See XYZ favourites ‘Dry The River’ At Corn Exchange May 11!
(No extra fee, ticket or wristband required, entry is on a first come first served basis to all standard festival wristband holders!)London acoustic Alt-Folk five-piece gave a number of seminal performances at last year’s Great Escape, & have since toured Europe and beyond in a whirlwind of public adulation. Jimmy Volts spoke with lead singer Peter Liddle to get to the bottom of what makes them so special.
Forming from the ashes of Hardcore and Post-Punk bands in 2009, their re-birth was punctuated by frontman Peter’s compulsion to create music that was a complete departure from their collective efforts. Acoustic instruments removed them from their comfort-zones and they focused predominantly on honing a new direction through live shows. They developed a blend of Alternative Folk and began building a fanbase, but mounting pressure from their label soon lead to the creation of debut album ‘Shallow Bed’, though it didn’t come easily.
“It took us so long as we’ve always been more of a live band. It’s good to hear people saying positive stuff about the album, but we try not to concern our selves – it can be hard to hear negative reviews and what-not, so we try not to get absorbed in the public’s perception.”
Live shows are their skill, a rapturous blend of soul-baring honesty and laudable musicianship, all rounded off by the fact that they love every second. Another major factor to their appeal is that Liddle seems to wear his heart on his sleeve with his impassioned vocals. One listen to the beautifully candid ‘Weights & Measures’ is enough proof of that, or so one would think.
“I’ve always felt that i’m quite guarded emotionally. Some songs are personal and some are more imaginative. Musically, I consider lyric writing to be a separate entity to the music. But the more I go on, the more comfortable I am with injecting emotion into the songs.”
Regardless of the formula, it’s clear from the recurrent waves of praise that they have the balance right, with the music translating in both intimate and larger venues. Last year’s Great Escape saw them perform upstairs at Audio to a modest audience of fifty or so. This year sees them at the Corn Exchange, which has served as a launchpad to the big time for many bands before them. Are they ever tempted to stray from the eye of the storm and get swept up in it all?
“Well, we love smaller venues, a rapport and chatting to people, but we love bigger stages too. Ideally, we have as much fun as we can regardless of how many people are watching.”
See DTR at the Corn Exchange, May 11, 11.45
(No extra fee, ticket or wristband required, entry is on a first come first served basis to all standard festival wristband holders!)
For more information see Freatescapefestival.com
