INTERVIEW: The Crimea
- Posted on April 28, 2008 12:33 PM
- 0 comments
Interview by Katie Spain
When we settled down for a natter with one half of The Crimea, the guys were gearing up for what turns out to be an impressive headline slot at The Rage Into Spring. The Rage concept is simple; great gigs for grown-ups. The free bar, food and Krispy Cremes didn't go astray either. Welsh drummer Owen Hopkin and bassist Joe Udwin made time for a pre-gig chat against a Banksy backdrop in Cargo's outdoor patio.
Talk soon turned to frontman Davey MacManus and his enlightening blog, first musical memories and the sodden gig experiences that have moved them. Who knew the view from beneath a poncho could be so good?
You are headlining The Rage Into Spring tonight, how are you feeling ahead of the gig?
Joe: It should be good, we are playing quite a few new songs tonight.
Owen: I think it should be interesting, with all the anticipation going on around a load of new songs.
On the way in there were loads of people hanging about outside. We wondered if they were all waiting for you.
Owen: Maybe, we do tend to attract a large amount of homeless people.
Joe: Yeah, they are part of our core audience.
Owen: Yeah, we thought, "Ah, the regulars are here".
What is your take on this gigging for grown ups then?
Joe: It’s great. Everybody here seems pretty cool. They’ve got free alcohol!
Owen: It’s good, as long as they both run together, sweaty gigs and sticky floors with the higher end; posh venue and posh food. As long as they co-exist and everyone’s happy, then it is a recipe for success… and world peace.
Joe: And low carbon footprint.
Let’s quit the adult talk and go back in time. What is your first musical memory?
Owen: It was when I couldn’t walk – because I was young, not because of anything else. My grandmother had a record player and the records would go through to a load of farm yard animals and I would constantly want my parents to keep playing it. I would sift through all the record and pick it out and make them play it.
Joe: My first memory is rather less fun and animal related. I grew up in Zimbabwe and we had a tiny, four inch, screen. I remember 'Stand By Me' playing on it. I remember feeling that strange mixture of feelings, between beauty and melancholy, for the first time.
Can you remember your favourite toy when you were younger?
Joe: I had a bear called…Paddington.
Owen: I had a panda that I called Pandi. He was my first imaginary friend.
Do you still have your first instruments?
Joe: My first instrument was a guitar. I don’t have it now. It was in Zimbabwe. My teacher actually came in and it was in the way, it snapped in half.
Owen: I don’t have my original kit, but I have my first proper kit. Up until, very recently, I have been using little bits of it. It’s been with me for about eighteen years now.
Are instruments a man’s best friend?
Joe: Uh, um…I don’t know?
This question stems from Davey’s blog...
Joe: In that context, his new guitar is brilliant. His previous one was £34 from Argos. I’m not surprised he feels so strongly about it.
What would your dream piece of kit be?
Owen: A little chip to put in my brain so that every time I got on stage I would just fly on the kit. That would be very nice.
Joe: I would go for a Gretsch guitar or a flute. A Jazz flute. Are you guys going to blindfold us and take us to a room and give us our dream instruments?
Owen: I would love to be able to plug something in my head and download all the songs that I hear in my head, without the aggravation of using a finger to tap them out on a piano.
What’s the story of how you guys first came together?
Owen: It was through random acts of chance and meeting. Davey and I kind of started in a previous band. We met Joe through a set of neighbours and friends. Andy came through a friend of a friend of a friend’s girlfriend’s second cousin twice removed.
Are you still based in Camden?
Joe: Davey is. I’m based in Vauxhall where all the weekend night clubs are.
Owen: I live in Pimlico behind a take-out. It sounds a lot grander than reality.
We are covering one festival every weekend this year. What is your favourite festival?
Owen: Reading hands down for me. I went there as a kid and have been back every year since – apart from maybe twice.
Joe: Reading is excellent. Latitude is pretty darn good as well. It is steeped in memories.
Owen: Yeah, it’s the kind of festival that you can get mashed at and still feel posh. There is a literary tent that you never ever go to but it’s comforting knowing that it is there and that you can have some enriched culture.
Joe: I saw something pretty unlikely there once, I saw someone doing mime to Danielle’s poetry. There are two revelations there: one that she has poetry and two that people would be inspired to do mime to it.
Are you playing any festivals this year?
Owen: We are making our third record at the moment so that is taking precedence over everything else. Once that gets done, then we can think about touring and the other side of things.
When can we expect album number three?
Joe: Through the departure of our guitarist, we decided to make it sound a bit different. Andy’s piano is coming to the forefront too.
Owen: It’s stripped back but still stacked up. It’s a wall of sound made of cotton.
Your song Loop the Loop is on an advert for a particular brand of gum, do you chew the stuff?
Joe: I have done….
Owen: When we got the request, I thought it was for Trident missiles. It then transpired that it was Trident chewing gum.
Joe: We are glad that it turned out to be a left-field advert.
Owen: Yeah, the advert worked well with the track. With adverts, it is an important decision to make correctly.
You have played with a lot of amazing people, Regina Spektor, Ash, Kings of Leon and the Stereophonics. Who gave the best advice and who was the most fun backstage?
Joe: Modest Mouse was pretty darn good. It took them to get to their eighth album before they really made it! If you make great music, eventually it will happen.
Owen: The Kings of Leon, all four are f****** unbelievable. It’s like they came down from Mars.
For your last release, you performed at midnight on Primrose Hill. It sounds pretty special. What is your most memorable gig that you have been to as a fan?
Joe: I think seeing the Arcade Fire three years ago at Reading in the BBC tent – before they got big – was truly inspiring.
Owen: I wish I had something cooler to say but the first one is Oasis after the first single. No-one knew any of their songs but when they played the single, I though f*** me, these guys are amazing. As weird as this sounds now, it felt like a complete breath of fresh air. The other time was seeing Muse at Reading. I had never been that convinced by them. They played before Foo Fighters, and I thought, what the f*** are they doing playing one down from them? It was pissing down, me and my friend were sharing a poncho, I had my face through one hole and he had his through the other hole. Muse came on and it was almost as if a nuclear bomb had gone off in Reading. I couldn’t believe it. It was just f**** astounding. Live, they are untouchable.
Related links:
The Crimea concert tickets and listings.
The Crimea's official site.
Davey's blog.
Up and coming Rage events are:
* Rage At The Race, Monaco, May 24 & 25
* The Rage On In Summer, Cargo, July 2
* The Rage Through Autumn, October 8
* The Rage Out In Winter, December 11
You can join The Rage as a member. This will entitle you to priority access and discounted tickets to all rage events. The membership section of the website has access to features, videos and downloads from hotly tipped artists. After attending two events as a guest the membership fee pays for itself. For more information go to www.therage.tv or call 020 7993 3281.
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