Chargement Interview With Joanne & Lloyd Of Naevus
And now ladies & gentlemen, my faithful readers and friends, let me introduce you to this awesome band known under the name Naevus. Did I already told you that their latest album “Silent Life” is one of the best thing I’ve ever listened this year? If you are not aware of this fact then you should first, buy this album, and second, buy it for your friends so they will forever worship you as the messiah who leaded them to the bright world of Naevus. So ok, maybe I had one or two drinks my foggy mind was not supposed to have tonight but the truth is that we really have a great band here who released a great album and who offered us a great interview. The rest is history, a history you’re gonna read, just one click below. Enjoy!
emofag: Hi guys sorry for the delay but I spend my time working since I’m back from holidays and therefore haven’t as much time as I want to edit the webzine…
Do you know what I’m talking about? Are you all also busy with day jobs?
Joanne: Yes, we both have day jobs which can take up lots of our time, but I can’t complain. I like my work and am still able to do other things, like Naevus and writing.
e: So how “Silent Life” has been received so far? I haven’t checked many reviews but heard some songs played here and there on internet radio shows…
J: Generally we’ve had a very good response. Some reviewers have been surprised to find so few Neo Folk elements, but I’m happy that many people have said this is our best album to date, and that we have our own distinctive sound.
Lloyd: It seems to have been well received, which is good.
e: Especially on the “All I See” show hosted by Bane on combatmusicradio.com… His show also plays a lot of Black Metal. Do you listen to Black Metal?
J: No. Never.
L: Metal is the one sort of music that I really can’t stand.
e: Do you support church burning?
J: Of course not.
L: Nor do we support any other form of arson.
e: As I do not know your work before this new one, please tell me in what it is a new chapter in the life of Naevus… How were the recording sessions? Was it a painful birth or a relaxing one?
J: “Silent Life” had a very long gestation period but it wasn’t especially painful. The core of the songs were written fairly quickly, while their development, and the additional arrangements and contributions of our guest musicians (Rose McDowell, David E. Williams, Matt Howden) were written, recorded and mixed as and when was possible, over the course of three or so years. We’re planning to write and record the next album more quickly.
L: Some of the songs proved to be more difficult to work on than others. For example, the lyrics to “The Ballad of Benjamin Munt” took quite a few re-writes before I was satisfied with them, and the same was true of “Dominic Song” and “Spring Summer Railway”. But the rest were all written very quickly. The recording began with some demos put together very quickly at home, then we went into a studio to record all of John’s drums in one session. Then things began to slow down, largely because other commitments got in the way a little.
e: Are all the songs done when you enter the studio or do you leave a place for improvisation?
L: Some improvisation took place; John’s drums were improvised with minimal guidance from me, and Matt’s two performances were, I believe, entirely improvised.
J: We mostly record at home which means we can write and improvise songs into being as and when we need or want to i.e. the possibility for improvisation is always there. Perhaps it would be interesting to see how we’d sound working with an engineer in a studio under stricter constraints, when we wouldn’t have the luxury of being able to re-record and keep adding extra elements.
e: It seems that two persons lead the band: Lloyd & Joanne. Tell me how do you guys write songs and shape them with the band…
L: Naevus, from the start, has consisted of Joanne and I. As time has gone on, it has become more of a four-piece band, with John on drums and Greg on guitar.
J: Usually one or other of Lloyd and I will come up with the basic idea for a song and either record or play it to the other. Then we might work together on coming up with additional parts or sounds. Lloyd tends to do most of the arranging and working out of structure and, once we’re happy, we might ask other musicians to contribute or else finish recording ourselves. “Silent Life” was written in a new way for us; it was the first album that was written as a band, e.g., Greg Ferrari wrote all of the electric guitar he plays on the album. As a result, I think we came up with something special, an album full of character!
