by Moriarty.

 

We’ve been taking some time off but now that we’re back, I’ve had one thing on my computer for a while that I’ve been dying to get out: Back in September (has it really been this long?) I jumped in the back of a tour van with my favourite band and spent a couple hours talking about everything from the process of unlearning your life to our dream festival line-up.

So here we are again, backseat of a touring van in the backstage parking lot of a Chicago rock club/biker shack, with the AC turned up to “arctic”, with Pete, lead singer, songwriter and (if they can find his trumpet) trumpeter for Until The Ribbon Breaks and Elliot, the drummer and (in my experience) token shirtless guy on stage. Also featuring Randy, the tour manager. Notably missing: Pizza.

 

Pete: I bet your favourite music is the one where you feel like you’re in your own film, right? That’s the best music.

S: And I think that’s something you (intentionally) try to do as well. So my question was going to be, I’m going to give you a couple scenarios and which of your songs would you want to be playing in that moment?

P: That is the best question we’ve ever had!

Elliot: In this interview, because we don’t know what your other questions are (going to be).

S: Ok, so, on a road trip?

P: Ok. Road trip, you’re on your own in a car, you’re like, fuck it, I’m going to leave this town, I don’t know where I’m going to live, but I’m going, is Back to the Stars.

E: The thing is, he doesn’t drive, so he’s never been on a road trip alone. I feel like, if you’re in your car on your own, I mean I’ve got on like the hardest Radiohead track. Like, UAAHARUHARHUAR!

P: You’re the driver, so you have to answer. And you’re not going to the shop, you’re going on a road trip.

E: So, ok, I’m not talking lyrics now, I’m shit with lyrics, I will say that, but the one that comes to mind is 2025. Just because it’s got a big, big, fat beat on it.

P: Which is good, because he doesn’t have to tell me that’s a good or a bad lyric, I just get to do it.

P: It’s whatever, that’s the beauty of it. There are some different ones. Friends on a road trip is like Perspective.

S: When you’re sad?

P: Some of my favourite music is to make yourself feel sadder, in that beautiful way that music does, that bittersweet thing, like staring out a window. So I’m going to say Until the Ribbon Breaks.

S: A Sunday morning?

P: You know what, that raises a really good issue. I don’t think that we’ve got the Sunday morning song. I think we need the Sunday morning song on our next record!

E: Voice note: Sunday morning song.

P: What about Addicted to Love, our reimagination? ‘Cause it’s kind of floaty and, like, I’m hungover. You know, Sundays are for like feeling sorry for yourself.

S: Which songs would you play during sex?

P: I can’t listen to myself having sex!

E: Taste of Silver.

P: But Taste of Silver is like too overtly sexy. Because you can’t during sex be like, “I just want you”. OK, you’ve already got me! I think you have to answer that!

E: Goldfish?

S: Motel Blues.

P: Oh wow. What kind of sex? Sad sex?

S: Oh no, come on! “Take you up to my motel…”

P: Oh, yeah “and sleep with you.” Of course! Maybe it’s too referential, you’d be like, that’s what we’re doing.

E: There isn’t one for me. I’m not putting one of our tracks on.

P: Oh yeah, no you can’t. Imagine, you meet someone and you’re like, this is what I do…

E: That’s awful!

S: Ok, but if you’re scoring other people’s sex lives.

P: Ok, here’s one. If I went to a strip club, and wanted to hear one of our songs, it’d be Taste of Silver.

E: You’ve had some great questions, actually. Really, I mean that.

P: Don’t quit your day job.

S: Trust me, I won’t.

E: No, that’s the opposite! You’ve just said the opposite!

P: Oh no. No, ‘cause if you say to someone, don’t quit your day job it’s – oh, yeah.

E: It’s negative!

P: Yeah.

E: It’s like, yeah, that was alright, mate, don’t quit your day job…

P: Oh, I meant the opposite, well, I tried to be complimentary.

S: Ok, so you’ve toured and collaborated with some amazing people, so if you could do like your own dream festival line-up, who’s performing? With you headlining, of course.

P: First on the bill, Sublime. Sunny day, perfect festival opener. Actually, actually, if it’s anyone in the world, ever, you could just do the expensive Sublime and go for Bob Marley and the Whalers.

E: Bob Marley first? That’s a shit slot for Bob.

P: I don’t know, sun up, get people in a good mood…

E: Bob Marley starts, starting off. Can we have Nina next?

P: I was going to say that. Nina Simone next. Paul Simon doing like the Graceland with the full band. That’s three. That’s good. Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Paul Simon. A curveball. NOFX.

E: I don’t know about NOFX. Why don’t put Run the Jewels on?
P: Yeah, but I was going to put them later, that’s the hiphop act.

