There’s quite a different sound on the album, where did that influence come from?
Billy: Well, the formula totally changed on this record compared to the other two records because I wrote the lyrics first and the music second. It came about because I was really having difficulty writing new material for the album, I’d just pick up a guitar and I couldn’t think of anything. So this happened for a while, round about a month to a month and a half until my friend decided to take me on a night out to this fantastic 80’s bar near where I live. So a few of his mates had lost their jobs due to the government cuts, and we went out got really drunk until about midnight when the place started closing and thought we’d go on to another bar. This was until we realised we had no cash left and my mates had just lost their jobs so were a bit strapped for cash, so we decided to go home instead of go to another bar. And my friend who had just lost his job leaned on me and said ‘Don’t worry Billy, we don’t need money to have a good time’ and I shot home to my flat and I wrote the lyrics to We Don’t Need Money To Have A Good Time. So I just wrote and wrote after that really, got all the lyrics done and the music came second really. I tended to write about three or four songs a week and because of that, because I was writing so differently, I think the lyrics tend to stand out on the record. I’ve also really wanted to write a song about a celebrity and celebrity culture because nowadays its everywhere and I’ve managed to do it on this record. I also think it’s a very British sounding record, for two reasons, the writing formula that I used on the record and also working with Steven Street [Producer to The Smiths, Blur and The Cramberries].
So, an inane and obvious question, but is that where the title of the album comes from?
Billy: Yeah, for me Money and Celebrity are probably the most prominent aspects or issues that I deal with on the album. Obviously I deal with dancefloor rejection in I Wanna Dance With You because it always happens to me! The last time it happened I thought ‘That’s it I going home and writing a song about this, because I’m so sick and tired of being rejected!!’. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is about my wife, the kinda girl who drives you nuts, drives you insane but y’know you can’t help loving her. Also Popdeath is about the public and medias obsession with watching the popstar fall apart, such as Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty.
What tunes are on your Ipods at the moment and did any of those influence the album?
Billy: Erm, The Wombats new album really influenced this album, not sound-wise but it made me want to write better. When I heard Tokyo Vampires and Wolves I was like; wow that’s the bar I’ve got to reach now. Erm, The Bronx, Madonna, and Kyle. Get Out Of My Way on Kyle’s album is so good, give it a listen!
What made you put your demo versions onto your deluxe CD?
Billy: I think the inspiration really came from the reissue of Goo by Sonic Youth when they did that second CD with all the demo versions on and you got to hear what they sounded like before they went into the studio with Butch Vig. We chucked away about 60 songs because I was writing about four a day at the time. I actually remember talking to The Editors about this because we met them at a festival we were doing last year and they were saying ‘how’s the album coming on?’ so I said oh I’m writing about three or four songs a day, and they couldn’t believe it. They said it took them about a month to write one song! Our manager was saying that it was such a shame because we had all these great songs that weren’t going to make it onto the album and no-one is going to hear them, so we decided to put a few of them onto a deluxe edition CD. But I’m saving the best ones for the forth album, so the ones that are on the new album aren’t even the best ones. So yeah we’re just really glad that people are getting to hear tracks like Massive Adventures which is a personal favorite.
You play a lot of festivals around Europe and you’ve just started a tour here, how do the crowds compare?
Charlotte: We have a really good time in Germany because like you’ve said we do a lot of festivals and our own shows there. The reason we tend to go there so much is because the response is always so good but at the same time the reason we keep coming back and playing in our home country is because the response and crowd are always so good, it kind of always makes you want to go back and play the same places. We pride ourselves on our live shows and I think that’s what we’re all about as a band really, it’s where we belong.
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