Other than having breakfast. What has the band been up to at the moment?
We have been out on the road, done a couple of festivals, we're on tour just now, and we are just finishing off the album, the mixing, we've probably got another two or three days and that will be the album finished.
And has it got a name yet?
It hasn't, no.
Who are Glasvegas, can you describe your band mates?
James is the song writer and the singer, he's quite special, his lyrics are quite special, he's talented. Paul is the bass player, he is the funniest guy in the world and he hates being wrong. Carline is the drummer and when she goes shopping she's like a pig in shite, quite literally she lies on her back and rolls about, but she's the sweetest person in the world and we all love her. And me, what am I like? I'm really moody, that's probably the best way to describe me, And a gigolo according to Caroline. So I guess that's Glasvegas.
How did the band get together?
Well, me and James are cousins, our mums are twins, so we kind of grew up together. I knew Paul from school so we asked him to join to play gigs. We knew Caroline from a vintage clothes shop in Glasgow called 'Best Of Friends' and we used to go in there and buy clothes and we thought she looked really cool, so we asked her to join the band, and learn how to play the drums.
So was 'Best Of Friends' where you got clothes for your rockabilly look?
Well, the clothes in there are really cool, there's not a lot of places to buy clothes in Glasgow unless you like Top Shop. So, we used to go in there and get a lot of different clothes, really cool stuff. James and I used to go in there, get clothes and ended up meeting Caroline.
So why have you got this rockabilly fifties look?
I don't know it's quite a natural thing, we all like wearing black, I think it's because musically we're black, if you take everything in black then it's quite an easy thing. I don't think we intended it to work out that way, I guess it's just turned out like that.
It's not because Caroline has discounts in the shop?
Yeah I know, well she still gets discounts even though she doesn't work there which is quite cool.
Who are your musical influences?
Well just now I've been listening to Kate Bush, Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, I'm a big Beach Boys fan I love Brian Wilson. Yesterday I was listening to Jerry Lee Lewis as well. I guess it is more older stuff, more 1960's orientated. In terms of guitarists I love Carl Wilson (Beach Boys), he's probably one of the favourites and Scotty Moore (Elvis' band) as well.
If you had to pick one band in musical history to support you who would it be?
It would probably be, one band, mmm, it would probably be Elvis, yeah I think I would love to see him and Scotty and the rest of them actually play. I think that would be quite special. I've spoke to Lisa Marie, his daughter about him when he used to gigs, and she told me stuff that his mum had told her and stuff, and it sounds incredible, really exciting.
So how did you end up speaking to Lisa Marie then?
We've got the same friends and she was over seeing someone in London, I think it was last year or the beginning of this year and she came up to Edinburgh, and she just gave us a phone and asked if we wanted meet up because she was a fan of the band. We went and met her and had some drinks and it was nice she was lovely. It was quite exciting and it was really strange whenever she would speak about her dad because he was Elvis.
I can't imagine doing that!
Yeah, it was really strange and obviously I'm a big Elvis fan so it was quite a strange thing. She was really cool, she was lovely, a really nice girl. I think we're going to visit her, i think we're going out to America later in the year, and we'll go out and have some dinner with her which will be nice.
How did the association with Alan McGee come about?
He came to see us at a gig with Carl Barat from The Libertines, and he basically just loves the band, he's really just always been a fan of the band. Our manager went to see him one night I think he was Djing and told him all about the band. So he said he needed to come along and see them and check them out. So he came along, and I think he was kind of blown away a little. Through that we got some gigs with Dirty Pretty Things as well. Alan's just been our friend he loves music, he's great. We call him Uncle Alan, he's always there whenever we need him for advice or anything, he's just a good guy.
So what's the best gig the band have played so far?
We probably have different answers to that. I think probably the best one we've done was The Barrowlands, it was February, and we were supporting a band. But we thought it's cool we were doing Barrowlands, it's in Glasgow. But we went on it was like everyone there was there to see us, and when we finished the place emptied for the main band. It was a bit of a shame, but that gig was quite special, I think that's when we realised as a band that things were changing and get a bit bigger for us. It was just an incredible gig, I think we all played really well, I've actually seen some footage of it on you tube and it looks amazing.
You've grown quite quickly haven't you, were you expecting that?
To be honest not really. We did one vinyl last year which was 'Daddy's Gone' and then we did a tour at the end of January this year, and basically every night of the tour had sold had sold out, and this was before we'd signed a deal or anything and we were really surprised. Then obviously we signed a deal and we've been away to New York, so while we were in New York there was lots of things happening which we didn't hear about. So we came back and things were just a bit crazy, with the gigs, and we're selling gigs out everywhere, and people come to gigs just get really excited. It's nice because we've worked really hard for a couple of years at it, and it just seems as though it's starting to pay off, all the work, which we're still doing just now. But I guess it has been quite a fast thing, but from our point of view it's definitely its time.
How long have you been together?
The band's been together for about two and a half years.
And were you in other bands before?
Yeah we've all done different thing before, but it's just been little bands in Glasgow. Me and James have always played guitar together but I guess this is the first serious band we've ever been in. I don't actually think I'll ever be in another band after this. Caroline's shaking her head, I don't think she would, I don't think Paul would either, I don't think I would, I think this is enough.
Did you really do a tour of high security prisons?
Yeah we did, yeah. That was quite a crazy thing, we'd always wanted to do it, and then when we did do it, it was pretty real. I guess it's the realist gigs we'll ever do, just guys sitting with uniforms on, drinking Kiora and eating a packet of crisps, and if they didn't like you, you would know that they didn't like you. One of the gigs we did they were throwing pool balls at us, apparently that meant they liked us.
