Interview: The 1975

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: BEAT MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2020

The 1975 aren’t in the business of making records to be digested and thrown away with ease. 

Come April 2020, their new album - Notes On A Conditional Form - will be released. An album that has already spawned three distinctive tracks (‘People’, ‘Frail State of Mind’ and the Greta Thunberg-featuring ‘The 1975’), Notes is not simply Album Number Four for the British group. It’s a sign of the band’s continuous strive for completing a chapter of their career that is more flourished and intriguing than what came before.

“It’s not an environmental record,” Matty Healy is quick to assert of The 1975’s next venture.

“I’ve led with the Greta song into ‘People’, so now a lot of people are like, “Oh, it’s the environmental record”, but it’s not. A Brief Enquiry… had the title of Into Online Relationships [and] that set the tone. It’s a record about being a person: fear, love, the human experience. There’s a cloak of that idea and this [album] has the same thing. The main thing I’m scared of on this record is bigger environmental concerns, but it’s not an environmental record.”

When it comes to The 1975’s presence in a music culture far different from the one they entered in 2002, Healy is open about how they’ve weathered a cultural storm of streaming and chart-data led success.

“The artists whose single streams are in the billions, people don’t buy their albums, necessarily.” he says. Using pop music as an example, Healy describes his perception of the singles vs albums debate. 

“Ellie Goulding [for example],” he says. “Not slagging her off, just using her pop style; people will listen to her music at the gym and they will listen to it on playlists. They’ll put the ‘Pop’ playlist on and it will get out there. When it comes to her putting out a record, which is someone saying, “Will you invest in my lifestyle?” or, “Do you want to invest in me, as an idea?”...I have a lot of “Yes, I want to invest in you as an idea,” and less, “I’ll pop this on when I’m doing whatever. We don’t have a [really] transient audience like that.”

“I’ve said this before, but the Drakes of the world, they’re professionals at keeping people’s attention for three minutes.” Healy adds. 

“They can do that again and again. I’m not that good at that. A single will happen accidentally throughout the myriad of writing songs. The way that we express ourselves is like longform. I can do it and I do it occasionally, I’d love it if we can make it work where I get a big idea down in three minutes. We’ve always been an albums band.”

Reflecting on almost two decades of The 1975, Healy is frank about how he has matured as a musician and what looking down the barrel of a new decade is like for him. In short: it’s exciting.

“When I was a teenager, culture and everything said, “To be an alternative artist, you get a deal with a small indie and that’s how you do it.”” he explains. 

“By the time I’d put out my first record, I was already...I didn’t have people from record labels [calling], I didn’t have any of that, there was already a freedom to it. I suppose I am in a privileged position, but the most privileged thing is that I created that privileged position. I can kind of be proud of it.” 

“We’ve proven that, with luck and with the zeitgeist, and with it being the right time, you can do what you want. The coolest thing about The 1975 is that this past 10 years has been the dissolvement of genre, especially with us. I see artists like Billie Eilish, these artists who are fearless now. I love that. We’ve definitely been part of that new sense of freedom with young kids.”

The first time I interviewed Healy, we were both in our early 20’s. The band’s profile was growing rapidly off the back of their debut EP. The second time we crossed paths, The 1975 was well and truly settled into their role as a breath of fresh air coming out of the UK indie scene, transitioning with ease into mainstream pop success. 

“The culture has changed quite a lot.” he says.

“A lot of people who come from indie or punk grow in their sense of wanting to do something, but they don’t actually have the ability to do it. I think because of our ability as producers and musicians, we can actually challenge ourselves and do things that are a bit more viscerally powerful.” 

Now both eyeing up our next decade in an industry that has changed so significantly for each of us, on stage and behind the scenes, Healy is reflective on his personal approach to the craft and consuming of music as a fan. 

“The whole thing is about not being bored.” he laughs. “It’s not about striving to be bold, it’s about avoiding being bored. If you’ve been in a band with your best friends for 17 years, doing anything for too long is boring. Making one type of music is boring. That’s been really reflective of the way the culture has been. I think that we’ve been constantly balancing back and forward between people just getting that every time we make a record.”

