WEBVTT - Ep 122: IDLES' Joe Talbot 0:00:01.040 --> 0:00:04.800 If you live by your standards and you treat everyone 0:00:04.880 --> 0:00:08.920 with love and respect, that's the best way to longevity. 0:00:09.000 --> 0:00:12.119 Good evening and welcome to Midnight Chat, the music interview 0:00:12.160 --> 0:00:16.040 podcast for late night listening. I'm Stuart Stubbs and I'm 0:00:16.040 --> 0:00:20.160 Great Cochrane and on tonight's show, Greg is an old 0:00:20.200 --> 0:00:23.720 friend of yours. It's Joe Tolbert, the lead singer from Idols. 0:00:23.960 --> 0:00:24.200 Yeah. 0:00:24.320 --> 0:00:26.400 Yeah, Joe's the singer of the band and a rare 0:00:26.480 --> 0:00:29.800 returning guest because Joe was last on the podcast in 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:33.040 twenty twenty in the middle of the COVID nineteen pandemic. 0:00:33.880 --> 0:00:37.159 That's episode ninety four for anyone who wants to get 0:00:37.159 --> 0:00:37.920 back and check it out. 0:00:37.960 --> 0:00:42.239 I've heard this episode Greg, obviously, and it's great. It's 0:00:42.479 --> 0:00:45.520 very It's a deep one. I was quite jealous because 0:00:45.520 --> 0:00:47.199 You've got to go to Joe's house and I love 0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:50.159 snooping around guests houses. 0:00:51.440 --> 0:00:52.920 What was it like? What was his house like? 0:00:53.200 --> 0:00:57.040 And how how was the whole thing because it is, 0:00:57.120 --> 0:00:58.760 as I say, it's quite a deep conversation. 0:00:58.800 --> 0:00:59.000 List. 0:00:59.080 --> 0:01:01.440 Yeah, his place is very stylish. So Joe lives in 0:01:01.440 --> 0:01:03.880 an apartment in Bristol here in the UK. I went 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:05.720 to see him right at the very end of twenty 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:08.520 twenty three. It's just before Christmas. He'd actually been to 0:01:08.520 --> 0:01:12.160 see his daughter's Nativity play that morning. And you're right, 0:01:12.240 --> 0:01:14.560 it is quite a deep chat, and I think that's 0:01:14.600 --> 0:01:18.200 why a lot of people really resonate and get and 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:23.280 like Joe. He's very candid talking about things like parenthood 0:01:23.280 --> 0:01:26.959 and mental health, addiction, and politics and the general state 0:01:27.000 --> 0:01:29.640 of the world. And yeah, I'd love to know what 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:30.560 people make of this. 0:01:30.800 --> 0:01:33.679 If you're new to us here at Midnight Chats, please 0:01:33.680 --> 0:01:35.600 do give us a follow, give us a like, give 0:01:35.680 --> 0:01:38.640 us a nice positive review. Mainly though, tell a friend. 0:01:38.680 --> 0:01:40.759 That's the best thing you can do right now, help 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:43.920 spread the word of what Midnight Chats is. Before we 0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:48.440 get into this, Greg, there's two things I need from you. 0:01:49.200 --> 0:01:51.200 Tell me how good the new Idle's album is. 0:01:52.840 --> 0:01:55.840 The New Idol's album is very good. It's called Tank 0:01:55.840 --> 0:01:57.880 and it's available everywhere now excellent. 0:01:58.280 --> 0:02:00.000 And the other thing is there was a few things 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:01.240 so we just needed to clear up. 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:01.760 Yeah. 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.400 So well, first one's a bit of a warning. Joe 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:06.840 loves a swear word, so if you're sensitive to those, 0:02:07.000 --> 0:02:10.120 this is just your official heads up. The Nigel that 0:02:10.160 --> 0:02:14.520 he mentioned in this chat is Nigel Godrich, the producer 0:02:14.560 --> 0:02:17.440 for the likes of Radiohead in the past. And Kenny 0:02:17.560 --> 0:02:20.680 that he mentions is the songwriter and producer Kenny Beats. 0:02:21.280 --> 0:02:24.560 And the final thing is that the afgang if you're 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:28.160 not familiar with that, that's the band's fan community. Hopefully 0:02:28.200 --> 0:02:30.880 that clears those things up for anybody listening. 0:02:31.080 --> 0:02:34.040 Thanks very much, Greg, I feel ready for this now. 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:37.640 This is Joe Tolbert from Idols on Midnight Chats. 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:47.960 Joe, welcome to the podcast. 0:02:48.080 --> 0:02:51.880 So good to have you on Midnight Chats again, and 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:54.040 thanks for inviting us to your house. I mean your 0:02:54.040 --> 0:02:58.840 hospitality is exception so far. We've got coffee, We've got biscuits. 0:02:59.200 --> 0:02:59.720 Yeah. Thanks. 0:03:00.040 --> 0:03:01.799 I feel like you've pushed the boat out a bit. 0:03:02.040 --> 0:03:04.920 Well. You know, if someone comes into your home and 0:03:04.919 --> 0:03:09.359 you haven't got biscuits, what home is that? No? Yeah, 0:03:09.400 --> 0:03:12.000 I am, yeah, but I don't know you taught me that. 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:14.480 Someone recently is like, you've got to always have biscuits. 0:03:14.480 --> 0:03:16.680 I guess, yeah, I know, I know. 0:03:16.800 --> 0:03:20.040 I think it's true. First things first, how are you doing? 0:03:20.040 --> 0:03:24.640 How things really good? Yeah? I've been through it a 0:03:24.639 --> 0:03:25.160 bit recently. 0:03:25.200 --> 0:03:29.200 Mental health wise, not not too recent, maybe a month ago. 0:03:29.520 --> 0:03:32.520 I was a bit I've been sober for a while 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:37.400 and like, I don't know, it's just things hit you, 0:03:37.400 --> 0:03:41.320 you know, And so I was I was going for it, 0:03:41.400 --> 0:03:46.240 but and then coming out of it, I started therapy again, 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:49.880 and coming out of it was like a huge revelation 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:54.800 for me, more than normal. So yeah, I'm good, I'm stable, 0:03:55.200 --> 0:03:59.680 and you know, I'm very excited for this new album 0:03:59.760 --> 0:04:06.040 Tank and my kid is very healthy and happy and 0:04:06.200 --> 0:04:08.720 started school and I've got to spend a lot of 0:04:08.760 --> 0:04:13.760 good time with that and the band. I think we're 0:04:13.760 --> 0:04:16.760 all hungry for a new tour, a different show and 0:04:16.880 --> 0:04:20.680 new songs and a challenge. You can only go so 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:25.400 far with a tour where it almost becomes too easy. 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:29.039 And I mean that in the best way possible. It's 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:31.160 the best thing in the world. As I've always said, 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:35.159 not apologies, it gets easy, and we don't like that. 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:37.400 We're like a challenge and we want to keep moving 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:40.920 forward and getting better and we're really good at what 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:43.240 we do, so we want to be not as good, 0:04:43.360 --> 0:04:44.799 so we've got something to work towards. 0:04:46.320 --> 0:04:48.960 I remember last time we came on the podcast, we 0:04:48.960 --> 0:04:49.560 were still. 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.800 In that weird mode where we were all coming out 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:54.520 of COVID and we were talking about you rehearsing for 0:04:54.560 --> 0:04:57.400 the Abbey Road live stream, and so there weren't any 0:04:57.520 --> 0:05:00.719 there weren't any shows on the calendar at that point. Yeah, 0:05:00.760 --> 0:05:02.440 I know that's rewinding a bit, isn't it. 0:05:02.560 --> 0:05:05.960 I just remember how terrible they were. I really we 0:05:06.279 --> 0:05:09.279 were rusty, it was they were bad. 0:05:09.360 --> 0:05:11.320 Yeah, if it's if it's not too much of a 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:14.200 kind of invasive question to start with, you know, you 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:16.120 kind of raised it there, Like you and I have 0:05:16.120 --> 0:05:18.360 spoke quite a few times over the years, and you've 0:05:18.400 --> 0:05:21.039 had those periods where like you've had moments where that 0:05:21.040 --> 0:05:23.839 you've found things particularly difficult and they've been triggered by 0:05:23.880 --> 0:05:26.320 different things and you've kind of like found pathways through it, 0:05:26.360 --> 0:05:29.120 and you've always been super transparent about that and people 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:32.440 very much relate to that. Have you got kinder on 0:05:32.480 --> 0:05:34.719 yourself over the last few years when you know those 0:05:34.839 --> 0:05:37.360 those periods are coming, and like, having been through it 0:05:37.400 --> 0:05:39.480 a few times, do you you. 0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:40.320 Know is it is? 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:41.280 It? Is? It? 0:05:41.320 --> 0:05:43.000 Does it continue to be hard every time? 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:46.080 And yeah, not it gets I don't know, it doesn't 0:05:46.080 --> 0:05:51.320 get easier. But I'm lucky. I'm very lucky. I'm privileged 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:54.839 in more than one way. You know, I'm financially sound, 0:05:55.640 --> 0:05:59.200 I've got my health, and I've got support network of 0:05:59.279 --> 0:06:05.320 people it will listen and guide. I've got my dream job. 0:06:05.880 --> 0:06:10.680 I traveled a well with my mates. I just said, yeah, 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:16.320 I had a few problems recently, and I just had 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:20.880 to solve them. It gets easier. I'm kinder to myself, yes, 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:25.960 but maybe I wasn't that unkind really other than the 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:31.839 obvious self abuse, but I'm kinder to others. What I've 0:06:31.920 --> 0:06:34.200 learned in the past four years of being a father 0:06:35.400 --> 0:06:42.080 is that if you approach life with empathy, you get 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:48.440 more out of it. So with that in mind, I 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:52.480 approach things with empathy. I'm a lot more patient. I'm 0:06:52.520 --> 0:06:55.560 a lot kinder. I think I'm really just learning to 0:06:55.600 --> 0:06:58.960 be vulnerable, practicing what I've been talking about, and it 0:06:59.080 --> 0:07:01.280 just takes a long time. These things don't happen over night. 0:07:01.360 --> 0:07:05.800 And I've been learning a long time, and I'm in 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:09.640 a flux. I've realizing just how much I have to learn, 0:07:10.120 --> 0:07:13.000 and that's beautiful and exciting. So I'm very grateful that 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:18.400 I've had an audience that have allowed us to learn slowly. 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:20.679 We're going to talk a lot about what's to come 0:07:21.280 --> 0:07:24.400 throughout twenty twenty four. So many exciting things coming up, 0:07:24.760 --> 0:07:26.440 including a new album. But I just want to do 0:07:26.480 --> 0:07:28.640 a very brief and quick kind of rewind on twenty 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:31.440 twenty three, because obviously you've been making a new album, 0:07:31.480 --> 0:07:32.840 but you have been doing some other things. 0:07:33.760 --> 0:07:35.280 One of the big things last summer was. 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:37.840 He played a show in London with Jamie T at 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:41.320 the Park, amongst others. What have some of the stand 0:07:41.360 --> 0:07:42.760 up moments of this year been for you? 0:07:43.520 --> 0:07:49.880 Personal things? Really a few really transitional moments of enlightenment 0:07:50.280 --> 0:07:53.560 in terms of what I want to do, where I 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:55.360 want to be in life, and how I'm going to 0:07:55.360 --> 0:08:00.960 get there. There's a lightness with this album campaign where 0:08:01.040 --> 0:08:04.600 I really truly don't give a fuck what