What made you want do that in the first place?
I don't know. It was really something that was there from when me and James started playing guitars, we always found that quite an exciting thought to do prison gig, I guess it probably came from the Johnny Cash thing. It was very real, because you actually got to speak to them during the gigs, they would sit and you could speak back and forward to them. It was really interesting to hear people's take on things and their life as well, it was really good. I would love to do it again, I think we probably will do it at some point, maybe a tour of prisons in Britain instead of just in Scotland, I'd love to do that again.
All the themes in the songs you play are quite dark and mature, have your lives been that tough?
I think it comes from James, some of it's based on experience but I think most of it is based on what he sees around about him. I think the songs are quite dark, but none of us are like that, we actually crack a smile every now and then, which people are quite surprised at. I guess that's just his style of writing but I wouldn't say that's how we are people. it's every day things reading newspapers, watching the news, just being out and looking out around you, and seeing things. Certain things effect you more than others, because James is a songwriter the way that he expresses that is by writing a song. Some of the songs are from his own experience and some from what he sees around about him.
So how is the new album looking?
The album's finished, we finished the album in New York , it really just needs to be mixed, we've still got some B Sides that we still need to record, but everything is ready to go it's quite exciting. On the album it looks as though it's going to be 10 songs, half of them will probably be ones people have heard on MySpace and half of them are going to be new.
How have the new songs been received live?
Quite good actually, the thing is that after the first couple of gigs people have put them up on you tube, so people are coming to gigs singing the words to the new songs, that they've not even heard. Which is a weird thing but it's good I guess that means they like them. I think there's only one or two just now that we're not playing from the album, that we're going to keep until closer to the time. I think we're maybe doing eight or nine songs live just now.
Do you know what festivals you have coming up?
We're doing all of them to be honest. We're doing t in the Park, Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Summercase in Spain, most of the bigger ones, we're doing Standon Calling. Kendal Calling, Connect, that's the main ones I can think off the top of my head.
So have you played festivals before?
The only festival we've actually played is one in Newcastle, that we did a few weeks ago, Evolution.
How were you received there?
Quite good actually, we thought we played okay, but everyone else thought it was great. So I guess you can only go on what other people think as well. It was an experience because we're not used to doing the bigger gigs like that, and it was live just going on stage in the dark with just a couple of red lights and some smoke. Our tech he did try his hardest with the smoke but it just wasn't happening, so we gave up. I'm looking forward to doing the festivals, especially T in the Park.
Have you been there as a punter before?
No, I've never been the rest of the band have been, I think they've been up the last couple of years. I'm quite a diva, I don't really like walking about in mud, I've got a pair of cowboy boots and I like them to look quite nice. I guess I better get a pair of wellies for these festivals.
What's the music scene like in Glasgow?
To be honest I've spent about three days in Glasgow since October. there are some bands in Glasgow that I know that I think are great. It's been really good being out on the road, because I've met some really good bands. I wouldn't say there's a theme but the bands all try to sound like The Libertines or they are pretty far out. There's a couple of bands, there's a band called Mad Skull who are actually out on tour with us just now, They are pretty special, they are quite a hard thing to describe, and I wouldn't want to do it in case I was describing it wrong, But I guess it's kind of hip hop influenced but from a band perspective, and the guy that writes the songs, Henry Morgan Junior, is just a genius his songs are amazing. There's another band called The Hussies, you know the band The Supernaturals who were about they did that song 'Smile' it's the songwriter from Supernaturals playing guitar in this band. They have a girl singer she's called Sally, and they've got some hits as well, they are more of a pop band, and they're great as well. I'm sure there's other band's going about as well that maybe I just don't know about.
So Glasvegas didn't grow out of a scene then?
Not really, when we started what we were doing people thought it was funny, people thought it was a joke. To be honest that's the way it was looked upon, that what we were doing was funny and it was a joke and nobody would like it.
Well you proved them wrong.
Yeah exactly.
What's the best thing about being on the road?
Well Caroline's saying it's because I get to sleep in the same bed as her, That's probably one of the things. I don't really like being at home too much, i get cabin fever when I'm at home. It's a weird thing but once I'm at home for a couple of days I get really bored. So that's why it's good that I'm only there for a couple of days at a time. You know what I love playing music, I absolutely love going on stage and playing our songs, because I believe in them so much and just seeing people's reaction, it;s the best thing in the world. Sometimes people moan about being a band, well it's the best thing in the world, and if it all ends next week or whatever, that's cool because I've had a good few months and we've had a lot of fun.
And has there been any bad moments?
The worst moments is when the van breaks down every two days, or it goes on fire, or we crash. Things like that , that's normally the darker moments. The band, us as people, we're like family we all love each other, so we get on really, really well there's never arguments. So I guess we don't have any problems that way, Although James and I argue the most because we're cousins.
So what's next for Glasvegas?
Well, tonnes of festivals, some more tours, the album's out in September, then we are going to America possibly at the end of the year, which I am really excited about, and then I think we have a surprise at Christmas, kind of December, January time we've a couple of little thing happening, but they've not been confirmed yet, so watch this space.
Enjoy your festivals.
Thank you, thanks for your time, bye bye.
article by: Scott Williams
published: 24/06/2008 10:37
FUTURE GIGS
sorry, we currently have no gigs listed for this act.