The tribal west country superstars on tour with a new album ready to explode
Dudes welcome to DMCWORLD. Another Bristolian act about to go through the roof! Your press team describe your sound as a mix between psychedelic pop/electronica and bass. How would you though describe your music?
“If we were to sum up our music in the best way we know how, we’d say house and techno, with catchy vocals and strong tribal influences.”
You have been bunkered down in your studio over the winter putting the final touches to your debut album which is out in the summer. Where are you at with it – and were you really holed up in a barn?]
“We’re getting really close to finishing the album now, it’s just finishing touches and writing a few extra songs to round it off nicely. We have been at a barn indeed, seeking lots of inspiration from the cows, horses and cockerels. It’s amazing how tuneful livestock can be in the right weather conditions.”
Bristol has such an amazing habit of reinventing itself, this time round its producers such as Eats Everything, Julio Bashmore and Waifs & Strays who are filling dancefloors around the world. Are you fans of your fellow Bristolians?
“We are massive fans of our fellow Bristolians, those three ranking right at the top of our list! Have you been stalking us? Following Eats Everything’s rise to success has been phenomenal, and to top it off, his latest track ‘The Withywood Walk’ is possibly the best one yet! Absolute hero.”
You spend so much time with each other touring and in the studio. If you could change one thing about each other what would it be?
“To be honest, there’s not much too change. Maybe turning James into less of a heavy sleeper, and finding a way to assure that Ollie doesn’t feel so awful after nights out. “Poor Ols” has become a catchphrase as of late…”
You have just announced a UK Tour launching in April at the mighty XOYO in London. How much of the new album will be played on the night and will you still be stagediving?
“We’re so excited for the XOYO show! We’re working on a new set with a lot of new material in it, so we’re really pumped to see how it goes down, hoping everyone loves it! We’ve also changed our live setup massively so it’s going to be a big change for us too, if not a little scary. We had a gig in Cornwall a few weeks ago, James went into the crowd and ended up being crowd surfed back on to the stage! From the look on his face, I don’t think that’s going to be the last instance!”
Where are the festivals we can find you at this summer?
“Our festival list is looking vast to say the least! Even heading off to Sweden for Hultsfred which we can’t wait for! There are some we can’t yet announce, but Secret Garden Party, Bestival, Beat Herder, Boardmasters, Love Saves The Day and Wychwood are all good to go!”
Best ever festival experience – Secret Garden looked a pretty incredible gig for you?
“Secret Garden was incredible! The Where The Wild Things Are stage looked incredible and that was one of the best crowds we’ve ever had! Although that was topped by Bestival, where Azealia Banks pulled out of her set on the Big Top and we got to play to our biggest crowd to date. All with only a few hours notice, definitely felt the stage fright on that one!”
You all went to various unis in Bristol – how did you all get together, where any of you in other bands beforehand?
“The band has gone through a few changes. It was in Bristol where Ollie and Miles came into the equation. Ollie was lurking in the dark depths of Dojo Lounge, one of Bristol’s most infamous dens of iniquity, and Miles was happily hiding in the same music college where James was perfecting his vocals.”
Who’s idea was the face paint image, a great idea and your fans love joining in…
“The face paint was a natural progression from the tribal aesthetic. After adding tribal rhythms, instrumentation and artwork, it just naturally fell into place. We’ve never looked back.”
So you are in the tour bus heading off for a gig. What are the ten tracks on The Other Tribe On Tour Mixtape…
“Ten tracks you’re likely to hear in the tour bus are:
Benediction – Hot Natured ft Ali Love
Don’t Go – Justin Martin
Hard To Find (Maceo Plex Funk Drop) – Bazar
Pyramid Song – Radiohead
Champion Sound (Psykemagik Remix) – Crystal Fighters
Saturate – Chemical Brothers
Darko – Booka Shade
The Withywood Walk – Eats Everything
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) (Soulwax Remix) – Arcade Fire
Get Free – Major Lazer
Best live gig you’ve ever been to?
“Oooh varied opinions there! I’d be surprised if Alex didn’t pick Radiohead, Miles voting for Tool and James vouching for Aerosmith. As a band, however, we were privileged enough to see Stevie Wonder at last year’s Bestival. That was incredible.”
It might not be good for our image, but The Other Tribe really loves…
“In brief, most of the things Miles likes.”
Do you have any fanatical fans who follow you everywhere you play?
“We have picked up a few die hard fans. They’ve even started getting into competition with each other! People managing to see us 7 times between summer and winter even happened last year! We wouldn’t want to mention any names though or someone like Kim might get embarrassed…”
What was the main reason for choosing Relentless to sign to? They are a label I would imagine will give you a pretty free rein?
“The free reign that we get with Relentless is a massive plus. We were also just so impressed with their ethos, and all of the staff working there, how involved everyone was. You can sense a lot of passion in that building and it really rubs off.”
And finally, what is the one song from the album you are REALLY excited about introducing the world to…
“Argh what an unfair question! There are so many to choose from, really excited about the reaction to Summer Love, and a song called Loose Dreams which base a really nice outdoor party vibe to it. We’ve also get a mainly instrumental track called Name which we’re really excited about too. That goes back to our dance roots with a really strong tribal feel.”
Thanks guys. Appreciate your time….
“No worries Dan, anything for a man with such excellent hair…”
http://www.theothertribe.com/
http://soundcloud.com/theothertribe
