In a golden era for Scottish Indie music, yet another Glasgow band have stepped out of the shadows, casting a soul shattering spell on, not just the UK audiences, but far beyond. The Twilight Sad have recently returned from the U.S leg of a far reaching tour, which has seen them grip new audiences straddling both sides of the Atlantic and deep into Europe.
Quiffed Owl spoke with Twilight Sad lead singer James Alexander Graham about their travels, their latest album and the hero who has delighted him by covering one of his songs.
QUIFFED OWL:
Your album Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave has been critically acclaimed, not to mention making it to number 2 in Quiffed Owl’s albums of the year in 2014. If anything, what did you do differently this time, compared to previous albums?
JAMES GRAHAM:
Each album we have made is a snapshot of who we are and I am proud of every single record that we have done. With this record, I think there was a lot more pressure this time because the band may not have existed if the record didn’t do as well as it has done.
QO:
Do you think it was that imperative? Was it make or break with Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave?
JG:
I think it was yeah. We wouldn’t be able to tour or put as much into it if people didn’t embrace it as much. We have been doing it for 7 to 10 years and we have not made any money out of it but it’s not about that, if it was we would have split up years ago. We would have compromised everything and we wouldn’t have been who we are.
QO:
And we have seen that happen too many times..
JG:
It’s not even that, the band have slowly grown and it got to the point that we were really happy with the last album, it received really good reviews but it got to the point we felt like we were shouting up against a brick wall. I don’t know whether it was industry stuff or what but it wasn’t through the lack of our trying because everybody in the band believe in what we are doing. There are no doubts about- Do we want to do this? What the fuck else would we do if we didn’t do it?
There was a moment when we contemplated that this might be our last ever record.
QO:
At what point did you think that?
JG:
I actually thought that before I even started writing it.
QO:
Did that put extra pressure on the writing of it?
JG:
It possibly did subconsciously, aye.
It didn’t affect the songs because the third album was more electronic and we always wanted to kind of ‘open up’ after that. It was all about the band progressing and not really caring about what anybody else thought. It was a matter of just caring about what we were doing and that was all that mattered, even with this record. But, in my mind I thought this could be the last one we ever did because if it didn’t work out it would probably break my heart and i’d never write again.
QO:
So it was a really personal and emotional thing for you?
JG:
Yes. It was like…I might not have the chance to make another one.
I mean, after I went away and did a proper job working on building sites and what have you. I know what hard work is like but I have always worked harder for this band although I made a lot more money doing the other stuff.
We were all aware of the importance of this record, although myself and Andy never actually spoke about it. ‘Make or break’ is probably a bit strong because me and Andy would still write together because that is what we love, thats what we do. To do it full time though,…and tour. I don’t think it would have happened.
QO:
But now?
JG:
It has inspired us to make more records. I never doubted the people who believed in us or bought our records, but when you are playing to small rooms and the shows are nowhere near sold out, you think “Do people really like this?”, but I am ashamed to have ever thought that given the loyalty of our fans and the success of this album (Nobody Wants To Be Here And Nobody Wants To Leave).
The most important thing is that we see a progression in what we do and not concentrate on the outside world.
The five of us are best friends and we are out there playing music together. That is the most important thing and to see it grow is brilliant. But it has naturally grown, through word of mouth not promotion and people talking about us to each other.
We would never have played to 800 people in London last night or had our New York and Chicago shows sold out, or the Seattle show being sold out. I am not saying we are a big band but the numbers of people coming to see us show that people give a shit about what we do.
QO: You mentioned your shows in the U.S, How have the American audiences taken to your style of Indie music, bearing in mind it is quite bleak and dark?
JG: The thing is, we started over there. Our American label put out a 5 track EP which was the first thing we ever did. Then they sent us over to do a big festival with CMJ in New York and then to mix our record in Conneticut. That meant we could tour and every Sunday go back and check on the mixing of our record.
We hadn’t played a gig in Edinburgh at that point yet we had played New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and there would be 100 people coming to see us every night. Nobody knew who the fuck we were in Britain but because we put out that EP in America, it was the opposite.
QO: How many times have you toured America, because you’ve been there twice since November?
JG: Fifteen times. There is something about our music that really connects with American people.
