Jul

3

2006
TheClientele.jpg

Website : http://www.theclientele.co.uk
Free Downloads : E.M.P.T.Y., Since K Got Over Me

LP6: Your next album will be titled God Save The Clientele?

Alasdair: That’s the working title. We’ve been threatening to give an album that title for years.

LP6: Hope you keep that title.

Alasdair: Me too.

LP6: When can we expect it to be released?

Alasdair: January 2007

LP6: Strange Geometry seemed to have stepped up the production and added more flavor, like strings….is the new album continuing in that direction?

Alasdair: It will have a bigger production hopefully, with strings and maybe brass, but the overall feel of the album seems to be shaping up as a happier set of songs, more groovy than before.

LP6: Do you have a favorite track from the new album?

Alasdair: Well there are two at the moment that are a joy to play, one’s called “Here Comes The Phantom” and has a plinky plonk sort of rhythm that the Carpenters could have used, and another is a full blown disco song!

LP6: Whoa…what’s the title of the disco song?

Alasdair: It doesn’t have a title yet, but the working title is “Kill The Drummer”

LP6: Have you been listening to disco lately?

Alasdair: Ha Ha the rest of the band couldn’t believe their ears when i played it to them, I’ve always loved disco music, those Donna Summer songs Giorgio Moroder produced. But that’s only one song, it won’t be a disco album, although I wish it was.

LP6: Losing Hariney features a nice spoken word narrative…how did you guys decide on doing a song in that format?

Alasdair: Well we’d recorded it as an instrumental, but it was kind of pretty, but going nowhere, and it suddenly struck me… let’s do something really aggressively pretentious, Let’s do something that will really make it clear what our music is about, that it’s about literature and memory and all these things British people are scared to talk about in case they look too effeminately intellectual. So i had written this story a couple of years before, and by coincidence it fit exactly into the length of the music.

LP6: The song “K” has quite an impressive intro where was that recorded from?

Alasdair: I’m trying to remember about K.. some of it is sampled from a musique concrete record by Pierre Henri, there’s also samples from a techno animal 12″ if my memory serves me correct, and there’s a bit of a recording from inside a church in Paris that one of my friends made.

LP6: Your band was called the Butterfly Collectors before the Clentele….was that an homage to the tune by the Jam…or from something else?

Alasdair: I can’t even remember. We knew the Jam song, but I don’t think we were fans particularly. It just sounded esoteric and sort of English and strange and surreal, like some weird novel you’d find in a thrift shop.. or so we thought. The minute we told the name to anyone else they would burst out laughing.

LP6: When do you expect to tour again?

Alasdair: We’re coming over in August, the dates are up on our Myspace site. We’ll actually be in New Orleans this time round.

LP6: Will this be the first time playing in New Orleans for your band?

Alasdair: Yes, we’ve never been anywhere near there before.

LP6: Prepare for some sweltering heat…looking forwards to catching your band live!

Alasdair: Yeah I’m looking forward to it, but pretty scared of the heat.

LP6: August happens to be the worst month for the heat. Air conditioning will be your best friend when you are here.

Alasdair: Yeah I have to get some recommendations for places to go. Air conditioning will save my life.

LP6: Curious, what was the oddest reaction that you have experienced when performing live?

Alasdair: The last show we played was in fact the weirdest.

LP6: How so?

Alasdair: It was in the small town of Elorrio in Northern Spain, and we were told as we arrived that we were playing in a 7th century graveyard up in the mountains, to celebrate the 650th anniversary of the town being founded. The audience were just villagers, there was no transport from any nearby cities to this little place. So we played to a load of 6 year olds and people’s grandmas. They were dancing, but I was worried that they’d burn us in a wicker man at the end of the show. No one spoke any English, so it was pointless trying to communicate. Why we were booked is totally beyond me.

LP6: Must have been surreal. Are the audiences at your shows more of the listener types or do they get vocal and dance? Also, which do you prefer?

Alasdair: Usually they listen very intently, which has suited us really well in the past. Someone once said Clientele shows were like art galleries, everyone files past in hushed reverence. I’d like to make people dance though, that’s more fun as a performer.

LP6: Which city has been your favorite to perform and visit?

Alasdair: Generally, we have our best shows in LA, Chicago and New York City. But the best places to visit, for me, have been Spanish towns by the sea: like Malaga and Barcelona, where the landscape is so stunningly beautiful, there’s no pressure at all, everyone sits back and drinks wine and just watches the evening drift by.

LP6: Do you get recognized now when you’re out and about in England…and if so does it feel weird?

Alasdair: I tend not to get recognized, but when I do I absolutely hate it. It’s very awkward and you constantly feel you’ve disappointed the person doing the recognizing. You know they expect me to be some kind of pale aristocrat drinking tea from a chipped wedgewood mug. With my little finger elegantly raised.

LP6: Must be a hard image to live up to. On the flipside, who have you met …that made the most favorable impression upon yourself?

Alasdair: The string arranger Louis Philippe made a great impression - he genuinely is like this elegant aristocrat who runs around spreading magic everywhere. and when he records or writes for you he gives you everything he has, it’s like it’s a matter of life or death.

LP6: Usually when when listening to your music (especially the earlier stuff) I hear a good bit of Galaxie 500 & Felt…were those bands influential to you while growing up?

Alasdair: Yeah we used to listen to Galaxie 500 round James’s house, he had all their vinyl. One really tough kid from our school heard “Snowstorm” and he started to cry. And you know you would be able to dance to Felt, they’d play “Ballad of the Band” at indie discos in 1990 or so, when i was 15, and the few people who knew it would studiously get up on the dancefloor with this great air of aesthetic superiority. Happy Days.

LP6: I saw on the Damon and Naomi DVD……a live performance from your band…did you meet those people and if so how were they?

Alasdair: They’re good friends of ours. It’s a crime we haven’t been able to tour with them more, but we hang out whenever we’re in Boston or they’re in London. They’re the sweetest, most humble, friendliest people I know.

LP6: Whats the origin of your first name Alasdair? I have never heard that name before.

Alasdair: Alasdair is Gaelic for Alexander. It’s really common in northern Scotland. My uncle was also called Alasdair. In Scotland they shorten it to Ally.

LP6: One final question….have you tried Kimchi and if so what were your impressions?

Alasdair: Yes. I even bought some from a Korean deli the other day. I like it, but you know what? I’m not entirely sure what to do with it.

LP6: Thank you very much! You’re music is a pleasure to listen to and I hope you continue making such music.

Alasdair: Thank you, maybe see you in new Orleans!


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2 Comments so far

  1. 2 Esther Says: August 17, 2006

    I like the description, “Someone once said Clientele shows were like art galleries, everyone files past in hushed reverence.” What a great line! I see them tomorrow night, I hope they get to see some dancing in the crowd, too. Absolutely cannot wait for the new album.

  2. 1 Peter Says: July 25, 2006

    The Clientele doing disco is hard to fathom, but looking forwards to hearing it. When Alasdair said “You know they expect me to be some kind of pale aristocrat drinking tea from a chipped wedgewood mug. With my little finger elegantly raised..” that was priceless!