Interview

      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.