Wednesday 19 October 2016

Counterfeit – 20/4/16 [Interview]


Currently in the middle of their headline UK/EU tour less than a year since the band’s inception, Counterfeit are an enigma in the UK rock scene. With only an EP and two singles out, Counterfeit have made earthquakes already, shattering barriers that would break other bands so early on – last December, they sold out O2 Academy Islington with only their EP Come Get Someunder their belts. It would be easy to dismiss their break-neck progress as the result of vocalist Jamie Bower‘s Hollywood fame, but their explosive riffs, slick bass and blistering live performances are a stead-fast recipe for success. We ventured to The Deaf Institute on Wednesday to get under the  skin of the hottest upcoming band, Counterfeit.*
*Minus drummer Jimmy Craig.
Hi guys! First off, can you please introduce yourselves and the instruments you play?
Roland Johnson: I’m Roland, I play bass guitar and do a bit of singing.
Tristan Marmont: I’m Tristan, I do guitar and some shouting occasionally.
Jamie Bower: I’m Jamie, I sing and play guitar.
Sam Bower: I’m Sam, and I play guitar and do a little bit of singing.
Most bands could only dream of embarking on a headline European tour in venues such as these less than a year into their career. You only have one EP and two singles out, what do you think has made you guys so popular so early on?
Jamie: I think… I mean, it’s a sort of double edged sword. I think it’s the sort of elephant in the room… I think this band has had a sort of inbuilt online fan base from the word go, and that was really amazing and really supportive and fantastic. We’ve got a lot of dedicated people who come to a lot of shows. Europe, for us, is a huge market in terms of venue capacities that we play and how we’ve been received as opposed to the UK, because the UK is saturated with fantastic rock bands and we’re just at the bottom of that, do you know what I mean? We’re trying to get to the top of it. Our online presence has been pretty great it’s… for bands nowadays it’s sort of a necessity. It always has been, really. I remember when I was a kid – I say kid, I still am – but when I was like seventeen, you know, A&R guys at record labels would find bands on Myspace, it was all about Myspace.
All the emo bands?
Jamie: We love those emo bands!
Roland: We were all sat on Myspace all the time, listening on repeat, Panic! At The Disco!
Why do you think fans of The Darling Buds have still followed you although Counterfeit is obviously a lot heavier stylistically?
Jamie: Tristan Marmont, he is very beautiful. He’s a beautiful young boy, they’re very keen on him! They like to bring him gifts, and Roland as well… not me so much for some reason (!) They don’t seem to like me anymore!
Tristan: I think maybe the fans follow us because they like our energy I guess? It guess it’s obviously something to do with us ‘cause the music is very different.
Jamie: [laughs] I thought you were going to say ‘good’! [Puts on pompous accent] ‘The music is very good.’
Tristan: [laughs] Yeah, I mean the original stuff is pretty pop-y, quite upbeat punk and pop stuff and this is a lot darker actually, and the lyrics are much more truthful. They tackle a lot more serious topics that people don’t usually like to talk about. So maybe people are finding a bit of solace in the lyrics and the music itself.
This is the third date on your first ever headline tour, what have the last two nights been like? Have they been as you expected them to be or have they been completely different, or did you not even have any expectations?
Jamie: It’s an interesting one for us because like I said before, going out on the road in the UK, this is our home, this is our home country. It’s great to have recognition wherever you are in the world, no matter where you live, but we really want to win over the UK crowds because we love it here as well, it’s why we’ve chosen to stick around. We could have gone anywhere. The expectations… It’s a hard one because with tour it’s like, the first night is always ‘you’ve gotta bring it’ but you’ve also got these cobwebs that you haven’t really got rid of yet and it’s that sort of nervousness of playing in front of people again. Nottingham was a great show and we tore Glasgow a new one last night! We absolutely smashed it, it was wicked! It was madness from beginning to end and I loved it. I loved it from the word go.
Tristan: Rowdy, rowdy. The crowd were amazing as well.
Jamie: That’s the thing with the Scots as well isn’t it? I mean, maybe it’s not just the Scots. Maybe it’s what we’re finding out with the UK crowd, that they’re keen to have a go, they’re so keen. And when you start having a go at them, they’re gonna have a go back at you and that’s great – that’s how we vibe. But if we’re gonna get up on stage and I’m just gonna expect it, it ain’t gonna happen. So it’s all about just giving it our all, hence why I can barely talk.
