best.
A while back, I remembered reading an interview that James did with The Fly magazine in which he stated that he didn’t really know where they fitted in, in terms of the music industry. When I asked James the same question last night he gave a similar answer. The feeling for the band seems to be that they’re not part of a scene as such, and probably never will be (admittedly James believes there to be ‘a lot of shite out there at the moment’-which I definitely don’t disagree with). He certainly doesn’t see them ever being a band to ‘be on the front of a magazine’ and says that he’s only ever wanted to be in a band that can ‘make they’re living out music and be proud of the albums’ they release.
It’s this refreshing emphasis on the music, which drives the whole gig. The band’s live sound is just as intense as it is on the record, if not more explosive. With no breaks between songs, as the feedback rings, James devotes most of the gig to singing his heart out, (at times away from the microphone and into the crowd), with the intense layers of sound behind him, keeping the audience completely attentive.
Over the past couple of years I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Idlewild’s Rod Jones and Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchinson, two musicians who James has become close friends with over the years. A recent collaboration for charity under the name of Fruit Tree Foundation will soon see the release of an album. James admits that he didn’t have much input in the record as a whole, apart from laying down his vocals; but says that it felt completely natural recording and gigging with the other guys, due to the close nature of their relationship.
As their set approached, I asked James about Twilight Sad’s (excellent) Smiths ‘Half A Person’ cover and wondered whether there were any bands that he wouldn’t dare to touch. At first he said that there definitely were some but couldn’t think of any, before admitting that he probably have said The Smiths, but then again…’we did that!’
As we chatted and agreed about some of the poor bands around at the moment, I asked James his opinion on reality shows like The X Factor, and whether he felt strongly about them. Rather confidently he came straight out with the unexpected answer of ‘I watch it!’-although stating that it has ‘absolutely nothing to do with music…it’s an entertainment TV show’. Fairly, it was the shows where bands try to shortcut their way to fame that annoyed him...‘put in the hard work!’.
In terms of the gig itself, favourite ‘I Became A Prostitute’ shattered the ears of the crowd, yet it wouldn’t have worked any other way. Title track from their latest EP ‘The Wrong Car’ also transferred to the stage superbly. The only slight disappointment in terms of tracklisting was the omission of ‘The Room’, which was a definite highlight off the ‘Forget The Night Ahead’ record. The impression however, was that the tracks themselves weren’t the important factor, the crowd were too busy starring wholeheartedly at James’s devoted performance, whilst being transfixed on the roaring sound of the musicians at his side. It wasn’t a sing-along gig-it was one to stand, become immersed and forget everything whilst amongst the music for an hour.
James revealed that the band are set to record a new album some time before January, which we can expect in the first half of next year. If you haven’t caught them live yet, keep your eyes peeled for their next tour, as it is most definitely worth the soar ears!
