Amelia’s Magazine | Of Montreal, Casiokids

It feels like of Montreal (who are actually from Georgia) have been around for even longer than their eleven years. They’ve never really felt the fickle grip of hype, instead remaining a constant presence; on mixtape compilations, at parties and in music blogs. Shamefully, their part-of-the-furniture demeanour has meant that I’m only familiar with a handful of their hits, having never felt the impulse to dig deeper and geek up on all of their releases (and boy are there releases; in just over a decade they’ve produced nine studio albums and six EPs). So tonight as we head into Digital, just off the pebbly shore of Brighton beach, I can honestly say that I have no idea about what will be store for us over the next three hours, but I can’t wait to get inside.

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Casiokids at Brighton Digital

While coats are swapped for raffle tickets and bar trips hastily made, Norweigen eletropoppers Casiokids take to the stage in a burst of bright, primary coloured lights and Cheshire-cat grins, fiddling about with the wires that extend out of the countless electronics and snake around their lace-up pumps. The self-named ‘electro troupe’ stand huddled in a close group enshrouded in equipment, energetically clapping their hands and throwing out jaggedy, pulsing dance moves. The music is vigourously dynamic but they appear relaxed as they spin out perky electro soundscapes, drenched in positivity and good times, as the stage is soaked in blocks of red, blue and green light.

Before of Montreal make an appearance, the atmosphere ascends; even the soundcheck is watched by the surrounding crowd with all the excitement normally reserved for an unexpected rendition of an old favourite, not the usual “one-two-one-two”. After being thrown into darkness, the lights eventually rise to depict a guy in a tiger mask standing center stage, setting the tone for the theatrical extremities that will follow. All members then appear to ‘She’s A Rejector’, dressed to the nines in glitter, dark shades, and ruffles, looking like a bemused circus group that have somehow got lost on their way to a carnival in outer space. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and I have to remind myself that this is a band who released their latest record, ‘Skeletal Lamping’, in various bizarre formats, including jewellery and bags.

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Of Montreal at Brighton Digital

Frontman Kevin Barnes never stops moving, always pointedly alert as he bops around and dramatically strips off his shirt. He performs one song sat high on someone’s shoulders and even manages a costume change. The band play their way through tracks from albums including Skeletal Lamping, The Sunlandic Twins and Hissing Fauna…, as pigs, ninja’s and buddahs dance across the stage and with band members, which is slightly disturbing and fantastically theatrical. Due to the many incarnations of of Montreal over the years, their music comes in various forms – it sometimes verges on a ramshackle of unpredictable indiepop, then swins into funky afrobeat, and then just when you think you’ve got them pinned down, they throw in some psychadelic grooves to prove you completely wrong.

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Of Montreal at Brighton Digital

For of Montreal a concert isn’t merely a runthrough of numbers but a grand performance; a chance to challenge perceptions and revel in insanity, dressed up and down and bringing their world onto the stage with them. As we leave I overhear a girl telling her friend, “My expectations were so high, but that has totally gone past anything I’d expected. It was incredible”, perfectly summing up the evening.

Categories ,Casiokids, ,Indie, ,Live, ,Of Montreal

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Amelia’s Magazine | Primavera Sound 2011 Review: Moon Duo, PiL, The Glenn Branca Ensemble, Suicide and more… (Day 1)

Ambiente_01_Chus_Sanchez
Photo by Chus Sanchez (Courtesy of Primavera Sound)

Primavera Sound 2011 opened in a delicate climate this year, check full of antithetical feelings and tensions. On the one hand, healing bitterness, for sale for the current political situation of Spain that translated in protests in Plaza Catalunya (one of the main squares of the city) and culminated in a shameful event on Friday 27th ; on the other hand, excitement for the gran finale of the Champions League that saw the mighty Barça winning against our ManUn. Now, I’m definitely not a football fan, nor am I that politically engaged. However, that edgy atmosphere, so in contrast with the sunny weather and the slow-paced life of the Catalan coast, had a strong impact on me. And definitely on the festival, too, that this year felt more aware of and integrated into the current affairs happening outside its fences.

