Loud and Quiet Presents Midnight Chats.
Welcome to episode twenty one of the Loud and Quiet Interview podcast. Thank you for joining us once again, or maybe this is the first time you've listened. The good thing about the way we've been doing this and choosing the people that we interview, is that sometimes someone might just come by and discover us purely for a one off because they happen to be a fan of that artist, which is completely fine. Maybe this is the first time and the last time you will listen to this, I
hope not. You can of course subscribe to the Midnight Chats either on iTunes or Stitcher. I believe is the big one that are on Android phone, or there's many others on Android. I think Android get a better deal. You can pick up podcasts from everywhere on Android, so
find us. We're across all of those things. Or indeed, just enjoy this one episode because maybe you've tuned in purely as a fan of Blank Mass, who is also a member one half of Fuck Buttons, a band who have an expletive in their name, as I've just proven by saying that, but they're an amazing duo of Benjamin John Power who is also Blank Mass who I'm speaking to today, and a guy called Andrew Hung who met
him Wooster when they were skateboarding as younger guys. And they've had an amazing career so far and released some very challenging and very interesting electronic music that's kind of noise is inspired by noise music and punk music as much as it is electronic music. They infamously soundtracked some of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in twenty twelve.
I speak about that a little bit with Ben, but not much because I feel like it might be the kind of thing that has ended up being the only thing that people speak to him about. We were mainly meeting up to speak about his new album, his solo album as Blank Mass, which is called World Eater. It's
his third album, and it's a great record. It comes out next month on the third of March via an amazing label in the States called Sacred Bones, and it is a angry record for an angry time, I guess, but it's actually still got a lot of joy in it. I don't want to get to bog down in analyzing
the record and what's so great about it. Basically We're big fans at Ladon Quiet of both Fuck Buttons and Ben's solo workers, Blank Mass and I met him in the most amazing place in one of an amazing recording studio here in London, in instant John's Wood, which is for anyone who hasn't been to that area of London or around there at all, it's a very posh part of town. It's very posh. It's around the corner from Abbey Road Recording Studios and Rack is as you're here.
It's based in a old school. It used to be a Victorian school until a guy called Mickey Most from in the sixties. It was a record producer. He produced all sorts of people like Herman's Hermits, and I think he might have been the guy that also produced you
Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate. Slightly different feel to Herman Hermits, but he was a great record producer and he started this recording studio which is where I met Ben, and we sat in what was his office, and he died in two thousand and three, and since then they've kind of left his office as almost as a I don't know shrines the right word day a museum piece. To Mickey most and it's an amazing old school recording studio office.
It's still got his original massive, hulking wooden desk there, and his old chair that he'd sit behind every day, and all of these gold discs on the walls. It was just I was just really excited to be in that room, really, and I had a great conversation with Ben there. We were joined also by one of Ben's managers, or certainly part of his management team, lovely woman called Steph, who features on this podcast. Briefly she became inadvertently became
a fact checker. I don't think she realized she was signing up for that when she sat in the room with us. But that third voice that you can hear is Steph. So thanks to Steph for clearing up some facts that we weren't too sure on, and yeah, let's just get into this now. Then this is my conversation with Benjamin John Power, who records under blank Mass when he's not in Fire Buttons. I do have it in
good authority. We don't mention it here in this conversation that Funk Buttons will be back with a new record, hopefully next year. They are going to make some more music together, But for now it's all about Blank Mass and Ben's new record which is called World Eater, and that's out on the third of March on Sacred Bones. This is a pretty special room to be in.
For this, Yes, Rack Studios.
Yeah, this is quite exciting for me because I don't even though I do what I do, I don't really get to go to any recording studios. And this is a really obviously a really infamous one. Yes, in a lovely area of London.
Yes it is. And this used to be a school, right, Oh, I didn't know that.
Actually, I was doing a bit of reading up.
Yes, it was a school. Getting we're getting we're getting a nod over somebody in the Yeah.
I think. Yeah, I was reading just a little bit about it, and I think it used to be a Victorian school, which I guess once you know that, you kind of get that from the outside of it.
Yes, that's true.
I don't know what room this would have been. This feels like it would have been.
Well, this would have been the office.
The office of the school.
Oh right, I'm sorry, yeah, yeah.