“I’ve had to learn that that sense of freedom I get when something excites me, just chase that. Chase it, that’s the only thing I can really do.”

Interview: Two Door Cinema Club

PHOTO CREDIT: Katy Cummings
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2019

Two Door Cinema Club formed an integral part of many indie playlists at the beginning of the 2010s.

Almost ten years on from the release of their debut Tourist History, the band has made an exciting return with their fourth studio record, False Alarm. The result is a vibrant and confident new snapshot of a band operating at their creative best.

“I think it’s an awesome time to get new music out,” says bass player Kevin Baird. “I think it was a necessity for us to do something that’s exciting and different.”

Well aware of the popularity of Tourist History and the place the album still holds in the hearts of many, Baird is quick to reassure that the importance of their debut hasn’t been lost on the band. However, we’re almost a decade on from ‘I Can Talk’ and ‘Undercover Martyn’.

“Making music and putting out albums, it is a journey,” Baird says. “We’re very different people to who we were when we were writing the first couple of albums. We’re nine or ten years older. The way we write music and what we get excited about has changed.”

“It’s really nice that people have grown up with us. I guess we’ve managed to stay a little bit relevant to those people with that first album, hopefully. It’s a really nice thing. I think we came around at the perfect time when streaming was in its infancy; it started to really kick off around 2013 and 2014, when we started to take some time off. It’s allowed people to go back so much easier to our earlier music and it’s given us the platform to do whatever the fuck we want.”

With False Alarm, the band collaborated once more with Jacknife Lee (The Killers, Bloc Party), a figure who has had a large part in the development of Two Door Cinema Club’s sound since their sophomore effort, Beacon.

“He’s a very inspiring person,” Baird says. “It feels like he’s never negative about anything, especially to do with music. It’s so fun. We don’t just spend time working at the computer on little bits of the song, it’s all about the journey and discovery as well. We’ll be discovering new music and records, constantly listening to new things and being inspired that way as well.”

“Initially it was hard for us,” he remembers. “We were worried about working with a big producer in 2011 and we were reassured by the fact he’s also from Ireland and he wasn’t a big time Hollywood producer who was going to change us. I think we’ve always really enjoyed his honesty and his humility, and his extremely amazing talent.”

Upon first listen of the record, False Alarm puts you at ease. A fun album jam-packed with melody and, if you’ve seen Two Door Cinema Club live, the energy matches that of what you see on stage. The album’s release is timely too, as it comes just after the news of the band’s Australian return for Grapevine Gathering.

The concept of touring this album is one that Baird is particularly excited about. Bringing False Alarm to life alongside their other three albums offers the band a chance to get stuck into four different phases of their creative journey.

“With this album, we’ve almost created a world that this album lives in,” he says. “We’ve put ourselves into that world and that’s become the basis of the music videos and the live shows. It’s so much fun for us to go two feet in with it.”

“We’ve felt like it’s been important to have some level of escapism,” he adds. “It’s always been about pure hedonistic enjoyment. I think sometimes, obviously when the room gets bigger and more people are there, you lose the sweaty, walls are dripping experience, but I think we’re continually trying to replicate that just on a bigger stage with more slick production.”

Interview: Amaya Laucirica

PHOTO CREDIT: Jonathan Griggs
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2019

NGV International’s latest Friday Nights program is stacked once again, with a diverse lineup of engaging artists scheduled to perform in the famed gallery from now until October.

Songwriter and musician Amaya Laucirica will be making an appearance as part of the upcoming run of shows. This not only provides an opportunity for newcomers to be introduced to her kaleidoscopic sounds, but also gives Laucirica the chance to road-test some exciting new material to be featured on a forthcoming fifth studio record.

“We’re really looking forward to playing at the NGV Great Hall,” she told us recently, from a vacation spot in Malaysia. “We’ve played there before, but just solo for White Night in 2014. It’ll be exciting to play there with the full band and in the Great Hall. I mean, it’s a beautiful space.”

For Laucirica, performing in a space such as the NGV’s Great Hall matches the striking appeal of her artistry. Her music is intensely emotive, bringing together sonic twists and turns, while captivating the audience with ease. Since 2008, she has been recording and releasing music consistently, building a body of work that can now be reflected upon not only with pride, but with a sense of fulfilment in being able to look ahead to what is coming next.

