“Working together was one of those moments that forces you to take a step back and consider things.” Having caught their breath, the pair decided that their connection warranted further exploration. “When I first met Jamie I just trusted my instinct. As a producer you are the external eye, you take the ideas and mould them. With Jamie it felt very natural. In essence, there was a creative spark and we just locked in on it. In some ways, you could liken it to that of a sexual attraction. Sometimes there is that charge, a connection and sometimes there isn’t. You can’t quantify it. But we had that connection and decided to explore it.” Having decided to continue their musical journey, the pair had to make a few more decisions. Most importantly - what to call themselves. Clueless, the pair designed a game to help them out. “We would just open a book at a random page and point to a word. This would then be partnered with a word the other chose. We made a list of all the possibilities and settled on Graffiti 6.” “In fact, another of those possibilities was Geoffrey Drake. We wanted to do something darker and have just recorded the track ‘Goodbye Geoffrey Drake’. It is in ways a love song. You start off feeling sorry for him, his Mrs has left him. But as the story develops, you learn he is a serial killer.” An exclusive first listen to the rough cut follows. In build up, you would almost expect and dark, brooding number but instead ‘Goodbye Geoffrey Drake’ is somewhat upbeat and uplifting. Instead of feeling appalled by his actions, the listener is sympathetic. A tender honesty in Jamie’s vocal delivery, coloured by the upbeat backdrop makes you realise that sometimes things just happen. “It is kind of ironic. We decided to do a song about a serial killer, then Cumbria happens. In a similar way to our song, the media has been treating Derek Bird in a sympathetic light. He was an ordinary guy who just flipped one day.” Having arrived at Graffiti 6 via Geoffrey Drake and other random combinations, the pair also
vowed to ensure that their mutual enjoyment of the project was not effected.“We wanted to make sure that Graffiti 6 didn’t become a labour, that we didn’t become a machine. I have worked with many acts over the years and I think there is an important question that needs to be asked. Are you really enjoying it? I think if the answer is no, then it isn’t worth doing.”
Words: Jeremy Williams
deep breath and said we’ll see what happens.”
Jamie agrees.“If you do anything for years, then it will become a job, especially given the pressured environment in the industry. We want to try prevent that from happening. We want to make sure it stays fresh.” In direct response to their fears, the pair decided that rather than seeking a record deal, they would rather establish their own and see what happens.
“We wanted to make sure that Graffiti 6 didn’t become a labour, that we didn’t become a machine.” “The internet means that the music industry has changed. Being signed doesn’t mean what it used to. We can simply put our music online, on say MySpace, and get instant feedback and build a following without ever having to leave our studio. An artist can now create their own path.” Active users of all the hip social networking sites, the pair have built up a solid fanbase both in the UK and globally. Tommy admits he is “shocked by the speed everything has happened. We are in a really good position right now. But our plan is to keep exploring the music and let things happen naturally. That is the same way we treat our music, everything has to just feel right or else it isn’t worth doing. If we aren’t having fun and enjoying it then why should anyone else. I honestly believe that there is no reason why we shouldn’t be the biggest band in the world.” “And we are really modest” interjects Jamie. “We want to be headlining Glastonbury in three years but for now we just want our single to be heard by as many people as possible.” Annie You Save Me” out July 26th. www.graffiti6.com
www.thekaje.com
23