Marmozets had been flying under the radar for a couple of years before bursting back onto the scene with new singles, a Reading and Leeds festival set and the announcement of a new album Knowing What You Know Now to be released 26th January 2018. On top of this came a UK tour that took them to the not-so-sunny coastal town Bournemouth where I had a chat with Sam Macintyre and Will Bottomley about the new album, touring and Stranger Things.
The new album out in January, what was the writing process like for this?
Will Bottomley: Long.
Sam Macintyre: Yeah long.
WB: Yeah we wrote an album before the album we have now.
SM: It was pretty shit, was a crap version of our first album.
WB: We wrote it and stopped as management sent it back saying the songs we had sent were shit. So we went back and wrote some more and yeah…
SM: Yeah now we have this album and it’s much better than our debut, can’t complain with that.
And how long did that take?
SM: I’d say a couple of years to be fair.
WB: Yeah two years, but it wasn’t until last year that we started to write the good stuff. We just kind of had a flop and then stuff happened so it stopped and we all came back and it was all okay in the end.
The band is known for being hard hitting, can we expect much of the same from this album?
SM: No! (laughs) Much different its better for sure. People go on about the EPs but it’s like shut up…
WB: The EPs were written when I was like 14, it’s one of them where we can’t even play them anymore we can just about play Vibetech now.
Were there any overriding influences for the album?
WB: We were just writing whatever we wanted really, it wasn’t like we made a sound and decided to base the album off of that particular sound, every song on this album is different kinda like the last album, we wrote what we wanted and keep the stuff we thought didn’t sound shit!
You have had a chance to rehearse and play some of the new songs live now, have you got any favourites to play?
WB: Major System error, it’s just one of them. ‘Habits’ is definitely up there, mainly ‘cos everybody goes batshit for ‘Habits’ (laughs). Last night was hectic when we played that. In fact the whole night was hectic, we left the stage but Sam decided to stay on.
SM: Yeah (laughs).
How’s the tour treated you so far then?
SM: It’s actually been amazing, like nice.
WB: Obviously we had to reschedule ‘cos Becca [Macintyre, the band’s lead singer] got ill so we didn’t know what to expect as we never did reschedule shows before, but it’s been so nice, being on and off and being able to go home in-between. I could do this forever.
Stranger Things?
WB: I started it..
SM: Completed it! It’s sick, I loved it. Second series was better than the first I think, A lot more emotion than the first one, it’s sad.
WB: Oh God. I’ve got a theory on it and I haven’t even seen it all yet. My theory is that Will, the lad that got taken away, isn’t actually Will. He’s come back but it’s not actually him.
SM: Don’t slate Will, man, that poor boy’s been through some real shit.
WB: I just don’t think it’s him.
SM: In the second series he must just be like “God I’m sick and tired of this” – his poor mother! How haven’t they both ended up in a mental institute? And how haven’t they moved from their house? I would’ve done. Straight up out of there but fair play to them.
How did it feel being away from touring and coming back to it? Was it natural?
SM: I think I’m still trying to get used to it, I’m just tired all the time, we haven’t even been on tour long.
WB: Yeah but you’re still an animal on tour though.
SM: I love it though.
Reading and Leeds – how was that?
WB: Sick. It was so fun.
SM:- Yeah it was sick, it was the last thing we did before this [UK tour] and obviously the first festival we have come back to after a break – so yeah, it was good. We have played it about 4 times now but it’s still fun you know?
You have toured with bands like Muse previously, how was that?
WB: That was nuts! Yeah we found out we were doing it like not even 4 days before the tour started. We were meant to be touring the US at that time but the possibility of going on tour with them [Muse] came up and we were just like “well we’d rather support Muse”. It was hard to say no, the venues on the lineup were huge.
SM: It was when we walked into Manchester Academy. It were all really awesome, they’re great guys. It’s so professional too like, we did learn a fair bit of stuff that we carried over to our camp after touring with them.
WB?: Everything was so slick, every guitar change was just so faultless.
Favourite place to eat on tour then?
SM: I’m not sure really, on tour you just eat pure shite.
WB: Not with Muse though!
SM: No that’s right, full on caterers, 5-star meals every day. But otherwise I do go to Pizza Express a lot, like a lot. I’m talking twice a week a lot.
Any bands you have been listening to on tour that we should give a listen to?
WB: We haven’t really been listening to much really. Mainly old stuff, Beach Boys, The Beatles. Lana del Rey too.
SM: Abba? Fucking love Abba.
If you could take any band from any time dead or alive on a tour who would it be?
SM: Abba! (All laugh) I would watch them live every night.
SM Let’s go with Abba fuck it.
I reckon I already know where this is going but if you could have had claimed to have written any song that already exists what song would it be?
SM: ‘Does Your Mother Know’ – Abba.
WB: Oh what a tune, definitely.
Don’t forget Marmozets’ new album Knowing What You Know Now is out on January 26th! Listen to their single ‘Habits’ below:
