INTERVIEW WITH THIS ET AL

Cielo Líquido favourites...A band that you simply can't ignore...

Would you give us a short bio of the band? Previous projects, releases? What has happened with the band until now?
We got together in 2002. Since then we've released quite a lot of material via compilations, split singles and a couple of singles on our own. Last year we released one single ('Sabbatical') and recorded our album. We've featured on Radio 1, MTV, XFM, and also played some festivals, including Carling Weekend.

Which is your opinion of the UK and International music scene right now? What are your views about independent labels/and the music industry in general? How do you see the future of music?
I think some aspects of the industry are highly saturated, but that's mainly to do with the invention of cheaper musical equipment. People have more access to musical equipment (especially in UK / USA) and access to learning how to play (i.e. internet) so anybody can be in a band. I'd be a brave man if I said the industry is thriving because it really isn't. I've got to be honest, I don't see major labels in the future being able to survive.

What does it mean to be "independent" these days? What would it be the motivation of "doing rock" today? What are the best ways for an independent band to gain exposure to a crowd that cares?
I think the edges have been completely blurred as far as the term "independent" goes. I think gaining exposure on a low budget requires a lot of luck and careful planning / PR but most importantly, brilliant songs! I think independent and DIY are terms banded around too easily, a lot of the time there are major labels who have a say in independent labels so it kind of defeats the objective of labelling it independent.

I think that there are loads of good bands in Britain but the big media sometimes just don't notice or support a wrong scene...
I'd agree!!!

What do you think about critics, radio djs, and media people?
Well, they're just doing a job, like we are. I think critics, DJ's etc. come in for really harsh criticisms sometimes. I don't think the NME is a great magazine but they've got to sell the magazine, like everything else it's a business. I think some critics play it really safe but to be honest, they have strict guidelines about what they can write. My viewpoint is, you don't like the NME, don't read the NME! Don't like Kerrang, don't read it! There's tons of fanzines, magazines out there to take up your time… and then there's the internet…

How would you describe your music to someone who haven't heard your music? What do you think you sound like?
Big, loud, dark, ambitious, emotive. A hybrid of My Bloody Valentine soundscapes, …Trail Of Dead visceral thrashing, Queens Of The Stone Age riffery, Mogwai's delicate bits and The Smiths pompousness.

How did you get in touch with the labels which have released your stuff? How about Monotones?
The releases we did via Dance To The Radio; we'd known Whiskas (DTTR, Forward, Russia!) quite some time and decided to release a split single together. He'd accumulated cash from promoting gigs and that's about it really! Jealous contacted us via our website, but we knew Ian's work so we did a couple of singles with them. Monotones is a label that Ben and his friends made so we used them for the first pressing.

What kind of role has the internet regarding music these days? How do you think the internet has affected the "underground music scene"? Is downloading killing music? Do you have any strong feelings sympathetic to or against?
I don't the internet is killing music, it has affected the major labels much more than the "underground music scene" but that's because the major label has sued everybody rather than worked with them. If it wasn't for the internet, we'd be really really struggling. MySpace. Online Radio. Webzines. It's all brilliant. Again, it's another medium that's getting saturated but its something you can never ignore.

Is your music "marketable"? What is "selling out" for you?
I think our music is marketable definitely, but I think we've got more to discover about ourselves before we're classed as a real force commercially. I don't think selling out really exists in my eyes but normally, I'd say "selling out" is when an artist will forget their ideals in order to become popular and make money.

How do you feel when your music is labelled with genre-tags? What are your thoughts when you're compared to other bands/artists?
I don't really mind, other musicians are really bothered. I look at it from the punters point of view. I wouldn't buy an album if I didn't know what it was or what it sounded vaguely like. I think it's a bit precious and a lot to ask of the music buyer to buy it on the basis that it "sounds like nobody else".

Have you been really inspired/influenced by anyone? Where do you find your inspiration? How do you go about writing songs? What are your lyrics about?
I think musically we try and piece bits together from other bands and make them our own sound. Or sometimes we blatantly copy other bands! Ha ha. Lyrically, just about situations that happen to us, sometimes we get a bit more political but dress it up in flowery language.

How important is the producer's work in your records?
Richard wasn't really an old-school style producer, he was much more interested in the sonics of the music rather than the arrangements. None of us have a clue what to do when it comes to production so it's very important to us to be working with someone we really like and trust.

How is your live set in comparison with your recordings? How do people react to you live shows?
The live set is less cohesive, a lot louder and very very dense sonically. I think sometimes it's quite stunning for the audience, so sometimes we don't get a reaction at all. I think for the people who already know the record it makes it a lot easier as they know what to expect.

What is your local scene like?
Very healthy, almost a little too healthy! Back in our hometown of Bradford, it's in its embryonic stages, but definitely getting there. In Leeds, a lot of the bands have already been taken apart by the national media.

I love to talk about music so I feel the need to make this question…What other things do you like musically? What's on your stereo right now? What kind of bands/artists do you like at the moment? What were the last records you bought?
At the moment, I really love Subtle, they're a really weird hip hop act from the States. Other than that, I don't listen to a great deal of new music apart from local demos. I'm inparticularly enjoying Grammatics from Leeds / York in UK. They're a bit like Sparks, a bit like Arcade Fire, they're great. Also revisiting a lot of stuff as I just bought an iPod, so listening to a lot of early 90's hip-hop, Suede, My Bloody Valentine, El-P etc. All sorts of stuff!

Has there ever been a time when you felt like calling it a day, that all music-related things were too much trouble? What makes you carry on? Do you see yourself keep doing this for another ten years?
I think at the minute, we're just making some really good music. I think there'll always be times when you're down but at the minute we're all relatively young so might as well enjoy it. Times are tough but it could be a lot worse! Bands are great at moaning.

How do you feel your sound has progressed from one to another? I think that the band's sound is equally intense but cleaner than before...What do you think? Do you feel that your sound is evolving/stuff is improving every day? What do you think will be your natural evolution as a band?
I think the album sounds brilliant. It's drawn a line under the old material really well and yes, you're right, it's a really clean recording. Our newer stuff (for the EP) has become a bit quieter. It couldn't get any louder so we had to tone down for the next set of songs. I think our song writing is definitely improving.

Finally, what are your upcoming plans?
Our album finally sees the shops in April with a single preceding it in March. Our next aim is to get the EP recorded in February and get that released in June.

For more info about This Et Al, visit their website www.thisetal.com

Interview by Fernando Pérez Herrero