other people 0:08:04.680 --> 0:08:07.320 say or think about it. And that's not because I 0:08:07.320 --> 0:08:10.360 don't care. I care more than I ever have, but 0:08:10.440 --> 0:08:17.440 about the right thing, and that's being present within myself 0:08:17.760 --> 0:08:20.160 and how that music makes me feel and how fucking 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:23.320 magic is going to be to play it. The Jamie 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:25.960 T show was beautiful because I got to see Jamie 0:08:26.000 --> 0:08:31.800 T and seeing someone almost come out of a cocoon 0:08:32.080 --> 0:08:40.680 and become this beautiful, vibrant human being on stage. It 0:08:40.760 --> 0:08:43.480 was a really lovely thing to see. And I think 0:08:43.480 --> 0:08:47.280 when you see your friends succeed, that's a Freuda and 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:51.640 Frida drop there, But seeing other people succeed, it's a 0:08:51.760 --> 0:08:56.000 very uplifting feeling when you give a shit. So that 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:56.600 was good. 0:08:56.920 --> 0:08:57.319 Willie j. 0:08:57.440 --> 0:09:00.640 Healy and Jamie T and yourself. There's been talk of 0:09:00.760 --> 0:09:04.480 doing something together. As we're talking about Jamie this is 0:09:04.480 --> 0:09:06.560 is that going to come into being at some point? Yeah, 0:09:06.760 --> 0:09:08.679 it's a soul record, right, it was a soul group 0:09:08.720 --> 0:09:09.800 and make some soul songs. 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:16.120 Well, yeah, Willie and I have met up started writing stuff. Obviously, 0:09:16.120 --> 0:09:18.680 we hang out every week when we're both in town, 0:09:18.840 --> 0:09:21.480 ride our bikes together and stuff and do other things. 0:09:21.600 --> 0:09:26.839 But we're busy. I want to call the project Perils Pedios, 0:09:27.000 --> 0:09:30.360 which means lost Dogs. I don't think they know that. 0:09:30.520 --> 0:09:32.920 I was like, that's a sick name. That is good, 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:35.440 and then like all our merchants that could be like 0:09:35.520 --> 0:09:38.000 lost dog posters sick. 0:09:37.800 --> 0:09:38.880 Right yeah, big time. 0:09:39.080 --> 0:09:42.560 Yeah, So yeah, we've got ideas well. I was at 0:09:42.640 --> 0:09:47.920 Jamie's house quite a while ago now and were talking 0:09:47.960 --> 0:09:52.920 about sampling and sampling this tune I love, and he 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:55.559 just fucking got it up on YouTube, chucked it on 0:09:56.200 --> 0:09:59.400 his like sample pad, and we were like, this has 0:09:59.440 --> 0:10:02.480 got happen now. I think because we're all very different 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:07.160 versions of the same beast, which is that we we're 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:12.439 very different people. Obviously, all three of us, we're an 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:16.959 odd trio, but we have the same intention and we 0:10:17.040 --> 0:10:20.680 have a lot of love, and we all connect with 0:10:20.760 --> 0:10:23.079 soul music. So I think it would just be a 0:10:23.120 --> 0:10:26.040 great project to do, even just for ourselves if it 0:10:26.080 --> 0:10:29.040 doesn't come out. But yeah, it excites me that idea, 0:10:29.600 --> 0:10:31.640 but then a lot of musical ideas excite me at 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:34.959 the moment thinking about you know, I want to do 0:10:35.000 --> 0:10:40.360 a noise project techno thing with Bobo. Sorry, I'm gonna 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:45.800 stop calling Bobo. It makes my shit. It's when I 0:10:45.800 --> 0:10:47.520 hear someone else calling it, so I don't know why 0:10:47.559 --> 0:10:51.320 I do, but when So, yeah, we're there's plenty coming. 