We are on what would have been the stage of the school.
Wow, we've got we've got our history we've got our historian. Yeah, this is great, This is so really, I don't need to answer anything.
No, it's okay, that's great. It's have you been have you been here before?
So?
What I mean what I was going to ask us?
What? What? So?
Why are we here? Why why have I come to me?
Well? My managers work out of here. They work out of the office. In fact, you can see them just over here.
And our is that them in the in the little corner one over there.
Yeah, Dave somewhere over there, and our local historian over here as well. Is work for work for the manager, the management?
Good stuff. And have you recorded here at all?
No? I couldn't afford that.
This is like it because this is like quite old score, isn't it.
Yeah, we've got and you've got Abbey Road right just around the corners as well.
Yeah, yeah, it's a similar thing. There is something kind of very exciting and special about recordings I find personally, but maybe that's because I'm not a musician. Do you do you feel that?
Yeah? I mean I've I've I've been doing it from I've been recording from home for for a while now. But can I I can swear?
Yeah?
So I have to check. So with fuck Buttons. You know, our last couple of well, our first two albums, we actually went into studio, into the studio, into a studio, and it means it's kind of it's like an event, do you know what I mean, And you've got to get it done within this kind of space of time or else you have to go back.
Is that a stress?
That is? I mean no, I mean, you know, we we never We've never written in the studio, if you see what I mean. We've always gone to get it down, to get it, to get the recording down. And I guess it can be a stress, but you just have to you just have to do it. You just have to work. You can't work at you know, a snail's pace.
I tend to prefer doing things in my own space because I can go back to things, say at the middle of the night and things like that, you know, if something comes to me or but I mean, it's definitely a thing. I mean, the world that I that I operate in, I think, you know, most people are doing it from home, and most of them can't necessarily afford to go to a studio. That so I do like the freedom that you have with home recording setup.
Do you mainly recall at night?
No, I don't. Actually, I'm actually quite I'm actually quite disciplined. I mean, I'm in the studio by half eight nine every day when I'm at home, unlike a lot of musicians, I would say, and I usually kind of stop when my wife gets home from work unless there's something pressing that needs to be done. But I do tend to keep office hours, which I think is kind of good for my mental balance.
I think I've started to do that this year. Yeah, because otherwise you do dedrive yourself insane, don't you. Yeah, you can just work. So when your wife comes home, that's the that's when you go, right, my day's down now?
Well, yeah, mainly because if dinner's not on the table when she gets home, she's not a happy But you're in trouble. Yeah, I'm in trouble, or at least made to feel like I'm in trouble. But I mean, yeah, I mean obviously, from time to time, you have you know, you have to pull like a sixteen hour shift shift or whatever theyn'd like to call it a shift because
that deglamorizes it a little bit. But you know essentially they are sometimes, but yeah, generally I kind of stick to her, a stick to you know, the office hours. That's good for want of a better. Yeah.
So when I was reading up about Rack, because I thought, you know, I should come with some facts, like the school.
Facts you're going to you're going to tell me more than I know.
What I was going to say, I was looking at other other people that have recorded here. Yeah, who can afford to record here? This list of names I could have? Could you look at it? I'll read you a few. The list has hit me. This is tip of the icebergs because Sting was on the list as well, but I've not included him. Of course, of course was there,
of course he was. Okay, the list, I've written down some big names as David Bowie, Yeah, Michael Jackson here here, Michael Jackson here, Michael Jackson here.
Okay, now I'm impressed.
Yeah that's good, right, Yeah, Michael Jackson's a good one. Al Green all right, Pink Floyd kind of get that, that makes sense, right, yeah, Adele Shakira, wow XTC all right, Radiohead they.
Didn't do they didn't record plans for Nigel.
I'm not sure what they recorded it. This is the thing. It didn't actually tell me.
What is the local historian? Okay, what album did.
Well, we'll look into that.
Yeah, maybe yeah find out Yeah.
Maybe maybe google that. Yeah, come back to us. We're checking on that in a minute. Depeche Mode, Radiohead and Shed seven. All right, Okay, that's.
A that's a list.
It's a list, isn't it.
It's a good list. It's also maybe the local historian can find out which depeche Mode album or whatever was recorded here.
