A Silent Film - Interview

Camden Barfly 

'A Silent Film' are a rock-pop quartet hailing from the musical breeding place that is apparently Oxford these days.  Having been together since 2005 and winning the respect of BBC Introducing and the backing of Xtra Mile Recordings, they are set to build on the success of ep, ‘The Projectionist’ with their debut album ‘The City That Sleeps’, released in September. 

Last year they achieved the accolade of playing Glastonbury on the same stage that saw 'The Ting Tings' propelled into mainstream consciousness, and subsequently put everything into writing the record.  A couple of single releases later and with a number of high profile support dates in the diary, including dates with American pseudo-rockers ‘One Republic’, they look set for ubiquitous mainstream success.

Their music is ultimately piano-driven culminating in grandiose sounding tunes with elegantly engaging lyrics.  This prog-rock dubbed group imply a great deal of sophistication through their melodies backed up by the sharp edged guitars, distortions and the rhythms that drive each song home.  Energetic, visual and atmospheric at times, they could pick up from where the likes of ‘Editors’ etc left off.    

4or The Record spent some time with Robert Stevenson (vox/piano) and Spencer Walker (drums) before their preview set at the Barfly in the lead up to the album release.  Just don’t mention 'Keane' for Gods sakes!

4ortherecord - So let's talk about the name, were you all big fans of silent films and the Chaplin era?

Robert – Personally I am a huge Chaplin fan and also of Mr. Keaton and stuff like the Marsh Brothers.  But really it was just a coincidence in that I had written a song called ‘A Silent Film’ and there was just something about this song that struck with all the guys when we were looking for a band name. What we really like about the name is the fact that in the old days of silent films there would be a guy playing piano in the cinema and he would be telling the story, so it’s a nice way that in the absence of scripts the music tells the story.

4TR - So following that theme would you say you write autobiographically?

Robert - Not so much autobiographically because my life isn’t really that exciting to write about.  I just started leaping into my imagination and tried to write stories about things that intrigued me.  It‘s less autobiographical about me and more about other people and other things, things that I see and how I react and feel to other people’s experiences.

4TR - Do you write as a group?

Robert - We all write absolutely, but usually the songs are born out of a very simple piano and vocal idea.  There are always different ideas on the table, and we can always approach a song from any angle we want, but that is generally how we start off.

Spencer – It’s a good way of working because if you just have the piano and vocals first, it leaves the space open for the other instruments.  We have had songs that when you listen to it at first you think it’s going to be a ballad and then it ends up being a drum and bass hectic kind of number.  It leaves the door open to make a song take on any sound.

4TR – You are signed to Xtra Mile Recordings and have worked with them for the last couple of years, how did this relationship come about?

Robert - We were playing around in London, playing a few gigs to see if anyone was interested and try and get a record company involved and they approached us to record an EP.  It was called ‘The Projectionist’ and was released early last year, and after the success of that they were so happy with it we were able to do an album as well.

4TR - So from the album 'The City That Sleeps' conception to its finish has it met to your expectations?

Robert – It’s exceeded everything, all our expectations every step of the way.  We are a very fussy bunch and when we go into the studio and finish a song we have usually exhausted most of our experience, but when we had someone like our producer Sam (Williams - 'Supergrass', 'The Noisettes', 'Dogs Die in Hot Cars' ) come in and say “but have you tried this?” it all kind of made sense and sounded amazing; that kind of input is incredible.

4TR – Previously you did the production yourselves instead of bringing someone else in, why was that?

Spencer – Well we had worked with a few producers before but had never got the results that we thought warranted a producer. Before working with Sam we never really understood what input a producer could give us and how it could be used in a beneficial way, so we were obviously quite protective.  We’d always liked doing it the DIY way so letting someone else in was a bit weird at first.

Robert – So he had to earn our respect [laughing]

Spencer – Yeah and he just said look give me an hour where you will just let me do things my way and if you think it sucks then I will walk, and we said ok then.  So he spent an hour with us and we were like well that’s pretty damn good actually, carry on!  It was incredible having someone else’s input like that making things so clear to us.

4TR – In that case what can we expect from the album?