San Miguel Stage by Laura Lotti
Photo by Laura Lotti

For this 11th edition, the festival counted 276 concerts spread out in a über-programme taking over the entire ciudad for a week of music, party and movida. And, figures speak, it hosted 140 thousand attendees, only for the 3-day music marathon at the Parc del Forum – no wonder the queues at the bar were the longest I’ve ever seen. Not to mention that on Wednesday night, Pobre Espanyol was so packed for the official opening night of Primavera Sound 2011 that I couldn’t even get in for Caribou’s performance!

Anyway, this is, starting from Thursday 26th May, how the most intense and tiring (but all in all, extremely enjoyable) three days of the year went.

Thursday

My personal festival experience kicks off in style with Moon Duo, the San Fran real life couple formed by Wooden Shjips’ Ripley Johnson and partner Sanae Yamada. They deliver a stroboscopic performance that would be truly mind-blowing if it took place in a small dark room enlightened only by flashes of lights. Shame it is only 7 in the afternoon (I should say evening, I know, but, boy, the sun is still burning at this time in Barna!)

Moon Duo by Laura Lotti
Moon Duo by Laura Lotti

Anyway, Moon Duo was my must-see band for the beginning of the night, and after that the Clash of the Titans start. Some more rock-psychedelia from The Fresh & Onlys or Ducktails’ dreampop? It’s hard to make decisions when you’ve got so many good bands on the bill. While lost into these options, I stop by the San Miguel stage, strategically positioned at the centre of the festival site to catch some of the colourful performance of queer-pop Of Montreal that, next to the new more electronic tracks, play some good ol’ hits like ‘Suffer for Fashion’ and ‘The Party is Crushing Us’.

Music Video: Of Montreal – Suffer For Fashion
YouTube Preview Image

Time to get a flat beer (ha, this taste! I’ve craved for this for the whole year!) and I realize I’ve missed both The Fresh & Onlys and Ducktails.
The thing is, this year Primavera Sound is so big, not only in terms of the lineup but also as in “geographically spread out” that not only the stage times of some of the most exciting bands of the moment are overlapping with each other, but also that some of the most exciting stages where the aforementioned bands are playing (namely, Llevant, Pitchfork and ATP) are miles away from each other. Therefore, one needs to plan properly every move. And RUN, if required. And always remember that even going to the toilet or stopping to refuel might mean missing an entire gig.
Screw that. Note to myself: next year arm yourself with a pair of Heelys (might not be as cute as a pair of Menorca sandals, but at least you’re sure not to miss one thing).

Running by Laura Lotti
Photo by Laura Lotti

(Also, note to the organisators: DO NOT try to create an alternative festival currency, especially if you cannot provide an adequate number of tills actually able to take payments with it. Because, if queuing is already an annoying practice that makes people generally angry, queuing and having your money refused because the bar only takes Primavera Sound cards, or on the other hand, having all your pennies virtually enclosed in a piece of plastic and finding out that is worth nothing, makes people become potential killers.)

PiL by Laura Lotti
PiL by Laura Lotti

My handmade personal time table tells me that Public Image Ltd are playing now. Johnny Lydon is a controversial character indeed. Either you love him or you love to hate him. Though, you have to admit he is a freaky kind of genius. Despite last year’s reunion with Sex Pistols was something classifiable between lame and shameful, with PiL he’s giving the best of himself. His voice is the as grimly sharp as it was 30 years ago, and Lu Edmonds’s guitar is a distillate of pure syncopated virtuosism. Though übercool Connan Mockasin is on at the same time on the not far away Vice stage, I can’t help but be stuck (though dancing like crazy) under the stage. “Fuck’s sake, man, we are PiL. We’re the only friends you have in the music industry” – so Mr Lydon, clad in Burberry’s trench, salutes the ocean of enthusiasts under the stage. The sentence per se could be debatable. Though, quote: “fuck’s sake, man”, they ARE PiL indeed!