I know the music is miserable but there is something about it that is strangely uplifting. I think they like the fact that the music is honest, that could be the same for any country actually but a number of Americans have heritage stemming back to Scotland. They may not understand all of the lyrics but they understand the passion that is coming through in the music.
I wear my heart on my sleeve and I am not afraid to show emotions. Other bands might think that’s not cool but I don’t care. It’s all about the feeling. Even if you think “Oh fuck, Iv’e been a bit of a fanny tonight and gone too mental”, I just genuinely express my passion in the music and in my performance.
QO: A lot of your song titles…
JG: Fucking long aren’t they?
QO: Now you are just walking over my questions James. Yes, they contain a lot of prose but they also have a sinister edge to them. Is that something you do to try and mirror the darkness of the music?
JG: What I find interesting is that I write my lyrics and my melodies. Andy writes the music and is the producer of the band. But, I find it really hard to name a song, because I have put so much into it, so Andy has actually named most of the songs.
QO: Do you think that is out of exhaustion?
JG: No. I think it is because I am too close to it. I have to detach myself from the song after putting so much into it. I will say that Andy hits the nail on the head with the song titles though.
Andy always gets where I am coming from. I filter my lyrics through him so he is actively involved in every way but very rarely would he tell me that a particular lyric or line doesn’t work. He is sort of my editor but my mate.
Many of the song titles are quotes from films, which you’ve probably noticed.
QO: Your lyrics aside, the power and the resonance in the notes that you hit assure your vocals are extremely emotive, especially with how atmospheric and cinematic the music is. You mentioned before – “the music is miserable”, I would argue it is bleak and dark but far from miserable because it is beautiful.
JG: I agree there is something very uplifting about it and there is a difference between miserable and sinister. We have been at festivals with other bands or touring with them and they are all happy and up beat on stage and they come off stage and they are miserable bastards.
We get it all out of our systems on stage and when we are writing. So we just have a right laugh on tour. We have our moments but I bet if you ask Mogwai and other bands that we have been on tour with they will say that they have had more fun when on tour with us.
QO: And that is why you are doing it in the first place I would imagine?
JG: Of course it is, it is a privilege to do what we do. 10 weeks of touring is like group therapy because I can get off my chest stuff you can’t talk about in real life. We believe in everything we do.
QO: Tell me about the Robert Smith (The Cure) thing?
JG: Aye, Robert Smith of The Cure has covered There Is A Girl In The Corner, the first song off our new record and that is a double A side. I will play you that now (Plays song from his phone).
I cannot believe that The Cure like our band, it’s fucking mental.
The Cure and The Smiths are my biggest influences. I love the Smiths, I have actually done a few sessions with Mike Joyce, he’s a really nice bloke. The Cure to me though, progressively are a band that have always tried new things.
QO: On a personal level, who has influenced your vocals do you think?
JG: For me, I would say Arab Strap and now – Aidan Moffat is one of my best friends.
He is releasing a film shortly and Andy and I are doing backing vocals on it. We have toured the Islands with him and when we go home we go to the cinema and pub together. It’s surreal sometimes to think about it, that the guy who inspired me to do what I do now is one of my best friends.
Aidan and Malcolm Middleton laid the path for countless Scottish acts. They are both lyrically phenomenal but when this film comes out people will see what a genius and funny fucking bastard he is.
QO: Finally, you recently did a short tour of UK independent record shops. Why was that?
JG: We think it is important to support local and independent record stores. As you know with your last article on Record Store Day.
QO: In your opinion what is important about them and what can they do to survive?
JG: Well, it is an experience to shop in these places. There was one in Aberdeen that closed down, they got everything right but it just didn’t work because people didn’t go in.
I think like in Pie and Vinyl in Portsmouth they have made the store appealing and interesting. By selling food and music you are appealing to people to go on in and have a look. Those with the passion, the best ones will survive. We went to Spillers in Cardiff, unfortunately we didn’t make it to Diverse in Newport but we were really glad we did that tour. It was a lot of fun and we got a lot of people through the doors.
Words and photographs by Jimmy Gallagher
THE TWILIGHT SAD OFFICIAL WEBSITE – For tour dates and info
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