Counterfeit feels like a big step up from The Darling Buds, like this time it’s for certain – you’re releasing more music, you’re touring a lot more– what made you decide to fully go for it as a band?
Jamie: I think we all of a sudden felt very comfortable in this, in this skin. And also having the belief from other people, like TDB had been around since I was like seventeen, eighteen? It was something that I would do, it had various different line-ups.
Tristan: Sometimes we wouldn’t play for like three months?
Jamie: Yeah, we wouldn’t play for like two years! I’d post an acoustic song online or whatever and it was just something that I would do occasionally – I’d just like stick a demo up online because I was on tour, doing a press tour for a movie somewhere. I’d just stick it up and see if people liked it, just to give people something extra, to show that I really could do something. This [Counterfeit] was born all of a sudden. Our management believed in us – our management is just some mates of mine, it’s not like we’re signed to some fucking, you know, huge management company. They’re just some mates of mine who believe in us, and they saw potential. It sort of just snowballed, that’s what happens. Also, I think we all grew up a bit. When we were younger, we were just like ‘yeah whatever, it’ll happen when it’s meant to happen,’ and we sort of felt like we deserved it in a way? I think that’s how you feel when you’re younger. It’s how I felt anyway – like I was due my prize in some sort of inflated ego sense, when in fact what we’ve done in the last year is just work our ass off from beginning to end. Only now is it starting to pay off and it’s great, that’s what we need to keep doing. We need to be tired.

You label yourselves as punk rock but there are so many genres that are interwoven with the main chunk of heavy rock that completes your sound, what genres besides punk rock influenced your writing and how difficult was it to fuse them together?
Tristan: I suppose we don’t really try? I mean, ‘punk rock’ is the most encompassing description for our music, but we never really tried for a specific genre. It just so happened that the sound that we’ve created is what we’re all very comfortable with and suits the speed, the angry, fast music, the lyrics and the topics that it tackles. It kind of was just the end product and I think ‘punk rock’ is the best way to describe that.
Jamie: It’s an unfortunate scenario that within our world nowadays that you have to label yourself as a specific genre. It’s not something that we ever consciously did, it wasn’t like we were like: we’re punk! It’s just that that’s what someone said once, and then it sort of just went, ‘oh we’re punk now, that’s cool, that’s fine.’ If that’s what people want to call it that’s fine. I mean, in terms of when we write, as long as it sounds like it’s gonna punch you in the face I’m cool with it [laughs].
Sam: I think everything’s in it, I hear literally so much of everything.
Jamie: A bit of Motley Crue, a bit of fucking Gallows, a bit of whatever you like.
Sam: Elton John.
Tristan: Biffy [Clyro].
Jamie: A lot of Biffy.
I hear a little bit of A Day To Remember sometimes.
Jamie: A bit of A Day To Remember! There’s a little bit, yeah.
Tristan: We love A Day To Remember!
Most of the songs you’ve released so far are packed with energy and fire and they seem made for a live audience, is that something you heavily took into account when writing or was it something that happened just because of the style of your music?
Jamie: Well… I’ve been playing since I was like fifteen… I’ve been gigging since I was seventeen, sixteen, and so I kind of always knew what works live and what doesn’t work live. So when it comes to writing now, it’s not like I’m thinking ‘okay, this has to work live’ – it just has to work to Counterfeit. I write all different styles of music all the time. I love writing country songs, I’m a huge one for writing country bangers! I’ve started so many various side projects, country bands – all-star line-ups that just never happens you know, we have one rehearsal and then that’s it, it never is born! Just as long as it sounds likeCounterfeit, it’s gonna work well live. We have to be able to play it as well, there’s no point in writing something that you can’t play. That’s why we have three guitars on stage. There’s this song that we’ve got called Addiction and it’s got this sick little breakdown line in it, but I can’t play that line… So I give it to Tristan. Because I’m lazy [laughs].
Letter to the Lost is toned down in comparison to other tracks that you’ve done but it’s still quite gritty. A lot of fans know The Darling Buds and how they were mellower, can we expect anything a little more chilled out on the new album or is it all fire?
