Wednesday 28 March 2012

K&A with Day of Days

I've dropped the ball a bit recently with this interviewing lark.  So we're long overdue another one, and who better to pose a few probing questions to than the band that have dominated my listening over the last few weeks... Crieff foursome Day of Days.   I'm ashamed to say their debut album Indecency Of The Few completely passed me by last year.  As great as I now know that to be, it's their upcoming release, Chances Of Life EP, out on the 30th April via ZineRecords, which has completely blown me away.   It reminds me a lot of Iceland's Leaves (anyone??) and to a greater extent, Placebo, particularly frontman Paul Petrie's vocals on Three... which you can hear halfway through their interview.   But to be fair, it's head and shoulders above anything they've released in recent years.  Being a huge fan of both bands, that's high praise indeed!


I asked Paul and guitarist Gordon Speedie a few questions.  Here's what they had to say about their new release, their plans to tour it, and why Runrig are a right, royal, pain in their arse!

Kowalskiy: Who are Day of Days?
Paul: Four friends since school who have the desire to create music and have fun. All at the same time too! We wouldn't do it if it wasn't enjoyable.
Gordon: Aye thats about right.

Kowalskiy: For folk out there who haven't heard your music (yet!) what/who'd you say your main influences were?
Paul: This is something that differs greatly between band members. For me bands such as Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Joy Division and The Strokes. You know genre defining bands! Most of my writing comes from life experience.
Gordon: I think its changed, we are different now than what we were and influence has a large part in that, we usually get compared sonically to Radiohead and Placebo so its no coincidence that we also like them but I would say the music that is written is from your own life experience, your own thought process and expression, you can only hope and then try to bring them together and create something good together.

Kowalskiy: How's it feel to be labelled as Crieff's soon-to-be "most famous export since Hollywood hunk Ewan McGregor"?
Paul: It's very flattering but quite a prediction from the Sun columnist. If we become what he says then he can pick some lottery numbers for me any time.
Gordon: I don't like this label at all to be honest, he is an actor, we are musicians, I'm not sure if its a compliment to us or has he just thought of who is famous from our home town and said that, anyway, I'm sure he meant no harm.

Kowalskiy: Back to the music now, you're about to release your EP in April called Chances Of Life.  Fancy telling us all about it?
Paul: From my pov it's all about life and death and the emotions both cause. New life, especially, is so unlikely that when it does happen it is truly amazing! Ultimately though everyone dies and for some this is much more difficult to understand.
Gordon: I took a different approach personally to this record, I decided really to concentrate more on my own parts, I sat back a little more and let the songs develop to a certain point to which then I added what I thought would work, which in turn of course developed the song.

Kowalskiy: How does it compare to last years debut album Indecency of the Few?
Paul: It's so much more stripped back. We think too many bands hide behind 5 or 6 guitars and a plethora of production in an attempt to make the melodies bigger. Ultimately good music speaks for itself without bells and whistles. Hopefully we have achieved that. Not saying we hid behind anything on the debut album, it's just we thought that's what was expected so we done it.
Gordon: Its a different mindset and I think it can be heard by listening to the two. On writing your first album I think its easier to fall into cliches, when the second recording comes around I find its more true to the people who write it.

Kowalskiy: What's the plans to get out and promote the EP? Can we expect some sort of a tour perhaps?
Paul: Scottish tour starts end of April through to June. EP launch is at ABC2, Glasgow on 28th April. See you there?
Gordon: Aye, see you there.


Kowalskiy: What'd be your ideal gig?
Paul: Radiohead support for the here and now. A tour ideally.  If I could time travel I would go back with the band and play with Joy Division. Bliss.
Gordon: I like the thought of a massive tour, your kind of nowhere then, you don't need to be decisive, you can just go day by day and not have any anxiety about your long term plan, you're not settled but that can be good for a while I think.   I'm sure it brings its own pressure but I would love to try it, meeting people, experiencing different cultures etc.

Kowalskiy: What has been your highlight of being in the band so far... your 'day of days' if you like!?
Paul: See what you did there! There has been lots but the obvious big moments for me have been our debut album release and playing Big in Falkirk main stage just before 10cc.
Gordon: Big in Falkirk was a special gig, it came with an amazing high and a feeling of euphoria that confirmed that that is what you want to do full time, it also came with a low feeling of even a gig of that size was nowhere near big enough for your own desire. We played a gig in Devon, it was epic, it comes close or maybe even beats big in Falkirk.   Actually I was really thrilled at finally playing one of our more tougher tracks from our album at ABC2 in Glasgow, with the strobe full on, just like how I imagined it should be, a vision come true for me.

Kowalskiy: What's the future hold for Day of Days?
Paul: Haha, let me go get my crystal ball. Okay, it says try again later. Not sure what to make of that.
Gordon: I don't know.

Kowalskiy: Last one, so lets make it a bit topical... as good Perthshire boys, what do you make of your new city?
Paul: So glad the queen could grant Perth city status. The atmosphere has changed massively in town. People can now walk about with their heads held high. In a word, Thrilled! Thanks for the interview, great questions.
Gordon: I actually thought it was but I think i kind of knew it was unofficial, it should be a city I think, I don't know about the atmosphere there but if Paul say's its buzzing then it might just be.

Kowalskiy:  OK, one more.  Is the band name got anything to do with the Runrig song?
Gordon:  No that is purely coincidence and does not help us when people put in a Google search for Day of Days they usually get around three pages of Runrig.

Cheers guys!  So, all that's left to be said is remember to mark the 30th April in your diaries.  For that's when Chances Of Life is out... two days after their launch gig at the ABC2 in Glasgow.   If you can't wait that long, there's a few more EP tracks streaming on their SoundCloud.  Enjoy!

 

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