L: We made a deliberate attempt to capture the sound of the live band on this album, and I think we achieved that.
e: This album is out on HaurucK… Are you friend with Albin Julius or is it just a business relationship? What do you think of the new Der Blutharsch album? And what about this confusing resemblance between Elvis Presley & Albin Julius?
J: We’ve known Albin for some years now. We were first introduced by Gaya Donadio (of Hinoeuma and AntiChildLeague) at a Der Blutharsch concert in London she organised. Albin really liked the track we contributed to an Ain Soph tribute and that kind of led to him releasing two Naevus vinyl EPs (”Sail Away” and “The Body Speaks”), followed by “Silent Life”. We’re performing with him as part of his “Albin Julius and Friends” concert in London next month. We share his love of a broad range of music, and approve of any resemblance to Elvis he may or may not have.
e: Also I was just thinking: do you know what became the guys from World Serpent Distribution?
L: I have no idea.
e: Which color fits the best to Naevus?
L: Green. Or Brown, or maybe beige, or mustard. Not sure.
e: Naevus, in the scientific language, is a kind of skin disease… Why chose a name in the anatomy field? Is any of you affected by this disease?
L: I had a naevus removed from my arm as a child, which is how I first came across the term. We just picked it for the name of the group as we didn’t have any better ideas. Some of the names we were considering were awful. I remember that Other & The Rest was considered at one point. Truly awful.
e: Also this mushroom cover is quite enigmatic… Who had the idea? Are you into magic mushrooms?
L: It’s a picture by Jerome Deppe that we liked very much and we liked the oblique way in which it echoed the title of the album. I do like mushrooms, but not the magic variety.
Could we say that Matt Howden is part of Naevus or he’s just the featuring you occasionally have? Don’t you think something evil emanates from his person when he plays?
J: Matt contributed violin to two songs (”Bobby Shafto” and “The Ballad Of Behjamin Munt”) on “Silent Life” and has also played live on a few songs at Naevus gigs in London and Sheffield. He has a brilliantly fiendish performance style, but I wouldn’t say he’s evil! He’s a lovely man, a great musician.
L: He’s a cheeky chappie from Sheffield. I can’t say I’ve ever sensed any evil coming from him! Matt is not part of Naevus, any more than I am part of Sieben as a result of singing on his “High Broad Field” album. We have played on each other’s material at live performances too. He’s someone that we like who is a great musician and we felt he could contribute something special to those two songs.
e: Lloyd one thing I really enjoy is the energy you put in words when singing them… It sounds very sweet & strong at the same time… Like a sadistic dandy or something like that… Is that something you aim for?
L: That’s just my voice - I don’t have a lot of choice over how it sounds. I just aim to get the words across as clearly as possible.
e: Who is this guy at the Virgin Megastore?
L: Benjamin Munt, a lonely young man who plays too many video games, watches too much telly, then dies of sheer ennui. He’s a fictional character, but several people have asked me if the song is about them.
e: In some way you’re part of the Dark Folk scene, I think however that your style is far more than that… What are your thoughts on this scene? How do you personally label your music?
J: Tricky to say. I think Naevus would be as comfortable playing in an Indie line-up as at a Dark Folk festival. We like all kinds of music and this informs how we sound.
e: If any big star asks you for support at his next stadium gig, what would be your answer?
J: Obviously it would depend who it was, but I like the idea of as many people as possible hearing what we do, so if the right opportunity came along, my answer would be yes.
Lloyd: Who would I be to turn down a support slot for David Bowie? I would draw the line at U2 though.
e: But seriously do you have some kind of Dark Folk fest here in the UK? Here in France all Dark Folk concerts are done in an almost clandestine way because of, well…. You know what I am talking about… Does Naevus tour a lot?
J: Gaya Donadio organises most of the gigs in this area of music in London and we’ve played at many of her events over the years. We’ve also arranged UK shows with our friends from the band Knifeladder, and try to play at least a few times in mainland Europe each year. Excitingly, 2008 is already looking quite busy for festivals and gigs, so perhaps the time for our first big tour has come! I’m not sure I could do it all the time, though.