Yeah, it's great having a line research. I know, this is this is excellent.
So good. Well, I mean you've already clearly done your research, but me, I've just got Yeah, look at me, shirking responsibility over here.
Do any of those names do anything for you?
Yeah, of course. Yeah. Michael Jackson was I was beyond obsessed with Michael Jackson as a child too. Yeah. I actually went to see Michael Jackson on his Dangerous World tour. My mother took me from my a birthday, maybe nine ten, I can't remember what year it was even, but that was that was.
Something I went to. The History tour.
Oh okay, that's show.
That was the first show I went to and it's my it's my that is my brag. Yeah, the right thing that I'd say. I'd say it to a lot of people.
That was the first concert you went yeah, yeah Son.
You yeah, Yeah, it's I mean, it doesn't really get much better. What was it? Was it the Wembley show you went to?
It was the Wembley Show. Yeah, he left where arena in a jet path.
Yeah, I saw it. I remember watching it on TV.
Yeah in another interview. Actually I mentioned this the other day, but I remember there was like one of these Michael Jackson looking like kind of people milling around in the crowd before the show, dressed up, you know, exactly like him, looking exactly like him, and I was convinced that this was Michael Jackson, and I was like I had to. I was trying to get my mom to let me go go and introduce me to him, and she's like, it's not him. It's like, get his look, clearly.
Not saying yeah, so I'll come on, then let's go meet Michael.
Come on. Yeah. I could have met Michael Jackson that day in my own mind, but there we go.
So you grew up on Michael Jackson.
Yeah, for a couple of years. Yeah, but you know I was a big fan. Yeah. Yeah, that was my first kind of music that I got really really into as a kid, you know.
Yeah, was it the Dangerous album? Was it bad?
It was bad? Actually, I think that got me into it and then and then I was still in to it become Dangerous. Yeah.
Yeah. He lost me after Dangerous, to be honest.
Yeah, I mean I grew up a little bit after that. I mean, that's terrible to say. I still love Michael Jackson, but you know, when you when you go, I guess I discovered punk music shortly afterwards or something, you know. Sure.
So this is whilst you're you were living in Worcester at the time, Yeah, which is where you grew up? You were born there?
I was actually born in London, okay. Yeah. My mum and dad when they were together, used to run the Museum Tavern pub. Yeah, the Museum Tavern. It's in Kensington, I believe, I know. I'm so sorry. Yeah, it's it's by like the Natural History Museum that kind of very but it's called the Museum Tavern and that's where I was. I mean, I was born where I lived when I was first.
Born, And what aged you move to Worcester.
And I'll say three years old. This I'm really terrible at years and stuff, but it was around the age of three or something like that.
Yeah, I went to Worcester fairly recently. My brothers moved up that way. Oh okay, I went up. I'm pretty sure it was. It was Worcester. I went on the cathedral roof. Oh yeah, that's the thing, right.
Worcester Cathedral is a beautiful cathed.
It's amazing.
Yeah, first use of flying buttresses. I believe that's a good fact.
That's the kind of stuff this podcast.
Now. Yeah, in the in the UK or maybe even Europe. King John is buried there.
He is, but when I was there, there was some scaffolding over his because it's inside, isn't it.
It's inside, he's right in the middle. Yeah, he's toomb or whatever.
Then the concert going on and i'd put in rate seating. Okay I missed that. But you go up on the roof and you have to climb up. It feels like you're climbing up like a hidden staircase.
Yeah. It is a little bit, isn't it. But it's beautiful. And my other Worcester Cathedral fact is that it was used on the twenty on the back of the twenty pound notes for a very long time.
Okay, so what was Worster like as you were growing up post Michael Jackson? It was teenage times.
Yeah, it was pretty good. I mean I was listening to a lot of punk and hardcore at the time, and there were some guys that used to put shows on in you know, whichever whichever pub would let them have the back function room or whatever for you know, two quid or something like that, and they wouldn't get like, you know, huge names or whatever, but you know, anyone who was kind of on the touring circuit, they would kind of bring through a lot of metal and things
like that, you know. So you know, it was fine. And I used to spend a lot of time skateboarding and.
Was that were you were quite an outgoing kid.
Yeah, I would say so, yeah, yeah, I was. Yeah, that's actually how I met Andy, you know, from from my from my band was through skateboarding and Worcester.
