Friday 11 January 2008

Feature: Untitled1961


UNTITLED YET UNRIVALLED

They describe their sound as abstract expressionism. They have been described as being one of the best live bands in London and as looking psychotic as they put on one of their furious shows. With a dynamic sound that owes as much to the likes of Godspeed as it does the Cocteaus, it’s little wonder that these N7 boys are the perfect band to help kick off 2008 at The Vapour Trail. We give you Untitled1961…

First of all, tell us how the band got together and an insight into the story so far.

Seb (guitar): We've been playing together since Spring 2006. We formed when my last band split up. Steve had been playing bass for that band too, and then Marc joined on drums, he and I were living together at uni at the time. We rehearsed and rehearsed and unleased the '61 monster on the general public for the first time in May '06 at the Bull and Gate. Since then we've gone from strength to strength, improving our songs, performances and playing some quality venues in London and Oxford. This paid off early last year when we were declared 'Best Unsigned Live Act' in the Pickup Magazine Awards. All three of us live within 100 metres of this very pub, and we are very proud Holloway residents!

What inspires your sound and style? Clearly post-rock and shoegazing seem to be big influences.

Steve (bass): My sound is aluminium, steel, copper, germanium and silicon. In that order. It's understanding every step involved in playing the bass, and the materials involved, and then stretching them to their limits. My style comes from all the players who understand that bassists aren'tguitarists who play low; We're something else entirely. The gods I pray to for strength to play are Bob Weston, Dave Sims, Hooky, Tod A and Sid Vicious.

Marc (drums): It's all about the feel. If you can't feel it, it's not there. Luckily LOUD = Movement of Air particles, thus feel. I think what it boils down to though is the sheer pleasure of beating the shit out of something you love and not feeling bad about it.Seb: As a band we're definitely all influenced by post rock in general. The shoegaze part is mainly just me- I certainly try to rip off Kevin Shields a bit and Cocteau Twins are one of my favourite bands of all time. Then there's your Shellac, Explosions in the Sky, My Vitriol and newer bands like Youthmovies and Biffy Clyro. Personally I think we're moving away from the post rock sound into something new.Your songs and their structures seem to be based around quite a thrilling sense of build-up and suspense. Was this approach premeditated or did it come about naturally?

Seb: Something I've always loved in music in general is building up the sound to a massive crescendo. The whole quiet/loud thing has been done to death, but it is effective, both in building up the volume and texture to sonic eruption and going from silence to violence in the bat of a deer's eyelid. All three of us love the bands that pull such things off with perfection, Godspeed, Mogwai etc, so it is a natural to us as well. However, certainly in our newer material, we're moving away from the post rock soundscapes to more immediate, richer musical waters.You've been described as one of the best live bands in London.

How important is live performance to you and how do you approach it?

Steve: '61 are almost entirely about playing live. We don't consider playing a gig as just a chance to do our songs; We're aware that it's a performance, and we try to bring so much more than just the music to the stage. It's all about intensity and control. We put all our emotions out in front of the stage and, in some ways, we see ourselves as alchemists, wizards or atomic scientists; We unleash these huge energies and then control them, tease them,and direct them to make a sound and a show. It's a real physical and mental effort playing a '61 show, and you'll probably find we can't walk or think properly afterwards.

Marc: Live performance is what its about! You don't start a band and think 'Oh man, we're gonna sound so AWESOME on record. I'm gonna go tune my drums in preparation...' You think 'HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....NOISE!!!!!'

You note Steve Reich as an influence which is interesting as, although fundamentally your sound is quite minimalist by the very virtue of there just being three of you, you do create big walls of sound. Can you see yourselves stripping it back in the future or adding further layers to the wall? Where do you see the sound going?

Seb: Steve Reich is a big influence for me, but not in terms of minimalism. Musically he does things that I aspire to do- chord changes that make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, time signatures that make your face fall off. I went to see his '3 Movements' last year and I spent the whole performance feeling like someone had hooked me up to a pylon. It's all about intelligent, interesting music that actually makes you feel, something the droves of Libertines' covers bands need to learn...In terms of stripping it back or adding layers I don't think it will be the former. We've been talking about the possibility of more layers, but that wouldn't be by adding more members. At the same time we love the whole three people, three instruments only sound. We'll see in six months!

Finally, what's next for you?

Steve: I shall retire to my lair with a selection of fine wines and an armful of voluptuous women.

Marc: Holloway Best Kebab. mmmm.......

Seb: After some falafel, we'll continue bettering ourselves. I'm going to take up archery and sailing, at the same time, in case of a post-apocalyptic situation where advanced weaponary is redered useless. We've got a new EP which will be ready any second, in the mean time check out the tracks from it on our myspace!


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