L: We’ve been playing only about four or five gigs a year since we started. I’d like to do some more, perhaps but a big tour would probably not be something we’d enter into anytime soon.
e: What’s your destination of choice when you’re on vacation?
J: Prague, closely followed by Berlin and Rome.
L: Berlin, closely followed by Rome and Prague.
e: I assume many other art forms have their place in Naevus‘ inspiration… Your music makes me think of some poets, painters, most of them from the XIX century… Is Naevus romantic?
L: Yes, Naevus is romantic, but only in a broad sense.
e: Could you please quote me a few writers of your choice? Have you ever read the “Lord Of The Barnyards” by Tristan Egolf?
J: Currently Sylvie Germain, Vitěslav Nezval, Božena Němcová, Paul Leppin. I haven’t read “Lord Of The Barnyards” but it sounds intriguing.
L: At the risk of sounding pretentious, I very much enjoy reading early Greek philosophy. As for fiction, I like Nabokov, Dostoyevsky, Kafka, Joyce, that sort of thing. I’m currently reading “Furdydurke” by Witold Gombrowicz, which I’m enjoying very much.
e: Lloyd what’s your inspiration in writing? Do you always have with you a little notebook where you can write all the thoughts that go through your mind?
Can you write in a pub? Is it like watching scene from everyday’s life and put it on the paper?
L: That is absolutely correct - I always have a little notebook with me. Most things I write these days are written in the mid-afternoon at my local pub in London. I don’t usually write about what I see, more about what I remember or think about with hindsight.
e: I think twilight is the best moment in the day to listen Naevus, don’t you?
J: You could be right, although some songs might be best listened to on a bright morning e.g. “Spring Summer Railway”, “Castles in Spain”.
L: Twilight probably suits listening to our first three albums, but for the most recent two, I’d suggest a bright, sunny day.
e: When did all of you fall in love with music? How did you meet together and decide to start a band? Was it a sex, drugs & rock n’ roll thing?
In other terms your band’s biography is requested here…
L: We were initially inspired by Punk and New Wave acts like The Stooges, The Buzzcocks, Public Image Limited, The Birthday Party, Joy Division, Magazine, The Slits, etc… Joanne and I formed Naevus in London in 1998. We self-released our debut, “Truffles Of Love”, in 1999 and “Soil” followed in 2001. Our third album, “Behaviour” (Operative Records, 2002) was a bit of a turning point. It has a much bigger, more guitar based sound than our previous albums and features drummer and percussionist John Murphy for the first time. Old Europa Café released “Perfection Is A Process” in 2004, and this saw us introducing some noise elements, and was also the first of our albums to use accordion.
e: What were you listening at the time?
J: At the time we founded Naevus I was mainly listening to The Slits, Gallon Drunk, The Raincoats, P.J. Harvey, The Buzzcocks, X-Ray Spex, Pram, Syd Barrett, Can and Lydia Lunch.
L: at the time we formed Naevus, I think I was going through a bit of a Gary Numan phase, which is not something I’ve listened to much before or since. That probably influenced some of the song structures on the first album. But mainly I would have been listening to Magazine and Luxuria, as usual. And David E. Williams was an influence on the first album, definitely.
e: Were you “old” enough to live the 77 Punk wave in UK? If so, tell us more about the memories you have from this period?
L: I was two!
J: We were both only two years old in 1977 so I can’t say we really lived the ’77 punk wave! My only memories of 1977 are being read “Rapunzel” by my father, wearing brown corduroy dresses and trundling myself around in a little red car. Ultimately, I’m more of a fan of slightly later punk e.g. one of my all-time favourite albums is The Slits‘ 1979 album, Cut.
e: What would Sid Vicious do today if he was still alive?
J: He would make the occasional chat show appearance, I suspect.
e: Do you enjoy kebab sandwiches? Please explain to our readers why.