Jamie: It’s all fire! [laughs]
Tristan: It will burn you.
Jamie: It’s gotta be uncomfortable to listen to at the end of the day, that’s how I want to sell this record! ‘It’s uncomfortable!’
You should put that on the posters!
Jamie: Yeah, exactly! ‘Zane Lowe has said that his ears actually bled!’ [laughs].
When you first started Counterfeit, did you have an overall goal or an aim that you wanted to accomplish, and if so has that changed as you’ve grown and had more experience of being a band and obviously added Sam and Jimmy?
Roland: I think this band, we want to make it as big as possible. The Darling Buds, like we said, was put to bed and the management came on board, and we all thought if we’re gonna do it then we want to do it properly. We want to take this band to arenas, we want to do albums and albums, and really be touring the world. Whether it happens or not, you never know – but you’ve gotta be in it to win it, and we’re all here to give it 110%. We’re all giving it everything we’ve got you know? We’ve all given up so much time and put so much effort into this, this is what we wanna do.
Where do you want the band to be five years from now?
Jamie: I think one of us will have been arrested… for murdering the other [laughs]. I mean, where do I want it to be? I want it to be the biggest thing that’s ever happened. Our aspiration is to be-
Tristan: Wembley?
Jamie: Yeah, what? Living in Wembley?
Tristan: Yeah, literally living in Wembley! Just in the surrounding area.
Roland: Because we play the arena so much?
Tristan: Yeah, it’s our dormitory!
Jamie: I think in five years’ time we’d like this band to be the biggest thing that’s ever existed and to have made a really significant impact in the international rock scene. It’s gonna be a hard slug for us you know, it’s not the world’s most accessible music by any stretch of imagination, but I think with hard work and persistence, and as long as we stay true, and as long as we stay honest, I can’t really see it not working in some way, shape or form. But we’d be stoked if we weren’t the biggest band in the world. I mean, in five years’ time we’d be stoked to be playing in front of ten people you know? Just as long as it meant that we we’re playing music.
You’re writing your debut album right now, has the process of the album been any different from how you wrote the EP?
Jamie: It hasn’t. The process is really similar. I mean, it’s gonna be interesting because now we’ve got Jimmy and Sam on board. Sam was involved actually since we started the record which was like, nine months ago? The record has evolved a lot and that’s why it’s not out yet, because it’s still evolving and it’s still becoming this monster that it needs to be. It needs to just be this absolute monster, and there are already three tracks that I’m not putting on that we recorded at the very, very beginning. It’s just not gonna happen. So, the process is very much the same. I think with having Sam on board it’s gonna be interesting now to see what he comes up with because generally what happens is I write pretty much everything and then everyone puts their own flavours in it. In Come Get Some there’s this really sick like [imitates bass guitar] that Roland does on his bass. That came from him. I was just like ‘this is the structure, do what you like, it’s yours now.’ I think that with Sam being on board now as well it’s gonna be really interesting because he’s more technical in terms of what he writes and how he listens, whereas I’m just like, pick it up – if it sounds like it’s gonna die, it’s probably good! So yeah, I’m interested to see what will happen with that but the process is still the same: at home, demoing it, sending it off to the producer, him going, ‘work on that, don’t work on that, pick that up, don’t pick that up’, taking it back, writing the lyrics for it, going into the studio, getting it done.
Whereas a lot of bands fall into the trap of trying to make their songs profound and romanticised, on tracks like Enough, which you’ve said was a backlash to the Paris attacks last November, it seems that you prefer to be raw and brutally honest, why did you decide to take that approach and has there been a reaction to it?
Jamie: Has there been a reaction to it? My mind instantly goes ‘has there been a negative reaction?!’ It’s my catastrophic mind there! Has there been a reaction? I think the reaction speaks for itself in the sense that people are coming to the shows and buying the record. I think that’s the reaction in all honesty, there hasn’t been a negative reaction to it at all. I’m not preaching hate in any way, shape or form in anything that I’ve ever said. If you sit down and read the lyrics it’s a lot more about acceptance and love as well as the darker side. It’s just the honest truth of what it’s like to be alive, rather than to sing about cupcakes and chocolate.
