Interview: Veronica Falls

Bringing a solemnity via the innocent vocals of "Found Love in a Graveyard," the Velvet Underground influenced band encompass a spectrum of sounds rather than what aforementioned song suggests. You see, if the cover of Roky Erikson's Starry Eyes is anything to go by, there's a glistening optimism to the other end of their music.

Beachy Head is about the popular suicide spot and the love letters to it. Do you feel your ideal habitat is the beach or the city that you currently reside in?

Roxanne: It’s nice to live in the city but it’s good to get out. It’s more about the place than a person that killed themselves.

James: They both have their good points I guess

Found Love in a Graveyard, like Beachy Head deals with death. Does the idea fascinate you and how would you like your own funeral to be carried out?

Roxanne: I guess I’d only thought about what songs.

Patrick. I think we thought more about where we’re going to be buried.

What song would you have played at your funeral?

Roxanne: Live forever by Oasis. Just kidding. I quite like that song Meet on the Motorway by Fairport Convention, but that was my mum’s idea.

Two of you lived in Glasgow. Has the cold and dark setting of Scotland contributed to the overall tone of aforementioned songs?

Roxanne: I don’t think it did.

Patrick: It does for me a bit but it’s more about where I am in my life and what’s happening. I don’t know.

Your sound also contrasts from the gloomy to the bright such as Starry Eyes. The covers of your last two releases differ too, Beachy Head being the noir filtered cover of the woman on a blanket, and graveyard being quite mystical with the shields closing in on the emblems. What were the ideas behind these?

Roxanne: I don’t think there were any ideas. We just liked the pictures..

Patrick: It’s quite ominous and quite peaceful yet quite violent.

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James: It’s more planning. When someone says the artwork needs to be done and we just find it. We made it quickly without any connections.

Marion: We just like it. There’s not any thought into it.

Starry Eyes is a Roky Erickson song too which you are self-confessed fans of. Why this particular cover?

Roxanne: I just love the song and the lyrics.

Patrick: It’s simple so it’s easy to add things because the structures are minimal.

Marion: It’s an amazing song. It’s quite hard to cover a song that’s completely perfect.

James: It is good but he does leave a lot to interpretation.

Citing The Velvet Underground as one of your influences, you’ve been written about as bringing the 80’s US sound back to the UK by critics. How were you received in the US and how did it make you feel?

James. We went down well.

Patrick: We went there before and we really liked it. There’s an enthusiasm about them.

So explain your debut album. How has it been going and what can we expect from it?

Roxanne: It’s finished but it’s not out yet. It’s out in September probably. It’s got two singles and another top hit. It’s not quite as dark as you’d imagine from the singles.

You’ve also said that you’ve discovered the most interesting sounds whilst making mistakes in the studio. What’s the best mistake that’s happened?

James: We’ve spent a lot of money and we realised we chose the wrong person. I don’t think we made many good mistakes.

Patrick: I think when you’re writing and the best things are when you don’t quite get it right like when you come up as things as a joke. We sometimes have done that and you realise that’s the right way to go.

Roxanne: We can’t help it when we play live as well.

Interview: Veronica Falls

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