Johnny Lydon by Laura Lotti
Johnny Lydon by Laura Lotti

Dripping sweat and beer, at the end of PiL performance, I move to the ATP stage for another of the highlights of the night: The Glenn Branca Ensemble. Watching this concert (calling it ‘gig’ diminishes the majesty of it) makes me understand what it means to be able to make music. Glenn Branca certainly knows well the most hidden secrets of this fascinating practice to be able to convey such a powerful performance. The stage and the whole area around is filled with delicate but strong harmonies, drones and basses. Again, at some point, most of the people in my position would have gone to check out Grinderman (who doesn’t love Nick Cave?!), but as the Guide To Summer Music Festival suggests, let’s not be too angsty when it comes to music. Better stick to what sounds good your ear at the moment than rushing around to try bits and pieces of everything, risking not to enjoy any of the choices and ending up with a massive feet-ache that may prevent you from dancing till the wee hours. Yeah, eventually I’m very glad I stay for the whole gig.

Glenn Branca by Laura Lotti
Glenn Branca by Laura Lotti

Now it’s time for Suicide. I’ve always been a massive fan of Alan Vega and Martin Rev, but their performance of their debut album leaves me puzzled. There’s something very perverse in loving old bands and listening to old music, because when the time comes to see them live, chances are that if they cannot keep up with the time passing (and with your personal expectations – and yours, and yours and yours, too), you’ll be doubly disappointed. In fact, it breaks my heart seeing a very worn out, almost voiceless, Alan Vega attempting sensual moves on the notes of ‘Ghost Rider’. Seeing such an influential band, that threw the foundations of most of today’s electronic music, acting like the poor apology for themselves is too much.

Suicide by Laura Lotti
Suicide by Laura Lotti

But instead of breaking into tears, I decide to move towards the young and cool Jägermeister-Vice stage, where the sound of today is on. Time for Ty Segall, the Californian multi-instrumentalist, rock ‘n roll wonder-child that performs a tight set of supercharged rockabilly party tunes accompanied by a full band of cool dudes and rock chicks.

Ty Segall by Laura Lotti
Ty Segall by Laura Lotti

After their show, I’m tired as if I have just run a marathon. So I happily leave the festival site, satisfied with having witnessed one of the greatest comeback of the year, PiL, and promising to myself I’ll go see Baths and Factory Floor, that are going to play later in this never ending night, next time they play in London (that is, certainly soon).

Ty Segall by Laura Lotti
Ty Segall by Laura Lotti

Categories ,Alan Vega, ,Amelia’s Magazine, ,Animal Collective, ,Avant Gard, ,barcelona, ,baths, ,beer, ,Connan Mockasin, ,Ducktails, ,electronic, ,Factory Floor, ,festivals, ,Glenn Branca, ,grinderman, ,Jarvis Cocker, ,laura lotti, ,Martin Rev, ,Moon Duo, ,Music Festivals, ,Nick Cave, ,Of Montreal, ,Parc del Forum, ,PiL, ,Post Punk, ,Primavera Sound, ,psychedelia, ,Public Image Ltd, ,pulp, ,Queuing, ,Rebecca Elves, ,Rock and Roll, ,spain, ,Suicide, ,summer, ,The Fresh & Onlys, ,The Glenn Branca Ensemble, ,Ty Segall

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Amelia’s Magazine | Pyramiddd: An Interview: Part Two.

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So, shop Lets tackle the name situation. (A few months ago these fellas were known as Starfucker) I was on your blog reading the suggestions that fans sent you and my favourites were Rad Stewert and Wasabi Lube…
J: Oh, salve I don’t like that one at all!

That was my favourite!
J: You can have it! I dunno if you play but whoever suggested that would be stoked to know that there was a band called it I’m sure.

Pyramiddd was the one to go with?
R: Not necessarily, page I fucking hate it.
J: Not really, I kinda hate Pyramiddd too.

I got that vibe when I read that blog, there seemed to be a little tension surrounding the issue…
J: The thing that sucked was that we had to pick it so quick. We rushed into it, We were releasing our 7” here and everyone was like “What the fuck is your name, you need to pick a name so we can release this” So we were like – I guess this is it.
R: That was the one that we agreed on more than any other name, out them all.
J: Master Control was close and Trust Fund was close. They were the two runners up.
R: We had some other ones we picked. But, We picked ones and we liked it for a day and the next day we hated it. But there’s no such thing as a good band name. Like Radiohead sucks. That’s a stupid band name.