L: Sometimes, wandering home from the pub, a kebab is the best and only option.
e: My favorite song on the new album is definitely “Kill Your Friends”, it has such an hypnotic vibe I could listen to it all day… Please tell us more about this jewel…
L: I originally wrote that song for a different project that I was involved in that never got off the ground. It was originally intended to be a very slow, minimal acoustic song, but the arrangements for the Naevus version give the song a whole different character; it reminds me a little of These Immortal Souls, who I like very much. The words were written very quickly and probably don’t stand up to close scrutiny. The song is basically saying, with an irony that I hope comes across on the recording: if you want to avoid being disappointed, kill everyone.
e: So now, after the release of such a brilliant record what’s coming next for you? Any new material on the way?
J: We hope to release another EP next spring, ahead of recording our sixth album. We’re currently writing songs and making plans for these two releases.
L: I expect that our next album will be a quieter affair than Silent Life, so we’ll be trying out a combination of approaches on an interim EP or mini-album. But then again, these plans may change completely. Still, we’d like to get a small release of some kind out early next year. It will probably be called “Relatively Close To The Sea”.
e: Have you any side project aside from Naevus? If so, tell us more about that…
In the same perspective, which artist would you choose to work with if you got the opportunity?
J: Lloyd and I also play in Womb, our guitarist’s band, and I have a noise project with Gaya Donadio. Unfortunately we haven’t done much lately because we both have other commitments, but we will resurrect it at some point.
L: I’m involved in quite a few other ventures at present. Marc Blackie of Sleeping Pictures and I have an improvisational project together called Lark Blames; Old Europa Café released our first album, “Chimney”, last year. I recently recorded some guest vocals for Mushroom’s Patience, on a song called “Donkey’s Trough” that will be coming out at some point soon on a 10″ EP. I’m also about to record some guest vocals for a range of people, including David E. Williams, and an interesting new project called Cutty Sark. As well as this, I continue to be percussionist in Rose McDowall’s band and I’m working on an experimental album that will eventually be released under the name Retarder.
e: Did you see this movie “Control” on Ian Curtis & Joy Division?
Joanne: Not yet, but we will. Joy Division is one of our favourite bands and Anton Corbijn is a fine photographer.
Lloyd: We’re planning on going to see it this afternoon, in fact.
e: What’s your current state of mind? Your personnal philosophy? Some says your all buddhists in the band…
L: My current state of mind is: I want a cigarette. As for my personal philosophy, I could go on about it for hours (I studied Philosophy at university), but suffice to say it involves the equation of ethics with aesthetics as the key to what people should be doing. There are no buddhists in Naevus that I’ve noticed. I did used to shave my head though. And one of my favourite David Bowie songs is “Silly Boy Blue”.
e: Do you consider your music as “Dark”? Is there a place for laughs in Naevus?
L: I do not consider our music to be “dark”, in general. I don’t like music that attempts to be “dark” for the sake of it. I think a lot of our music is of a quite sunny disposition, especially our more recent material.
J: Certainly there’s a place for laughs! “Silent Life” features crazy keyboards, jerky sea shanties, French men in monkey costumes, sunny train journeys, sarabanding peasants. It’s not all doom and gloom.
e: Would you buy me a drink at the pub if I come to your place?
J: Of course.
L: I would insist upon it.
e: You lost the rugby worldcup… Is life still have a meaning to you now?
J: We’re Welsh so, strictly speaking, didn’t lose.
L: And neither of us like rugby anyway!
e: Well I guess, that’s it… Hope I will have the chance to speak to you face to face one day! If I have forget anything please correct me, if you want or need to say something you have all the space you want right after this:
L: Thanks for the interview.
Lloyd & Joanne
NAEVUS OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
http://www.naevus.co.uk/
NAEVUS OFFICIAL MYSPACE PAGE:
http://www.myspace.com/naevus
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