Robert - It is much more diverse than people will expect, particularly because the singles we have released so far have followed quite a straightforward path. Singles are just singles and sadly with the way things are, we can’t release too extravagant a single, I don’t think many bands can unless they are someone like 'Coldplay' or 'Radiohead'. The album has the kind of songs that people might not get the first time but you may change your mind about because there are so many different dynamics throughout.  It’s definitely something to get your teeth into.  We will also have a proper album cover and artwork, which is something that perhaps, has been missing in terms of importance for some bands.

4TR – You made your EP ‘The Projectionist’ very visual in terms of your live shows with the use of props and projections etc, will you be continuing this visual element with the new album shows?

Robert – It’s incredibly hard to set up and keep that kind of imagery going.  With ‘The Projectionist’ it was all part of the title of the EP so we had the TV’s and the book and the projection from the pages.  We were just absolutely enthralled in this idea of making a whole cinematic experience and it was right at the time.  We were completely subject to our own artistic endeavors, but now we just want to move on, particularly with the album being a different style that perhaps doesn’t suit that. 

Spencer - I think that when doing this album we wanted to do something that was quite live sounding, quite genuine, just 4 guys in a room playing.  Everything we had kind of aimed for previously was very grandiose, so this time we wanted to just get to what the point of the band was and thought lets just strip back all the production and make it about the essence of what our live sound is.

Robert – And then there is the fact that we are also a bit strapped for cash to be honest and we cant really afford to have a big advance, so the TVs were a bit of a no no [laughing]

4TR – You mentioned artwork earlier on with regards to your album.  In the age of the digital download do you think that artwork has become lost in terms of relevance to some artists?   

Robert – Definitely and it’s a shame.  You’ve got to have something to look at when you buy that thing for the first time, when you actually put your money down and say I believe in this band you want to get something along with the music. It’s really annoying and I think that the crappy media visualization should be replaced with artwork and if possible artwork specific to each song and even with video content as well.  It’s incredibly crucial that the visual side of bands and music is kept up. 

4TR – There are so many album covers that have iconic visuals and artwork and it used to be as important as the music itself.  More bands should continue championing this no matter how the way in which you get music changes, so have you spent alot of time on this for your record?

Spencer – Yes, it’s a major part for us and in making this record we wanted to have artwork to go with it, which will be really important to the music.  That was a fundamental aspect for us so hopefully when you see the final result you will think, dammit that looks good as well as sounds good. For some bands not to bother is frustrating. 

4TR - Have you as a group been involved in deciding what it would be?

Robert – Definitely and it’s been an excellent opportunity to collaborate with other artists who are just as passionate about their art, whatever form it might take. 

Spencer - This all kind of gets back to the whole name thing and the idea that you have got a silent film so you have got the visuals, you have got the guy playing piano, you have got his interpretation of the music he has been given and you have got the music he has been given, so it’s all connected.  We got to work with a designer sharing a vision, so the artwork will affect the music and the music will affect the artwork.

4TR – Are you excited by the music industry at the moment?

Robert – It’s such a different time now and yeah it’s exciting because there are seemingly no rules anymore.  The bar has been raised 'cos music is so much more accessible than ever before and everyone has the chance to get their music judged. You can record a song yourself, put it on myspace and have it judged all in the space of a couple of days. You don’t have to go into an expensive recording studio, so it means that everything from the grass roots stuff to the overly produced expensive Hollywood stuff is all judged on the same level through the internet, and personally I think that’s the best thing possible. 

4TR – But do you think that could make it harder for bands to be heard because there will potentially come a saturation point with so many more artists releasing singles etc?

Robert - Yeah possibly.  In the old days it all came down to people with money putting bands in front of other people, hence the majors being so successful but now it isn’t limited in that way.  If a band is good they will be heard and it’s likely they will get a deal of some sort if that’s what they are looking for.  They will get recognised and that’s all you can ask for as an artist.

Spencer – Yeah and I think it’s great because it puts more of an impetus to do it yourself which we have always liked as an idea.  We chose the hard road again and again and again and I think it’s been more fulfilling that way personally.

Robert - And it’s almost starting to pay off [laughing]

4TR – You have been championed by some of the radio pioneers of new music and appeared on the BBC Introducing stage at Glasto last year, how was that?

Robert - That was an incredible experience for us. It used to be that you wouldn’t be able to play Glastonbury unless you were a certain way along the road, but to be given that platform as a young band and to know that the people at Radio 1 are actually looking for new music is a good feeling.  Huw Stevens is a legend!