Right, he was doing it as well. Yeah, So when you meet Andy, was it a case of was that pure luck? Because of what because of the music of Fuck Buttons is is a very specific sound.
Yeah.
I grew up in South End, and if I had been into that sound, yeah, I think the chance of me finding the other person in South End that liked that would be so slim. Was it like that or was there kind.
Of No, it was a little different. Actually. I actually met Andy through some mutual friends and we skateboarded a little bit together, you know, when we lived in Worcester. Then I didn't see him for a long time until I went to Bristol. I went to university in Bristol.
I studied illustration and then I recognized Andy as someone being from Worcester and I was like, oh, hey, you know we used to scape together and we actually started the band in Bristol, and there was like, you know, like kind of a lot of like minded people who liked weird music in Bristol, so he was just one of those people. But it kind of it more came about because we knew each other from years ago when we used to skateboard when we were teenagers, and.
You knew, did you did you when you met him you were did you instantly kind of click into what became the fuck button sound he had.
He was making, you know, short films for his fine art course, and and we thought we'd hope we used to we used to go out drinking and stuff together or whatever, and we decided that we would have a crack at soundtracking one of these short films he made and then and it worked out pretty well, so we just carried on making music from there.
Really, And do you still skateboard now?
No? I don't.
When was the last time? When was the last time you were on escape?
When was the last time I was on a skateboard? There's there's a skateboard in my in my hallway at the moment that I can't can't get rid of, just in case. But I mean, last time I went to a skate park with a friend of mine who lives in London called Conan, And we went to a skate park maybe about six years ago, and all the kids were just tearing it up. You know, it's just embarrassing. I felt like an embarrassing dad or something, trying to you know, like I was maybe going through a midlife
crisis or something. But if I was good, I wouldn't have felt like that. But they were all so much better them, And I was like, we got to we've got to put an end to this.
Right now, I live opposite at a skate park in Camden and some of the kids in there are like five year old.
Unbelievable.
Yeah, fearless. I think it's the fearless nature youth, isn't it, I guess. But a lot of them are in there on scooters.
Now, oh okay, I mean whatever whatever you want, that's fine.
But there's kind of like tribes. You know, there's like a scooter tribe, and then there's the tables are amazing, and that's such tiny kids. It's a it makes you sick, doesn't I never really got very far with it. I used to be. I used to speak quite into it, but I could only ever Ollie upper curve was. That was as good as I got.
I got, all right, I used to I used to throw myself off like big sets of stairs and I would have like a maybe you know, maybe one out of ten success rate or something like that. I mean, I was never very technical, but I had some I had some balls, you know.
Yeah, that's half the battle.
I think that's half the battle. But now I just if I break something, do you know what I mean? I can't I can't do my job.
And you'd have to explain at the hospital that you were skateboarding.
And they're like, yeah, they'd be grow up. Come on. It's terrible to say, though, because like you know, there are still people our age who do it and are good, are great.
Yeah, yeah, I guess you just need to kicked in it. But I mean punk, the punk music you were listening to at the time, that just goes so hand in hand with skating and that cultures, that culture.
Yeah, they definitely. Yeah.
Who were the big bands for you?
The big bands for me? I mean, you know when I went through a lot of phases as well during that time. I mean I would listen to stuff like The Misfits and No Effects, even things like that, you know when I first.
Because we're around the same age, and I remember that.
Duff like that, who I still have time for around I still have time for all these bands. Really not so much No Effects anymore, but I would listen to it if it came on. And then I guess grunge happened after that, and Nirvana were the big thing for me, who I still love and Sound Garden, But I mean, yeah, I mean that that kind of culture. Skating definitely goes hand in hand with it, doesn't it.
So you started Funck Buttons in in Bristol and then moved to London, I presume, Yeah.
That's right. I actually I actually moved back to Worcester for a little bit and then moved to London pretty much when Funck Buttons first started, just before our first tour. I actually I moved to London just before that.
Yeah, on the on the name fuck Buttons. I've only mentioned this because.
Because you mentioned it, Because I like that that you had to say earlier.
I was just swear it's.
Okay to such a polite nihilist. I like that.
