Interview: The Subways @ Manchester Academy 2

The Subways talk love, rejection and Britons obbsesion with failing pop careers...

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.

Interview: The Subways @ Manchester Academy 2

Promoting their new album, I talked Football, fitness and impulse hair dying with one of Britains biggest rock bands - The Subways.

We’ll leave the album until later, but Billy, I know you’re a huge Arsenal Fan so let’s talk football! (Charlotte sighs…)

So, where do you think Arsenal will end up and who do you think Wenger will sign in January?

Billy:  Right…well we’re actually in talks about getting Kaka apparently, so if we give him a massive wage hike that might happen. But also I think we’re going to go for Cahill in January, and maybe Michael Owen from United. [My reaction as an avid united fan was less-than-impressed]. But in terms of finishing place I think we’ll finish fifth or sixth at the end of the season.

In that case, who would your top 4 be?

Billy: Well, I think top four this year will be United, [Manchester] City, Chelsea, and I think it’s between Liverpool and Tottenham. But I think Arsenal will do quite well in the cups this year – I mean loosing to Birmingham in the League Cup Final was just the most pathetic thing. I was round at my brother-in-laws watching it, he’s a Spurs fan, and I knew inside he was dancing when that final whistle went!

Anyway, Charlotte, enough about football because you’re looking really bored! So I’ve heard that you are really into your running  and you did the London Marathon – how did you find it?

Charlotte: I absolutely loved it, it was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. I’m doing it again next year and to be honest I’m a bit of a running addict and do loads of races and stuff.

What’s your training regime and how do you keep it up when your on tour?

Charlotte: It’s quite easy really because running’s simple.  You need a pair of trainers so you don’t need to take much with you, this makes it easy for me to keep up. I can get up in the morning, go out for a run and come back.

How do you combat all the high calorie food and drink that you get on a tour?

Charlotte: I think we try and eat as best as we can really. I mean I don’t think any of us are that terrible really. We always try and pick the healthy stuff and y’know we don’t drink too much. Obviously now and again everyone has a bit of a blow out but normally I’m a couple of drinks a night type person and that means I’m usually alright to get up and run the next day.

So the Marathon is defiantly on the cards next year?

Charlotte: Yeah, well I’m hard training at the moment because I’ve got a 10 mile race coming up in December. So all efforts are going into that really.

Billy, I’ve got to ask about the hair. What was the decision behind that?

Billy: So, my wife and I got really drunk one evening down at a pub called The Navigator, which we endearingly call ‘The Chavigator’ [laughs] and y’know she just goes “Ah, have you ever died your hair before?” so I go “erm, no”. I mean I’ve never really bothered before, I’ve sort of sun dyed it and that type of thing, then she goes “Lets go and dye it!! I’ve got this sort of red colour which will be great on you!”. So we were watching Hamlet totally and utterly wasted, she was just sitting there dying my hair whilst we were both going “Kenneth Branagh is amazing and Shakespeare was a genius!”. Then I woke up the next morning and drunkenly posted twitter photos, and my manager phoned me up and said ‘What have you done to your hair, you’ve got a photoshoot next week, you’ve got a videoshoot next week, you know your going to have to keep that for the next two years?!!’

Did you not do the famous ‘Oh dear, what have I done’ moment when you looked in the mirror?

Billy: I did! I woke up and I thought ‘oh no’! But y’know I get a few chuckles and laughs so its not that bad.

Can you dye it yourself yet or do you need a bit of practice?!

Billy: I think maybe I could, yeah. But Charlotte topped it up for me today because I’m still a bit cack handed!

Part two coming soon....