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Building on the success of their handsome debut release,
‘Give Blood’ (2005) and the band’s follow-up ‘Beatific
Visions’ (2007) the Brighton-based Brakes release
new single ‘Hey Hey’ on February 16 2009 and
brand spanking new album, ‘Touchdown’ on April
20th (recorded with Paul Savage from the Delgados).
So what else has been going down? Well, they’ve toured
with Belle and Sebastian, The Killers and Editors. They’ve
done a headline tour of the US and Canada, swindled
an appearance on Ugly Betty and have also been rather
busy boxing up their gear and lugging it from Rough
Trade to Fat Cat Records, the boys’ new home. So I suppose
Christmas couldn’t come soon enough. One thing the band
hasn’t been boxing up, however, is their shared-love
of all things punchy, pert and pretty. They might describe
new album ‘Touchdown’ as ‘a lush, sprawling rock record’
but if preview tune, ‘Crystal Tunings’ is anything to
go by they’re still packing in the tunes, although clearly
against the backdrop of a Spectorish ‘wall of sound’
and a smouldering Mary Chain menace.
Armed to the teeth with gift-tags and all manner of
festive cheer, Crud dragged its lofty sleigh over to
the band's new grotto for a spot of Xmas unwrapping.
Brakes' two wisest men, Eamon Holmes and Marc Beatty
were there to welcome us in.
First thoughts about last Xmas?
Eamon Hamilton: 'I gave you my heart'!
Mark Beatty: Eating and drinking too much and feeling
like a prisoner for a week.
What's on your Xmas Wish List?
MB: An IPod, a new distortion pedal, books and a sieve
(my old one got a hole in it!)
EH: A doo-wop compilation which has The Corvairs’ 'True
Love' on it.
If you could take the three old Xmas hits and roll
them make into one big 'fuck-off' bastard – which three
would you choose?
EH: They’re all so politically fraught aren’t they?
Snow Is Falling by Shakin Stevens - isn’t that
like 'Climate Change' denial? I’m Dreaming Of A White
Christmas - that sounds a bit racist. Father
Christmas by The Kinks - that’s a bit patriarchal
isn’t it? I like In The Bleak Mid-winter, Rockin'
Around The Christmas Tree and Little Donkey
so maybe it would be a hit called The Bleak Rocking
Donkey.
MB: Well it's gotta have Slade, Merry Xmas Everybody
because Slade rule. That crazy synth heavy Paul MCartney
one - Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time
and Christmas Wrapping by The Waitresses, not
technically a hit but is by far the most dance-able
Christmas song going, and the bass playing is off the
scale.
One thing that is certain to get you in the Xmas
spirit?
MB: Booze.
EH: Random people who say “Merry Christmas” to you in
shops and in the street. I like that.
One thing that is certain to f*ck up your Xmas spirit
entirely?
MB: Not enough Booze.
EH: Boxing day.
We're having a Retro-Xmas: What are we watching,
what are we eating, what are we drinking, what are we
getting from Santa?
MB: We're watching The Snowman. Raymond Briggs
lives in Brighton i think and some of Brighton's landmarks
are in the flying scene. We're eating mince pies, not
really retro but Christmas traditions are timeless so
they never become retro. We're drinking Creme de Menthe
or Advocat. My Gran still has bottles of the stuff left
over from the 70's and always tries to force them upon
me after lunch when i'm good and sozzled. Santa's got
me Connect 4.
EH: A Smokey Mountain Christmas - Dolly Parton’s
Christmas film. It is THE BEST Christmas film EVER made.
Eating - gingerbread men, legs and arms first. Drinking
- Rusty Nails (½ whisky and ½ Drambuie over ice) And
from Santa? Those rubber monsters you put on your thumb.
What's likely to piss you off this Xmas: Queens Xmas
Message, McCanns Xmas Message, X Factor Single or an
inferior Wallace and Gromit feature-length?
EH: I don’t think there will ever be “an inferior Wallace
and Gromit”. It is an impossibility. As for the other
three, at about that time in the day, I will be typing
“Goes Wrong” into the Youtube search bar and seeing
what comes up.
MB: It's gotta be the X factor single although I'll
do everything in my power to avoid listening to it.
The fact that there's no surprise or suspense in the
run up to Christmas Number 1 anymore is a real shame.
Santa needs re-branding: what would you kit him out
in and have him do?
MB: Hawaiin shirt, Bermuda shorts and Ray-bans. Ditch
the sleigh and take to the skies on a magic surfboard.
EH: It’s back to basics time with the economy all fucked
and that isn’t it? He should downsize his belly, sack
7 of his reindeer, give everyone coal and then ask the
government for a bail out.
Top moment of 2008?
EH: I was in New York on the night Obama was elected.
It sounded like liberation.
MB: British Sea Power at The Roundhouse in October.
What are your plans for next year?
EH: We’re releasing our third album, Touchdown. It is
fucking amazing, so we’re quite happy about that. We’ll
be getting back into the splitter van sometime around
January, and probably getting out sometime around 2010.
MB: Lots of touring, recording as much new material
as possible and moving house.
Tour dates - 2009
Jan 28 London Proud Gallery
Jan 30 Guildford Boilerroom
Feb 1 Manchester Moho Live
Feb 2 Cardiff Tommy's Bar
Feb 3 Exeter Cavern Club
Feb 5 Sheffield Fuzz Club Party
Feb 6 Cambridge Radar Club
Relevant sites:
www.myspace.com/brakesband
Alan Sargeant for Crud Magazine 2008©
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