It seems to encompass a broader range of frustrations, and with the marching drum beat and gang vocals it seems to appeal more to younger audiences. Was it simply a release of inner frustrations or was it more of a call to action, raising awareness thing?
Jamie: Both, I think. I mean, it wasn’t a conscious decision that I made to write a song that was gonna be a call to arms. We were in the studio, this song was about something else, these attacks happened and I just thought ‘fuck, I can’t just not say anything. Surely there has to be other people out there who feel like me.’ If there are, this is what it is. If they wanna dig it, they can dig it, if they don’t, they don’t. It was just born out of a need to vent some serious frustrations. And also not frustrations alone… confusion. I’m confused at how people can be so horrific to each other, I don’t understand it. It boggles the mind, the mind just churns when you think about it.
Are there more tracks on the album that make more general comments about society or is it an isolated song in that aspect?
Jamie: I think there’s a few, I mean, Addiction is pretty similar in the sense that if anybody’s experienced what the song is talking about they’ll get it. There’s a few… but again, it’s never a conscious call to arms. That’s not what this band is about, it’s not about a gimmick. We could make it gimmicky, we could be like, ‘oh, that’s done well, let’s just make a whole album around being all ‘aren’t we all together in this!’’ We are all together in this, but let’s talk about shit that’s really fucking real and shit that happens on a daily basis. Having your heart broken is one of the worst things that could ever happen to you and if anybody’s ever been through that they’ll get it. I’m not addressing it in a way that’s like ‘oh my god, I’m so sad!’ It’s addressing it in a way that’s like, ‘you fucked me up! You really fucked me up!’ It’s just being honest about it rather than having some pop singer talk about it in a way that’s just not honest.
What are other bands that you’d like to tour with in the grand scheme of things? I know you’re touring with Billy Talent…
Jamie: We’ve got Billy yeah, we’d love to do Biffy I think, in the long run-
Tristan: Marmozets is another one.
Jamie: They are proper Leeds boys and girls, Marmozets would be great. I’d love to go on the road with Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes, I think that would be great fun for us. Um… I’m trying to think who it would fit with. I think Biffy andMarmozets would probably be our top at the moment for sure. I just think it would be cool and it would fit well.
Biffy are playing Leeds Festival and you’re playing 2000 Trees, can we expect you at any other UK festivals this summer?
Jamie: Not in the UK. Sorry UK, we love you! The 2000 Trees line-up is ridiculous though! I think someone told me the capacity is like five thousand for this festival right?
Roland: I think it is, I think it’s five thousand cap.
Jamie: It’s madness, right? I saw Neck Deep headline at The Forum in Kentish Town which is a 2500 cap venue and they sold it out. And then I saw Twin Atlantic headline at Roundhouse which is, I think, more? Is it three?
Tristan: Yeah, I think it’s three.
Jamie: Those two bands alone will bring over capacity crowds!
You’ve recently become ambassadors of the charity CALM – Campaign Against Living Miserably – which is also supported by the likes of Young Guns and Professor Green. Can you explain what it is and why you decided to take on the role of ambassadors, and what you plan to do as a result of your involvement with it?
Jamie: CALM helps raise awareness for the horrendous issue within our country, which is that the most probable cause of death for men under forty-five years old is suicide… which is a mental statistic. I personally started working with them when my friend took his own life almost a year ago. You know, you always get approached by charities, in whatever you do in your daily life, whether it’s people asking you for money in the streets or whatever. You try and do as much as you possibly can do but it’s not until something affects you so greatly, and is so personal to you, that you can really, really understand the benefits that a charity like this can have on people. They didn’t seek me out, I went and found them. It was through my friend Sinead and I was instantly like, ‘I want to work with these people’. I think they’re great, I think their message is fantastic. Our plan? What is our plan to do with it? Our plan is to raise awareness. I talk about them at every show, I will always talk about them in interviews, I’ll do interviews for them. They’ve got the CALMzine which is available in Topshop if anybody wants to pick it up, it talks about mental health issues. Mental health issues within our country are still somewhat taboo – it’s seen to be a sign of weakness to be emotional as a man. I’m an incredibly emotional man, I’m very emotionally aware of myself as well. Whether that’s a blessing or a curse is yet to be determined.