It's got to a point where because I remember fun Buttons coming out, I remember the first record and thinking, what, you know, what a great name. But I never really thought it would be an issue like the expletiff in it because of the world you exist in. But now there is times where I would see it written as f buttons in things.
I mean when we when we first started it, we didn't think we were going to be playing anywhere outside of the pub down the road in Bristol, do you know what I mean? And there were a couple of occasions where there was talk of some kind of self censor censorship. But my you know, my my roots and the punk in me would be like, well you know that, Why why should I change my name for somebody else's benefit. I'm still glad we didn't.
Yeah, it's great.
Yeah.
Does it feel with the places that the band's gone to, which essentially well, I mean when you see it edited, it's because it's in a realm that is probably outside where you thought it would be existing.
Yeah, I mean, you know, so for example the Olympics. You know when when they use blank masks and funk buttons in the Olympics, it's it's f buttons, you know, because you know it's our family show.
You can't lord co.
Yeah, exactly, that's right. The Queen will be there, you know.
Did that around that whole time of of I mean, I mean I remember watching the Olympic opening ceremony. I'm a big fan of the Olympics. Anyway, Yeah, I get quite caught up in it. I was very excited about it being here, and we had a party at my friend's house and we for the opening. Yeah, and as soon as it started and funck buns. It was the first sound of it.
Pretty much opening kind of like video sequence.
Yeah, And I was with a friend of mine who who knows your music as well, but a lot of my other friends don't, and we kind of looked at each other, It's like, that's a that's a fun bun so And that was kind of like did it go? Did your phone go? Mentor?
At that point, I think enough people knew that about it. I mean we had to sign obviously side disclaimers and stuff like that, but you know, close family and stuff.
They I was like, you know, they were tuning in to watch it.
Yeah, of course, but I mean it did to a certain degree. Yeah, I would be lying if I say it didn't. Is this your music?
And there were some blank mask tracks on there as well.
Yeah, there was actually more blank musters and than fuck buttons in there. Whenever a flag, whenever there was any.
It was a flag thing, wasn't it. They were like when the torch came in, The torch came in.
That was always That was always sundown from the first blank Mass album with the London Symphony Orchestra, which I went to see being recorded around the corner at Abbey Road, and that was quite something.
Yeah, was that in the big room there.
That was in the big room. Yeah, there was like a sixty strong string section and a thirty strong brass section, you know, the London Symphony Orchestra. Wow. And Rick Smith took me in to meet them all and I was like bloody yell and so.
They kind of are you introduced to the orchestra and yeah, yeah, and you.
Do a little bout that, just a little bit. Yeah, that's right.
Yeah, well that's quite an experience too. Yeah, that was very cool to kind of do that kind of thing. Is soundtracking something that soundtracking seems so? I mean you say that you and Andy started off soundtracking some.
Of his yeah, like a short, like a UNI project basically, but.
That kind of feels like now the music you make is so fit.
For Yes, I mean everything, you know, all of these albums have such like a strong sense of narrative in them any anything that I do, I mean, yeah, soundtracking is something that I've done a little bit of, but I want to and hopefully I'm going to be doing a lot more of. Yeah.
And now you're not living down here at all.
You're living in Edinburgh, just outside of Edinburgh, now, Yeah.
Where you've been for maybe a couple of years, because I remember you were in the magazine three years.
Yeah, yeah, three years.
What was it that made you want to get out of this town?
Well, my wife and I wanted to get out of London because it was starting to get a little a little claustrophobic, and obviously we wanted to find somewhere that could be ours. And you know, she was actually born in Edinburgh. I really liked it from when I'd been touring there, you know, and I was whenever we were there, I just felt this kind of you know, I could really see myself living here. You know, it's beautiful, you know, the architectures are Gothic and it's really it's really nice.
So yeah, so that was that, really, And we lived in town for the first year when we arrived, like right in, right in the city center, and now we live it's fifteen miles outside of town and it's a little more rural, but it definitely is a change from living next door to the Shackle Arms, which I did for about six years.
Right, Okay, Yeah, Well you like in what in that row of building that's is directly next door to the pub.
Yeah, that Band of Horrors had Yeah, yeah, oh, yeah, that's where I lived, all right, okay, Yeah, my Lafe's place.