There is another band called Starfucker, Can they have it, are they worthy?
J: Yeah they can have it, It’s a stupid fucking name!
R: Starfucker is a bad name too.
J: It was a joke! We didn’t think we would be touring the US let alone coming to Europe and Japan if we had any kinda foresight we would have picked a better name a long time ago. Its like getting married, a joke that goes too far… Never again!

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Another thing I saw on your Myspace was the Las Vegas episodes
J: That was funny, That dude talking bout the cist! I dunno how he saw it, I like bent over to pick up a key and he was like “Aahh cist there”
R: Its not even that big!

Are you guys filming what your doing over here?
J: Yeah we have, We have mainly been filming in the car because that is all we do. It takes hours to get everywhere, but its pretty, the architecture is pretty. Have we filmed anything interesting?
R: I filmed the red light district. That was difficult, your not meant to.
J: He got flipped off.

The Internet told me about the Target commercial, One of your tracks feature on it?
J: Unfortunately, that’s the way it is now- that licensing your songs to commercials is a way to make money. Which is better way of making money than parking cars for me.

Yeah, but its does get a lot of people to hear your music that wouldn’t necessarily hear it…
R: Yeah, I didn’t know that people did this but people will actually find the songs used in commercials and find out who the band is. I didn’t know that was a thing because I don’t have a TV. Target has great music on their commercials.. plus Target has great things at great prices! Make sure you go to target! Today!

Medicine” is your first release over here, Is this a good representation of what is to come with the album, or is it not that far on?
J: It’s not that far on but it seems mostly a little darker than stuff we have so far. The new idea is a 30 minute dance block-all the same tempo and songs that fade into each other. Maybe it will b like that. I dunno about “Medicine”, We didn’t really pick that. Other people were like “This will be a good song” So we were like, “Alright, do what you want.”.
R: Really every song is a single on the album!

Sorry for the “Smash Hits” stylee question, But what is your medicine for winter?
R: Most the things that make me feel good, make me feel bad later
J: I have been really homesick on this tour. I just started dating someone I really like so we are gonna take a trip to LA I’m excited about that. I’ll be all warm all my friends will be cold in Portland. I have been eating lots of good food like cantrell mushrooms chopped up with pasta.
R: That’s another great thing bout Portland, You can get so many great vegetables. That’s my winter medicine- I like cooking and baking pies.
J: He is an amazing cook!
R: I like to save my vegetable ends, put them in a big plastic bag in your freezer then boil it and it makes good vegetable broth. Keep all your ends and boil for a few hours = Perfect, amazing vegetable broth.
J: I want ask you how to make granola-he makes really good granola. He is like Mom, he would make us sandwiches when we started on tour.
R: I don’t do it anymore now, I get tired. I’m too busy now. I have a kid. If I make granola while my kid is with me the kid will end up in the granola.

The first thing I thought when I heard “Medicine” was that you guys played a lot of video games in the 90s?
J: Yeah, That’s really true! 007 was my favourite video game from the 90s on N64. Playing 007, listening to The Fugees album on repeat for hours on end.
R: I was a Nintendo system kid. I never moved beyond that. I played the Sega Genesis once, but that’s it.
J: Genesis was good.

I wasn’t a Sega fan, Nintendo all the way..
Both: Yeah
J: But I think Sega had, Mortal Combat, that was rad.
R: Yeah totally, Sega had Road Rash and Sonic the Hedgehog.
J: Sonic was rad too.

It’s such a colourful song but the video is black and white, any reason behind this?
J: I think it was easier for Andrew to make-he’s our friend, he is learning the programmes.
R: I think its fitting, I think the video is still very colourful, l like the dancing in black and white, it can bring out the movement. Whether or not that was intentional or not, I think It works really well.

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I kind of came to my own conclusion that you were really into what Beyoncé does right now?
R: Her video was after ours!
J: That “Single Ladies” video was amazing though!

With the black and white thing and also all the moves being busted out all over the place I assumed she was one of you creative influences?
R: I like her for sure, I have total respect for her she’s queen diva. Neal Medlyn, a comedian/performance artist came to Portland and did “The Beyoncé Experience” and wore a wig and had gay dancers with him and that was one of my favourite shows ever. Yeah, so that was inspiring!