Spencer – In the last 2 years that this whole BBC Introducing thing has been around it has had a massive effect.  When we first heard about it, we thought it was one of those things that sounded good but also one of those ideas that is around for a couple of months and then they cann it because they can't be bothered with it anymore. 

4TR – Well 'The Ting Tings' played the same stage with you last year and that’s a success story in itself in terms of BBC Introducing.

Spencer - Yeah they played, they were just 2 bands before us on that stage last year and look where they are now. 

4TR - I think that was like their 3^rd gig ever or something ridiculous like that.

Robert – Yeah, there is something nauseating about that but they are good, cream rises and that is the truth of the matter. It’s amazing for new artists to have the opportunity for someone like Huw Stevens to hear them on the Internet and then take it and play it to an even bigger audience.

4TR – What’s been happening in the run up to the album release this summer?

Spencer – We have done some festival dates and support gigs, like with the 'Mystery Jets' and 'Scouting For Girls'. We alsoa support gig with 'Athlete' on the Isle of Man which was pretty bizarre.

4TR – I can’t imagine the music scene on the Isle of Man, what was the audience like there?

Spencer - Well it was right in the middle of the bike festival and it was one of the few gigs they have over there each year in the only venue they have.  It’s like 1600 capacity and half of it was bikers and the other half was Isle of Man kids who clearly get like only 10 gigs a year to go to, so they go to every gig regardless of who is playing. 

Robert - Yeah they were at the front of the 'Athlete' gig giving it like devil horns and screaming yeahhhhhhhhh, and then they stormed the stage, which I don’t think has ever happened in the history of that band before [laughing].

4TR - Are you being serious?

Spencer - Yeah it’s absolutely true, they got on stage and started running around the band and screaming into the microphone, it was amazing to watch and very funny.

4TR - I saw 'Athlete' at Brixton Academy once and it was a far more civilized affair, you don’t really associate stage storming and mosh pits with that band.

Spencer – No you wouldn’t expect it would you and they were more confused than anyone, so that was funny, an experience to say the least.

4TR – There have been a lot of comparisons made between you and other bands, some flattering others not so much.  So how exactly do you feel about being compared to 'Keane'?

Robert – [groaning] that’s how I feel.

Spencer – Look on a positive day you take that comparison and you think that’s lovely because they are seeing the scale of what we could possibly achieve and that’s fantastic.  But on a negative day you think that is such lazy journalism, you have just seen 2 bands with a piano and you are comparing them.  We just don’t sound anything like 'Keane' so it’s irrelevant.

Robert – Yeah, it’s just because we both have the piano as an integral instrument in our respective music.  What they do is great in their way but its just very different.  'Keane' is really straightdown the middle kind of music isn’t it, I mean nice songs, really straightforward melodies and obvious basslines; that’s not a bad thing if it works but we could never think to appoint that in our music.   We are the anti-Keane in fact.

4TR – Ok so the 'Keane' comparison is a bit harsh, but there have been some other nice comparisons like to 'Radiohead', 'Editors' etc

Spencer – Yeah and then we have had 'Ah-Ha', which is just hilarious because no-one understands why, however I would rather be 'Ah-Ha' than 'Keane'.

4TR – Following the lead of bands like 'Radiohead', 'Foals' and 'Young Knives', there seems to be a lot of talented musicians coming out of Oxford at the moment.

Robert - Yeah it’s a really good time, there are some amazing bands on the Oxford circuit at the moment.  There is this new band 'Little Fish' that you have got to check out, it’s a guy playing drums and a girl playing guitar, but it’s not at all like 'The Ting Tings' musically, just the same kind of set up. In fact they are the anti-Ting Tings, just full on rock.

Spencer – See but they will get compared to 'The Ting Tings' even though they sound nothing like them, just because there is 2 of them and the guy plays drums, and she sings.  But they couldn’t be more different.  We feel their pain already, amazing band check them out.

‘The City That Sleeps’ is out on Xtra Mile Recordings in September, newsingle ‘You Will Leave a Mark’ is out now.

www.myspace.com/asilentfilm

Interview by Francesca Strange

Photos by Gareth Jackson – www.myspace.com/jacksonfoto

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