Orlando Weeks Interview at Rock City
Posted by xxrosannaxx on Tue, 20 Oct 2009.
Myself and Charlie catch up for the second time with Maccabees front man Orlando Weeks, for a chat about Malawi, compliments and the future...
Charlie: So you’re back on the road again for the second tour of your new album... how do you feel that the last tour went, and which was your favourite venue to play at?
Orlando: It was a blur last time, I couldn’t tell you the best one to be honest. As a whole it was really useful. We learnt a lot from it about which songs worked and which songs needed looking at to make them work properly for this one. And I think that’s all I can remember of it really.
Rosanna: Apparently you played down at Brixton the other night and said it was the best gig of your lives?
Orlando: Well “Fe” [guitarist Felix White] said that, and he’s prone to the dramatic overstatement... [Felix walks by] how you doing Fe?
Felix: Good thanks, are you telling them about how I have all the clever ideas? [laughs]
Orlando: [laughs]... yeah, it’s kind of like that was our goal really, to get to there, when we started the band. It wasn’t that pure, but it was a real moment for us.
Rosanna: The new album has obviously been really successful – are you happy with the response that it’s had?
Orlando: This tour has given both us and the fans the chance to get comfy with songs, and yeah, it feels alright.
Rosanna: How does it feel to have people like NME describing you as Britain’s best home grown indie band right now?
Orlando: It’s alright, but they throw that kind of stuff out all the time. It’s just nice that people have liked it. But it’s always nice to have someone pay you a compliment.
Rosanna: Does being praised so highly put the pressure on to deliver?
Orlando: I suppose, but I’ve always found that we are own worst critics... there’s a more intelligent way of putting that I’m sure. But we edit ourselves fairly strictly.
Charlie: Do articles published about you in newspapers and magazines worry you at all, or do you tend not to concentrate on that side of things?
Orlando: It just makes me a bit paranoid that’s all, so I just try and avoid it. I never want to watch a gig back and I’ve never listened to the first record. I’ve listened to some of the second record. But once it’s done, I see it as being done. And with playing live, it’s meant to be of the moment. I certainly don’t want to be reminded of the mistakes I’ve made because I’m beyond that and I know not to do it again.
Rosanna: Obviously you had a really successful festival season – which was your favourite to play at this year?
Orlando: I think, just because of what I got to see as a result of it, Glastonbury. Because it meant that I got to see a load of bands that I otherwise I don’t know if I would have got to see. People like Animal Collective and Blur... this year was a brilliant Glastonbury.
Rosanna: How did you find Reading and Leeds this year and which one did you find had the best crowd?
Orlando: If I’m entirely honest, I think that Reading had a better crowd. But both were probably the two best gigs as far as people seeming to have a good time.
Charlie: Did you see many other festival acts, perhaps some of the smaller, lesser known bands?
Orlando: [long pause] If I think of any I’ll tell you.
Charlie: Are there any festivals which you’re particularly hoping to play at next year?
Orlando: I’d like to go to Japan, I think that’s called Fuji Rock? And Summer Sonic. But at the moment I’m pretty festival’d out. The thought of another festival...
Rosanna: You’re headlining the Lake of Stars festival in Malawi this month, are you looking forward to that?
Orlando: Yeah, that’s kind of a different kettle of fish.
Rosanna: How did you first come to be involved with it?
Orlando: We were asked. I’m still not sure why anyone thinks that we’re suited to that but apparently we are and so we wouldn’t turn it down for anything.
Charlie: Now that you’re all festival’d out, are you going to be looking at anything else now, like side projects, collaborations or new material?
Orlando: We’ll finish this tour and then we’ll go to Europe for six weeks, and then there’s Christmas, and I’m only thinking as far as that.
Rosanna: Are you looking forward to going to Europe?
Orlando: Yeah, definately. It should be alright. There’s going to be a lot of 6, 7, 8, 9 hour drives everyday though. It’ll be quite long, but I’m going to try and learn how to read in the car, ‘cause it makes me feel a bit belly rotten at the moment, and I figure if I practice, I’ll get there.
Charlie: In the current economic climate, there’s a lot of smaller venues closing down. Would you ever consider helping out the smaller venues that you started out playing at?
Orlando: If we could afford to do anything like that then we would. But I can’t really think of anywhere... if someone asked us though, I’m sure we would bear it in mind.
Rosanna: Finally, I know you don’t like looking too far ahead, but where would you like to be in a year’s time?
Orlando: I dunno, as long as I’m healthy and happy, with all my family and friends around, I’m not bothered.
Charlie and Rosanna: Thanks very much for your time.
By Charlie Cooper and Rosanna Pound-Woods
