Interview Marmozets: “Since the album’s come out, there’s been a big step up”
Becca, Sam and Josh Macintyre are ramping up for this year’s festivals.
“I went to Leeds Festival in 2009 and I left because I hated it,” says Becca Macintyre of her first festival experience. “I just didn’t get why people were getting so fucked up that they couldn’t enjoy the music. It was just weird.” It only took three years for Becca to return, this time alongside the rest of Marmozets as they played the festival’s BBC Introducing Stage. “For me, it’s not until you start playing festivals that you really find a love for them. You’re there for the fans and it’s like Christmas Day when all the family gets together, all the bands you’ve met reunite and it’s lovely.” This year, the star atop Marmozets’ festival tree is a pair of main stage slots at Reading & Leeds Festival, alongside the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and Royal Blood. It’s a chance for the new guard of rock to stake their claims for the crown. “Leeds and Reading are an amazing opportunity for us to show people what we’re about. We’re going to bring out a cheeky couple of bits that will surprise people. We want it to be really special, it’s going to be our biggest achievement yet.”
Formed in 2011 by two tribes of siblings - Becca, Sam and Josh Macintyre are joined by Will and Jack Bottomley - Marmozets have toured relentlessly since their inception and last September, all those hours spent on stage came to a glorious crescendo with the release of their debut album ‘The Weird And Wonderful Marmozets’. Following on from a pair of furious EPs, 2011’s ‘Passive Aggressive’ and 2012’s ‘Vexed’, their debut dances between technical brilliance and emotional resonance. Sitting backstage at London’s Electric Ballroom ahead of a sold out headline show, Becca, Jack and Sam are in high spirits. “There’s been kids waiting outside since half-eleven,” says Sam with excited disbelief. “I got my picture taken with someone in Rymans,” says Jack with equal enthusiasm and confusion. “I was buying a label maker, you should see my pedal board,” he boasts.
“We just wrote the best songs we could at the time,” explains Sam. “Since it’s been out there’s been a big step up on the fans’ behalf. There’s been a lot more people turning up to shows.”
“The record goes from one extreme to the other but it blends together nicely,” says Jack. “It helps it not get boring, I’d like it to be an album that has longevity.”
“We didn’t really stick to a theme with it,” admits Jack. “When we have an idea, we just go with it rather than thinking, ‘Oh, this doesn’t sound like us’. We can always make it sound like us, especially with Becca and Sam’s voices on it. Because we have that element, it’ll always sound like us.“
Marmozets already have Glastonbury, Download and Warped Tour under their collective belts (“We can wiggle ourselves into anywhere really”) but this summer will be the first time they hit the festival circuit with an album to their name.
“We’re doing all sorts, we’re going to America, Japan, Australia and doing as much as we can cram in to a year,” promises Jack. “We’re just going out and hoping there’ll be a lot more people who know the songs. I think it’ll be pretty awesome to see the difference from last year. When we played Leeds and Reading last year, the album wasn’t out yet but it was still amazing. It was unbelievable. If we get the same amount of people, with more of them knowing our songs, it’ll be awesome,” he dreams. Marmozets aren’t interested in stopping to admire the view from their ascent though. “Towards the end of the year we’ll be back in the studio, as long as we can find time to write the rest of the songs.”
Marmozets at the Electric Ballroom, London, February 2015. Photos: Sarah Louise Bennett.
“We’ve moved on from our debut now. We still have a blast playing it live but we’ve been writing new songs and we’re ready to move on to a new chapter,” says Sam with obvious excitement. “There’s a couple of festivals we are repeating and we’ve got much bigger slots that last year, so that’s a good thing. Knowing the new album will take us up another scale, it’s only going to continue.” A summer of setlists from ‘The Weird and Wonderful Marmozets’ isn’t a daunting prospect though.
“Because the reaction’s been so good for those songs it makes you love them again. We’re just trying to ignore the fact we’re writing new stuff and enjoy what we’re doing, which we are,” explains Jack.
“We have a clearer direction of where we want to go. Obviously it’ll still sound like us but it will be better. We’re already looking forward to the next thing,” starts Sam. “We’re just keeping the ball rolling. I don’t understand how you can have a difficult second album if you’re consistently writing. If you’re a writer, you write music. It’s what you do, you don’t take breaks from writing and you don’t decide to book a month to write an album. Writing music is a lifestyle, it’s not a chore.”
“The boys know what sounds they want. Throughout the year they’ve experimented with a lot of gear but we’re always up for playing around. I think this album is still going to have the catchy ‘Captivate You’ type songs but I think it’s going to be a lot more fun,” says Becca before Sam interjects at her choice of words. “I wouldn’t say fun.”
“I meant fun for us to play. That’s how I feel anyway. It’s more fun but it’s a lot more mature. I feel good playing it, that’s what I mean by fun,” Becca says.
“I thought you meant musically,” admits Sam.
“No, I don’t mean that happy, clappy kind of shit,” laughs Becca.
“The theme of this album is fun,” mocks Sam. “Here’s a major scale,” he adds before being told to shut up by a smiling Becca. They are family, after all.
After a spotlight was thrown on to the Reading & Leeds’ 2015 line-up and its poor reflection of women in rock, eyes are have been turning to Marmozets.
“Maybe the guy who books the festival is an idiot, I don’t know,” says Becca, sharing her view on the situation. “There’s loads of amazing female rock artists. I think we’re just lucky this year. I know we’re loved by people and that’s why we’ve been given the opportunities we have, not because we’re on a label or because we’ve got people behind us, giving it to us on a plate,” she states, responding to false online claims. “That’s something that’s really pissed me off because people don’t have a fucking clue how this works. I think we deserve these opportunities. We’re a live band and I thoroughly enjoy myself when I’m on stage with my boys because it’s a connection that no one can ever take away from me. We’re hard workers, there’s no stopping us because you can’t stop in this business. You have to keep going to be able to achieve the best that you can possibly achieve. We’ve been doing it for ten years now and we’re not going to stop,” she promises with complete conviction.
“We have an absolute blast on stage with each other. It’s an amazing opportunity for us to play these festivals and for people to come and have a mosh with us. Festival season is when you can really have fun,” explains Becca. “It’s like a big birthday bash.”
Marmozets will play Best Kept Secret (19th - 21st June) and Bilbao BBK Live (9th - 11th July), where DIY is an official media partner. Tickets are on sale now. Visit diymag.com/presents for more information.
For more on this year’s festivals, pick up DIY’s Festival Guide 2015, out now alongside our May issue.
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