 It takes a few minutes, but The Rakes are finally
gathered together and ready to chat with UK Music at the offices of their record label V2
Music. They’re promoting their second album Ten New Messages, the follow up
to their critically acclaimed debut Capture/Release which was released in 2005
They’ve moved on from talking about pubs, drinking and the mundane
reality of 22 grand jobs. This time around they’ve decided to tackle some
topical and political issues. Their latest single We Dance Together is
set against the backdrop of the Middle Eastern conflict and another album track
Suspicious Eyes tells of the terrorist attacks on London in July 2005 through from the
perspective of various characters.
“It’s not political I don’t think. It’s brings in some issues that
are current issues. It’d be a bit odd if you didn’t write about some of
the stuff we’re writing about because it’s our society at the moment,” says
frontman Alan Donohoe. “We’d invent these different characters and yeah, dip
into briefly, touch on them, write about some issues that yeah that are
probably a concern or people are aware of in most western countries”.
But they’re wary of being seen as an overtly
political band, as bassist Jamie Hornsmith explains: “We’re just commenting
on what’s going on around us. If you’re singing a song about something
that affected everybody, It’s not preaching about it, it’s just stating the
obvious really. I think everyone who lived in London can relate to
Suspicious Eyes”.
But what would they do if they had the chance to govern the country for
the day?
Well, after banning KFC, Alan would: “make sure no one went to work
‘cause like work’s really evil and everyone should give up their jobs and live
in a commune in Milton Keynes with me, but only the girls”.
And forget the dreaded ‘second album syndrome’, The Rakes say recording
album number two was an enjoyable experience.
“You hear about all this the myth of the second album and
everything breaking down but no it was fine. It took a bit to get into
the writing process. We’d already done a few tracks first, being on the road
and then getting back in the studio,” says drummer Lasse Petersen. ”It’s
a different dynamic when you’re in a studio, but yeah it was fine”.
Alan adds: “We’re the sort of blokes who would all downplay the
effort we put in, but if you were to ask us, we’re so humble we’d say, ‘yeah it
was a good laugh, we got really drunk’. A lot of work gone into it, a lot
of thought and effort but it certainly wasn’t like we were at each other’s
necks or there were any Spinal Tap diva moments”.
“We’re saving that for the tour,” jokes guitarist Matthew
Swinnerton.
He continues: “Your first tendency is to read all the reviews and to
get excited if it’s good. It’s good to get praise and it’s good to have a good
review, but at the end you’ve got to have the confidence to stand behind what
you’ve made”.
Asked whose career they most admire, well there could only be one
answer couldn’t there?
“H from Steps,” reckons Alan. “I think but if we go our
separate ways and everyone’s doing their own thing, I’d definitely, hopefully
end up co-starring on a late night chat show helping Jamie Theakston make an
omelette and without me having any lines, dressed in a sort of pink chef’s hat
thing using silly catchphrases. I’d suddenly come out of the closet just
before my appearance and be like I used to be a minor celebrity, please get me
on TV get my career back on track. So yeah, definitely H”.
The outspoken singer is also vocal on his opinion of pop queen and
adopter of Malawian babies Madonna who he says is: “basically just an old
prostitute”.
Lasse meanwhile thinks Radiohead are “one of the reasons bands manage
to do that thing of reinventing themselves and still remain interesting”.
Attention then turns to the music industry. For all the
spouting on about how the internet has revolutionised the industry -with the likes of
Enter Shikari releasing stuff on their own label- it seems it still has its
fundamental problems.
“I think it’s got to the point in the music industry where the music
itself is the least important thing. The rest is all about marketing
budgets, how much money is going to be put in for this or that, how much press
they’re going to get,” reckons Jamie. “It’s like a scale and the least
important thing at the bottom of the scale is how good the song is. To me that
is, after being in the industry for 4 years that’s all I see”.
Matthew adds: “With the Arctic Monkeys and their Myspace phenomenon
or whatever, it all seemed pretty straightforward that. It all becomes
wrapped up in the marketing though, ‘this is the band the people chose’, but
there’s an element of it being pushed on you as well”.
The quartet will hit the road for an extensive tour of the UK. As a band
with a reputation for putting on quite a show and they’re very much looking to
touring again.
“We really put a lot into playing live, we always have done,
from playing to like ten people in a pub in Camden to like what we do now which
is bigger like Brixton Academy,” says Matt. “We’re a good live
band, that’s the thing about The Rakes”.
Jamie chips in: “It’s a kiss of death in a way because we’ve always
very good live and people really expect that. Every time we tour we’ve
got to try and be a bit better”.
We Danced Together is out now. Ten New Messages is released on 19th
March.
For more info: www.therakes.co.uk
Words: Helen Duong
 |