Will there be any charity events that you’ll be participating in?
Jamie: Yeah, I think we’d love to do something maybe with [Young] Guns and with Pro Green as well. We could do something and try and get it together. You know, when you choose to work with a charity it has to be about the long-term. It’s all very exciting in that beginning when you’re like, ‘right we can go on tour!’ and this kind of stuff, but we have to plan it in the right way in order for it to have the most positive effect and for it have the largest outreach – to be able to get the most amount of people involved and spread the message as best we can. But yeah, a charity gig would be cool. I mean, CALM are wicked as well because CALM do so much stuff apart from bringing out the fanzine. They had a poetry slam on the other day in London which was so cool. They do so much wicked stuff and it’s just a way for young people to connect as well, you know, to be aware.
What would your advice be to fans that are struggling with personal issues?
Jamie: I mean, there is always help, that’s the main thing, you know? There is always help.
Tristan: Just talk to people. Don’t sit with your thoughts on your own – just talk to people.

Would you see Counterfeit as a space where fans can come and release those issues?
Jamie: At a live show? Yeah, I think that any record that you ever put on or any gig you ever go to should make you… You should come out feeling ruined, or just exorcised, in a way. I’ve got so many records that I put on if I’m ever feeling a certain way and it just makes me run around my apartment and go fucking mental. My girlfriend’s seen it and she’s seen me do that and she’s confused by it and a little bit weirded out by it, but it’s a good thing! If people can connect with our lyrics then that’s amazing.
Okay now the serious bit is over, usually we ask bands stupid questions at the end of an interview. I’ve made some ‘would you rather’ questions. When I was writing them there was one about sex that I wasn’t really sure whether to ask or not?
Jamie: Why? You can ask us anything about sex!
Roland: What was it?
Would you rather only be able to have sex when listening to the High School Musical Soundtrack, or have your mum instantly know whenever you’re having sex, every single time?
Jamie: I fucking love High School Musical!
Tristan: High School Musical! It has to be High School Musical!
Jamie: [sings] We’re all in this together!
Roland: There are some bangers on there!  
Was that a pun?
Roland: …Yes.
Tristan: He’ll take credit!
Jamie: [laughs] Is it? I don’t know. What’s a pun? [laughs].
Roland: I’m a punny guy…
Would you rather be a Stark in Game of Thrones or participate The Hunger Games, and why?
Roland: I don’t watch Game of Thrones, so I’ll leave that to you guys.
Tristan: Yeah, I’d be in Game of Thrones.
Jamie: Um… I would rather participate in The Hunger Games, because some of my mates are in Game of Thrones and it would be weird.
Sam: Hunger Games, easily! I love that, you know… being in the wilderness, fighting for your own, I think.
There’s a lot of that in Game of Thrones, have you seen Arya?
Sam: Yeah but, you know it’s not like a game in that way-
Tristan: She is a tough cookie! She’s a great character. In the next series she’ll end up coming out very powerful.
Would you rather be stranded on a desert island for a year or accidentally pee yourself at random times every day for the rest of your life?
Roland: Stranded on a desert island for a year, you know, you’ve got a lot of time to reflect and improve.
But there are wild animals in there!
Roland: It’s fine, you just live off them! Chickens, eggs and stuff I don’t know, whatever! You could make good out of living on a desert island for a year, you could learn things and go to places you’ve never been! But peeing yourself every day, randomly, no!
Jamie: Look at him properly thinking about it! Yeah, I would definitely choose desert island.
Tristan: You could just wear nappies!
Roland: Would you rather pee yourself?
I don’t know what’s on the island! If I had some forewarning of what was gonna happen…
Roland: I was expecting a mansion and a helipad on the island! [laughs].
What about a Lord of the Flies kind of island?
Sam: I think I’d do the island.
Jamie: I think I’d do the island because if you wee yourself every day, you could be having the most important meeting of your life and wee yourself – and that’s it. You could be on stage, you could be meeting a record label-
Tristan: But you could wear nappies!
Jamie: You could be meeting your next girlfriend and you wee yourself, and then things are getting frisky and it’s like a whole new Bridget Jones scenario!
