MEW – Interview
Danish indie rock purveyors Mew are currently on tour in support of their new album ‘No More Stories’ and the new single ‘Repeater Beater’. We caught up with drummer Silas at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London just before they head off to Europe and asked him a few questions.
You’re on your 7th date of the tour in the UK so far, how are the dates going?
Its going really well, pretty much every date has been great. We’re just doing it and people seem to like it.
You recently released your fourth album ‘No More Stories’, is the new material getting a good reaction?
I think that with new material it takes a bit longer to grow and get under the skin of the audience.
Mew have been together for 15 years, does the longevity of the band have an influence on the sound?
It does. We know each other really well, the musical language and which way we are going to go is a natural influence now.We are always evolving; we like to add new stuff all the time.
At Shazam we offer our user a unique way of discovering new music, how else do you see digital technology impacting the music industry?
As a band we mainly record digitally, but as for the big companies, the whole thing about it is they need to rethink their plans for the future to keep the business viable.
Who are you currently listening to?
I’m very much into classical Avant-garde Danish composers. The sound is so rich and so full of layers; it’s such a big sound. I can always listen to that.
Do they influence your sound as a band?
We never try to copy anyone, so it shouldn’t come out in our work. In theory it’s a whole new thing, hopefully, that’s the idea!
In previous interviews you have been compared to all kinds of bands, what do you think of the comparison to say Muse or Radiohead?
The comparison to Muse or Radiohead doesn’t make sense to me, but you should check out In Rainbows by Radiohead it’s a brilliant record. I highly recommend it, you should try it.
What can we expect from your live show?
We still use some animation, it’s all new though. We are working on new stuff as we speak, it’s an ongoing process.
Will you be playing all new material or some of the older material too?
It’s important the way you organise a set to build it up, so it will be a mixture of old and new – to create the right balance.
Lastly, I’ve searched high and low for a meaning to the song 156, do you know and can you tell me what it means?
I know what it means, but I can’t tell you. It’s a secret! If I told you, it would lose its meaning it would become nothing, you put your own meaning to it. Everyone asks about this song, it’s something about the numbers I think. It’s like watching a film they don’t always give you all the answers it’s more satisfying when you interpret it and there can be always be more than one interpretation
Mew are currently on tour around the World. For more dates please visit their MySpace. Their latest album ‘No More Stories’ is out now.
