Rockin' Nine to Five: Five O'Clock Heroes
So how do you think your varied influences and backgrounds come to work in your music?
It doesn’t. You don’t question why it works between the four of you. You just go with it. It’s just a connection, a good feeling, you all believe in the same thing. A good song.
Which artists have you channelled most on Bend to the Breaks?
Elvis Costello consciously. Subconsciously I would say a bit of Tom Petty, Joe Jackson, Blondie etc
You once said you found England too cynical. How has America treated you?
I love England but it’s a pessimistic place. It’s an older country. The US is still a relatively young country in comparison to all of Europe but it always gave me more of a sense of opportunity to make things happen. I don’t like being told I can’t do something. That’s really what it comes down to, and the US never told me that.
How has living in the US changed your way of songwriting?
Growing up in the UK was good for shutting myself away in a room on my own and getting creative. The US is full of distractions; there is always so much going on. But I don’t think my style has changed dramatically. I’m still influenced by the music I grew up with. Steely Dan, The Beatles, The Who, Smokey Robinson etc.
You once did 40 shows in 43 days on tour with The Bravery. How do you stop from going mental on the road?
42 shows in 46 days. Got to get that right. It was our first long tour and we were very hungry to play as many places as we could. But at the last few I realised we had taken it to a little bit of the extreme when I fell asleep eating a bowl of pasta. Literally the fork was still in my mouth. Glasgow was one of the last shows and I remember Elliot falling over on stage. It was hard because we did it in a transit van, one hotel room, no roadies, just us four. When you come off the road you cant just stop and pass out. You’re restless, you can’t relax for two or three weeks.
Who have you most enjoyed playing with?
Hmmm. The Bravery were very fun on that first tour. They were good crowds. And we were just getting started. It was all exciting. Albert Hammond Jr. That was our first European tour. We all learnt to drink Jagermiester out of a wine glass and there was some very fun dance parties back stage. I like it when you give the headline band a run for their money. You have to make them work harder than usual. That’s good. Playing with Jet in Paris, that crowd was nuts. One of my favourite shows ever.
You've rejected the "new Strokes" tag. Do you think people find it easier to just pigeonhole bands rather than see them as an original act?
Any band that comes out of NYC gets a Strokes tag. I don’t think about it anymore. It’s just lazy comparisons and opinions from writers. I can’t tell the times we’ve had writers compare us to bands that came after us. All that matters is the body of work you create on each album. Nothing more…
Is it hard to keep to your own sound while appealing to current trends?
You mustn’t think like that if you’re in a band. You’ll be chasing your tail. Second guessing your audience. Play what feels right. Do what works for you. Forget everything else, it’s irrelevant. Because next year things will be different.
Where do you stand on the whole 'downloading' debacle?
Have no problem with it. You play in band, you can stay alive touring and selling merch. Big labels are going to have to come to terms with that.
What's next for the Five O'Clock Heroes then?
Second album, called Speak Your Language. And more and more and more touring.
Bend To The Breaks is out now on Rogue through Inertia.