The NGV Friday Nights show will be Laucirica’s first off the back of some new writing sessions, and potentially one of the last opportunities for fans to see her play before another personal project commences.

“I’m actually having a baby in August, so there’s a bit of preparation for that as well,” she laughs. “In terms of music, the focus is just to write for the next album. We’ve been starting to experiment with demos and things are starting to happen – [we are] heads down and trying to get album number five written. It’s crazy to think about that. I’m sure there are going to be new things to inspire the writing of that.

“It’s interesting going between the two worlds and artforms,” Laucirica muses, as we talk about the growing popularity of live music being hosted in art galleries.

“This is the second time we’ve played in an art gallery,” she says. “The first time was last year, we played in Brisbane – it was a similar concept, we played alongside the Patricia Piccinini show up there. It was great, it was so much fun; walking around the exhibition and then playing on the stage.”

“I think it’s really great that, in Melbourne, you can play in spaces that aren’t typical music venues,” she continues. “It’s a great opportunity for bands to also be performing to people who are seeing the exhibition as well as the music. You’re going to be playing to some people who might not know who you are. That’s a good opportunity for artists too. I like the idea of playing in those kinds of spaces.”

Inspired by art across the disciplines herself, this environment suits Laucirica to a tee. An artist’s work can be seen as a vessel for broader commentary, and for Laucirica, inspiration for her own work has come from many different places.

“It’s not just music that inspires the music that I write.” she says. “There’s landscape and I’ve been inspired by films and environment and socially, what’s going on. I think art in the visual sense, it does the exact same thing in how it comments on it and how we interact with the universe, but in a visual sense as opposed to a sonic sense.

“I think the things that inspire visual arts and music are pretty similar in how they are being projected, they’re just being done in different ways. They cross over and it’s great, the concept of having music in a space that houses art, it’s cool. It’s great that things can cross over to different platforms.”

Amaya Laucirica performs as part of NGV Friday Nights’ next instalment on Friday June 7. Head to the NGV website for tickets and to check out all the other amazing acts performing as part of the program.

Out and About: Camp Cope - Thornbury Theatre, Melbourne

PHOTO CREDIT: Ian Laidlaw
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2018

The positive atmosphere inside the Thornbury Theatre was almost tangible, even upon early arrival. The venue, which looked better suited to a wedding function or old-school disco, had a distinctly DIY vibe to it at the show on Thursday March 15; blue neon lights shone down, while the stage was barely fitted out with anything aside from the backline. This isn’t a criticism by any means; the room felt more like the site of a massive house party, as opposed to the usual loftiness any gig with a venue ending in ‘Theatre’ generally indicates.

Erica Freas did a stunning job at opening the night, her music navigating the often emotionally unstable terrain of love, life and the challenges that come with both. She drew people in early on with a compelling acoustic set; sometimes you felt like you were being serenaded, other times you felt like this was a person pulling her heart out on stage. As the first of three acts to take the stage, Freas set the bar high early. Emotions needed to be braced from here on in.

Seattle four-piece Chastity Belt were next to impress; their music ticking the boxes of any indie-shoegaze fan. They held a sly grasp on guitar riffs and bass lines, while the vocals exuded a moody charm that was hard to ignore. The crowd had built considerably for the band by the time they hit their stride, and while the headliners were obviously the main drawcard, Chastity Belt left people impressed with a set that was jam-packed with clever lyricism, solid musicianship and a personable stage presence that played into the house party vibe mentioned above.

Camp Cope. The women who make up this band are perhaps some of the most targeted and maligned in Australian music currently, for simply speaking their truth and walking proudly in the light of it. New album How to Socialise & Make Friends is one of the most striking releases this half of 2018 and in overhearing conversations at this show, it was evident that it had struck a nerve with many in the crowd. It’s brutal, evocative and unashamedly unique in its approach, and sees Camp Cope express their anger and disappointment with many elements, whether socially, politically or personally speaking.

