Weekly > Interviews
The Hours
The Hours are one of the most underrated British bands around at the moment, despite a good debut album it didn’t sell as many copies as could be expected. That didn’t deter them though, instead they came back just before Christmas last year with an epic single that made it into the top 50 singles of the year in our run down.
We caught up with them recently to find out how things were progressing with album number two, now due out in April this year.
Your album Narcissus Road was well received in the press but didn’t seem to be the big seller that many expected, why do you think that was?
There are many reasons why a band might not be successful all it takes is for a few people to say yes or no, to whether your allowed in the club, to be honest us not being as big as big as people thought we would be is the best thing that ever happened to us. We have grown as a band and it has allowed us to develop and realise it’s the journey that’s important not the destination.
Do you think that some people struggle to ‘get’ The Hours, your sound is somewhere in the middle ground between a commercial guitar band and a slightly psychedelic band?
I think its true that we don’t really fit into any particular scene. We make emotional music, anthemic music at a time when there are a lot more throwaway guitar bands. I suppose we are not particularly fashionable but to be honest we don’t really give a fuck about that, as George Bernard Shaw said, “the reasonable man fits into the world around him, the unreasonable man expects the world to fit around him, therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man”.
You released a single (See The Light) just before Christmas, which was both epic and brilliant. An outsider looking in would probably consider a Christmas release and the length of it as commercial suicide, I’m presuming that didn’t bother you though?
We released that song just to announce to the world that we were back, we had no expectation of it being the Christmas number 1!
Does that single give a good indication of what to expect from the new album when it’s released?
There is defiantly epic moments on the new album I would say its dramatic and emotional but there is still a few catchy pop songs, there are songs that could make you cry and there is some that you could hum along to while doing the ironing.
Have you done anything different in your recording technique or your writing this time around?
Writing process was similar and took place in our own Tick Tock Studios, we now have a 7-piece band that we took in the studio and also got involved with Flood, that master producer!
Weblinks
Add to favouritesYou are heading off to SXSW very shortly, it’s one of the key events in the musical calendar, but what’s it actually like for a band over there, I imagine it’s not all as glamorous as it seems?
In my experience it’s not glamorous for anyone if you think they are queuing up for hours to a gig they may not get into. As far as the band is concerned it’s along way to go to play a pub gig but it’s a great opportunity as it’s the only time the world wide music industry convenes together.
Who else is playing that you are looking forward to seeing (if you get time)?
Leonard Cohen is playing a show we really wanna see that. We have been asked to get involved some how so that is amazing. Mike our guitarist is looking forward to Hatcham Social.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
We will be touring solidly and promoting our album but in the gaps we will be in Tick Tock Studios working on new material, our creative juices are always flowing!
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