What’s your signature dance move, I know you defiantly got one Ryan from that at the end of the set? (He owned the floor)
J: I don’t go out, I don’t dance. Only on tour.
R: I love when he does though, its awesome!
J: It’s horrible!
R: I don’t dance like on stage when I got out, I tone it down, I cant go out on a dancefloor like BLUGHG, Some things are strictly for performance but for the most part when im around other people I don’t go too crazy I respect peoples space.
J: What that called, grinding though, that’s always nice. That’s how you get laid thts how it happens. You like it?
Love it!
R: Yeah, it doesn’t matter you just find someone you like!
J: That’s how it happens!
R: It’s very primal.

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What live acts do you aspire to be as good as?
J: Of Montreal are amazing live! We played with them at Monolith festival, Colorado. They really put a lot of effort into putting on a live show. There is a lot of thought- interesting clothes, people coming out doing crazy shit.
R- I don’t even like Of Montreal that much, but live is amazing for sure. There aren’t that many live shows, I don’t really know, There just aren’t many good live bands…Broadcast they don’t do much, but they have a certain energy while they are playing that draws you in.
J: Deerhunter’s great live, they are one of my favourites.

What should people be prepared for when they see you live?
R: I like it when people don’t know what to expect, when people don’t know who we are. When there’s some mystery about it. I like going to something and not knowing anything about it and then when its really good, it being awesome like makes me feel like I have a secret now.
J: Sometimes you can see Keil’s junk when he is playing drums, like a lot because he wears dresses. Be prepared.

I thought they were nice boys.
If you think they are nice boys,
Follow them on twitter
Add them on myspace
AND BUY THEIR TUNE HERE

Categories ,beyonce, ,Broadcast, ,deerhunter, ,Monolith Festival, ,Of Montreal, ,Pyramiddd, ,radiohead, ,Smash Hits, ,Starfucker, ,The Fuegees

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Amelia’s Magazine | Music Listings

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Monday 19th January

Greg Dulli/Mark Lanegan, Union Chapel, London

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For fans of the drug-n-whisky soaked darker side of life this intimate venue should be the perfect place to catch the full intensity of this bad boy duo’s melancholic rumblings.

Still Flyin’, Stricken City, We Have Band, Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, London

15-piece Californian band/orchestra/whatever headline with their sunny but diverse indie pop. Plus cool electro pop from We Have Band.

Tuesday 20th January

Kasms, White Heat, London

Noisy and shambolic guitar sounds from these metal-tinged black-haired Londoners.

Wednesday 21st January

Wire, Cargo, London

wire.jpg

Sometimes gigs from old favourites can be a risky business, often liable to disappoint when your heroes have become sad old has-beens. With any luck these late 70s punk stalwarts were too cool to age badly and this should be a great gig.

Little Joy, Dingwalls, London

Strokes drummer Fab Moretti becomes a front man on this side project. Expect New Yorkey, indie-pop in a similar vein to, um, The Strokes via Brazil.

Thursday 22nd January

La Roux, Cockpit, Leeds

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She’s in Issue 10 so she must be pretty good but don’t just take our (and every other music journalist in England’s) word for it. Check out her fun dance pop live.

Friday 23rd January

Sky Larkin, Barfly, Cardiff

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Cute but clever indie rock from Leeds with a definite off-beat edge.

David Grubbs, The Croft, Bristol

Once the founder of 80s punk metallers Squirrel Bait, David Grubbs now plays grungy post-rock as a solo concern.

Saturday 24th January

James Yuill, The Macbeth, London

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Think Jose Gonzalez without the advert but with plenty of electronic sounds to accompany the quiet and introspective acoustic numbers.

Of Montreal, Digital, Brighton

Much loved indie pop, spreading a little happiness whilst supporting Franz Ferdinand on their latest tour.

Sunday 25th January

Le Corps Mince de Francoise, Library, Lancaster

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Daft Finnish pop in the same vein as CSS, Chicks on Speed and others of that ilk. Crazy make up and fun party girls = a great end to the weekend.



Categories ,Barfly, ,David Grubbs, ,Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen, ,James Yuill, ,Kasms, ,La Roux, ,Le Corps Mince de Francoise, ,Listings, ,Little Joy, ,Musician, ,Of Montreal, ,Sky Larkin, ,Still Flyin’, ,Stricken City, ,We Have Band, ,Wire

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Brighton based indie band Foxes!

