PROLIFIC North Londoners Bombay Bicycle Club are about to release their fourth record in five busy years. The band will embark on their first tour since recording the new album in the coming week. The first night of that tour brings Bombay Bicycle Club to Limerick. it will be the first time anywhere that tracks from the as yet untitled release will be played to an audience. Limerick Post chatted with guitarist Jamie MacColl about first night nerves, the new record and why they chose Limerick to hear it all first.
“We will be a bit rusty,” laughs Jamie on the phone from their London base. “We haven’t played live in a while and will be playing a lot of the new songs live for the first time, so the people of Limerick that come to the gig will be literally the first people to hear quite a few of these songs.”
Jamie is hopeful that the new songs are good enough to get over the fact that people haven’t heard them before. It will be the band’s fourth album and the first that they have self-produced with the band’s singer Jack Steadman taking control in the recording studio.
“We have our own studio now which is not something we had in the past so that allowed us more time with the songs. We had worked with producers in the past which added a gloss to what we were recording. This time around we felt we could do that ourselves.”
Bombay Bicycle Club released their first album in 2009 and each record since then has been an artistic progression as the band evolved and grew in confidence. Their debut album earned them the NME New Band Award, beating The XX and Mumford & Sons to the prize. The follow up album ‘Flaws’ heralded a change in direction from indie guitar pop to a folk roots sound influenced by Jamie MacColl’s rich musical heritage. MacColl is the grandson of Scottish singer/songwriter Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, and the nephew of Kirsty MacColl. ‘Flaws’ was nominated for the Ivor Novello award.
The third album, ‘A Different Kind of Fix’, with its floor filling indie anthem ‘Shuffle’ as a first single, saw the band’s fan base growing as the band’s sound headed again in a fresh new direction. Bombay Bicycle Club played on the main stages at many major festivals, including the Reading and Leeds Festivals, in the summer of 2012.
The as yet untitled new album will be released in February. The first single ‘Carry Me’ is available to download now. Since its premiere on Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio One show last week, reaction has been positive.
“It’s quite different from anything we have done before. So there is always a bit of a risk, but it’s got great reaction.”
The band have produced a world first interactive music video for the single. The innovative video reflects the album artwork echoing the theme of continuity which the album is subtly based around. Viewers are able to control the band’s actions throughout the video essentially making them the director while the band performs in time to the music. Check it out for yourself at www.carryme.tv.
Bombay Bicycle Club’s show in Limerick is their first visit to the city. Like other UK bands such as Mumford & Sons and Franz Ferdinand, the decision to begin a tour in a relatively small venue such as Dolan’s is based on the venue’s high production standards and a warm welcoming reception from the punters.
“Its a good place to start, because the crowds are generally quiet expressive and more receptive. Irish crowds are very enthusiastic for any sort of live music, I think, unlike in London where there is a bit of, eh, too cool for school attitude,” concludes Jamie.
So for Bombay Bicycle Club will there be nerves in the camp before the first gig next week?
“Yeah there probably will be. We are just going off to rehearse now after this,” Jamie laughs. With that we conclude our conversation to let the band get back to preparations. Musicians will tell you that a live show is “worth 10 rehearsals” to tighten up a show. Limerick gets to see that first live show this week.
Supporting on the night will be rising Derry songwriter Soak. Bombay Bicycle Club play Dolan’s on Wednesday November 20.