Tristan: Well it’s gonna be acceptance isn’t it?
At least she won’t leave you when you’re old and you pee yourself anyway?
Roland: Does that… does that happen?!
Tristan: Yes [laughs]. Sorry to break the news to you!
Would you rather never again be able to go to a gig that isn’t yours, or never again perform at a gig?
[Unanimous groan]
Tristan: That’s not cool!
Jamie: I’m trying to figure out the question?
Sam: Only play at your own gig, or only ever be able to go to other people’s gigs but not be able to play yourself?
Roland: Play!
Jamie: Oh, play! Play, play, play, play!
Roland: Play, play, fuck everyone else!
Jamie: We’d just get whoever we wanted to see live to be our support.
Roland: Or we’d be their support.
Would you rather live in a really haunted house and never be able to move out or be in a zombie apocalypse?
All: Zombie apocalypse!
Roland: Big fan of The Walking Dead, yeah! I know all the moves!
Jamie: I’ve already started building a bunker.
Tristan: I’m just going to the cellar.
Jamie: Tristan’s got a strong cellar game.
Tristan: No one will find you there.
SB: Yeah, but the sea!
The sea?! Is that how you’re going to get to the desert island?
Sam: Yeah, pretty much! You’re on a desert island, you’ve got food-
Jamie: I’ll see you on the desert island mate ‘cause that’s where I’ll be living. I won’t be peeing myself there.
Tristan: I’d join the navy, then you’re on a boat.
Sam: No, cause if you’re in the navy then you’ll be called in to port during the apocalypse? You want to get out!

Counterfeit: The Deaf Institute, Manchester 20/4/16 [Review]


The Deaf Institute has played host to many upcoming bands over the last few years, but its sacred halls have never seen anything as promising as Counterfeit. You’d be forgiven for assuming that their prompt accession into a headline tour just eight months into the band’s career is simply the result of having a Hollywood actor for a vocalist. However, the reality is that Counterfeit have demonstrated mind-blowing maturity and expertise in their (albeit few) studio released songs. As fans piled into the sold-out venue, it was time to see if Counterfeit could deliver at a live show as well as on record.
Support came from Bellevue Days, an alt-rock quartet with a pop-rock style reminiscent of Circa Waves infused with the distressed spirit of Brand New. The band keep it original by leaving out the sharp edge of Jesse Lacey’s vocals. Not that this is a bad thing – it made for easier listening and a more chilled out vibe that would be perfect at festivals. With great energy and on-stage presence for a small band only two years old, Bellevue Days demonstrated extreme talent and originality as they performed songs from their EP, The Sun Came Up When We Were Young, and their singles Ripped Jeans and Pepper Tea.Bellevue Days are certainly ones to watch out for.

Regardless of how good the support was, however, there was only one word on the lips of the – admittedly predominantly female – crowd: Counterfeit. The anticipation was tangible as Royal Blood song after Royal Blood song played whilst equipment was prepared on stage, and once the crowd saw a glimpse of the band entering from a small side-door, the night truly got under way.
Counterfeit’s energy and zeal was palpable from the very second they launch into the explosive Hold Fire. As the song progressed, shirtless vocalist Jamie Bower’s love of theatrics hit the limelight as he sauntered off the stage and onto the bar, with a blatant disregard for the fans that were crushed in the onslaught of girls trying to get an inch closer to him. The night looked set to be a wild one until Jamie threw himself into the crowd of adorning fans during second song For The Thrill Of It.As he lay on his back on the floor as opposed to bobbing heroically above the crowd, Jamie probably realised that stage-diving into a crowd of girls probably wasn’t the brightest idea he’s ever had. Clambering back on stage with a glowing welt on his back, he looked understandably pissed off: ‘put your phones away and fucking catch me next time – this isn’t a fucking One Direction concert’.