0:10:51.520 --> 0:10:54.199 Sticking on this year, and things have happened this year. Briefly, 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:56.640 you're in the States, you played run of shows with 0:10:56.760 --> 0:11:01.160 LCD sound System, and then obviously James and Nancy Wang 0:11:01.160 --> 0:11:03.600 appeared on Dancer that sounds like the stuff of dreams 0:11:03.600 --> 0:11:05.280 obviously to get to play with them and then to 0:11:05.280 --> 0:11:08.120 get to collaborate with them. What did you take away 0:11:08.120 --> 0:11:10.360 from that experience of like being with them on the road, 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:13.040 seeing them play, speaking to them, collaborating with them. Was 0:11:13.080 --> 0:11:14.960 there anything that you took away from that experience that 0:11:15.920 --> 0:11:17.520 you're going to kind of take into the future if 0:11:17.559 --> 0:11:17.800 you like? 0:11:18.120 --> 0:11:21.880 Absolutely. Yeah. The first thing I'd say is as a 0:11:21.920 --> 0:11:26.559 touring company, they're doing it perfectly. They do the right 0:11:26.559 --> 0:11:31.000 amount of shows in the right venues. Everyone, everyone on 0:11:31.040 --> 0:11:36.160 that team that tour together, band crew, everyone loves it 0:11:36.679 --> 0:11:41.320 because they're treated with respect, they're treated well, they're treated 0:11:41.360 --> 0:11:47.480 with comfort, and they're a family and it's beautiful to see. 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.720 And we joined them on a tour and they treated 0:11:50.800 --> 0:11:56.120 us like family and it was it was one of 0:11:56.320 --> 0:11:58.920 it's probably the best tour I've ever done. It was 0:11:59.000 --> 0:11:59.840 fucking magic. 0:12:01.400 --> 0:12:02.439 Did you watch them every night? 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:07.160 No? No, no, no, no, no no. I didn't see I've 0:12:07.200 --> 0:12:10.000 probably missed like one or two shows, but I watched 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:12.240 the most nights. I normally watched the first and the 0:12:12.320 --> 0:12:14.439 last show of the support act. I don't want to. 0:12:14.360 --> 0:12:16.240 Overkill that's going to say, Yeah, that must be a 0:12:16.240 --> 0:12:18.240 small that's this difficult one to land. That, isn't it 0:12:18.240 --> 0:12:19.680 When you go and talk with a band that you love, 0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:21.520 the kind of the temptation must be to watch them 0:12:21.520 --> 0:12:23.640 every night. But like you say, you could overkill. 0:12:23.840 --> 0:12:28.720 Yeah, I mean they are phenomenal life and they're like us. 0:12:28.800 --> 0:12:32.120 There is no they have this they you know, they 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:38.360 didn't divert from the set list, but they you know, 0:12:38.600 --> 0:12:43.560 the nuances and the fluctuations to speak are there. So 0:12:43.640 --> 0:12:46.560 it changes every night and it's great to see. My 0:12:46.720 --> 0:12:50.000 foot thing is that I don't I get bored easily, 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:52.680 and I don't like being bored because the board are boring. 0:12:52.840 --> 0:12:56.720 As my mum always said. So if I'm watching the 0:12:56.720 --> 0:12:59.600 support band, I don't. I don't watch it much because 0:13:00.840 --> 0:13:03.440 I've picked them because I love them every support band 0:13:03.480 --> 0:13:06.199 we've ever had. That's why next year it's going to 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:09.040 be a nightmare to pick them. They to choose from. 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:12.480 Yeah that I love you that I've already put themselves forward. 0:13:13.360 --> 0:13:17.800 I don't enjoy it, but yeah, so watching them was great, 0:13:17.880 --> 0:13:24.080 the incredible, incredible life band and watching their basis who 0:13:24.160 --> 0:13:26.280 got ill and had to leave the tour. They're more 0:13:26.320 --> 0:13:29.520 pitching and theyve included played a few songs every night, 0:13:31.960 --> 0:13:34.160 which was a dream in itself. Like, you know, I've 0:13:34.200 --> 0:13:36.439 known that guy since he was sixteen. He was this 0:13:36.600 --> 0:13:40.760 bean pole with weird blonde hair and banging to speed 0:13:41.000 --> 0:13:44.560 and like we fell in love, you know. And to 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:49.840 see this very insecure man end up on a stage 0:13:49.880 --> 0:13:52.040 playing with his favorite band was one of the most 0:13:52.080 --> 0:13:55.760 beautiful things I've ever seen. So that was cool. There's 0:13:55.800 --> 0:13:58.560 a lot of good things happened there, and it taught 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:02.040 me that if you live by your standards and you 0:14:02.160 --> 0:14:05.480 treat everyone with love and respect, that's the best way 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:09.439 to longevity because you'll come out of it sleeping well 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:12.600 at night, as well as still doing what you love. 