Guitar work became more urgent as Georgia Maq’s vocals became more furious (she had tonsillitis too, so big props to her), while drummer Sarah Thompson and bassist Kelly-Dawn Helmrich proved to be a strong and formidable duo, anchoring the set’s rhythmic base excellently throughout. While earlier material, particularly ‘Jet Fuel Can’t Melt Steel Beams’ and ‘Keep Growing’, earned resounding responses, ‘How to Socialise & Make Friends’ was the main star of the show. Of course, when you have ‘The Opener’ in the mix, you can’t go wrong. The authenticity that backs Camp Cope’s music is going to win out over misogynistic and Neanderthal backlash each time. Thursday’s show proved that; singalongs were loud and impassioned, the delivery of the material heartfelt and confident. Can’t beat it.

Interview: KNOWER

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018

The Melbourne International Jazz Festival is days away now, and as venues throughout the city prepare to host some famed names and local luminaries at the vanguard of jazz’s new wave, hype has continued to build around the arrival of Los Angeles’ Knower.

For Genevieve Artadi, Louis Cole and their rotating roster of touring musicians, the last eight years have been filled with sonic exploration and viral success. Their latest album, 2016’s Life, has seen Knower further expand in musical notoriety; their touring schedule has taken the group from LA right around the US and through Europe, to great success. Bringing Life to Australia for the first time for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Knower will light up 170 Russell with their unique flair.

“We’re going to go full blast,” Artadi says. “Fast funk beats, crazy solos, I’ll bounce and sing. We’ll do a ballad or two. [It will] be extra cool doing it with Rai [Thistlethwayte] in his home country.”

The Thirsty Merc frontman may seem like an odd addition to the Knower setup, but one quick Google of their work together helps it all make sense. As Artadi explains, the fusion of different artistic influences from each member of Knower is essential to its musical aesthetic.

“When we record our albums and when we perform our duo set, the music has billions of layers; many of them are electronic sounds that Louis creates. The show we’ll bring to the Melbourne International Jazz Festival will be fun because the textures will be reduced down and played live by amazing musicians who each bring their own fire to the songs.

“[There are] so many bad arses on the bill,” Artadi says of the MIJF program. “It’s an honour to be a part of it. Jazz itself is a music of progressive thinking, so if we are considered ‘progressive’ in our inclusion of pop and electronic genres, I don’t think we’re too far from a jazz-like mindset.”

While a new Knower album is in the works, Artadi’s focus is on enjoying the buzz of bringing their music to new crowds for the first time. That connection with their audience is an element of Knower’s output that has brought them much acclaim over the last few years, a facet of this crazy lifestyle Artadi relishes.

“We love playing for all different types of audiences, but the most fun are the shows where people go bananas and Louis can crowd surf. It’s also the best to talk to people afterwards and hear about their individual connections with our music. Touring has and will continue to affect how we write new songs. Maybe not hugely, but it is fun to think about how certain grooves or sounds or melodies will translate to a live audience. Maybe we’ll think about getting people riled up. It’s hard to say now, because when we get into studio mode, we are on an unpredictable journey with only ourselves.”

One listen to Life, or even further back in the Knower catalogue (special nod to 2011’s Think Thoughts), and you become introduced to a kaleidoscope of soundscapes. What kind of creative spaces do Artadi and Cole inhabit when they settle in for writing sessions?

“It’s all over the place,” she says of their recent influences. “We are very attracted to alien movies; we watch YouTube countdowns about strange phenomena and are nuts over YouTube poops. We go to a lot of our friends’ shows in LA and also listen to a lot of different music, even stuff we don’t like sometimes. Certain aspects make their way into our music, even if it’s just the energy behind it. We both love the movie Under the Skin and [we] got into a Naruto phase for a while. [We] got super into Skrillex’s albums and live show visuals.

“Lately, I’ve been listening to Bernice, String Boys and Ryan Power’s They Sell Doomsday, as well as KSUR AM in LA, where they play a bunch of cool pop songs from the ‘60s. Also been feeling the Twin Peaks vibe and music. I’ve been overhearing Louis listen to Boards of Canada and Earth, Wind & Fire. We also did a Keith Jarrettlistening hang together recently.”

