Ahead of their show at Kraak in Manchester (read our review here), we caught up with Through Colour’s vocalist Steve and bassist Kieran to ask them a few questions, check out what we asked them and how they replied below.
Your EP Somnium is the first of a two-part series. What was the decision behind that?
Steve (vocals): We went to the studio and recorded a load of songs. Then when we listened back to the songs, they were kind of like two different sets of songs. It wasn’t like they didn’t work together but we found there were a lot of similar vocal ideas and lyrics that I didn’t intend on writing that way but they all had a similar mood and situation. The first EP is very much about our journey as a band, from where we’re originally from, and the second batch of songs seem to be more about the ‘here and the now’, so that was like the idea. We never went to the studio thinking “we’re going to make two EPs”, it just sort of went that way!
I like the way it almost reads like a story. Can we expect more of the same with the second EP, will it be continuing where Somnium left off?
Steve: Yeah, absolutely. Like I said, it’s like the ‘here and the now’, our new lives and everything that we’re experiencing now. There will probably be some song sequels and it will be great having Kieran on board for the next EP as well because with the first EP he wasn’t in the band then. It’s great because Kieran’s been through the same things as well, he moved from a small town…wait, is Widnes small?
Kieran (bass): Widnes is very small. It’s the same as Holyhead, just England’s version!
Steve: It’s going to be quite cool having someone who’s done the same thing as us really, it’s going to be great! I’m looking forward to getting back in the studio early next year.
Which song is your favourite on it?
Steve: Kieran should answer this as someone who didn’t…
Kieran: I kind of class them as the best ones to play, so probably Lost, that’s really cool. The thing is with a lot of these songs, Baz wrote all the basslines…he started off as a bassist anyway so it’s really cool to play basslines that are that crazy! Baz kind of wrote them as a really cool bass player. I walked into it not knowing the tunes when I joined and I was sent them. I was like “I’ll learn them in a week” and then when I listened to them I was like “oh no, I’ve only got a week to learn these!” So I had to slow everything down and it took me about two weeks to realise what the fuck Baz was playing! There’s a lot of intricacies to the songs on the EP that are really cool to play.
What can you tell us about the upcoming new EP?
Steve: It’s coming along nicely! It’s definitely a change for us, it wasn’t a conscious decision to change our style or anything but it just kind of happened. I think Sharky described it in the best possible way…it’s much more “city sounding”. Obviously it’s easy for us to say that because we know how it sounds, but I think when people hear it they’ll understand that saying, but I definitely think we’ve stepped up our game again.
Kieran: It’s a stronger sound, I think. The whole thing with Somnium was the lads moving from Wales and settling in, and I think the sound of the new tracks…they sound settled. That’s not to say we’re not comfortable and we’re not pushing things, because I think we’ve pushed it again, but it’s the sound of a band that’s now comfortable with what we’re doing.
Steve: Yeah. We’ve got one track that we’re playing tonight, it hasn’t got a name yet and is literally called New Song 2. I really like that one at the moment, it kind of goes through loads of different genres…from indie, to punk, to pop. It’s great, it’s my current favourite of all our songs and it’s really fun to play. Hopefully people will like it tonight, that’d be a nice little bonus for us.
What would you say the best gig you’ve played has been?
Steve: I’ve got a few because there’s been many over the years. We’ve realised a few weeks ago that we’ve actually been together for ten years so there’s been a lot for us! Obviously the big shows are always good, like when we supported Enter Shikari – that was amazing! – and supporting Fightstar was great as well. Even that Ataris show we did earlier in the year was really fun.
Kieran: The Sound Control gig in Manchester was good.
Steve: Yeah that was great. I liked that one we did in Retro.
Kieran: I didn’t!
Steve: You didn’t?
Kieran: No. It was the smallest stage and it was like…I’d move and then I’d be picking my bass up over someone. It was good, because we had well over 100 people in there and Retro Bar is tiny. But to play…it wasn’t great. Steve runs around everywhere like a madman, so he’s alright because he doesn’t stay on the stage!
Steve: I thought it was really fun because it was our first proper gig back in Manchester this year.
And what about the strangest gig?
Steve: Me and Crim did a really strange one for our friend who’s working on the door tonight for his birthday in June. His mum owns a little pub in Cumbria. We went up and it was literally in the middle of nowhere. We drove through maybe five miles of nothing before turning a corner with the pub there, and then there’s five miles of nothing again in the other direction! It was weird, because it got really really busy when we went on – it was only an acoustic set we did – but it wasn’t busy with people that would normally like our kind of music! It was full of locals basically because there was nowhere else to go and it resulted in Crim going nuts on his acoustic guitar with this really big woman singing…no, not even singing, just shouting the word “MEATLOAAAF!” over the microphone for like ten minutes! And by that point I’d had enough!
So did you play Meatloaf in the end?
Steve: No, I’m not sure Crim knew any! There was also this other show where we played in London and this guy came over to me during the gig, while we were playing, and asked me to sign his favourite cucumber! It was still in the plastic wrapping…maybe it was his favourite make or something, I don’t know! The gig itself was good, but the cucumber incident was weird.
If you could collaborate with any band, who would it be?
Steve: There’s so many! I would never, even if it was just him saying “hi” on a track or something, turn down the opportunity to let Springsteen be involved in anything of ours! It’s not necessarily bands I’d like to work with really, just vocalists.
Kieran: I’d like to work with all of Rush.
Steve: Even smaller bands…I currently love a band called Scholars so that’d be fun to do something with them. Or what about doing something really different like getting a rapper involved or a DJ? We try to do things that keep us excited as well, so I guess any collaboration would be fun.
If it was announced that there was going to be a movie released about Through Colour, which actors would you want to play yourself?
Steve: Well I can answer that in a heartbeat!
Kieran: Bruce Springsteen?
Steve: (laughing) No! Apparently, and I do kind of agree, I look like the guy from Gremlins. So he can play me. That’s just for looks though! Acting-wise, maybe I’d go with DiCaprio. He’s the man, isn’t he?
Kieran: I’d have Zach Galifianakis from The Hangover.
Steve: Just for beard’s sake?
Kieran: Who would Baz be?
Steve: John Leguizamo!
Kieran: Who’s that?!
Steve: Y’know, the guy who played Luigi in the Mario Bros. film? He looks exactly like him! We need Baz here for the end of this interview, just for that answer to see how he’d react!
A band I like recently released their own hot sauce. If Through Colour could put their name to a product, what would it be?
Steve: Hot sauce is good. Crim would love that. I’d quite like to put our name to marmite, but you can’t really mimic that can you? So I’ll choose Bovril because I eat a lot of that. Or maybe Through Colour beer. How great would that be, going up to someone and saying “I’ve got my own beer”, not just a little home-brewing kit – proper beer! That’d be ace, but we’ll go with Bovril.
And my last question, which is kind of amusing given your answer to the previous question – what’s your opinion on marmite?
Kieran: I love it.
Steve: Me too. It’s amazing.
Kieran: Marmite on toast is amazing.
Steve: In the description of our advert of us looking for a new bass player, we said “bass player wanted. Must like marmite.”
So is that the whole band’s opinion?
Steve: I don’t know. I think Sharky might hate it, but he hates most things! So he probably hates it but he likes liquorice, so he has weird tastes.
