Interview with the bedroom hour - a band with vision and ambition who creates music with passion and soul

Rousing and atmospheric anthem-smiths the bedroom hour 'sat together' with carpe carmina and took time to answer some questions about their debut album and its making, about live show and pledging experiences, about their street team and music preferences ....

What becomes apparent in this interview, is that the band composes music from the heart and with great sentiment, performs with infectious passion and with soul. What also clearly shows, is that the West London based quintet and those who cherish, are fond of the their songs, those who support their music, have grown to be a family over the years - and this run of events surely is no surprising one, as it is the love for genuine and heartfelt, poignant and electrifying compositions that connects them all! 

1) 'Hinterland'. A name rich in mystery and atmosphere. What is the story behind the title of your forthcoming album?

Andy: We wanted something that had a little bit of mystique to it,

something to set the tone for the songs we've written on the album. There's

an undercurrent of loss running through the songs, but one that's not

immediately apparent on the surface, so it's hidden away in the hinterland

of the music.

2) You have once worked with Ryan Pincott from The Cornerstones, who now is with The Palace Wolves, for your EP 'Themes'. Did working with him changed your perspective on arrangements for certain songs?

Stu: No... he was a member of the band, he wasn't a collaborator. But he

had the opportunity to move to the states with his family and it was a move

that has worked out brilliantly for him and his family, and we are happy for

him that everything is going so well.

3) Would you like to collaborate with musicians, who are not in the band, for future releases? Have you worked with any 'outside' artist in the making of 'hinterland'?

Stu: Not for 'hinterland'. It was all produced and mixed and written by

ourselves. However, we would like to thank Luke Oldfield for his help in 

recording the drum tracks.

If collaboration was in the offing, I would like to do or try something

different, like work with a female vocalist or an artist from a different

genre, like reworks or remixes of songs.

4) Go over the bands and musicians you have performed with/opened for thus far, then name a song you wished you have written. If there is none, say what impressed you most in respect to said musicians' songwriting and staging of songs.

The Darlingtons and the bedroom hour

Stu: The Darlingtons are a band on the crest of a wave as are Crystal
Seagulls Both bands have incredible energy on stage and I can see a big

future for both bands, and I would be over the moon to see this happen.

The Broxton Hundred and The Shades and the sadly now defunct Calm As The

Colour are other bands who have caught the eye, and we could not mention

our great pals The Megadudes - Chris Rhodes has an incredible rock vocal and

can also double up as a stand up comic, never a dull moment watching them play.

5) Imagine you're offered to play in one band you have already performed with, for a day. Which band would you choose and why would you choose it?

Rob: One band that still sticks with me is Calm As The Colour, we played
with them in Glasgow and they had a great sound, really trippy indie. So I
would love to have a day with them. They are the only band that we have
played with that I went out and got all the songs they released.

6) Is there any band you would love to perform with, yet haven't shared the stage with by now?

Stu: Kill Moon from Brighton, fucking fantastic band. I have only heard a
few songs but they leave me wanting to hear more what I have heard really
raises the bar in my opinion. Also, Russian Gun Dogs from Coventry,
No Hot Ashes and Slow Readers Club from Manchester.

7) It's an hour before your gig starts. How do you spend the waiting time? (Do you have any pre-show rituals?)

Stu: I am normally walking around speaking with folk in the crowd

thanking them getting to know them etc., depending on what song starts the

set this can cause Rob (guitarist) palpitations.

8) You just played your last song for the night. What do you do right after leaving the stage?

Stu: Get out and meet the people, because it's all about the

people....don't let anyone tell you any different. You all support us with

your money and your time and your energy, and we are incredibly humbled by

that support.

9) What is your favourite song to perform live, and why is it your favourite one? What is your favourite song of the forthcoming album, and why is it your favourite one?

Stu: It changes everytime I hear it, couldn't possibly comment.

10) Is there a theme/are there any themes you had in mind when writing the songs for 'hinterland'?

Stu: We never have a formula or blueprint regarding songwriting - the one

thing we work with in mind, is that we write for us. We don't follow

formulaic trends to make easy money, it's from the heart.

11) Disclose how the artwork for the soon-to-be-released album came about. Did you style it yourselves?

Rob: Well, there is a Death Cab song called 'Tourist' that has a part in it

that goes:

“And if you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born

Then it’s time to go

And define your destination

There’s so many different places to call home”

That for sums up this band, life sometimes and I think pretty much a lot of

people can feel like this, living in a huge city that's full of people but

still feel alone lost or even isolated.

So when we was working on the songs and recording them we wanted something

that we and the listener could all look at and say that's home.

12) Did you feel the pressure growing whilst planning, writing, recording 'hinterland', as you bore in mind how highly acclaimed and praised 'Themes' was and still is?