With 2018 set to be another big year of touring for Knower, Artadi’s hopes for these shows remain simple – go big. Melbourne in particular is a city they’re pumped for.

“Big emotions,” Artadi says. “That’s behind everything we do; if that translates, that’s a great feeling for us.”

Interview: Chris 'Daddy' Dave

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2018

His is a discography that extends back to the early ‘90s with Mint Condition, while the last decade has seen him work on records with little-known artists including Robert Glasper, Adele, D’Angelo, Anderson .Paak and Justin Bieber. He, of course, is drummer Chris ‘Daddy’ Dave – instrumentalist, composer, bandleader.

This week, Dave returns to Melbourne with his band The Drumhedz, for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. A revered name across not only jazz, but hip hop and gospel music, Dave’s status within the contemporary music scene is unshakeable and undeniable.

The Drumhedz’s debut LP was only released in January, but for Dave the wheels hadn’t stopped turning since their fervent mixtape – Chris Dave Presents The Drumhedz Radio Show – was released last year.

“There’s been more work, definitely,” Dave says of last year’s schedule. “More work with new artists that I’ve gotten to meet, and I’ve been able to play with people I’ve never played with – I’m never complaining about it. I was able to reconnect with a few people [too] that I hadn’t had a chance to record with and write with.

“We’re getting to play more this year, so that’ll be fun. We’re already working on the next record too. We’ve got a lot of different projects that we did last year and earlier this year, that will be out later this year. There’s a lot of music coming out, finally. We’ll be able to get it out a little quicker. We won’t have to wait as long. Of course, I’m still writing and producing some surprises that I want to keep quiet.”

On their return to Melbourne, Dave expresses an interest in experiencing local music spots – meeting and connecting with like-minded people has always been a large part of what makes this music community (particularly on a global level) so energising. Especially when it comes to potentially forging new creative relationships.

“This will be our second time coming back,” Dave says. “We had so much fun the first time. We wanted to do it every year, but I guess there’s been some kind of stipulation that meant we couldn’t do it every year. They can’t have artists back to back, but it’s worked out that we were able to come back now, with the album having come out this year too.

“Each artist is different,” he says, detailing the diversifying roster of artists he works with. “I’m pretty cool with everybody, so I’m easy to work with. I already know the artist before I work with them, so it’s a little easier, when you’re working in different genres. I know personality-wise who they are and what they’re looking for in their music. My job is just to make sure that we get that across and that they’re happy. That’s the job at the end of the day. If you don’t make everyone happy, they’re definitely not going to call you back.”

As conversation turns to the way jazz has entered the mainstream, thanks to artists including Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, and even Pulitzer Prize-winning Kendrick Lamar, Dave remains unsurprised about the genre’s wider exposure.

“It’s interesting. For us, it’s been this way for the last five or six years; now, it’s getting more exposed to the world. It’s good that it’s gotten out and it’s a little more popular and more people appreciate it; appreciate all the other musicians from across the world doing it. We all knew about each other from a while back, so this isn’t necessarily new. It’s a progression of whatever sprouted back then.

“I met Kamasi many years ago, and I think the first time Thundercat went to Japan was with The Drumhedz,” Dave remembers. “We all connected way back. We are all fans and friends of each other, so we always try to make sure we support and help each other. We were able to write something together on Kamasi’s new album, I was excited about that.”

Music and its expression, its core evocative energy, is at the root of what drives Dave as a creative; even talking about it in the context of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, there’s a feeling that while he’s happy to be conversing about his music and last few years on the road, he’s much more in his element when he’s creating and playing.

“I normally don’t even like doing it,” he says of technical masterclasses. “[But] I’m doing it for this festival. I usually just like to play and not explain anything; it gets too confusing. Your expression is in what you’re playing. When they’re like, ‘Give me that in words,’ I’m just here like, ‘I can’t give that to you in words, that’s why I play music.’

“We don’t label music in my circles,” he says, which makes collaboration all the more organic. “It all started with who you were playing for. That’s how people formed the opinion of how you played. It depended on how good you were at different genres, and then it expanded from that. It’s more about the experience, how you feel, that emotional energy.”

