How did you end up working with Adam Lazzara on the track 'Homeless Romantic' and what was that whole experience like for you? We were looking for someone to sing the hook and various names were thrown around. I am a bit cynical with a lot of bands nowadays. I just don't believe that they have anything to be mad about, but when I hear Adam sing, I can really hear the pain in his voice. So, we sent the track to him, not expecting to hear anything back, but a week later, he was flying to LA to record in the studio with me. It was a very humbling experience. He's a very nice, almost shy person, but when you put a mic in his hand, he becomes someone else. It was inspiring to watch.
Can you tell us about the narrative behind the song 'Homeless Romantic'? It's a story about why a particular person ended up on the streets. I didn't want it to be all doom and gloom, but to have humanity and humour while still sending out a strong message. There's a tendency to think people have ended up on the streets through being bad with money or whatever, but everyone has their own story. I was thinking back to my time on the streets and what struck me most about it was the camaraderie between street people and how everyone had a mad story to tell of why they were there in the first place.
What was it like to film the video for 'Homeless Romantic' and what did you want the video to mean to your fans? I wanted to show that connection, that unity among street people. I didn't want to just focus on the depressing side that people know of, but also I didn’t want to glamourise it. Hannah Lux Davies directed it and she has an incredible vision. She does all the Lil Wayne stuff, so she's really pro. We spoke about it and I told her about my experiences and she came up with an incredible storyboard.
How did you end up working with 'dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip' on the track 'Stiff Upper Lip' and what was that experience like for you? I'd worked with them years back on a remix of a King Blues track called "What If Punk Never Happened" and we've been friends ever since. We'd spoken about doing stuff together again, but for whatever reason, clashing schedules and the like, it just never happened. Pip said he had this super political track and that it was the last political track he was ever going to do and he wanted me on it. So, he sent it to me while I was on Warped and I recorded it on my bus. I sent it back to him. Then, Dan did his magic.
We've read that you are working on a new album? So with this in mind, what can fans expect from this, and how would you say it compares to what you have done prior? Everything I've done up to now has been a teaser for the album. The album's now finished and it'll be coming out in 2014. It's a very eclectic record. John Feldman and I wrote near 100 songs of which these are the best of the best cuts. There are some amazing guests on there too. I think everyone will be surprised.
Also, what was the recording process like for this record? I recorded it in LA at John Feldman's studio. It's taken a couple of years to do, which is an honour and a luxury that most artists nowadays really don't have. John is a visionary and he pushes me to bring out my best work. We both like working very hard and we both come from a place of music and activism and being obsessed with lyrics. We don’t let anything slide. We push each other to make the best songs possible.
What can we expect to see from Itch in 2014? I'll be going at it properly in 2014. This year's been hard. I've been finding my feet and introducing people to my new stuff. Then, when I broke my leg at the start of the summer, it slowed me down a lot. So, I'm looking to go into 2014 hard with my mind focused and my physical health back at 100%. I'll be doing a lot of touring and finally releasing my album.