Rob: Well, I didn’t think 'Themes' would sell so well and have as many
people getting behind it, so that kinda threw us into the deep end. What
also helps, is we never ever write a song and say people are gonna love
this. We always write music that we want to play and listen too. I might
just add this, and I really don’t care how it comes across, but when
you release something like 'Themes', play some great gigs, get a fair bit of
radio play and mind blowing reviews when the local press ignores you, then
that's what really fires us up to making sure we write music that not only
do we love, but it gets harder for these people to ignore.

Andy: I came into the band late in the day, so I had a completely
different kind of pressure, in as much as I had to learn all the old stuff
whilst also writing new, so any pressure of expectation passed me by a bit.

13) Describe the 'pledging experience' for the band. How have you felt when reaching your funding goal? Who came up with the creative pledge offers (lyric sheets, instruments used on the record...)?

Rob: Ok, our friend Chris Stocker suggested we should do it as it really
brings the fans closer, and people love taking journeys with things they
love. I set up the campaign with Andy and we just thought of things we
would buy and would like to do. It truly blew us away that within a week we
had smashed the 100% mark and as it stands we are well over 200%. It still
makes me stand still thinking people have this belief in us that they want
to be a part of the album.

14) How has your streat team been founded and evolved? What are the most 'gashing/intense' moments you experienced with it? What has been the street teams' biggest achievement for the band by now?

Andy: When I signed my life away to this band, one of the first things
that struck me was the incredible group of people who had come together
under the street team banner, purely connected by their interest in the
band and our music. My first gig was actually at a show that had been
arranged by one of our most ardent supporters and friends to celebrate his
birthday! Just having these guys giving us feedback on the little sneak
previews of songs and other things we've got going on gives us a massive
boost in confidence, that maybe we're doing something right here. They
spread the word for us a lot, but to us their main role is to keep us
going. Without their support, there would be no point.

15) Your song 'No Keys' has been granted airtime on various radio stations to promote 'hinterland'. What comes next in your promotion plan? Since there are quite many gigs coming up, do you plan to expand your gig schedule and go on tour? Are there any festivals you'll play at in 2014?

Andy: I would love to say there's a grand scheme afoot and that we're 
going to be doing this, that and the other, but the honest truth is that
we're still not really in a position to go out and do a tour or play loads
of festivals. We're trying to play more free shows, so people don't have to
pay to get in to see us and we're trying to play more often in and around
London. Other than that, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. At the
moment, we're all about the album!

16) Let's say, you're invited to give a live interview on a radio show. Describe everyone's role during the interview (e.g. someone is the band's spokesperson, someone shares entertaining and insightful anecdotes (about rehearsing, gigging, tour experiences …)).

Rob: Well, Stu and I are a great double act so I’ve been told. We don’t
get many of these but its normally me and Stu ripping the piss out of each
other.

17) Are there any particular habits or talents each of you has that affect your being and dynamic as band – for the better or worse?

Anonymous: Mark can kick himself in the face! Stu is 'king of the waffle' 
(won’t shut up) Andy has a disturbing knowledge of obscure 90’s indie 
music. Lew’s talent is that he always dresses in crushed velvet track tops 
that really bring out the colour of his eyes and Rob has a really peachy arse.

18) Picture this: in a few years you have the chance to release a 'the bedroom hour-Best Of'-record. Which songs would make the tracklist? (You can choose from those already written and published, those written yet not published, mere but (promising) song ideas/concepts on your mind or in the making).

Stu: It's impossible to say I can only comment on themes and I would

personally take 'Shadow Boxer', 'X Marks The Spot' and 'Slow Motion Cinema'.

                                                                                                                                'X Marks The Spot' (official music video)

                                                                                                  'Slow Motion Cinema' - a sentimental, heart-rending, soulful and meaningful song

Rob: As for hinterland wait and see…. Maybe we could add a song Lew did

at studioB called 'African Child'. It's Toto meets Midge Ure. Remarkable really.

19) Imagine now, you are asked to cover a song to be an extra track for your 'best of'-record. Which one would you choose and why would choose it?

Rob: Something again completely different, something from a different
era or genre. I have always liked 'Barbie Girl' by Aqua I think we could
make that into a modern day monster but only Lew agrees with me. Stu wants
to cover 'I Drove All Night' by Roy Orbison.

This song definitely suits Stu's dreamy, smooth yet

 imbuing voice.

the bedroom hour:  Stuart Drummond - lead vocalist; Rob Payne - guitarist and backing vocalist;  Mark Dudley - keyboardist; Andrew Copper - bassist; Lewis Cosham - drummer 

photo courtesy by Trust A Fox Photography

There's still some time left to contribute to the bedroom hour's album making. Pledge here. 


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