Interview: Cat Power

PHOO CREDIT: Eliot Lee Hazel

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY BEAT MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 2018

Over the years, Marshall’s songwriting skill and musical identity has both strengthened and diversified with time and experience. Currently  preparing for the release of her new album, Marshall — and fans — anticipate the tenth Cat Power studio record: Wanderer.

The singles that fans have been delivered so far (‘Wanderer’, ‘Woman’, ‘Stay’) have been strong in their presentation, yet Wanderer shines as a whole for its great sonic contrasts, as well as Marshall’s defiance; in both her writing and vocal performance. Where other Cat Power albums are known for a somewhat cathartic channelling of pain, Wanderer is built on ideas of hope and possibility, taking a road less travelled in search of redemption, or emotional enlightenment.

“I think it serves a purpose,” Marshall says of Wanderer. “There are some things I needed to release. Songs are like a mystery inside my mind, you know? There were some things I needed to release to help me as a human, as a woman.”

Wanderer is the result of some years’ work of writing and recording between Miami and Los Angeles. Marshall notes the impact her son had on her work as a musician, and how integral he was to the formation of this record.

“Having my child, or maybe having his soul in my body, carrying around someone’s soul in your body may link you with some sort of divine synergy,” she ponders. “I am much more grounded and extremely self-protective and protective over my life. My intention while recording this album was one of complete protection and security of personal space; protection of the intention of goodness.”

Bringing Rob Schnapf into the fold to help produce Wanderer allowed Marshall to relinquish some of the already heavy workload she had taken upon herself, and also allowed for a strong, new dynamic to thrive.

“If I hadn’t left Miami, my comfort zone, and gone to mix somewhere else, I probably wouldn’t have recorded the song ‘Wanderer’, because it was so personal,” she remembers.

“It was more of a meditation. I wouldn’t have recorded ‘Stay’; that whole recording was just a soundcheck, basically. He had been recording and I didn’t know.”

“My ex-label was calling him and asking if there were hits and he kept that information from me. He didn’t tell me, and I didn’t find out until  recently. He upheld his integrity as an artist too. Working with him, it was like being in his house. It was so comfortable.”

The importance of finding beauty in nuance was crucial for Marshall on Wanderer and in Schnapf, she found a comrade.

“He did a lot of work with Elliott Smith, who was a friend of mine,” she explains. “He understands the elegance of simplicity, you know? That’s really important.

“It was similar with Lana,” Marshall adds, reflecting on her relationship with Lana Del Rey, who features on ‘Woman’. “When she asked me to go on tour with her, there was an understanding of, ‘Hey, we’re a team’. That’s what we’re meant to do. We’re meant to relate. If you see an old man who’s just broken down on the bus corner crying, we’re meant to put our hand on his shoulder and ask him if he’s okay or if he needs help, you  know?”

Speaking openly about how this process differed from creating Sun six years ago, Marshall vividly recalls the external pressures put on her to deliver a career-defining album.

“For this record, I had the pressure on me again,” she admits. “I knew there was pressure to do a hit record. When they asked for it and when they returned it and said it was no good, that I needed to change it – I worked very specifically on this record. I had clearly visualised my path of  recording this record right after my little boy was born.”

“Sun was so overpowering. It was so dominating. I worked so hard to make sure that I created and formed sound and words with integrity. It’s so hard, because the idea of a ‘hit record’ just doesn’t make sense to me. Fame and wanting to be famous, I’m not comfortable with how absurd and how pointless that is.”

Within the bounds of previous Cat Power releases, there is a gorgeous, albeit haunting, quality; the mark of a songwriter that flits cleverly between elegant warmth and painful vulnerability. Wanderer holds this quintessential Cat Power quality dear, while also navigating a more mature creative landscape that has only formed itself from time spent slowing down, and appreciating each of life’s experiences; both good and bad. Many would argue that music is a remedy, and for Marshall, it has always been a crucial medicine.

“There are things we all need to get free from and music helps,” she says. “I didn’t talk to people when I was younger. I didn’t talk to journalists, no one wanted to interview me about my songs. Over these years, I’d meet people who would say, ‘this song helped me’. That (music) also saved my life a long time ago.”