Foxes! by Kathryn Corlett
Foxes! by Kathryn Corlett.

Foxes! are husband and wife team Adam Bell and Kayla Bell, joined by Al Grice and Matthew Thwaites. Together they create beguiling indie music accompanied by some great lo-fi visuals. Dance along to the sing along likes of Who Killed Rob? or exhilarate in the rolling rock of Oh Rosie. From the creation of their own record label, Big Salad Records, to their fun homemade videos, here’s a band doing it their way… Adam answered my questions.

foxes album artwork
Your new album was launched earlier this month, what has been the response so far?
Yes, it has been exciting and the response has been really interesting, we’ve had some very detailed reviews and writers seem to have found nice words to say and things that have made us think about our music and what we are doing. Releasing an album in January is quite a difficult task, as the press and retail outlets tend to be quiet in the new year. In that sense, I feel that we’ve started 2012 with something that will grow, I’m hoping the album will be heard by the right people and settle into something that is appreciated on a wider scale than we’ve known before, having existed as a DIY band for some time. I suppose what we are doing isn’t necessarily in line with the big popular sounds of today and so we do rely on keen eared enthusiasts to get the ball rolling and tell everyone to love us! Saying that, there’s good signs of progress already, with great press and some old fans coming out of the woodwork to show support, which has been lovely.

Foxes! by Gemma Cotterell
Foxes! by Gemma Cotterell.

Your music is a beguiling mix of twee indie and rockier vibes, what are your influences and would you say this is fair description? if not what would you prefer?
Well, the twee influence and tag which seems heavily associated with the band is an interesting one because none of us would say that we are big fans of that genre. Personally, the bands that influence me the most would be Elephant 6 Collective acts like The Apples In Stereo, Of Montreal and Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as Yo La Tengo, Weezer, The La’s, The Unicorns, The Flaming Lips and so on. I like the lo-fi aesthetic and the idea of writing a melody or phrase that catches in your mind and goes round and round, that’s an important thing to try to grasp and a great challenge, which I always find very rewarding. I like to think of us as a rock band who write pop songs that don’t necessarily follow the most expected path. I think there’s space to be both strange and popular, if you have good pop ideas, there’s so much you can do beyond the basic presentation of a song. As we tend to write communally, there’s four minds for each idea to pass through, which gives each song a chance to pick up a variety of styles before its finished.
 
YouTube Preview Image
The video for Oh Rosie feature some great animation, who did you work with for this, and what was the inspiration?
Kayla made the video with Gareth Harwood. They have a little animation and design company so making music videos for relevant bands always seems like a fun idea. Kayla’s artwork in general is focused around day-to-day life and it is the things she experiences in her immediate environment that she finds most inspiring (see www.mundaneappreciation.com for more of Kayla’s artwork). The video for Oh Rosie is filled with things from her bedroom. Dresses, stationery, things in her handbag, her hamster (Flash) etc., combined with direct references to other tracks on the album.
 
Foxes!
Photography by Emily Mary Barnett.

You recently relocated to Brighton, what was the lure?
We started as a three piece in Oxford back in 2005 and moved to Brighton after the summer of 2007. Kayla and our original bass player Dan were studying in Oxford and finished their courses that summer. We were drawn to Brighton by the past to some extent, as I had lived in Brighton during my teenage years, and Kayla had immediately loved it when she first moved over from Canada in 2001. It felt like coming home when we moved back, although Oxford was very good to us and we did love it there as well.
 
Foxes! by Zoey Hardwick
Foxes! by Zoey Hardwick.

You’ve also set up your own label Big Salad Records, what prompted this move?
It’s a combination of factors – ever since we played with the folks behind Fence Records when Kayla and I lived in St Andrews, I’ve been inspired by how strong the inspiration is when a group of people work together in a kind of collective. In Brighton, we know some very talented musicians and all of us seem to be involved in lots of projects, most of which never see the light of day and end up stuck on hard drives in people’s bedrooms.
 
