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You’ve just released your new album ‘Fire Like This’ on Monday (2nd
March) so what has the reaction been like so far – from fans and from
critics?
Laura – Good. I think.
Steve – Just leave it at that, just say good. One word answer, good.
Laura – Erm yeah, no I think it’s been good, obviously like it came out at different
times all over the world. The UK reaction, yeah I think it’s been good. I think it’s
gonna be a – people catching up on it.
Steve – I don’t think it’s suddenly gonna be like over night people are gonna go
like ‘this record is amazing, it’ll change your life.’ I don’t think it will
Laura – I don’t think it will change people’s life but I don’t think…yeah I think
people will get to know it over the years. But I think all the reviews have been
pretty good apart from one so…
Steve – Yeah we didn’t really know ‘till yesterday, then we heard a load of reviews
because Laura’s dad phoned her. (both laugh) He was like ‘you’ve got to read this
it’s really good.’ The Sun even gave it a good review which is a bit weird! We were
like ‘ah that’s really cool’ and we’d done one show of the tour and people seem to
know the new songs better than I expected. Like the reaction to it was really good,
so I feel pretty positive about it.
Laura – Over all I think there are people who really don’t get it but I think the
majority do, like it’s a grower album.
March) so what has the reaction been like so far – from fans and from
critics?
Laura – Good. I think.
Steve – Just leave it at that, just say good. One word answer, good.
Laura – Erm yeah, no I think it’s been good, obviously like it came out at different
times all over the world. The UK reaction, yeah I think it’s been good. I think it’s
gonna be a – people catching up on it.
Steve – I don’t think it’s suddenly gonna be like over night people are gonna go
like ‘this record is amazing, it’ll change your life.’ I don’t think it will
Laura – I don’t think it will change people’s life but I don’t think…yeah I think
people will get to know it over the years. But I think all the reviews have been
pretty good apart from one so…
Steve – Yeah we didn’t really know ‘till yesterday, then we heard a load of reviews
because Laura’s dad phoned her. (both laugh) He was like ‘you’ve got to read this
it’s really good.’ The Sun even gave it a good review which is a bit weird! We were
like ‘ah that’s really cool’ and we’d done one show of the tour and people seem to
know the new songs better than I expected. Like the reaction to it was really good,
so I feel pretty positive about it.
Laura – Over all I think there are people who really don’t get it but I think the
majority do, like it’s a grower album.
| Scorpio Review Journalist Carrie-Anne Pollard takes a seat backstage to chat with Blood Red Shoes: Laura-Mary Carter (Vocals / guitar) & Steven Ansell (Vocals / drums) before there gig at The Rescue Rooms (Nottingham) 03.03.10 |
You design all your albums and singles yourself, how do you get your
ideas – where do they come from?
drawing random objects say like a glass or something, but with something that’s
drawing random objects say like a glass or something, but with something that’s
not right about it, like changing something. I’ve just kind of kept that theme
throughout. Then on the new album that’s still got that theme with the hands but
with blue flames which isn’t the obvious colour. But I decided I wanted to do like
more like photography on this album, you know making it a bit different like
painting – but I don’t know where the ideas come from. I guess they’re just things
that inspire me, like I see things and like…I think I watched a documentary about
things that are in people’s pockets you know. It had things like people just taking
stuff out their pockets and putting it in there hands and they were doing that
(mimes holding hands out like on the album cover) So I think that’s where I got that
(mimes holding hands out like on the album cover) So I think that’s where I got that
idea from but that – the thing…
idea from but that – the thing…
Steve – As an outsider, you have a thing about hands and wrists – you never
draw anything apart from that - to do with humans, you don’t draw faces
Laura – Oh I hate drawing faces!
