Tigers That Talked : Q & A

Leeds based quartet Tigers That Talked are the most recent inclusion to the celebrated alt-folk/rock reawakening that is being championed throughout today’s music industry.

Their music is described as possessing the ramshackle folk rock of Arcade Fire and influenced by the filmic elegance of Ennio Morricone, Sigur Ros and The Cure and this week their highly anticipated debut EP was released by Bad Sneakers.  ‘Black heart, Blue Eyes’ is a glorious 4 track triumph, which veers from the upbeat sweet pop covered by title track ‘Black Heart’, down to the darkly emotive beauty of ‘Smokescreen’ and right back up again to the barn rumbling raggle taggle of ‘Duet’.  They demonstrate a wealth of musical understanding as well as an almost twee yet epic song writing capability that sets them apart from other musical counterparts. 

Currently busy recording their debut album for release in the Autumn of this year, we snatched some time with Tigers That Talked vocalist and song writer Jamie Williams to ask him some questions via the virtuous medium of email.

4TR: For anyone that hasn’t heard of Tigers That Talked, tell us the story of how the band originated.
Jamie: We came together through friends and began playing house parties around the city straight away. We wanted to do something a bit different, so instead of getting a lead guitarist we brought in Glenna on violin and put it through an effects rack.  

4TR: Why did you call yourselves Tigers That Talked?
Jamie: The name was inspired by a book called ‘In Watermelon Sugar’ by Richard Brautigan. In the book there were tigers that sat by a river playing beautiful music, before coming into a village and eating this kid’s parents and then helping them with his math’s homework.

4TR: How would you describe your sound?
Jamie: Our sound is pretty dense and expansive but also very direct; we’re big fans of the cinematic sound of composers like Ennio Morricone but we also think that there is a lot to be said for simplicity. We want the song to be the focus.

4TR: Was that the sound you always aspired to create when the band formed?
Jamie: We started out a bit more folk orientated & linear in our sound, a bit more traditional I suppose. We always wanted to create rich sound and as we went on we moved further into effects and using string arrangements to give our sound more scope.

4TR: What influences you musically as a group?
Jamie: We’re coming from quite different places individually; some in the band come from a more classical background for instance. The influences that we share a love of have probably been the most important; artists like The National, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Joanna Newsom etc are one’s that we take influence from.
   
4TR: The EP ‘Black Heart, Blue Eyes’ was released on Bad Sneakers – how did that relationship come about and will that be continuing for future recordings?
Jamie: We met Bad Sneakers when we were starting out and instantly felt that they got what we were trying to do and what where we wanted to go. They’ve been great in how they have let us develop in the directions that we wanted to go in. We will be releasing out debut album ‘The Merchant’ later on in the year through them.

4TR: Prior to your EP release on Bad Sneakers, you followed the DIY route by releasing 2 previous singles yourselves.  Do you think that the industry as it is supportive enough of bands who wish to put their music out in the absence of label support?
Jamie: I think it’s getting more supportive all the time but I still think there are a lot of challenges that bands face when they try to put out stuff themselves. Our first two DIY singles were well received but it wasn’t until we released our first single through the label that we got played on Zane Lowe and were Lamacq’s record of the week etc..

4TR: What inspired the writing of the EP and in fact TTT songs in general?
Jamie: I take a lot of inspiration from trying to communicate feelings and atmospheres that are experiences that haven’t been discussed in other songs, films or books. I find some of the most powerful moments in art are when something is focused upon that everybody has experienced at some point but thought it was completely unique to them, before realising that actually it’s a far more communal experience.

4TR: How does your writing process work?  Is it a collective effort?
Jamie: I write the foundations of the songs alone and then bring them to the band. We then spend some time tearing them apart and putting them back together in a more interesting form.

4TR: The EP does not follow one particular sound throughout each song, so why did you choose to vary the EP in that way?
Jamie: As the E.P is going to be an introduction to us to many we wanted to document a number of styles & influences, so as to not limit ourselves too much.

4TR: When can we expect the album?
Jamie: The album is due to be released later this year, towards the end of September.

4TR: Who are you working with on the album in terms of production?
Jamie: We recorded and mixed the album with Adam Noble, who has worked with Guillemots & Bassment Jaxx. We did a session with Adam last summer and were really blown away by the results, so he became a natural choice to record the album.

4TR: Your music is said to “possess the ramshackle folk rock The Arcade Fire and is influenced by the filmic elegance of Ennio Morricone, Sigur Ros and The Cure”, would you say that is an apt interpretation?
Jamie: Those have all definitely been influences on us at some point.  I think the main thing about those four artists is that they have created their own worlds of music and operate completely within their own space. This is the foremost aim of what we want to achieve with our music.

4TR: The video for the lead track from your EP, ‘Black Heart, Blue Eyes’ was made up of live footage of the band playing in a British legion in Blackpool during a talent show. What was the thinking behind the idea of the video and is it portraying a particular message?
Jamie: We were trying to capture two completely incompatible cultures clashing. We certainly achieved that, with numerous of the older members of the legion leaving room shortly after our first note had rung out!

4TR: In terms of your shows, how does the multi-layered sound translate from record to the live arena?  And have you had to change it to suit your shows?
Jamie: We’ve worked hard at making sure all the key elements of the tracks are there in our live shows. I think the live shows are probably a little more direct and raw than our recordings.

4TR: You are based in Leeds where recently there seems to be an organic culture of new music coming from the City.  What other bands on the Leeds circuit should people be looking out for?
Jamie: The Wild Beast’s new material is sounding really good from the times we’ve played with them recently. I’ve also got high hopes for The Rosie Taylor Project’s new stuff, having been to see them recently.



Words: Francesca Strange

Write a comment

Name:
Email:
Subject:
Comment: *

Security Code: