- Fri, 2010-02-19 15:54
Los Campesinos! have absurd amounts of energy. Having met at Cardiff Uni and signed to legendary indie label Wichita, they’ve put out three albums of whirlwind indie-pop in under two years. Their touring schedules suggest a serious allergy to a night off.
I Like Music took advantage of a rare moment of inactivity to find out from singer Gareth about the band’s approach to performing and writing, and what it is that keeps them charging onwards and upwards.
"I Like Music because… I can use it to reinforce that I’m right to feel the way that I do. If I’m feeling miserable then I’ll listen to miserable music and my feelings are justified!” Gareth, Los Campesinos!
ILM: How do you approach your live shows?
Gareth: We always prioritise enjoying ourselves above everything else. It’s not about being 100% technically accurate. After all, if we’re not enjoying ourselves then how can anybody else who’s there? So it’s always an intense high-energy experience. We’re uncomfortable with this idea of a hierarchy between performer and audience. We try to break that down and be as in-your-face and involving as possible.
ILM: What have been your favourite live moments so far?
Gareth: All Tomorrow’s Parties in 2008 was amazing. We all go every year as fans so to be asked to play it was an absolute high for us. It was something we all wanted to achieve but didn’t expect to do for years. In hindsight I kind of wish we hadn’t play it so that we’d still have it to look forward to! Our first ever gig in Japan was incredible as well. The Japanese crowds are so reverential and respectful and then you play a song and they just go insane. We also played to 10,000 people on the main stage of Lollapalooza last year in blistering heat. To go to the other side of the world is exciting enough as it is. To go there and find that people are really excited to see you is just a mind-blowing experience.
ILM: Have you seen any unforgettable shows that have shaped your attitude to performing?
Gareth: Long before Los Campesinos! formed my friend Pete and I went to see Hidden Cameras. They invited a couple of people on stage to play percussion during one of their songs, and it just so happened that it was us two! That was an incredible experience as a fan. Then there was a really intense Nintendo-core band called Gay Against You. They set up on the floor and didn’t pay any respect to the idea of a stage. There was confetti and at one point during the gig one of them put a cardboard box on my head! It was like a proper dance-party. The DJ Girl Talk is amazing too. I saw him at Coachella in a massive tent of 6000 people. Everyone was going insane and dancing, rather than facing the stage to watch him DJ. I lost my friends half-way through and was dancing with complete strangers, but it didn’t matter ‘cos it was just such a euphoric experience. If you can make an audience forget themselves, even just for a few minutes, then that’s the key.
ILM: Your lyrics are really distinctive. What’s the writing process behind them?
Gareth: When ideas come to me I don’t write them as lyrics per se. I write them as prose. If something happens that I feel I want to tell I won’t try and make it into a song immediately. I’ll just put the thoughts down so I have all the possible scenarios rather than just going for the soundbite. Once I have a story that I want to tell then I’ll make it into a song. I only write about things that have actually happened to me. Everything on the new record and on We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed is autobiographical. At this stage that’s the only way I feel good about writing. I realise it’s different for other lyricists, but if I’m telling stories that aren’t my own then it feels a little bit like cheating. I have to be entirely honest with people.
ILM: So do you have piles of notebooks packed with ideas?
Gareth: I used to use a notebook but not so much anymore. I always have a computer with me now so I just write stuff out on there. Actually, a lot of the time I don’t even need to write the stories down. They’ve happened to me so I know them backwards. But then again if I come up with a particularly good rhyming couplet then it’s nice to have a pen and paper on me. Sometimes I even put it down in a draft text message so that it’s not lost in the cold, hard light of sobriety!
ILM: Are there any lyricists in particular who you look up to?
Gareth: My favourite lyricist of all time is one that really isn’t given the credit he deserves. You might laugh, but it’s Paul Heaton from the Beautiful South! They’re probably best know for their chart hits but look back at their first albums and you’ll see that he’s an incredibly emotional and political lyricist. Because of hits like Perfect Ten people just don’t give him the respect that he should get. A more contemporary one would be Yoni Wolf from Why. He’s so clever. The rhymes, couplets and metaphors that he comes up with are just out of this world. I really aspire to be like him.
ILM: How do Los Campesinos! view chart success?
Gareth: We would love to be Number 1! I’m a massive fan of chart music and things like the X-Factor. If we were to have a Number 1 and I was propelled into that world of celebrity it would be amazing! But we recognise that we’re not that sort of band. If we were to ask ourselves ‘how can we make this into a hit?’ then we wouldn’t be being truthful. The songs would be contrived. I could try to write lyrics that would have mass appeal but that wouldn’t be me. One of my song-writing priorities is being honest. If it happened naturally that would be amazing, but we don’t have it in us to second-guess people. We don’t really exist in that sphere and we’re not disappointed because we never expected to!
ILM: What sphere do you see yourselves occupying?
Gareth: We look up to bands like Belle and Sebastian, for example. They’ve never had a chart hit but they’re still a massive success. Most people might not be able to sing you a song of theirs but they’ll more than likely have heard their name. Most importantly, they’ve never compromised what they do. If we could have a career as long as theirs we’d be happy. Longevity is what we’d like to achieve out of all of this.
ILM: You’ve already achieved a lot for a small independent band. How might others emulate that?
Gareth: We’ve been very steadfast and remained true to our initial plan of how to go about things. A band that’s just starting has to believe wholeheartedly in what they’re doing. Perhaps it sounds a bit clichéd, but you can’t afford to second-guess yourselves or other people. You’ve just got to do what comes naturally. It’s really important to remain true to yourselves and not to be adversely influenced by anybody. We have an artistic vision and we’re not willing to compromise that for the sake of selling a couple of hundred extra records. That probably sounds incredibly pretentious! But in 20 years time we won’t be in a band anymore and we’ll want to look back knowing we did everything on our own terms. I think that would be a nice personal legacy to have.
ILM: What have you been listening to recently?
Gareth: I really loved the latest These New Puritans record. The first one was difficult to come to terms with. There were a few songs I really loved but it was really difficult as a piece. But this one is just brilliant. The new Owen Pallett album is on a different level as well. It’s a masterpiece from beginning end. You have to appreciate it as a whole. My favourite album of last year was the probably the Slow Club one. They have really touching and beautiful lyrics.