Yeah, I went there once to do to meet him. I had like a little courtyard and it used to be like a dairy farm or.
Yeah, that's right, it used to be a dairy and fuck Buttons actually had he had. I made a studio space in there for fuck Buttons, right, and well I'm black mass as well in that courtyard, but which I believe I actually yeah, I don't know. I was about to say such and such has it now, but I don't know if that's right, is it?
Okay?
Because there might be people fans of fans of mister slash missus X that I maybe shouldn't mention. Okay, maybe people already. No, I don't know. But anyway, there's a studio in that.
Yeah, that is right in the middle of that's in the thick of it, though, I mean a busy place to be I imagine.
Yeah.
I mean my bedroom window faced onto the street outside the sheackle well arms as well, so when chucking out time, it was very difficult to not get woken up.
Right, Yeah, yeah, I can imagine. Yeah, So what's what's your kind of basic typical daily regime up in Scotland in the studio at eight.
I mean really depending on what time my wife goes to work, because I get it when she does. And yeah, then I go into the studio, maybe to answer a couple of emails, maybe I don't, depending on what's going on. And then yeah, straight into the studio.
And is that a case of you just making things? You just constantly in there making music. It's not like you're in the studio, but you're in the studio providing you've decided you're going to make this new record for example.
I mean, it depends what's going on. You know. Sometimes there's remixes and things like that to do, or you know, mixing for something that already exists or I mean, but the real fun is when I get to there's no set goal in mind, and I just get to play around with whatever I have in there, and then you know, build up a library of stuff.
And what's your setup? Is it it's like a home studio, but is it where is it? Is it in the garage or is it in a spare room or.
It's actually in the kind of spare room. But yeah, and it's good. You know, it's like it's not it's not huge, but I can fit stuff in there. I mean I couldn't fit a drunk in there, but I can fit all my budget's in there, no problem.
Sure. Yeah, And it's some way you can make as much noise as.
You I can make as much noise as I mean, I haven't, I've tested it out. We're directly below as well, so it's actually in the essentially in the eaves of like an old house that was built in seventeen seventy three I think the house was built, okay, And the studio is up in the eves, so directly below the studio is our space again, so you know, we don't have neighbors directly below the studio, so it's actually quite handy. I mean, it's a small space, so it doesn't need
much to fill it anyway. But it's nice to know that if I do want to, you know, try and make my own ears bleed, then I can without too much without affecting the neighbors too much.
Yeah. Has the fact that you're the fact so you're out in the sticks a little bit more as opposed to the center of town. Has that affected Has that affected the output the music?
Yeah? I mean, I think it would be it'd be fast stretched to find somebody who's geographical location didn't have some impact on the record, whatever that may be. I mean, I and it's difficult to say how it has impacted it. But I mean, Dumbflash was written in three or four different locations, and World Eater was written solely in this space. So maybe it might sound a little bit more direct and cohesive. Perhaps, I don't know, but that's how I did it.
Anyway, sort of title World Eater an incredible. I mean, that's put the bar here for titles of the year. Oh yeah, yeah, I think so.
Oh that's cool.
It's I didn't realize.
But there's a bolt throw a song called world Eater that somebody asked me about the other day. And apparently there's also like a comic book character world Eater or the World Eater or something like that. Yeah. I don't I don't read comics, but apparently there is. Anyway, So where did where did it?
How did that come to you? That?
I mean, the theme of the album is about you know this, this this inner beast that you know this kind of evolutional evolve evolutional evolved hangover that we have, we're still very territorial and and that is the world eater I guess. I mean, you can interpret it however you want to. Also, you know, maybe the human humans are the world eaters and we're destroying ourselves.
Is it the it sounds like because it's a it's a dark record. I guess it's a dark record for a dark time our current. You read it last year, right, yes, yeah, which is I don't know if you know this, but apparently it was the worst year in the history of the world last year, as we all have to say any given opportunity, did you feel, how did your twenty sixteen feel?
Well? I mean, you know, it's very difficult for somebody of you know, reasonable privilege to really put a finite measure on how bad it was. But I mean a lot of shit went down and still is going down, and things aren't right, and human beings are fucking horrible, and you know, I it's yeah, it's difficult for me to say. I mean, sure there was, like, but all these things affect you, don't they, Yeah, of course, do you know what I mean? It's like, I mean I
didn't have a great year. I didn't have a I didn't have as bad a year as some people in this world, though, you know, yeah.