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:14.640 Yeah, yeah, straight out of the gate. 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:17.480 I want to say that I think Tank is my 0:14:17.559 --> 0:14:21.400 favorite Idols album, and that's not good because I'm here, 0:14:21.440 --> 0:14:22.960 sat with you now and you've made me a lovely 0:14:22.960 --> 0:14:24.920 cup of coffee and given me a biscuit and show. 0:14:24.800 --> 0:14:26.040 Me your lovely Christmas tree. 0:14:26.320 --> 0:14:28.720 It genuinely is amazing, and I cannot wait to be 0:14:28.800 --> 0:14:31.800 in a field next summer to just dance my lap 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:35.360 side after that record, and it's got me really really 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:37.320 excited about next year and it's got me really excited 0:14:37.360 --> 0:14:40.360 about music. In terms of the where you were at 0:14:40.400 --> 0:14:42.560 when you were writing this album, your kind of headspace, 0:14:42.640 --> 0:14:44.880 your mindset. It was clearly a shift from when you 0:14:44.880 --> 0:14:46.240 were writing the material for Crawler. 0:14:46.520 --> 0:14:49.400 I was a lot more uncomfortable this time around. I 0:14:49.480 --> 0:14:54.080 was out my comfort zone. IELs you know and Kenny 0:14:54.600 --> 0:15:06.960 are both very they're vehemently against laziness, lackluster approaches. I mean, 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:09.200 you know, it wasn't a challenge for them to get 0:15:09.280 --> 0:15:12.880 to get up. For us, we're very fucking driven and 0:15:12.920 --> 0:15:16.040 we don't like to sit around and do the easy option, 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:21.360 and we like challenges. Every album, we've set ourselves a 0:15:21.600 --> 0:15:25.560 theme and a palette and you know, and a sense 0:15:25.600 --> 0:15:27.720 that we have to move forward in order to succeed, 0:15:28.680 --> 0:15:32.320 you know. But with this record, it was like we 0:15:32.920 --> 0:15:37.520 you know, we're more and more privileged because there are 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:42.920 fucking increments to this game. Suddenly you're getting paid ten 0:15:43.000 --> 0:15:46.080 times more, you're spending ten times more on your tools, 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:51.400 You've got more time to record. Because you have more money, 0:15:51.440 --> 0:15:54.680 you can go to your heroes and ask them to work, 0:15:55.560 --> 0:16:01.760 and with that comes gratitude. That gratitude comes a sense 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:06.040 of hard work that's how you show you're grateful by 0:16:06.160 --> 0:16:12.320 challenging yourself, moving forward, breaking things down and putting yourself 0:16:12.320 --> 0:16:15.480 to work. And like, that's the most exciting bit of 0:16:15.480 --> 0:16:20.560 our job. It's that bit when you're really fucking changing things, 0:16:21.120 --> 0:16:26.600 breaking things down and moving forward. So this record was 0:16:26.680 --> 0:16:29.440 like the most that because we had three weeks in 0:16:29.480 --> 0:16:33.880 the studio instead of two and we were working with 0:16:34.240 --> 0:16:37.360 two of our favorite producers on the planet. You've got 0:16:37.360 --> 0:16:40.720 to make that work, man. I came at it with insecurity, 0:16:40.760 --> 0:16:43.280 so I didn't know if I was quite good enough 0:16:43.280 --> 0:16:45.680 for the writing process. I wrote a bunch of songs 0:16:45.720 --> 0:16:48.800 in the room with the boys in Bristol without Boeing, 0:16:49.760 --> 0:16:53.080 but they didn't really feel like there was this exciting, 0:16:53.400 --> 0:16:56.800 