Foxes
Big Salad Records was created as a way to encourage friends to get their music into the public domain and hopefully to build a similar collective to, say, the Elephant Six or Anticon labels in America. For Foxes!, we had worked with a few different labels, releasing singles and EPs but I think we reached the point where we just wanted the album out and felt we had enough contacts and experience to do that with the new label. I’m really excited about it and there’s some great things in the pipeline for Big Salad Records.
 
FOXES! by Lottie Pencheon
FOXES! by Lottie Pencheon.

What is it like working as a husband and wife team?
Well it can be intense at times, but usually it’s great fun. Recently Matt and Alan seem to bicker more than we do. I’ll always believe there’s something magical between us when we work together and it’s overwhelming sometimes to think what a great creative partnership we have managed to uncover. A lot of the new songs are more directly written about our marriage and the crazy times we have been through. We are going to record the second record later this year and try to bring it all together into one piece of writing, set to the backdrop of an aquatic drama. It could make or break us!
 
YouTube Preview ImageWho Killed Rob?

Where can fans catch you in 2012?
We currently have three gigs scheduled. The first is a headline show at Pavilion Theatre in Brighton on 16th February. Then we are back in Oxford for the first time in a while at The Cellar on 10th March. We are also playing a London show for Odd Box Promotions at The Wilmington Arms on 16th March.

YouTube Preview ImageThe Panda Bear Song

Foxes! by Foxes! is out now on Big Salad Records.

Categories ,Adam Bell, ,Al Grice, ,album, ,Big Salad Records, ,Elephant 6 Collective, ,Emily Mary Barnett, ,Fence Records, ,Foxes, ,Gareth Harwood, ,Gemma Cotterell, ,interview, ,Kathryn Corlett, ,Kayla Bell, ,Lottie Pencheon, ,Matthew Thwaites, ,Neutral Milk Hotel, ,Odd Box Promotions, ,Of Montreal, ,Oh Rosie, ,Pavilion Theatre, ,review, ,The Apples In Stereo, ,The Cellar, ,the flaming lips, ,The La’s, ,The Panda Bear Song, ,The Unicorns, ,The Wilmington Arms, ,Weezer, ,Who Killed Rob?, ,Yo La Tengo, ,Zoey Hardwick

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Amelia’s Magazine | An interview with Brighton based indie band Foxes!

Foxes! by Kathryn Corlett
Foxes! by Kathryn Corlett.

Foxes! are husband and wife team Adam Bell and Kayla Bell, joined by Al Grice and Matthew Thwaites. Together they create beguiling indie music accompanied by some great lo-fi visuals. Dance along to the sing along likes of Who Killed Rob? or exhilarate in the rolling rock of Oh Rosie. From the creation of their own record label, Big Salad Records, to their fun homemade videos, here’s a band doing it their way… Adam answered my questions.

foxes album artwork
Your new album was launched earlier this month, what has been the response so far?
Yes, it has been exciting and the response has been really interesting, we’ve had some very detailed reviews and writers seem to have found nice words to say and things that have made us think about our music and what we are doing. Releasing an album in January is quite a difficult task, as the press and retail outlets tend to be quiet in the new year. In that sense, I feel that we’ve started 2012 with something that will grow, I’m hoping the album will be heard by the right people and settle into something that is appreciated on a wider scale than we’ve known before, having existed as a DIY band for some time. I suppose what we are doing isn’t necessarily in line with the big popular sounds of today and so we do rely on keen eared enthusiasts to get the ball rolling and tell everyone to love us! Saying that, there’s good signs of progress already, with great press and some old fans coming out of the woodwork to show support, which has been lovely.

Foxes! by Gemma Cotterell
Foxes! by Gemma Cotterell.

Your music is a beguiling mix of twee indie and rockier vibes, what are your influences and would you say this is fair description? if not what would you prefer?
Well, the twee influence and tag which seems heavily associated with the band is an interesting one because none of us would say that we are big fans of that genre. Personally, the bands that influence me the most would be Elephant 6 Collective acts like The Apples In Stereo, Of Montreal and Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as Yo La Tengo, Weezer, The La’s, The Unicorns, The Flaming Lips and so on. I like the lo-fi aesthetic and the idea of writing a melody or phrase that catches in your mind and goes round and round, that’s an important thing to try to grasp and a great challenge, which I always find very rewarding. I like to think of us as a rock band who write pop songs that don’t necessarily follow the most expected path. I think there’s space to be both strange and popular, if you have good pop ideas, there’s so much you can do beyond the basic presentation of a song. As we tend to write communally, there’s four minds for each idea to pass through, which gives each song a chance to pick up a variety of styles before its finished.
 
