The Twilight Zone
Matt Meade • Published 3 Feb 2012 08:30
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DP: What was Andrew Weatherall's input into the new album, 'No-one Can Ever Know?'
JG: He's labelled as 'anti-producer'. We knew Andrew was a fan of the band and we had contact through our label (Fat Cat) to send him demos. He was really into what we were doing and made playlists for us, like for sounds we were going for and it was pretty much bang-on exactly the kind of thing we were wanting. We did a lot of pre-production in our houses in Kilsyth then went down to London and started recording. Andrew came in and said, 'Look guys, anything that I would have said for you to do, you've done it already'. So we ended up producing the album ourselves and Andrew was there to bounce ideas of and was acknowledging that we were doing the right thing. He was there for the mixing of the album and to help with vocal sounds. His musical knowledge is through the roof. He's probably one of the most intelligent guys when it comes to old music and old sounds. To have him championing what we're doing is a confidence boost.
DP: He must have had some good stories from his career...
JG: That was probably one of the best things. He was pretty forthcoming with old stories. He's really down to earth...some of his stories were off the scale.
DP: But he wasn't like Brian Eno in the studio with a pack of 'idea' cards?
JG: Not at all. He did have an old notebook and was writing down ideas, so he's quite old school when it comes to stuff like that.
DP: You tour America in the Spring. Can it be humdrum on the road?
JG: This is the tenth or eleventh time we've toured America so I feel really privileged to do it because there's so many bands out there who would love the opportunity. The audiences are amazing over there. But it is a lot of hard work. The drives are triple what you would do in Europe or the UK. Being stuck for hours in the back of a van on the highways is terrible. But when you get into the cities, and see the sights you've seen in films, and to play in front of people across the Atlantic who know your music and are singing it back to you is pretty special and something we definitely don't take for granted.
DP: Is the Dunfermline show a warm-up for the British tour?
JG: Yeah, we were looking for somewhere to go to play. We played Tigerfest at Carnegie Hall (in 2008) which was a weird one for us because everyone was sitting down. We're more than happy to come back to Dunfermline because it's been a while. We've got a few friends from the area.
DP: What can people expect live?
JG: We've played every type of venue across Scotland, be it pubs or clubs or at big venues supporting someone. Our problem is we're too loud and usually people end up getting annoyed with us. We are a pretty loud band and some places can't handle it. We feel sorry for anyone in there watching us when their heid's getting blown off. I don't know much about the venue - is it a place that used to be called Sinky's?
DP: It's above the re-opened Sinky's.
JG: How many people does it hold?
DP: The owners say around 300.
JG: We're used to playing that size of venue so we're looking forward to it. A friend of mine used to drink in Sinky's so we're going for a pint there anyway.
DP: Will you be mainly showcasing tracks from the new album?
JG: There will be a lot of new album stuff but we'll play some of the older stuff as well. We don't want to be one of those bands where you turn up and just get to hear new stuff. We're excited to play the new stuff but at the same time realise a lot of people liked our first and second albums so hopefully we're playing the right songs of those ones for people coming to the gig.
DP: You're a three piece essentially but use two extra members live?
JG: Yeah, Johnny (Docherty) and Martin (Doherty). They are part of the live band and tour everywhere with us. We couldn't be the band without them. They'll be out in full force, drinking places dry.
DP: Is collaboration important to the band?
JG: Glasgow is pretty cliquey. No that's the wrong word...it's more inbred!You meet loads of people in bands but we try not to get into any fads or scenes, we just all try and help promote each others' music. Everyone seems to be friendly, especially those on independent labels.
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New album 'No-one Can Ever Know' is released on Fat Cat on 6th February. Download new single 'Another Bed' by visiting www.thetwilightsad.com
This article appeared in Dunfermline Press 03 Feb 12
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