transgressive thing behind them that I wanted it to be. 0:16:57.800 --> 0:16:59.480 And I set this thing in my head where I 0:16:59.520 --> 0:17:01.720 was going to write lyrics before I went to the booth, 0:17:01.760 --> 0:17:04.719 because I did half the albums in the booth before that, 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:10.480 Whereas I felt like, no, these songs deserve to be 0:17:10.520 --> 0:17:12.720 written before and really work at it because I might 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:15.160 be missing out on something, do you know what I mean? 0:17:15.280 --> 0:17:18.800 Like I might have written a better song if I 0:17:18.840 --> 0:17:21.800 had spent a month on it. And it's that's bollocks. 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:24.560 And I realized that late I was like, I didn't 0:17:24.560 --> 0:17:27.960 write a single word because I was busy writing the music, 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:32.360 you know, I was writing the music with buying in London, 0:17:32.520 --> 0:17:38.280 in Nysall Studio in Brixton. And then it just got 0:17:38.320 --> 0:17:40.240 to a point where I was just like confused. I 0:17:40.240 --> 0:17:42.720 don't like displacement. I like all my ducks in a row. 0:17:43.000 --> 0:17:45.960 I like knowing where all my tools are alone, where 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:49.879 the exit is. And I like, you know, carrying a 0:17:49.960 --> 0:17:52.960 knife just so I can open the packet myself and 0:17:53.000 --> 0:17:57.000 see what's inside. Do you know what I mean? Under 0:17:57.000 --> 0:18:02.919 three inches half? I think it's too But anyway, like, 0:18:04.000 --> 0:18:08.879 I wasn't comfortable and it took me a while to 0:18:08.920 --> 0:18:12.600 realize that that's the point. But it was, you know, 0:18:12.680 --> 0:18:14.800 it was. It was great. It was the most fruitful, 0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:20.520 the most learning I've done and I've now, I mean 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:23.720 in terms of mental health and where I'm at in life. 0:18:23.720 --> 0:18:25.720 Flack I was not same as I was a crawler man. 0:18:25.840 --> 0:18:29.480 Like I was sober then, I'm sober now. I was 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:33.960 drinking and doing drugs in between. I have a sense 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:36.560 of excitement and sense that I have a new perspective 0:18:36.560 --> 0:18:44.800 in our potential now, I'm sober, sober, and and I 0:18:44.920 --> 0:18:47.399 understand we have way more potential than we did before. 0:18:48.160 --> 0:18:51.240 And that's because of the two. And Bowen produced the 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:54.920 record as well, but I have to have a different 0:18:54.920 --> 0:18:57.080 relationship with him than I do to Kenny and Nigel. 0:18:58.000 --> 0:19:02.760 But with those two, they really forced us to challenge ourselves. 0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:05.639 When you talk about potential for the band, like calling 0:19:05.680 --> 0:19:08.159 back to like when I first met you and we 0:19:08.200 --> 0:19:10.560 came to Bristol and we walked around the sort of 0:19:10.640 --> 0:19:13.080 landmarks that meant a lot to the band at that point, 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:16.119 that the flat that you lived in with Dev, the 0:19:17.040 --> 0:19:18.840 pub that you worked in whilst you were doing your 0:19:18.840 --> 0:19:22.080 first rehearsals, like the rehearsal space that you shared with 0:19:22.160 --> 0:19:26.960 the other Bristol bands and things like that. What then 0:19:27.000 --> 0:19:28.760 you probably had a very different idea to like what 0:19:28.800 --> 0:19:30.919 the purpose and the potential of the band was to 0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.240 what you do now. So when you talk about purpose 0:19:33.240 --> 0:19:35.240 and potential of the band now, what do you think of. 0:19:36.040 --> 0:19:39.760 Well, in terms of like why I started the band, 0:19:39.760 --> 0:19:42.520 it's exactly the same as it was then. 0:19:43.680 --> 0:19:47.400 Twelve years ago, no longer, yeah fo yeah. 