INTERVIEW: The Subways
- Posted on June 10, 2008 10:30 AM
- 1 comment
Interview by Zarina Raja
'When I sing Rock 'n' Roll Queen, it is really me celebrating the good times we had together. We are still having good times. Charlotte and I are closer than ever.'
When The Subways come on in a club, the dance floor explodes. It’s a clichéd expression, but as shards of the dance floor are splattered across the wall, the sober stand, the tired move, and the bored are entertained.
Coming through a break-up which could have quite easily ripped the band apart, The Subways are back with a new single, a new album and a host of tour dates and festival appearances.
We chatted to Billy Lunn, guitarist and vocalist of The Subways. Although having just done a three hour photo shoot and teetering on the edge of starvation, Billy dived into the world of The Subways and talked me through the break-up, the new album, and the truly Rock ‘n’ Roll vibe of The Subways…Nintendo and history books.
Alright is out on 16th June. I’ve just been watching the video. It looked like a lot of fun to make. Who decided that Charlotte would drive the car?
Well, it was kind of decided by the law because Charlotte is the only one out of all three of us that can drive. We thought it would be a good idea to drive through Death Valley with Charlotte driving a really awesome Cadillac. The idea was to make it really Mulholland Drive. We made it with the guy that did our first video, Oh Yeah. It was great to be working with him again.
I bet you were so jealous that you couldn’t drive the car?
I was, yeah!
She does look cool behind the wheel though.
She looks very cool behind the wheel.
Have you still not played it live yet?
We started playing it two shows into the tour.
How’s it going down?
Great; everyone is recognizing it now, now that it is getting out there. It’s amazing that you get that sort of response as soon as you hit the first chord. It’s just fantastic.
Do you feel nervous before you showcase new material?
Yeah, we were really, really, nervous, especially since we haven’t toured in such a long time. We haven’t toured since the end of 2006. In between the two sessions of making the album, we came back to the UK to do Reading and Leeds, but apart from that we haven’t been on tour since 2006 because of all the stuff that we had to go through. We are mostly excited about playing the material more than nervous though. We are really proud if all the songs that we have made. It’s great to have the response that we have been having. We have been getting more confident with the more shows we do. Everyone is going crazy for the new stuff.
Do you find that your own personal favourites change the more you see the crowd reaction?
Yeah, absolutely; we have a song on the record called Strawberry Blonde. We were really nervous about playing this. Most of the material was written while we were touring during sound checks and on the tour bus, but this was written in the studio. We only recently played it live for the first time so we had to re-adjust it for a live format. That has been getting a great reaction too. We are really humble to be getting that reaction.
Your new album, All or Nothing, is out very soon. Has your sound changed since Young for Eternity?
I think we have got much heavier. We have become much better musicians since then too. After Young for Eternity, we toured and toured and toured, and so honed our skills. I think the songs on All or Nothing are just even more exuberant and energetic than Young For Eternity.
You are playing Koko in a few days. Are you going to mix up old or new, or stick to the playing the new tracks?
We have been playing the majority of the new stuff and the odd old songs. I think when we play Koko, because we haven’t played for so long, we will play some old stuff. I hope they want to hear the new stuff too though. I think what we are going to do is pick the five or six best tracks from Young For Eternity, and then play all the new material.
I don’t want to dwell on the break-up, but how do you feel singing the old songs that obviously hold a lot of memories?
The thing is, we are both really positive people and we draw the most positive elements from things. You have got to accept the struggle and the mistakes that you have made. You need to celebrate it and use it. When I sing Rock 'n' Roll Queen, it is really me celebrating the good times we had together. We are still having good times. Charlotte and I are closer than ever. We have always been a writing partnership. We are best friends basically.
Your live shows are amazing. They are very ferocious and enthusiastic. How do you hype yourself up before gigs?
We just doss around before a show. I play the Nintendo and Josh reads a history book…
Rock ‘n’ Roll….
Exactly, we are totally against the cliché of Rock ‘n’ Roll. We are quite physical on stage so we have to get ourselves moving a bit. If we have enough space in the dressing room, we try and do a few laps and flips. Charlotte and I practice our harmonies too.
Are there any nights when you think I just cannot go on stage tonight?