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The video for Oh Rosie feature some great animation, who did you work with for this, and what was the inspiration?
Kayla made the video with Gareth Harwood. They have a little animation and design company so making music videos for relevant bands always seems like a fun idea. Kayla’s artwork in general is focused around day-to-day life and it is the things she experiences in her immediate environment that she finds most inspiring (see www.mundaneappreciation.com for more of Kayla’s artwork). The video for Oh Rosie is filled with things from her bedroom. Dresses, stationery, things in her handbag, her hamster (Flash) etc., combined with direct references to other tracks on the album.
 
Foxes!
Photography by Emily Mary Barnett.

You recently relocated to Brighton, what was the lure?
We started as a three piece in Oxford back in 2005 and moved to Brighton after the summer of 2007. Kayla and our original bass player Dan were studying in Oxford and finished their courses that summer. We were drawn to Brighton by the past to some extent, as I had lived in Brighton during my teenage years, and Kayla had immediately loved it when she first moved over from Canada in 2001. It felt like coming home when we moved back, although Oxford was very good to us and we did love it there as well.
 
Foxes! by Zoey Hardwick
Foxes! by Zoey Hardwick.

You’ve also set up your own label Big Salad Records, what prompted this move?
It’s a combination of factors – ever since we played with the folks behind Fence Records when Kayla and I lived in St Andrews, I’ve been inspired by how strong the inspiration is when a group of people work together in a kind of collective. In Brighton, we know some very talented musicians and all of us seem to be involved in lots of projects, most of which never see the light of day and end up stuck on hard drives in people’s bedrooms.
 
Foxes
Big Salad Records was created as a way to encourage friends to get their music into the public domain and hopefully to build a similar collective to, say, the Elephant Six or Anticon labels in America. For Foxes!, we had worked with a few different labels, releasing singles and EPs but I think we reached the point where we just wanted the album out and felt we had enough contacts and experience to do that with the new label. I’m really excited about it and there’s some great things in the pipeline for Big Salad Records.
 
FOXES! by Lottie Pencheon
FOXES! by Lottie Pencheon.

What is it like working as a husband and wife team?
Well it can be intense at times, but usually it’s great fun. Recently Matt and Alan seem to bicker more than we do. I’ll always believe there’s something magical between us when we work together and it’s overwhelming sometimes to think what a great creative partnership we have managed to uncover. A lot of the new songs are more directly written about our marriage and the crazy times we have been through. We are going to record the second record later this year and try to bring it all together into one piece of writing, set to the backdrop of an aquatic drama. It could make or break us!
 
YouTube Preview ImageWho Killed Rob?

Where can fans catch you in 2012?
We currently have three gigs scheduled. The first is a headline show at Pavilion Theatre in Brighton on 16th February. Then we are back in Oxford for the first time in a while at The Cellar on 10th March. We are also playing a London show for Odd Box Promotions at The Wilmington Arms on 16th March.

YouTube Preview ImageThe Panda Bear Song

Foxes! by Foxes! is out now on Big Salad Records.

Categories ,Adam Bell, ,Al Grice, ,album, ,Big Salad Records, ,Elephant 6 Collective, ,Emily Mary Barnett, ,Fence Records, ,Foxes, ,Gareth Harwood, ,Gemma Cotterell, ,interview, ,Kathryn Corlett, ,Kayla Bell, ,Lottie Pencheon, ,Matthew Thwaites, ,Neutral Milk Hotel, ,Odd Box Promotions, ,Of Montreal, ,Oh Rosie, ,Pavilion Theatre, ,review, ,The Apples In Stereo, ,The Cellar, ,the flaming lips, ,The La’s, ,The Panda Bear Song, ,The Unicorns, ,The Wilmington Arms, ,Weezer, ,Who Killed Rob?, ,Yo La Tengo, ,Zoey Hardwick

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