1. What a year it’s been! Have you enjoyed it?
Matt: Yeah it’s been great! It’s been a
real learning curve for us; we’ve met some really cool people who have
influenced us, and had an amazing tour. Personally I’ve really enjoyed the
different atmospheres that come with each venue; they’re all individual and
give us a great vibe when we’re playing.
Robin: Plus visiting all these different
places gives us a real sense of our fans; it makes us feel more connected to
them, which I love.
2. How do you think your tour went?
Albertine: I think it went brilliantly! I
found it difficult at first, because, you know, being away from home is
different, and I’ve never really left my home town so it was pretty scary. But
once I got into the flow of it, it was kind of cool, meeting all these people
around England that loved us!
3. Favourite venue?
Jamal: I’d probably have to say the KOKO in
London, the tone of the whole place was so welcoming and the crowd were
amazing! They were really going crazy when we were playing, and were so
desperate for an encore we couldn’t say no! It’s so nice when an audience does
that, it boosts our confidence and is a really enjoyable experience.
4. Any weird fan stories?
Robin: I once got sent a pocket watch from
a fan, it was really weird because I collect them, but I’ve never told anyone
that in an interview or on my blog. It just freaked me out because I couldn’t
work out how someone would know to send me one!
Matt: When we were touring a fan gave me a
questionable piece of fan fiction detailing a potential relationship between me
and Jamal. They were very specific, I won’t go into what went on, but it was
pretty creepy…
5. How would you sum up your successful careers so
far?
Albertine: I wouldn’t describe it as
successful, but it’s definitely the most fun I’ve had. I love these boys, and
experiencing all that I am with them is more of an achievement than making the
number one in the charts.
Jamal: I’d have to agree with Bert on that
one, we didn’t get into this band to be successful; we did it because this is
what we enjoy doing and want to do with our lives. This is such a fun job, and
we’re able to manage ourselves, we choose the music we make, we aren’t
controlled by anybody. I would encourage anyone to aspire to have the kind of
independence that we have.
6. What have been your favourite parts of this
year?
Matt: All of it! Writing the songs,
releasing the album, touring, it’s all been an amazing experience and I
honestly couldn’t choose a specific bit. It was amazing and worth every second.
Albertine: If I’m being honest, the madras
curry I had in Nottingham was insane…
7. Be honest, who is the most annoying to tour with
out of you guys?
Albertine, Matt, Robin: JAMAL!
8. What’s been the worst part of this year?
Jamal: Probably being away from my family,
I’m really close to them and regularly visit them, so not being able to do that
was hard. I miss my mum’s spag bol! Yeah, that’s been the worst part for me.
Matt: Creepy fan mail!!!
9. You met Ed Sheeran backstage whilst on tour,
what were your first impressions?
Robin: He’s actually an alright guy, not as
depressed as some of his songs make him out to be! He was really nice, and said
he liked our album which was pretty cool; it’s always awesome to have an
influence compliment your work.
10. What kind of genre would you classify yourselves
as?
Matt: I’m not a massive fan of labels, but
if you really want one, we’re probably making soft rock I guess. Our
inspirations range from Biffy Clyro to Damien Rice, so I suppose that’s the
most accurate definition of our music.
11. How do you feel your debut album has been
received?
Albertine: I think our fans responded well,
we’ve gained a lot more interest, and we feel we’ve put across the right image
across. We want people to see us as bare as possible, we don’t want to be
dishonest about who we are, and I think our album has put that across. The
songs aren’t stereotypical and generic; they’re about real people which I think
helps our fans to relate to the album.
12. Lastly, what are you plans for next year?
Robin: We’re definitely planning on having
a break! This has been a great experience but we certainly need some time off.
Hopefully after then we can start thinking about writing some new material, and
getting ourselves back onto the road.
Threadless Stitches debut album ‘Songs People
Never Heard Through Slurred Words’ is available now.
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