I’ve got to be honest with you, there has never been a time when I haven’t wanted to go on stage. I adore being on stage. I thrive on the idea of singing these lyrics on stage and having these people singing them back. I have never been a cool person so to have all these people singing things back to me…
You once supported the Foo Fighters – you must have had to work yourself up for that one. Surely you didn’t play tetras before that one?
No, definitely not. There was a lot of nail biting during that show. We stopped playing a month before because my voice was really bad before hand. It was infront of 40,000 people. Some guy from the Foo Fighters entourage came round to the dressing rooms of all the support bands and told us that the ramp on the stage was Dave Grohl’s and that it was not to be touched. What do I do when I get on stage? Run straight down the ramp and dive off of it. I’m so excitable.
If you could choose any act to support The Subways, who would it be?
Well, I would rather support them. If it was a band that I really loved it would be too hard to follow them. I have got to say that it would have to be Nirvana. I have got to say that it would be a bit of a struggle going on stage after them. I would just love to see them play, you know?
‘Oh Yeah’ was an Indie anthem in the Clubs a few years back…which song from the new album do you think could replace Oh Yeah?
We have a new song called Shake Shake. Everywhere we play it, by the end, people are going crazy. Maybe Turn Around too.
You have got some festivals coming up. Do you head straight into the crowd to catch the bands after you have played?
It depends who is playing. I love festivals. Stepping out of the bus and seeing all the green grass and the sky…just music blurting out of all the stages. You can literally see music in the air. It’s so colourful. It’s the best environment.
In your opinion, what is the best festival out there at the moment?
Oh, that is tough; Can I say one from each country? Australia – Big Day Out. Germany – Hurricane Festival and in the UK…it’s so tough but Reading; Charlotte and I used to go there when we were young. T in the Park is great too.
What is it about Reading that you love so much?
All the bands that I grew up with have played Reading festival. They always put on bands that everyone has to see and are compelled to go and see, for example, Nirvana in ’91 and ’92. It’s one thing to go to and quite another to be playing at. When we are at festivals, if we see a band on the line-up, we just have to go and see them. Backstage, we are totally uncool, we run over and go ‘oh my god, I love your music.’
You are playing Glastonbury too this year. Will you be able to stick around and check out the bands?
I think we have another gig in Slovakia afterwards. Kate Nash is on before us though, and we love Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. There are a bunch of bands that I would like to check out.
Which festival are you most looking forward to seeing?
Well, we have Download this weekend which we are really excited about. We are Download virgins. It’s going to be a great experience.
Tell me a bit about the creation process of All or Nothing. Did it differ from the creation of Young For Eternity?
We worked with an American producer and his sound is just amazing. He is very meticulous with his sound and got very involved with the tracks. We did pre-production which is something that we never did for the other album. We spent two weeks rehearsing before we even thought about recording. He would stand there and watch us play while asking continuous questions about the lyrics and the music. We became very thoughtful about each track. It gave us a real feeling of accomplishment. At the same time, I don’t think we have ever had such a great time. It was a great experience for us.
You wrote twenty five tracks for All or Nothing – how do you filter out the songs that are going to make the album?
We wrote twenty five tracks in the UK but had whittled them down to about sixteen once we reached the US. We demoed the songs. I borrow money from the label so that we could buy the equipment to demo. We spent a lot of time tweaking and perfecting. There are certain parts of certain songs that did something for me and my friends. Unlike a lot of bands, we did spend a lot of time on each song. We were really assertive about what we wanted to achieve. We would rather go in with sixteen fantastic tracks than loads of mediocre ones. I hear about bands going in with about eighty tracks. To me, that is utterly pointless unless you are going to do a triple CD.
What are you favourite songs on the album and why?
I'm really proud of Alright.
What is the one word that sums up All or Nothing?
Rock.
What is the most memorable gig that you have been to as a fan?
Ah, I have got to say that it is the first ever gig that I went to with my brother and my dad. We went to Wembley to watch ACDC. I was twelve. I said, Dad, that is the guitar that I have to play. It threw me into the deep end of music. I was sort of into Oasis but after I saw ACDC I just wanted to rock.
Related Links
Win tickets to see The Subways at Reading Festival
Buy The Subways tickets
The Subways MySpace
Tags
Comments (1)
Ash
Nirvana....supporting the subways....
What planet is the kid on?
And it's Tetris. Though Tetrass would work too. Dullards of rock n roll unite.
Posted on June 11, 2008 11:50 AM
Post a comment
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.seatwaveblogs.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/3114