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:52.080 Whenever I started the band My intentions were to have 0:19:52.160 --> 0:19:55.080 something that was a channel or a bridge towards the 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:59.159 universe and feeling connected with a people, to feel like 0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:01.920 I was safe in arms of something much greater than myself. 0:20:02.040 --> 0:20:04.200 That's always been the same and it's the same today. 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:10.320 What's changed is our musical potential. You know, I'm writing 0:20:10.359 --> 0:20:14.080 way more songs now than I was ultremonto, you know, 0:20:15.280 --> 0:20:18.680 because I realized that I can, like there's not a 0:20:18.800 --> 0:20:22.720 gatekeeping in music and art, you know, and that's often 0:20:22.800 --> 0:20:26.320 within you know, it's within yourself. You gatekeep yourself. You know, 0:20:26.440 --> 0:20:30.320 you can't do that imposter syndrome. I don't have that 0:20:30.440 --> 0:20:32.479 really anymore. I just know that I've got a lot 0:20:32.480 --> 0:20:33.920 of work to do it for I want to be 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:36.000 what I want to be is and you know, I've 0:20:36.040 --> 0:20:41.360 just got timing well in between school drops ship. But yeah, 0:20:41.560 --> 0:20:47.080 like I'm physically a lot fitter and stronger, which helps 0:20:48.040 --> 0:20:53.760 the potential it's musical. I want to achieve what my 0:20:54.160 --> 0:20:57.440 hero has achieved. There was a point, you know, where 0:20:58.160 --> 0:21:02.040 I found a channel to go down musically with the 0:21:02.080 --> 0:21:05.840 first two records, and then I realized that there's so 0:21:05.920 --> 0:21:08.040 many other facets to me as a human being. That 0:21:08.080 --> 0:21:10.639 I want to express. So I got to kind of 0:21:11.840 --> 0:21:14.679 burn that effigy of what everyone's made of idols in 0:21:14.760 --> 0:21:17.720 order to start again. We did that, and now we 0:21:17.720 --> 0:21:19.040 can do whatever the fuck we want. 0:21:23.240 --> 0:21:25.840 On this album, Tank, like I can hear the development 0:21:25.880 --> 0:21:28.600 of you on it, Like I think there are a 0:21:28.600 --> 0:21:31.359 few moments where I was like, Wow, Joe's doing something 0:21:31.440 --> 0:21:34.240 new there, always pushing himself. And the one that was 0:21:34.240 --> 0:21:36.359 standing out to me was there's a track called roy 0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:40.280 and on there, I think like your vocal performance for 0:21:40.359 --> 0:21:43.760 me was like really reminiscent of some of the great 0:21:43.960 --> 0:21:47.320 rock and roll singers like Hamilton Nighthouser, who I know 0:21:47.359 --> 0:21:49.840 you're a fan of Eddie Vedder. Those are the things 0:21:49.880 --> 0:21:52.240 that I was hearing in that song, and so I 0:21:52.280 --> 0:21:54.399 wondered if you felt like you push yourself further than 0:21:54.440 --> 0:21:57.040 ever before vocally on this absolutely. 0:21:57.080 --> 0:21:59.480 Yeah, yeah, that was my intention way before the album 0:21:59.560 --> 0:22:07.359 started from Crawler really, because you know, Kenny, Kenny comes 0:22:07.400 --> 0:22:11.360 from a place of ace his perspective as a student, 0:22:12.359 --> 0:22:15.359 but within that, you know, he's a fucking teacher, you 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:19.560 know what I mean. He's incredible at what he does. 0:22:19.600 --> 0:22:26.639 He's just amazing, And you know, you've got to be 0:22:26.640 --> 0:22:29.000 a servant to the song, you know, and like, if 0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:31.320 I'm going about it, the reason why I kept shouting 0:22:31.400 --> 0:22:34.119 is because I was scared to sing, and that's not 0:22:34.240 --> 0:22:38.239 doing a song justice every time. Some deserve violence and 0:22:38.280 --> 0:22:43.119 some deserve grace. And that's where I'm at, you know. 0:22:43.160 --> 0:22:48.879 And I learned that from being given that time in 0:22:48.920 --> 0:22:51.879 the pandemic to really listen to myself. Do you know 0:22:51.920 --> 0:22:53.840 what I mean? That was just it like I had 0:22:53.840 --> 0:22:55.400