The Edge speaks to bassist Charlotte Cooper before The Subways’ gig at Southampton University on 3rd October.
It’s been three years since the last album – what have you been up to?
After the release of All or Nothing, we went on tour all over the world and had an absolutely amazing time. Before we knew it, almost 2 years had gone past: it’s unbelievable how quickly time goes by on tour. After that we set about working on songs for the new album, which took around a year. The actual recording process was quite quick after that, as we spent a long time perfecting the songs before we went into the studio.
You and Billy [Lunn, guitarist and vocalist] used to be in a relationship – has the band’s dynamic changed since it ended?
The dynamic of the band is different now, but I think that’s a good thing. Billy, Josh and I are all great friends and we have a lot of fun together.
You’ve used Pledge Music as a platform for releasing your new album – how does that work?
Pledge Music provides a way for bands to fund the recording of an album with their fans pledging on things such as an acoustic session, signed posters, a day in the studio, etc. A percentage of the funds is also donated to a charity of the band’s choice. It was brilliant for us, as we were unsigned at the time when we were ready to record. It was also awesome to be in contact with our fans right from the start of the recording. We posted videos and snippets of songs for everyone who ‘pledged’ to view.
What was the coolest thing you put up for sale via Pledge Music?
The thing we had the most fun doing was definitely the acoustic sets. A few were in people’s living rooms, one was in another band’s rehearsal room (they played too!), one in an art centre – it was so cool to turn up and have a party with some lovely people!
Was filming the video for ‘We Don’t Need Money to Have a Good Time’ fun? You got to play bass on the beach and on top of buildings.
It was excellent fun! The production was quite small, just us and two guys with cameras and a make-up artist, bundling in and out of a van and a car, setting up in different locations. In each location we only did one or two takes, which made the whole two days very exciting. The best part for me was definitely playing in the sea!
The Subways – We Don’t Need Money to Have a Good Time
You’re touring almost every day for the next two months – is there anywhere you’re particularly looking forward to going?
There’s loads of places! There’s a few venues in Germany that we played when we supported Billy Talent there, so it’s going to be great to go back and headline!
Billy [Lunn]’s new hair looks great – were you or Josh tempted to go for a bold new look? Green hair? Monocle?
I’ve had many hair colours in my time! Particularly early 20s, used to change all the time! So it’s only a matter of time before I get bored again!
What would you tell someone going to one of your shows to expect?
An energetic, rocking party! Make sure you bring your dancing shoes and save your energy to party!
The Subways’ new album Money and Celebrity is out now.
