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Interview with David Gray: “Mutineers is heartfelt”
Indie | Wednesday 17th September 2014 | Francesco
David Gray was one of the outstanding singers who performed and will perform at the iTunes Festival this September. His career peaked with the worldwide hit album called White Ladder which includes popular hits like “This Year’s Love”, “Sail Away” and “Babylon”.
His new album Mutineers has just been released in June. We had the possibility to ask him questions about his career, his heartfelt memories and his future plans.
Your new album Mutineers was released two months ago. Give us an insight into this new album, how was it developed and what is your favourite song?
One of my favorite songs is Gulls. On this track you can hear all the work that has gone into the vocal arranging and vocal sound. Layering the vocals and trying to get away from just the intensity of my voice standing alone in the center of the track was a big part of the recording process. By and large the writing and recording of mutineers was all about doing this differently in order to find some new sonic terrain.
If you had to choose three words to describe Mutineers, or your music in general, what would they be?
Heartfelt, soulful, real.
What is your favourite song, you have written so far in your career?
I don’t have a favorite, but the song nemesis has given me so much back. Playing it live it changes into something different every night, and it’s always a thrill to take a journey to somewhere you haven’t been before. Thank you Nemesis.
How does it feel like to be nominated four times as Best British Male for the Brit Awards?
I’m ambivalent about award ceremonies in general. The real glittering prize is to have your music connect with other people and become a cherished thing for them.
How do you start to compose and write your songs? Do you first start with writing lyrics first or you are more of a ‘production and beats now and lyrics later’ kind of band?
The song can begin with a chord sequence with a line in a poem or a scribbled down lyric, it can start with a title or with a sound that catches your ear and draws you in.
You will headline at the iTunes Festival along with Lisa Hannigan. Are you excited to perform at Roundhouse?
I love playing the Roundhouse, it’s full of history, a special venue and also only a short walk from my house. Back of the net.
With doing world tours, how would you describe being on the road in different countries?
Touring is an adrenaline cycle, it’s properly exhausting to be permanently in transit and changing time zone and trying to grab a bit of sleep on a bus. The show is what pulls you through the whole thing and the privilege of meeting a new audience every night. Audiences differ from town to town and country-to-country which helps to keep things interesting.
You’ve opened concerts of iconic bands such as Radiohead. What are some of your treasured memories from that period of your career? Do you have a favourite Radiohead song or album?
Of the two US tours I did with Radiohead my favorite was The Bends tour in 1995. The band were very good to us which isn’t always a given when you’re a support act, and it was wonderful to watch them from the side of the stage night after night. They have done so much good stuff but because of seeing them play so much in the early years bones remains a firm favorite.
Would you say they influenced your own music? Are there any other artists that inspire your music and style?
Radiohead are always swift to challenge themselves and incredibly creative in the studio. If they have had an effect on my music it would be in the more general sense of plucking up the courage to break things down and re invent the sound. Songwriters like Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and singers like Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye have probably had more of a direct influence on the music that I make.
What’s your music guilty pleasure?
Not sure but I often find myself tapping my foot to the music you get in lifts. Does that make me a bad person?
Are there any singers would you like to perform with in the future?
There are so many great singers out there that I would love to sing with, where do you start? Gillian Welch, Matthew from Phosphorescent, Rita Maria, the list goes on.
What is the next step in David Gray’s career?
When the ‘Mutineers’ tour comes to a close, my first priority will be to capture some of the quiet songs that didn’t make it on to the record. Songs like, Skellig, Laughing Gas & Dun Laoghaire. My working title for this project is ‘Petrel’. Depending on how things go recording could start early next year or at some point further down the line.
You are granted a super power for a day - what would it be and what would you do?
Fly like superman & fly like superman!
http://davidgray.com/
Francesco Bacci
@frank6992