E: Oh, ok. Not Jay-Z?

P: Nah, Run the Jewels. So we can come out with them then, do one song and go back off.

P: Ok, so Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Paul Simon. That’s quite heritage so far. We need to ramp up into modern day now. Next one.

E: Ok, I’m gonna go really nuts now: Rage Against The Machine.

P: I mean yeah, they go on the bill but who was before?

E: Paul Simon. No, you can’t do that.

P: In-between then.

E: Ok, in-between that.

P: NOFX.

E: NOFX? You’re all about NOFX today.

P: No, I don’t know if it’s crowd…

S: No, but they’re so fun live.

P: They’re fucking amazing live! Right now, I think, they’re at the point where people are like, yes, NOFX! NOFX next. Which is a great ramp to Rage Against The Machine.

E: Oh my God! No, they’re not going next, LCD Soundsystem is going next.

P: Oh, sick!

E: Then NOFX.

P: No, LCD Soundsystem is later, it’s dance.

E: No, they’re going next, then NOFX, then Rage Against The Machine.

P: NOFX aren’t playing. There’s Paul Simon, Paul Simon’s doing Graceland and it’s quite dance-y, and then LCD Soundsystem. So after LCD, he’s gone quite dance-y, I now think you can go Run The Jewels.

E: Ok, then Rage Against The Machine.

P: Yeah.

E: Zack de la Rocha is already been on stage so he just stays on stage.

P: Two left. Two left, us last.

E: Radiohead.

P: Boom. Fucking great festival.

E: That’s a fucking sick festival.

P: I mean, we’ve gone down really badly. Like really badly. Radiohead, then us? That’s fucked. But you know…

E: We were headlining, were we?

S: You can pick any slot, it’s your festival.

P: Ok, we’re not playing.

E: Oh, first slot, first slot.

P: Ok, so Radiohead, then… Oh no, Radiohead are headlining for me.

E: Radiohead are headlining.

P: Ok, so let’s just shift it all up one and we go first.

S: Ok, perfect.

E: Woah, woah, what about like Phil Collins?

P: Phil Collins! You know who we’ve left out as well? Nirvana!

E: Ouuuuh! But who would we replace?

P: Rage with Nirvana. Because we’ve got one choice of heavy guitar band. Sorry, but..

E: Ok, that’s fine. I’m fine with that.

P: I think we’re done.

S: That’s a pretty amazing festival, I would go to that.

P: Fuckin’ ay.

E: You would go to that?

S: Absolutely.

E: Fucking brilliant. Well done everyone.

P: Ok, now day 2.

E: Ok, now let’s figure out what’s on their rider.

P: How many stages have we got?

E: Six.

P: Ok.

E: No, I couldn’t do this. We’ll be here for days.

S: Ok, another thing. You’ve been touring for quite a while now, Lorde, London Grammar, everything. So what has been your favourite memory from the tour or your best experience?

E: 100% touring with London Grammar. Literally our best friends.

P: Those people are fucking amazing.

Randy: Have you heard from the pizza guy?

P: Oh, shit, no.

Randy: If they call you up, here’s some money.

P: If we’re talking shows, Run the Jewels at SXSW.

P: London Grammar in Montreal. I came off the stage in Montreal and was, like, crying my eyes out, because they wouldn’t, they wouldn’t let us play the last song because they were screaming so– it was fucking amazing.

E: Our show. Every night. Am I allowed to say that or is that a bit up my own ass?

P: Probably. But it’s supposed to be like that. Because thus far, we’ve been like the eternal support band. It’s nice to do shows on our own.

S: So do you still get nervous before you get on to perform?

P: Well, there’s this thing called vodka…

S: Don’t know it… (She said, professional as always, chugging her drink)

P: No, no, do I get nervous? I now get nervous to the point where I’m not nervous about me being nervous. If I’m not nervous I am nervous about being not nervous.

E: You have to have a good… good memory, don’t you? Like, you’ve learned all this stuff. I don’t know anything about any bands.

S: I know stuff about bands I like, so…

E: I’m blushing.

P: She didn’t say us.

E: Haha, true.

E: I found a trumpet back here, guys. You’ll be looking for that for the fourteenth time on this tour.

R: I’ll take it upstairs.

P: TM’s hand, like, ziiiish. “Gimme that!”

P: Awesome.

E: I’ve got a cold now. Thanks for not asking us, what we eat on tour or something.

S: Oh shit, I forgot about that. But I guess I know now, pizza.

E: No, pizza is what we don’t eat, apparently.

 

For Part 1, click here!

Also, there is the small matter of the mixtape Until The Ribbon Breaks made for us….