- Tue, 2005-12-13 12:36
The Subways are living the provincial kid’s dream. Already praised by the NME and Q and tipped by Zane Lowe to be the definitive new band of the year, the trio made phenomenal strides throughout 2004 towards fulfilling that destiny. Not only did they support a veritable who’s who of the alternative music scene – Graham Coxon, The Von Bondies, The Datsuns, Charlotte Hatherley, The (International) Noise Conspiracy and a phenomenally confident display at The Tears debut at Heaven – but they were also handpicked by Michael Eavis to perform on The Other Stage at Glastonbury and also played at the Reading and Leeds festivals.
Needless to say, Infectious were suitably impressed and snapped them up, giving them their own City Pavement imprint. Not bad going for any band, let alone one with an average age of eighteen emerging from the suburbia of Welwyn Garden City.
I Like Music caught up with The Subways from San Fransisco on their first tour of the United States.
“I Like Music because… it’s what keeps me breathing.” Billy, The Subways
ILM: Your new single No Goodbyes is out on December 12th. Can you give us your own personal description of the tracks whole vibe?
Billy: The track was written by Charlotte and I when we were sat round a piano with an acoustic guitar. It was the first step in the band writing the kind of songs that we never thought of doing before. It’s a lot softer than any of our previous singles and it’s a song that I hold very close to my heart.
ILM: You have just finished a full on tour of the UK. How did that all go?
Billy: It was amazing! It was mind blowing for us to play a full 46 date UK tour having sold out all of the venues! The audience were mental and it was a really big step for us. We had a great time.
ILM: You guys are a great live band. What do you look forward to the most about playing live?
Billy: I think it’s seeing the audience go crazy. We really feed off their energy and I think they feed off our craziness to. It’s an unspoken mutual acceptance that we have. I love that!
ILM: Is there a track you like to play live the most?
Charlotte: I think that it changes each gig for me. It’s really interesting to see how different cities and countries react to each song.
ILM: You are off to the US this week. This is your first tour over there. What can our American readers expect from The Subways gigs when you arrive?
Charlotte: We are really excited to be playing our first gigs in America; we can’t wait to build a community over there.
Billy: Yeah, we want to make sure that we work hard over here and any applause that we get we want to feel like we have truly earned. That’s why our tour in March will be really important for us.
ILM: You appeared in The OC, due to air here in the UK in Feb 2006. How was that? How did you appear? And how mad was it?
Charlotte: It was an amazing experience for us, and to be on a film set for the first time was fascinating. We played a couple of tracks in The Bait Shop to an audience, with some of the actors from the show acting out a scene.
Billy: We’re actually the last band to be playing in The Bait Shop. Or so I heard! Don’t take my word for it though, just in case I’m wrong!
ILM: Can you describe The Subways' process of writing and recording such good music?
Billy: Ah. Thank you for saying that. We just do what we feel, to be honest with you. There’s no real formula that we follow – our emotions lead us and we go where the wind-sails take us. On songs such as Lines Of Light it took a while to piece the song together in terms of fusing the lyrics, guitars and bass-line together and making sure the ending was explosive in the way I saw it in my head. Rock & Roll Queen in contrast was just jammed out straight off like the raw nerve that I was at that particular time.
ILM: Loads of people are using the internet these days and getting their music out there before even getting a record deal. How has the Internet affected you guys?
Charlotte: The internet has got me into so many kinds of bands and really has shaped the way we approach our music. It’s another tool that we think is really important in keeping in contact with the fans and building the community which we set out to do in the first place from those early London shows.
ILM: You are still fairly early in your careers but you must have learned a lot so far. Have you got any advice for others looking to break into music industry?
Billy: I think the best advice I can give is to record as often as possible for as cheaply as possible. Learn your craft and learn to know yourself and be honest with yourself. Form bands with people you know you can trust, so that you can be honest with them, so that the art is pure and true. Send your demos out to venues and promoters, add songs to the internet and keep things fresh by continually writing and developing.
ILM: What are the future plans for The Subways?
Billy: I think our current immediate plans are to work really hard and enjoy our time in America as much as possible. Touring is a big part of what this band does, getting out there and playing to people is something that gives us purpose and a voice and we love it – so that’s really what we plan to do.
Charlotte: Yeah, we’re really loving America at the moment and we can’t wait to see what happens when the album comes out.
ILM: Can you describe your favourite place on Earth?
Billy: Right now? It’d have to be the Coffee Bean round the corner from our L.A. hotel. I LOVE vanilla lattes!
Charlotte: We are in San Fransisco at the moment, and I think it’s the lovliest city I’ve visited. It’s a very beautiful urban area.
ILM: What’s in your CD player right now?
Billy: I’m currently listening to Madonna’s new album. I think it’s fantastic! It reminds me of the old dance records my sisters used to listen to so I’m fascinated by it at the moment. Madonna, it also has to be said, is a star.
Charlotte: I really like We Are Scientist’s debut album, it’s a great collection of groovy songs.
Josh: Interpol, Antics. I can’t get enough of that record. It’s one that I’ve listened to for quite some time now!
