Beatsix are on a roll this week! Two interviews with two equally awesome bands in only two days!
Today's interview was with the marvellous Michael Reed, guitarist from Mutineers, an indie quartet from Manchester, UK... Here's a little bit about them...
Despite only forming two years ago, they've shot to success having recently supported well-known and well-loved musicians such as: The View, Pete Doherty and Bad Lieutenant. Their debut album ‘Friends, Lovers, Rivals’, is an esoteric, enigmatic and engaging compilation of some potential near-future big hits. Infectious melancholy with emotive, heart-stirring lyrics, the beauty of which matches the likes of Echo and The Bunnymen or The Cure. We could go on and on about how much we adore this band but we know you're dying to see what the masterful Michael Reed had to say on behalf of them... so here it is!
How and when did the band form?
We came together as drinking buddies
more than anything... we were all sort of frustrated at how our current
projects at the time were panning out so we all sort of came together and
started afresh... I don't think I'm only speaking for myself when I say it was
quite liberating at the time.
Who are the bands musical influences?
I think that's always a tough
question to answer, but in terms of the album that's out I'd say at the time we
were listening to and devouring a lot of the good 80s guitar pop bands, the
likes of The Cure, Smiths, New Order... I really like the early Echo and The
Bunnymen albums as well... saying that, we're equally turned on by newer stuff
we might hear on the radio or catch at festivals... The likes of The National,
Bloc Party... I'm quite liking some of the Howler stuff right now.
How did you come up with the band name?
More than anything I'd say it's just
a cool looking word, it looks good printed out and it isn't embarrassing to say
out loud to people... but it does have some relevance in a way that as
previously mentioned we all sort of ditched what had gone before and set sail
upon new musical waters... I'm starting to sound like captain Jack Sparrow
now... in search of musical treasures... OK, I'll stop!
What's the best gig you've ever played?
I'd probably say the shows with Bad Lieutenant (New Order side project) were up
there, it was a pleasure to open up for a band with such a rich history and
receptive fan base in venues like The Ritz in Manchester and Heaven in London.
What's the worst gig you've ever played?
I think we did a mini tour that had Derby something in the middle, bearing in
mind that we'd just played shows with Bad Lieutenant and Pete Doherty... the
performance was great but I think the official attendance was 12, 2 of whom
were the road crew!
Which of your own tracks is your favourite and why?
It changes on a daily basis... I’d love to play the Hyde Road live because it's
a bit of a fun thrash and really easy to play... in terms of recordings maybe
it's Shadow Kisses right now, there's a real lush sort of thing going on with
the arrangement and the way it's layered with various instruments.
Is there a running theme throughout your lyrics or a certain message
you try to put across through your music?
I can't really speak about the lyrics with true conviction as Nicholas Mallins
(singer) wrote every word on the album but I do have a good understanding of
where he's going for most of it... a lot of it is dealing with that time when
you hit maybe your mid 20's and life hasn't panned out the way you wanted it. It
deals with the breakdown of relationships, friendships, frustrations of modern
life, the sorts of things that I guess really appeal to our fan base. I think
it's sort of interesting in a way that we're probably 10 years older than most
of our core listeners... that's probably because what we're writing about is
sort of what they're about to face as they grow up and start seeing the real
world. I think that's the perfect age gap between audience and band... also
allowing the fact that most musicians are highly immature and sort of pause at
about 21 years old and stay that way for a long time!
What does an average day in the recording studio consist of?
It was actually really fun making the
album, it didn't really feel pressured. We were holed up in a cool welsh studio
that was basically a barn with a residential cottage next to it where we stayed…
I think my fondest memories are of staying up very late doing takes and getting
slowly drunk... not that sort of drunk where you're absolutely smashed off your
head, more the relaxed slow ebbed sort of feeling...
What bands would you most like to tour with?
It's probably not a "cool"
choice but I guess the likes of U2, Coldplay etc... Mainly because they play in
arenas and stadiums and we'd be exposing our songs to a hell of a lot of
people!
Where do you see yourselves as a band in five years’ time?
It's
very hard to say as we didn't really expect to be making a second album! I
don't think you can really plan these sorts of things... I think we'd love to
become a real cult band with a big following that can sell out cool venues and
to be able to fund ourselves & make enough money to keep on going as long
as we're inspired... that'd sort of be the perfect scenario really.
Thanks a lot Michael :)
So make sure you check them out! You can find them on pretty much any social networking site... well these four anyway!
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