Page 8 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 98

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got on camera”, starts Alex Costello. “Some of aving written a song titled ‘The Rich Life natural because of that.”
the stuff we used to do was so much more out HOf A Poor Man’, we ask if they think But there were certainly some unexpected
there than what we do now”, continues Alex A, poor men have richer lives than rich men. Alex surprises during the recording process, includ-
and Alex C hurries to add, “It was like, ‘Can’t do Costello responds first, saying, “Not necessarily ing running out of time, which meant the album
that now,’” revealing that a lot of nudity was in- that they have better lives or anything than the nearly ended up not being finished at all. With
volved. But there’s something about funny mem- rich people, but they could be just as wise.” Alex four days left and two songs that hadn’t even
ories that make them irresistible, and Adam is in agreement, adding, “Yeah, I think it’s been started, the time pressure was definitely
Alex A confesses they’ve fallen more about that. It’s more like there’s no dif- on. Pulling two all-nighters and drinking coffee
slightly into their old habits, telling ference in the quality of your life as long like there was no tomorrow, Alex A tells us the
us, “We’ve been way more like as you live it right, based on money. last two days were “just me and him [Alex
that, I think, on this tour, be- There’s no ‘If you have a million pounds Costello] sat there like, ‘Is this good or have we
cause we saw the videos at or if you have ten pounds, you can just had so much coffee that we just don’t care
the start and was like ‘Aw, have a good life’. You just have to ap- anymore?’ But, I mean, it turned out ok. But we
fuck, that used to be funny’. So preciate it for the memories and the just didn’t expect that to happen. We
we’ve been a lot more childish connections you make rather than what had to finish our album, basi-
recently. But it’s fun; it’s good. It car you have.” cally.”
makes video content that we This focus away from the superficial One of the songs
can’t release.” lends itself into the band’s perspective on recorded during this pe-
Although they can’t release the what makes life rich, with Alex A answering, riod was actually the
video content, they certainly don’t hold “Memories, and connections with people. I first single off the
back on telling us about some hilarious tour mean for him [Alex Costello] it’s obviously God. album, ‘Playing Fiction’.
stories, including when their old drummer tried But that’s another thing though; it’s different for Alex A tells Black Velvet,
to pee on the band! Alex A remembers, “He tried everyone. Like for me, I think I enjoy the touring “‘Playing Fiction’ was the
to pee on me once in Prague, because he used aspect of what we do. I enjoy coming back from last song. And I think that’s
to sleepwalk. And he was climbing on my bag, tour and having stories and having like, ‘We met why it turned out so great,
about to piss on my face and he tripped over a this person, they were fucking crazy’ or ‘We did because we didn’t really
cash box. All the coins fell out and it woke him this’. Those are the things I live for. I don’t care change it. We were just like, ‘We
up, and I woke up just about to be pissed on.” about money, I just want to be able to have don’t have time to look into this song
It was a close call for Alex A, but Alex C was- crazy stories of this one time when our drummer and see if we need to change it, let’s just record
n’t as lucky, telling us of the time that he defi- chased a pig round a garden... which did hap- it’.”
nitely got pissed on by him. “I woke up and all of pen.” Further setbacks during the producing
the outside of my sleeping bag was soaking wet, process included when the band got kicked out
and that was a night where he got really drunk. n the studio, the of their Airbnb, returning from the studio to find
And he woke up on the other side of the room Iband have def- all of their belongings were outside and people
as well.” initely learnt some waiting to move in. “They called us, and they
Another tour story concerns their time in lessons about were like, ‘You’re being kicked out of the Airbnb,’
Texas, where they had faced some unexpected what works well and we were like, ‘What?!’ So we rushed back
affection from an unlikely fan at a bar. “Elliott, for them. Alex in our producer’s car. He took us back and all
our photographer at the time, just started danc- Adam ponders, “I our stuff was outside and we said, ‘What’s going
ing with some middle-aged woman in Texas. think with the writ- on?’ They were like, ‘Oh, he’s only booked it ’til
And she just started kissing him”, starts Alex A, ing process, we yesterday. You should have been out yesterday,’
and Alex C cuts in, “And her husband was just learnt on this new and he was like, ‘Oh crap. Sorry.’ There were
sitting there”. album that it’s best to people waiting to go into our place. And we had
Alex A confirms this, “Her husband was sat just do what comes natu- food, because we thought we were going to be
there and he just seemed to not care. It was very rally and not worry about there for another two weeks.”
odd. But that was a fun night. Don’t remember whether it sounds like us or not, ‘cause I think it Thankfully, the band managed to find an-
where we stayed.” does. Like whatever you do, because it has our other place, but they couldn’t quite breathe easy
Alex C quickly fills in the memory gap, re- voices on and it has the way we play stuff, it al- yet with their eclectic new housing. Nicknaming
membering, “We were supposed to stay at this ways sounds like us. I think that maybe on the the place ‘Crazy Mary’s’, Alex Adam explains,
kid’s house. He was like, ‘Yeah, come and stay first album we were trying to be something that, “She tried to charge us for blowing up a light that
at ours,’ and we were like, ‘Okay’. ‘I’ve got a lake not that we weren’t, but we were trying to fit into never turned on. Seaway were staying in the
and a rope swing’ and all that kind of stuff. We this thing. And the second album was far more apartment next to us, and they said that she
got there and he just wasn’t there. He just didn’t like, ‘We wrote this song. It sounds good. Done’. owned that one as well and she tried to charge
turn up.” That was it. And I think it came out way more them for a bunch of stuff that they didn’t do as

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