Steve – The only thing you ever do is you have these hands; they come up on a
bunch of our things…
ideas – where do they come from?
drawing random objects say like a glass or something, but with something that’s
drawing random objects say like a glass or something, but with something that’s
not right about it, like changing something. I’ve just kind of kept that theme
throughout. Then on the new album that’s still got that theme with the hands but
with blue flames which isn’t the obvious colour. But I decided I wanted to do like
more like photography on this album, you know making it a bit different like
painting – but I don’t know where the ideas come from. I guess they’re just things
that inspire me, like I see things and like…I think I watched a documentary about
things that are in people’s pockets you know. It had things like people just taking
stuff out their pockets and putting it in there hands and they were doing that
(mimes holding hands out like on the album cover) So I think that’s where I got that
(mimes holding hands out like on the album cover) So I think that’s where I got that
idea from but that – the thing…
idea from but that – the thing…
Steve – As an outsider, you have a thing about hands and wrists – you never
draw anything apart from that - to do with humans, you don’t draw faces
Laura – Oh I hate drawing faces!
Steve – The only thing you ever do is you have these hands; they come up on a
bunch of our things…
| Cover Art Of 'Fire Like This' |
Laura – Yeah
Steve - …7” with hands on it, we’ve got t-shirts with hands on it, we’ve got an album with hands on it…
Hands are the only human thing that shows up
Laura – Yeah I’m not into drawing faces and stuff, I’m not into drawing like a full person and to be honest I
don’t like drawing people in general. I like objects, I like things.
Steve - And hands…
And my friend, actually Steve’s ex-girlfriend had this scarf that I always admired. I really liked it and erm, I
remember it was like blue and black and I always thought that they were…because (I got told) you can’t
remember it was like blue and black and I always thought that they were…because (I got told) you can’t
wear blue and black together, it’s a no-no. So I always thought it was the wrong thing to do and then I saw
the scarf and I thought it looked really good together, I like it.
the scarf and I thought it looked really good together, I like it.
Steve – Is that why our album’s blue and black – because of my ex-girlfriends scarf?!
Laura – Yeah
Steve – You are warped!
Laura – Charlotte doesn’t know that. I might have to tell her that.
Steve – No she’ll get really big headed (all laugh) She’ll get the album and say the albums about her and
her scarf!
Laura - …and then I bought it, it was years and years ago but I never forgot this fecking scarf and then I
bought one but that’s another…I think this is a bit long winded…
Steve – Great answer!
Steve - …7” with hands on it, we’ve got t-shirts with hands on it, we’ve got an album with hands on it…
Hands are the only human thing that shows up
Laura – Yeah I’m not into drawing faces and stuff, I’m not into drawing like a full person and to be honest I
don’t like drawing people in general. I like objects, I like things.
Steve - And hands…
And my friend, actually Steve’s ex-girlfriend had this scarf that I always admired. I really liked it and erm, I
remember it was like blue and black and I always thought that they were…because (I got told) you can’t
remember it was like blue and black and I always thought that they were…because (I got told) you can’t
wear blue and black together, it’s a no-no. So I always thought it was the wrong thing to do and then I saw
the scarf and I thought it looked really good together, I like it.
the scarf and I thought it looked really good together, I like it.
Steve – Is that why our album’s blue and black – because of my ex-girlfriends scarf?!
Laura – Yeah
Steve – You are warped!
Laura – Charlotte doesn’t know that. I might have to tell her that.
Steve – No she’ll get really big headed (all laugh) She’ll get the album and say the albums about her and
her scarf!
Laura - …and then I bought it, it was years and years ago but I never forgot this fecking scarf and then I
bought one but that’s another…I think this is a bit long winded…
Steve – Great answer!
When writing a record do you decide on who is going to do the main
singing? Normally there is one of you that do more in a song that the other
one.
Laura – Erm, we don’t really decide, we just kind of just let each other do whatever
like we kind of just we…
Steve – It just kind of works out like that
Laura – It just works out, like if we write the song then one of us starts singing it
then that’s kind of the person who will sing it.
