New Young Pony Club (interview for Glasswerk)

Following the release of their second album 'The Optimist', New Young Pony Club are back on the road and touring the UK. Pete Robinson caught up with singer Tahita Bulmer and guitarist Andy Spence in Korova, Liverpool.

Hi guys, to kicks things off, it'd be nice to find out who influenced the music. What did you listen to growing up?

Tahita: I was really into the usual indie stuff, Blur and The Verve.

Andy: I listened to a lot of Prince when I was young.

Yeah, it's hard to argue with a bit of Prince. Ok, you've been reported as saying your mission statement is to 'get people to dance'. Does this conflict at all with the darker, more introspective sound of the new album?

Tahita: Well, we still want to get people dancing and we still do but we also want to get people thinking. Thinking and dancing.

Andy: Yeah, we haven't changed in that we haven't taken anything out, we've just kind of added an expansion pack, [laughes] a goth expansion pack.

Tahita: I don't like bands that don't entertain the crowd, I think it's a band's duty to entertain and that's how I see us as a live band.

When do you feel most in your element as a band, during the recording process or performing live?

Andy: For me it's always the writing because it's where it all started.

Tahita: But it's also our duty to entertain, to give something back to the fans.

Your song 'Ice Cream' put you in the limelight, any worries it will become your 'Creep' or has it acted as a springboard?

Andy: 'Ice Cream' is a great track and its helped us so much.

Tahita: And I think if people listen to the album wanting more of the same then it's their loss.

Andy: It says a lot about the state of the music industry in general at the moment, there's just so much music out there, which is a good thing, but it also means people will just listen to one song and move on. 'Ice Cream' got us recognition but there's a lot more to the (first) album.

You've been described as 'Synth Pop', 'New Wave' and 'New Rave' in the past. How would describe yourselves musically right now?

Andy: Art Pop maybe [laughs], we've actually been described as the best Art Pop band in the world.

In terms of image and the energy of your live shows, you've often been compared to the likes of CSS amongst others, is this a fair comparison?

Andy: I think it's a lazy comparison to be honest, the media always want to make comparisons but we're our own band.

Tahita: They're a band with a lot of energy like us but apart from that I can't see where that comes from.

So how are you finding being back on tour?

Tahita: Last night was great, (Academy, Newcastle) it was brilliant to see the same familiar faces again this time around. We've got a real loyal bunch of fans that we see at all the shows so it's good to see them getting into the new stuff.

And finally, the new album seems to be a bit a departure from the first (Fantastic Playroom) in terms of style, is this 'NYPC mark II'?

Andy: Yeah, I think it is in a way and the second album definitely is more introspective lyrically.

Tahita: And seeing the same fans that came to see us touring the first album and seeing them taking so well to the new songs is fantastic.

Andy: I think that almost validates the record for us.

Excellent, well thanks for that guys. Good luck with The Optimist and enjoy the gig!

The Smiths Indeed (review for Glasswerks)

To some, it seems almost perplexing, the sight of a group of talented musicians choosing to ply their trade as a tribute act. Surely they'd rather have a shot at making their own music for all the potential fame and adoration that comes with it. Whatever your view of the copycat acts, you certainly can't fault this Liverpool-based tribute for lacking ambition. In Morrissey, lead singer Jurgen Wendelen has taken on the task of mimicking one the most charismatic, enigmatic, not to mention idiosyncratic front men to ever grace these shores. Whilst guitarist Mckelvie has the unenviable task of reproducing the innovative, pioneering sound of alt guitar hero Johnny Marr.

Playing a set-list in honour of the 25th anniversary of much celebrated pro-animal rights album Meat Is Murder, the band opened accordingly with 'The Headmaster Ritual'. From here they worked their way through the album in its entirety, resisting the temptation to fall back on the more crowd-pleasing indie floor-fillers such as 'How Soon Is Now?' or 'This Charming Man'. Indeed, it was only in the second half of the set, having stayed true to their homage by weaving their way through the album that they cut loose on the singles collection. By this point though, the band had already demonstrated their worth beyond simple notions of nostalgia and novelty. Through staying true to the real thing in both sound and looks the group are able to establish real credibility, essential when mimicking a group held so dear by so many.

Although the performance was by no means flawless and Wendelen did, on occasion, fall short in his bid to replicate the vocal dexterity of the Smiths frontman, the band's performance was well received by the crowd who had no problem filling the O2 Academy. Moreover, for all the authenticity achieved in reconstructing Meat Is Murder, it was during the epoch-defining 'Panic' that the group really shone. It is surely a must for any tribute act to enable the crowd to forget they are not in the presence of the genuine article and just for a moment, it was Morrissey on the stage, rhythmically swinging the noose above his head and crooning anti-pop sentiment. Memories were invoked for those fans who were there with The Smiths during their all-too-brief peak and for those who weren't, the legend was certainly kept alive. The Smiths Indeed? On this night, indeed they were.

'You've Never Lived' by the Go-Betweens may very well be the best song i've ever heard.

A Day In The Life Of Conrad Barnabus #1

I woke up. There I was, in bed. Again. Morning after morning this had been happening to me just lately. Judging from the amount of sleep I discovered in the corners of my eyes, I guessed the time to be around 8.15am. I looked at the clock, it was 11.54am. Such a lack of synchronization with the world around me was disturbing. Not only that, it was indicative of how my days have been unfolding lately. I'm out of touch. I got up and walked to the bathroom, half-naked and scratching my head, with the distinct feeling that walking to the bathroom at this given time, on this given Sunday morning had become passé. The originality had gone walkabout. My routine seems to lack routine.

I went for a walk. Through the city and down towards the water's edge, giving myself a good airing, I don't want to get stale after all. As I went I watched the seagulls; despite being deeply unpopular amongst us semi-civilised apes, these noisy white aviators have always seemed to me to convey an astonishing degree of confidence. The sort of confidence steeped in arrogance i'd previously only ever noticed in the most unattractive of humans, yet somehow the birds carried it so much better. I think they know something that we don't. Anyway, I walked through the streets, and passed some time noticing the little things. I wanted to memorise the city, to see if I could permanently etch the details, all of them, into my mind, maybe so as to revisit them at will at a later date. The walls, the windows, the significance of the direction of the roads, occasionally even the odd odd person all taken into account. I gazed at the water for an extended moment and then went home. It was time for a think.

...so I spent the rest of the afternoon wondering: if my cat wrote an autobiography, what exactly would he call it? These are the kind of questions which need answers. Surely this isn't very normal, ya know, to think such things. I must find out, I must find out if this is normal. Someone must know. They SAY there's no such thing as normal but there must be someone somewhere who knows. There's got to be SOMEONE. Well there we go, I now believe in the existence of a 'Human Normal Barometer'. The old HNB for short, he definitely needed an abbreviation, good choice my fellow general publics. What happened today? It's Sunday 4.56pm and these are my thoughts. These. Maybe i've had too much tea. Maybe I haven't had enough tea. I do want another cup. But then, on the other side of the mirror, now that i've deduced that i've had either too much tea or not enough tea, I should really stick rather than twist. I'll let the last pot do its caffeine dance and see where it gets me. Except, do I need to maintain my caffeine levels though if this is to be a fair experiment? I don't even have test tubes or a Bunsen burner, I wonder If Tesco sells them. No, no, i'll have one of those tins of mixed fruit instead, I think they have cherries in them, and a cherry can really turn a day around, I'm sure I read that somewhere.

It was an afternoon in the winter of 2009 by the way.