Page 20 - Black Velvet Issue 90

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to look at ourselves and make sure that we actually. Our music tastes are quite similar. always starting new schools. Had to do that
were doing our job to the best of our abili- And one good thing about him; it’s a bit of a five or six times in primary school. It’s kind
ties, if that makes sense. He would quite generalisation but you know how Americans of difficult to walk into those situations and
often just tell you that someone wasn’t good tend to be endlessly enthusiastic and posi- be really arrogant. It’s not really who I am.”
enough and then leave you to it for a couple tive about things while British people are He says that he and John are confident
of hours and then come back. It was good more, well, we are anyway, as a band, a bit in different ways though. “I guess ‘cause
that he pushed us to our limits a bit.” more passive? So it helps having that sort of he’s older he looks after me a little bit. So he
What was Fraser’s limit, we wonder. character in to move things along when kind of has to be a bit more confident. But I
He replies, “As David will probably tell we’re being grumpy Englishmen.” know he’s got that self-doubt because he
anyone, he likes to get to the bottom of what Chris went on to play drums for the band tries to make everything perfect and he’ll go
people are thinking and where their abilities through this summer’s Vans Warped Tour in over everything again and again and again
lie and I think it was the song ‘Living In A the USA. Fraser adds, “The band are happy until they are perfect. I’m sure we all have a
Dream Is So Easy’. We had this demo and we with how things are going at the moment. bit of it in us.”
all thought it was spot on. We figured we’d He’s done a great job on the record and we Of course, getting every album perfect is
just go in, record it and just keep it as it was, spent the whole summer touring with him a big thing, but so is everything that comes
but he was very critical of how all the instru- and had a great time.” with having a new release. The artwork of
mentation was put together and it was get- With Ben no longer in the band, Fraser, ‘Echoes’ was something that Fraser spent
ting really frustrating. For me, personally, it Gus, John and Simon are in no rush to add time on – and rather surprisingly to him, his
was one of the songs that I had worked on a new official fifth member though. “Things own artwork was used for it. He tells Black
the most, previously, before we got to the are a lot simpler when you only have four Velvet that they initially asked someone else
studio, and he just didn’t understand where people’s opinions, rather than five. Just that to work on the cover. “We sent off some
I was coming from with it, and I couldn’t un- one person makes a big difference.” rough ideas to someone and they sent us a
derstand why he couldn’t understand it! So bunch of stuff back and we were like, “This
there was a point where doesn’t seem right, it
frustration built so much. doesn’t seem to fit”. I
We kind of got there in think it was one of our
the end. I think we have a managers who was like,
happy medium of both of “Why don’t you just do
our ideas on that song.” it?” and I was like, “Er…
Gus and Fraser’s I don’t really know how.”
brother John worked One of our friends is a
quite closely together on really good photogra-
the album. Fraser says, pher, a guy called Mar-
“From my point of view I cus Maschwitz, so I
tend to write a lot of went to him as he’s a
music by myself and professional photogra-
then give it to the group pher, he’s done it for
and then Gus will do his years. I always go to him
thing over it. Because for advice. I approached
this process was quite him and was like, “How
rushed, I was recording do you feel about get-
guitars in one room, ting onboard and having
John was recording gui- a go at making some art-
tars in the other room work for us? We’ll come
and Gus was doing vo- up with a bunch of
cals in a different room, ideas, shoot a load of
all at the same time. So pictures and then just
there wasn’t actually too see what happens.” We
much chat between us kind of spent the day
while we were recording doing that. Gus came
our parts and writing along and we just shot a
them as well, as we did a bunch of stuff. I actually
lot of writing in the stu- went home that night
dio. This time we weren’t and decided to shoot
really in each other’s some other stuff, the
faces all the time, getting kind of ink splatter kind
to grips with the ideas espite being in a touring band that of thing and we actually
until after the songs had come together, Dget to travel the world, performing to went with that, even though it only took ten
which was kind of nice actually. We’re quite big crowds on a daily basis, Fraser is down minutes whereas the rest of the stuff took
a democratic band I think, whenever we write to earth and even has self-doubt. He recently days of planning.”
songs. We tend to not progress it unless posted online, ‘A reminder to myself and Fraser’s gotten more and more into pho-
everyone is happy with it. I think that took anyone that needs it that self doubt is key to tography over the years, mostly thanks to
away our ability to time-waste, which is a improvement. Just gotta balance it out with the internet and social media. “I was always
good thing.” a bit of belief and hard work’. He confirms in charge of our socials. I think it was before
They did have time for a few laughs that he has a ton of self-doubt. “Probably too Instagram really got popular, our Facebook,
though. Fraser asks, “You know the band Of much if anything. I think anyone who does our Twitter and stuff so I always had to take
Mice And Men? They came in a couple of anything creative, if you think that every- pictures on my phone of what we were
weeks during our stay because they were thing you do is perfect then I don’t really see doing. So I eventually got the cheapest DSLR
recording straight after us. We kind of hung how you can improve on anything. For ex- you could get and just learnt how to do it and
out with them a bunch. Those guys made me ample, Kanye West or someone, just thinks then we recorded an album in Thailand and
laugh. Whenever someone makes someone that he’s a God to music and can do no we needed to film stuff as well, so I upgraded
laugh Si’s just got this infectious laugh so wrong. How’s he ever going to better what my DSLR and got a film camera and then it
everyone’s just pissing themselves basi- he’s done in the past? I personally don’t kind of just spiraled from there really. We’re
cally.” think he has, because he already thinks he’s always going to so many great places, you
Since drummer Ben Jolliffe parted ways the greatest. So I think a little bit of self- kind of need to keep these memories. The
with the band, Chris Kamrada, formerly of doubt is good. I probably have too much. It’s pictures you take on your phone just tend to
There For Tomorrow, who also drums for Be- good to keep yourself in check.” get lost, don’t they?”
fore You Exit, a band of brothers signed to The self-doubt may have stemmed from Fraser now has a website showcasing
RCA, played drums on the album. Fraser when he was a kid. He says, “We moved his photography (including an ‘Echoes’
says, “He slotted into the band really easily around a lot as kids, me and John. We were page), and has offered to take photos of oth-
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