m i l e s k a n e — b at s a n d b at t l e s h i p s
Released from the Trap Going into Battle After stints with The Little Flames, The Rascals, and a successful collaboration with Arctic Monkeys frontman, Alex Turner, under the moniker of The Last Shadow Puppets, MILES KANE has stepped forward to take the spotlight. The result – his debut solo album, Colour of the Trap. JAMIE NELSON caught up with Kane as he gears up for his Australian summer.
Have you been touring a lot for your album? This year we haven’t stopped. For me, it’s the best thing in the world - going out every night and playing shows… it’s like a drug. I’m addicted to playing gigs and when I don’t gig for three days… I’m itchin’. Itchin’ to get back out there and play these songs and just enjoy it. You changed producers halfway, how did that come about? Well, I recorded two tracks with Gruff Rhys (vocalist of Super Furry Animals) ‘Kingcrawler’ which is sort of a tribal song and an Elvis-esque love song called ‘Take The Night From Me’, and then went away for some more writing. I met Dan Carey (Franz Ferdinand, The Kills, Sia), though my manger. We went down to the studio for a week. It was just one of those things - it really worked. It’s hard to get it bang on the money so there is not a weak link. It’s very easy to sort of settle… you know, as long as you’ve got singles you can fill it with whatever. But for this I didn’t want a weak link. What’s your favorite song off the album? It’s hard to choose. I guess as an overall, just for an upbeat rocker I’d say ‘Come Closer’. That was the easiest song to write on that record - one of the songs that was done in an afternoon flat. I remember watching Kasabian a week before and I thought ‘wow, listen to that tune with all it’s lalalas and stuff’. I’d never really written a song like that and I wanted a song with ‘woah woah woah’. I remember writing that song and it’s sort of deliberately written to be a fuckin’ anthem. The BBC called you a ‘retro-visionist’. Do you agree? Hmm, I guess. I love The Beatles and I love T-Rex, and I love David Bowie and a 18 reverb
magazine issue #065 — Dec 2011–Jan 2012
lot of stuff like that, and I love Mowtown, and all of these great artists have had a big effect on me. To create these beautiful little pop and rock ‘n’ roll songs, it’s important to make it modern as well because when you’re on the radio you’re going to be next to Lady GaGa. So you’ve got to push it on, try to make it fresh and I think that’s what [I] do. Influences might sound a bit 60s - for instance if it’s a double vocal it may sound like T-Rex. What were you feeling when you made the decision to go solo? The Last Shadow Puppets was a great year. We made a great record which was just two best mates in a studio having the time of their life, and that’s what came out. After that, I’m not gonna lie, it was like ‘fuck, what now?’. So I decided ‘fuck it, I’m gonna write some tunes’. I knew that I could front it, and I knew I could be a solo artist but I’m not going to sit there with a guitar and [play] depressing tunes. I want to play great rock ‘n’ roll with straight upbeat tunes. And this year, to put it out there - to do what we’ve done and what we’re doing - well it feels fucking great and it’s been the best year of my life so far. What are you expecting from Australia? Oh yeah, we’re very excited to come over there and play our great rock ‘n’ roll. We’ve got the festival on New Year’s Eve (Falls Festival), which I think is going to be fucking… dangerous, man. It’s going to be mind-blowing. I’m going to go the moon that night. We’ve got a great tour. I want to get over there and rip it up, play these songs live and show you what it’s about. Miles Kane performs at the Falls Festival, Lorne, on Saturday December 31, and supporting Arctic Monkeys at the Hordern Pavilion on Thursday January 12.
Download Page
As if from nowhere, Newcastle post-rock four-piece BATS AND BATTLESHIPS have blown away audiences with their ability to induce sonic terror one minute and beautiful melodic passages the next. On the cusp of releasing their debut album, The Week That Was, MATT PETHERBRIDGE speaks to guitarist/lyricist JASON BREEN about the history of the band and the making of the album. How did Bats and Battleships come together? Fitzy (Nikki Fitzsummons, vocals) and Dylan (McCrae, drums) and I formed back in 2009. I put some material to them and we went from there. Chelsea (Feneley, bass) came into the fold about September, 2010. Dylan and I have been playing together for eight years, so we’re brutally honest with each other in the creative process. We record a lot of things and listen to them and figure things out, but the songs usually begin with us. Then Chelsea comes in and the first thing she plays is usually perfect (laughs). The Week That Was is due to drop in 2012. Why did you decide to make a full album? We had the songs there. Why not? Roll the dice and see how it goes. I write most of the lyrics. The creative process is quite interesting because Nikki is my vessel. We get very drunk together; we go over the words together and sometimes I go into graphic detail about what the songs are about, and then he expresses it for me. That’s interesting, because many lyricists don’t have someone they feel comfortable enough to discuss their lyrics with. Were you inspired by cathartic songwriters that you look up to? It was more of a need. I know there are some lyricists that are very open with their lives. I am a big fan of Yoni Wolf of the band, Why? Not all of my lyrics are cathartic, though. There’s a song called ‘Your Jacket Pocket’. I went through a break-up at the end of last year and the song is about packing my boxes in the house we were living in together, with that feeling that it was never really my home to begin with. It’s not a spiteful song though, I was just describing how things end up. It’s more metaphorical in that sense.
Download Issue
You recorded the album with Oh, Silence, a recording team made up of members from Newcastle band I Am The Agent (for whom Jason now plays bass). What was it like to work with them? It was so fun! Very easy and laid back, they really know what they are doing with recording and engineering. I met the guys last year at a show and our bands begun playing shows together. We’ve formed a really solid relationship. We recorded digitally but it’s not a digital album. It was more feasible for us - we were able to record on the fly. I went in knowing that I wanted to have only the guitar parts that I do live, I didn’t want to go over the top. I overdubbed, but I wanted to stay faithful to our live sound. In the web documentaries on Youtube, I saw you playing an accordion at one stage. Have any extra instruments found their way into The Week That Was? We did a couple of special things on some key tracks - some minimalist stuff. Dylan did some amazing electronic stuff with a laptop on a couple of tracks. We’re looking at the possibility of incorporating those ideas with drum triggers, but it’s all about having the equipment. The album launch will also see I Am The Agent launch their EP, Volume 3. Can we expect any surprises from your doublelaunch night? The Agent guys and I are talking about having a bit of mid-set fun. I’m hoping the Maids guys, the other support band, will get on-board with something as well. Bats and Battleships, along with I Am The Agent and Maids, perform at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle, on Friday, January 13.
Follow us on Twitter