It’s clear that Counterfeit are still struggling to be taken seriously as a band, but their performance for the rest of the evening set standards high even for fully established bands. Their unrelenting vigour and ground-breaking passion was evident in their faces – bassist Roland Johnson was positively beaming as he led into the slick song Addiction and although guitarist Sam Bower channelled the more reserved side of Kurt Cobain, he still jokingly locked heads with his older brother. Jamie indulged in Kurt’s more rock-star antics, throwing himself around on stage and wading through the crowd whilst performing. The break-neck speed of the night came to a halt as he burrowed himself into the crowd, singing the touching tribute Letter to the Lost. Talking about the charity CALM, which the band have recently become ambassadors of, Jamie shows a more vulnerable side which is at odds with the loud and aggressive persona he adopts for the rest of the night. Unreleased songs like Romeo and Lost Everything get as much of a reaction as hits like Come Get Some and Family Suicide.
              Counterfeit’s enthusiasm bled through the bruises of the failed stage-dive and fans tirelessly remained on their toes throughout the set. Perhaps the only issue is that Counterfeit still need to establish themselves in the overall rock community and gain a following that is more suited to the heavy style of rock that the band so obviously love. If you’re dismissing them as a simple Hollywood-actor-turned-musician band, you’re missing out. It’s undoubtable that Counterfeit are going to go far – for a band with so much drive and passion, it’s impossible not to.

Frank Turner – 19/11/15 [Interview]


The lovely Frank Turner is in the middle of a monstrous tour promoting his sixth album, ‘Positive Songs for Negative People’.We caught up with him before he and The Sleeping Souls tore Sheffield a new one with their sold out show at the O2 Academy. We talked about the new album, current events, and Netflix & Chill; easy Frank, we’ve only known each other ten minutes!

How’s the tour been so far?It’s been great! The shows have been fantastic, we’ve got great support bands and it’s lovely to be back in the UK. The events in Paris have been pretty heavy for everybody who’s involved in live music and the touring community, but that aside it’s been great.
I guess that had quite an effect on the mood of the tour in the few days afterwards?Yeah, I knew Nick Alexander quite well and I know quite a lot of other people who were shot, all of whom are thus far still alive, so that is good news. But yeah, I was doing a gig when it happened and I was doing a gig the following evening and it’s like, ‘this is what I do, I do gigs’, and it’s mad to think about what happened.
Does it make you reflect on your career and appreciate it a lot more?It does, it makes me pretty angry in places as well, people talking about this with reference to Western foreign policy it’s like ‘what the fuck do people at a death metal show have to do with Western foreign policy?’ It’s not to do with that, it’s to do with totalitarian death cults and… yeah, fuck those people.
You’ve played well over a thousand shows now, what number is tonight’s show in Sheffield?1789! We’re gonna break 1800 by the end of this year.
Has the reception to your new album been any different to your previous albums?Well, it’s an interesting question because it’s my sixth album and there’s a degree to which people have made up their mind about an artist by the time you get to a sixth record and I’m slightly kind of bored by… You know, there are some people that will just go ‘oh I fucking hate that guy’, and won’t listen to it. And then, I don’t want to be disrespectful or ungrateful, but there are people that are gonna love it because they love what I do. I’m more interested in people that have a kind of rational, reasonably critical response to it. But I feel quite strongly that it’s one of the best records that I’ve done, if not the best record I’ve ever done. It struck me that I really needed to not just release a run-of-the mill ‘me’ album.
When I listened to it I did think that you’d branched out in a lot of different places and experimented with new sounds.Thank you, I’m glad we agree! You know, if I just did a me-by-numbers record on album six, a lot of people would kinda go, ‘probably not gonna bother listening to the next one.’ You need to keep interesting people.
In ‘The Angel Islington’ you mention the writer Samuel Johnson, is there a book or poem that you’ve read that’s completely changed your outlook on life or that you’ve taken inspiration from when writing yourself?Yeah, hundreds! I’m a very bookwormy, poetry kind of guy. I was just talking about a writer called Clive James who is my favourite writer, he’s an Australian who’s lived in London most of his life and it’s very sad to say that he’s nearly dead – he’s got terminal cancer. He wrote a book called ‘Cultural Amnesia’ which reordered my entire thinking about art, but that’s just one of many that I could choose.
In ‘Get Better’ you say the lyrics ‘she took a plain black marker, started writing on my chest.’ Speaking of ink on skin, what’s your favourite tattoo and why?On me? It’s difficult to pick favourites. I really like the backs of my hands, partly because I see them all day every day. The idea came from a song from a band called mewithoutYou, sort of via Aesop’s Fables, and the drawing was drawn by my friend Keenan and the inking was done by my friend Ian, so they’ve got a lot of personal attachment.