Steve – Yeah it’s just the way we write it
Laura – Yeah…like there’s some little things that I might say y’know, Steve sing
that because it sounds better with a male voice, but over all it kinda works out we
kinda just erm, it’s…
Steve – Yeah it’s a natural part of how we write together
Laura – It’s like an unsaid thing that we know, like ‘there gonna sing that’ so
Steve – Yeah, we’ll just be like jamming a song and one of us will start coming up
with vocal ideas and then that person will usually sing it. Like ‘Light It Up’ we were
just kinda jamming it and I came up with the bit in the verse so I sing the verses for
‘Light It Up.’ Then we do like ‘Keeping It Close,’ Laura starts singing the verse for
that so it’s just the way we were jamming, and whoever gets to the microphone first
will sing it. We swapped it around a little bit for the first record but for this record we
just kept it exactly as we wrote it.
singing? Normally there is one of you that do more in a song that the other
one.
Laura – Erm, we don’t really decide, we just kind of just let each other do whatever
like we kind of just we…
Steve – It just kind of works out like that
Laura – It just works out, like if we write the song then one of us starts singing it
then that’s kind of the person who will sing it.
Steve – Yeah it’s just the way we write it
Laura – Yeah…like there’s some little things that I might say y’know, Steve sing
that because it sounds better with a male voice, but over all it kinda works out we
kinda just erm, it’s…
Steve – Yeah it’s a natural part of how we write together
Laura – It’s like an unsaid thing that we know, like ‘there gonna sing that’ so
Steve – Yeah, we’ll just be like jamming a song and one of us will start coming up
with vocal ideas and then that person will usually sing it. Like ‘Light It Up’ we were
just kinda jamming it and I came up with the bit in the verse so I sing the verses for
‘Light It Up.’ Then we do like ‘Keeping It Close,’ Laura starts singing the verse for
that so it’s just the way we were jamming, and whoever gets to the microphone first
will sing it. We swapped it around a little bit for the first record but for this record we
just kept it exactly as we wrote it.
| How do you keep sane, On such a long tour? What do you do with your time? Steve – Well in a nut shell I don’t think we do keep sane to be honest! Laura – I think the main key to tour is sleep. I think if you get a decent amount of sleep then you’ll be happy – if you don’t get to sleep for ages that’s when things start getting to you and grow, like I think erm, there is no real key to it but I think you’ve got to kind of… Steve – Sleep definitely helps Laura – Sleep helps a lot. I think you just need to try and like have your own space at some point. Steve – Yeah that’s true actually, having a bit of space cause you don’t really get any, you’re sharing a van, and so make sure you have a little… Laura – Me time Steve – Down time to yourself, like otherwise you just start to hate everyone who goes near you! I suppose in that sense its easier being only two of you rather than five or six… Steve – Yeah, I mean like we usually have like three people touring with us… Laura – I actually think its harder being only two because if you have like – you can kind of like have fun with different people y’know, and when there’s a lot of people there is always…you can kind of – Yeah I think it’s easier when there’s more cause its more like a big group going on a… Steve – You wear each other out more if there are just two of you Do you go out in the places that you tour, like go sightseeing or… Steve – If going into bars counts as sightseeing then yes (laugh) Laura – Not really because you drive like through the day. If we were in like a tour bus we could get there in the morning, we wake up and we’re in the place and then you can go and have a look around. But if you’re in a sort of van and you stay in hotels which we do, then you sometimes get there and then you do your sound check and you don’t get much time. If you get a day off then yeah. At least it’s better than sleeping in the van like some bands do, you get to have a hotel… Laura – Exactly, I like sleeping in a bed, I don’t know if I could do a tour bus! Not many bands have a lead singer that’s a drummer, so how do you think people react when they find out? Steve – Most people think I’m just a young, prettier Phil Collins (all laugh) I don’t know what do people react like? Most people never really think about it unless they see us live and then there are always a few people from shows who are like ‘I don’t know how you can do it, you sing and drum, I don’t know how you do it.’ Well can you walk and talk at the same time? Yeah. Well it’s the same thing, you move your mouth and you move your arms and legs, that’s it. People never seem to talk about it or react to it. Laura - There’s a comment, have you seen it, on our YouTube video that says ‘There’s a singing drummer hahahahaha’ Steve – Really? Laura – Yeah Steve – OK then, people think we’re a comedy act with a singing drummer (all laugh) that’s how people react! You’ve toured with quite a lot of different varieties of bands, like different genres like Rolo Tomassi, Biffy Clyro and Panic! At The Disco. Do you think it’s important to show different genres together on the same tour? Steve – I think that we’ve just found that we don’t really fit into one scene. I think we are quite, we’re a bit of an anomaly ‘cause we – from quite early on we decided we could play with really different supports like really different bands and still actually go down, like not amazingly but go down alright with really different groups of people. I think that was just quite healthy, I think – I don’t think we are part of some scene of part of a particular y’know, style or like one thing. Erm, I like the idea that we’re able to do that, kind of play with different people. I do think it’s healthy, I think it’s a shame really when bands have just kind of one – ‘cause when that scene dies out and it’s not cool anymore they’re kind of thrown out. And it’s just like kind of more interesting to have different bands because you just get to see different kinds of people and different bands who do things in a kind of different way. Panic! At The Disco is kind of like a Hollywood show, they’ve got so much stuff, like then we go and play with someone like we supported The Gossip, and they had like less people working for them than we did yet they are a much more famous band. It’s quite interesting actually. Interviewer - I quite like it when different bands tour together as well, like Flood Of Red and they had The Casino Brawl touring with them and they are like really heavy so… Steve – Yeah, we’ve always had a knack of brining bands that we’d like, we brought Rolo Tomassi on tour with us and we were like people are gonna freak out with it. Actually you know, they said to us they had a really good time they were like – they said it was really strange ‘cause when they toured with like Gallows or something that is just maybe kind of more of a fit you know, both are quite heavy bands, but actually they said they went down worse supporting Gallows that they did supporting us and we‘re more of a pop band than Gallows… Interviewer - You probably have more open minded fans… Steve – That’s what we – well, that’s what we hope. We don’t wanna just say like ‘god our fans are like soo great’… Laura – No, but I think our fans are great Steve – I do think they are more accepting, like we seem to get away with putting weird bands on our tours than a lot of our friends bands Laura – Actually this time we’ve kinda struggled to find anyone that we really like that could do it. And then we were gonna have like a heavier band, but then because we’d already had Rolo Tomassi we sort of said go for something like kind of more Sonic Youth-y type vibal band… Steve – Alt rock Laura – Yeah alt rock, that you know have like female / male vocals so we thought we’d do that because I think it will go down really well and actually last night… Steve – People actually liked them, they’re good Laura – Yeah, really good, I think we’re quite lucky there Steve – I think we’ve got like ‘music fan’ crowds ‘cause you know, like some bands have a crowd of certain types of people, like certain trends but I think a lot of our crowd are really rind of like music nerd type people, and if something’s really good music regardless of what sort like 50% of our audience will like that because they just like good music. Interviewer - Talking of good music, what are your favourite up and coming bands at the minute? Laura – Erm… Steve – I really like Pulled Apart By Horses, they’re really cool. I really like, well Peggy Sue, the band whose t shirt I am wearing, they’ve played with us a few times. Erm…who else is that new though? Laura – New… Steve – I’m trying to think of bands that I’ve seen recently who are new or… Laura – Up and coming…Erm. Steve – Name some up and coming bands and we’ll tell you if they are any good! (all laugh) Interviewer (Caught off guard) - Erm… Laura – I can’t think of any that are up and coming Interviewer - …Canterbury. Have you ever heard of them? Steve – Canterbury? No I’ve only ever heard of the place Interviewer - They are really good, you should check them out. Steve – Canterbury? Interviewer - Yeah (all pause thinking) Steve – See, Underground Railroad (support act tonight) don’t count because they’ve made their third record… Interviewer - But they are still quite ‘underground’ (pun definitely intended!) Steve – Yeah, that’s it, they are up and coming, quite unknown, but then not really because they’ve actually done three records…I don’ t know much – We never seem to like new bands, we’re really fussy, like every tour we do we have about three bands we want to play with, so we ask them and if they can’t do it we’re like ‘aww shit..’ there’s no other bands we like that we can ask, except bands bigger than us! (laugh) I guess you don’t have anything more to say on that matter then! Thanks a lot. Steve – Cool Laura – Thank you. |
| Steven Ansell (vocals / drums) Photo Credit: Carrie-Anne Pollard |