And I think that's important to remember. Of course, a lot of people, I think we kind of did all get a little bit too hysterical.
Well, I mean it's difficult not to when when things are so fucked up, isn't it? I think? But it is important to remember, I think. But I mean, you know, I mean, if you feel you feel towards people who are going through things a lot worse than you, don't you that's another you know it is it is possible to feel empathy and and that affects you know, that affects that affects you too, doesn't it. Yeah?
So is the is the is the record? Is World Eat? The music on World Eater? Is it a direct reaction to last year?
And well, I mean you know it was written over a reasonably small space of time for me anyway, last year, and you know, all of this stuff was going on at the same time. And as I was saying before, you know, you are a manifestation. You know what you put out as are is you know, does manifest itself as from what is going on around you? I would say, I mean, I never try and you know, sit down in the studio and go right, I want to write a hip hop track today. It doesn't work like that.
I mean, it's all it's almost like automatic writing, so and and experimentation, so what what what's going on is definitely has some impact. So to answer your question in one word, yes.
But maybe you just don't know exactly was there. Was there a trigger or a particular thing that that got you going on right in this record? So you're like, that's it, I've had enough, I'm going to I'm going to the studio experience.
No, see, that's the thing. It wasn't It wasn't a protest record. That would be a protest record that would be reactionary. And whilst it is like reactionary to a certain degree, I'd say it's more of a it's more of a kind of and like a recognition as opposed to a reaction. The overall theme is more of Yeah, it's more of a recognition. So and also I'm constantly writing, I don't you know, I don't kind of wake up one day and say, you know, oh, I'm going to
start writing my new album today. Yeah, it doesn't really work like that.
What I like about the record is although it's like it's dark, it's got obviously some a dark overall tone. There are tracks on it like Please, for example, Yeah, when you play when I'm guessing you're going to play some shows to support the album, and when you play those, you're going to be up there and that track's going to come on and people are going to just probably kind of lose that shit, but in a joyful, happy, like throwing their arms in the air kind of way.
It's funny because I see, I actually see that track is quite like the emotional palette within that track. I actually find it quite melancholy. I actually find it quite sad. But that's like that's everybody sees things differently, don't they. I mean, you know, some people may find it, as
you say, like joyous, uplifting. I feel like it's more of a kind of I mean that if I was trying, if I was to try and analyze that one, I would say that that's more that was maybe me trying to make some kind of subconscious effort effort to bring some like personal balance and missed all the madness. I think.
Yeah, seen as last year was, as we've already established, the worst year. Ever, how's how's I'm feeling good about this year? I feel like I'm I'm the only person saying this, certainly in my circle of friends. I've I know, everything's going to ship. How do you feel about about it? I mean, because you're about to enter a year of got your new record, and that's quite exciting time.
Of course. Yeah, I don't really know yet. Actually, I mean, there's obviously some there's some great that has come from the bad, for sure, but it's very it's very early days to say how things are going to go. I don't know. I mean, my nihilistic tendencies sometimes have a louder voice than you know. Yeah, I I I really don't know. I don't know.
Okay, Yeah, I think maybe I'm just trying to I'm just trying to kid myself.
Maybe I don't know. Maybe, but maybe there's hope is also quite important, I think, you.
Know, thanks very much for being a guest on the podcast. Before we go though, Yeah, where do we get on these facts? The XTC record, the Big Express, it's the Big Express?
Okay? Oh okay, what year?
What year was that? Do we know?
The year?
On that? We don't need to go back that's good enough. I don't know where that is.
Oh, the Museum Tavern, it's still called the Museum Tavern.
Is it's still there the past.
Yeah, it's still.
It's around all of the Naturalish Museum and.
Yeah, that kind of area. In fact, I'm pretty sure my dad said that he was in there not too long ago.
Okay, Oh, it's it's the comic.
I don't know. It looks comic and that's what came up.
Okay, well, there we go. Anyway, it's not in reference to a comic book.
This is good. I feel we've got some closure. There are no facts.
That's good. Excellent checker for like every interview.
I know you're free tomorrow, Thank you very much, thank you.
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