Okay, in relation to ‘The Opening Act of Spring’, what are you most looking forward to about 2016?We’re gonna be in Europe a lot in some places we haven’t been for a long time and I’m really excited to get back to Scandanavia and places like that.
You talk about postcards and travelling a lot in ‘Mittens’, where’s one place you haven’t toured yet or don’t tour very often that you’d love to visit?South America! I’ve never been south of the River Grande and we’re going to Mexico next month which I’m crazy excited about; obviously Mexico isn’t in South America but it’s a little bit closer. I get tons of emails from Brazil, Chile and Argentina and places like that and I would love to get down there.

Glorious You’ – what’s been the most glorious thing about releasing ‘Positive Songs for Negative People?’You know what, it was a real battle to get this record to come out the way I wanted it to. There were lot of people who were trying to get me to mitigate a little bit, or just round the edges off, or change up what I do and I was really, really fierce about fighting that. It was very stressful. The record was supposed to come out in February but it came out in August because we were arguing about when and where to record it and all those kind of things, and I’m really glad that I stood my ground.
So you’re very certain that the album reflects you specifically rather than the interests of other people?Yeah, definitely. I mean that’s always true but just particularly this time around. I think some people didn’t quite get what it was I was trying to do and were trying to change what I do, and that really fills me with rage so I was really quite keen to just ignore all of that.
In ‘Love Forty Down’ you mention fears about reaching forty, is there anything that you’re determined to achieve before you do turn forty?Oh, God! I’m right at the very beginning of planning to write a history book. I shouldn’t really say any more than that right now but it’s gonna be an extremely difficult thing to do because I don’t really know how to do it, and I don’t want it to be a history book that people like because I’m a musician, I want them to like it because it’s a history book, you know? I’ve got a plan and if it comes out before I’m forty I’ll be very pleased.
When you stop making music, what’s the one thing you want people to remember about your career?[Pauses] Well… That’s an interesting question, in some ways I… [pauses] Making me pause is quite impressive, I never stop talking! In some ways I kind of don’t care, in the sense that it’s not really my problem what people do or don’t remember, but that’s actually not strictly true. I don’t think that’s how human beings work – everyone thinks about how they’re going to be remembered. I just want to be remembered as someone who was integral and decent. I mean, I’d love to be remembered as the greatest songwriter in the history of the universe but that’s not gonna happen, so I’d just like to be remembered as someone who was decent to the people around me and stayed true to my artistic aims.
What would be your ideal gift this Christmas?I’m really into old maps of London, stuff like that and I’d like an old map of London – well, I should clarify, I’d like another old map of London.

What was the last concert you attended that wasn’t your own?[Pauses] I’m trying to think, we’ve been on tour for a long time! I can tell you the next concert I’m going to attend which is tomorrow night because we have the night off. We’re going to a band called Felix Hagan & The Family who are amazing, and I’m very excited about seeing them live again.
Are there any songs or artists that you listen to that people wouldn’t expect you to listen to?I don’t really know what people expect me to listen to, or care very much. I listen to a lot of pretty heavy music, I think people generally know that about me. There’s a band called HECK that used to be called Baby Godzilla, they are fucking monstrousand I love them. At the same time lately I’ve been mainly listening to traditional 70s country, stuff like John Prime, George Jones, that kind of business. It’s great, it’s some of the most finely crafted song-writing I’ve ever heard.
Okay just to finish off we’re gonna play a word association game, you know what this is right?I do, I live in fear that you’re going to discover something about me that we didn’t already know!
Okay, so the first one is pretty easy – Music.Everything.
Netflix.Chill!
Dinosaurs. Awesome!
Christmas. Uh… [pauses] I know I’m supposed to do this quickly! I’m gonna say Mum really, because the deal I have with my mum is that, obviously because I’m not home very often, I go home for Christmas. If I don’t, and do Christmas anywhere other than my Mum’s house she’d fucking hunt me down and kill me. She can cook the shit out of a turkey!
Harry Potter.Don’t care. That whole thing passed me by hard! I have friends who are die-hard fanatics but it’s not for me.