Interview Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs: “Each show this year has felt like the first one back”

The picturesque city of Trençin will once again host a varied selection of international artists at this weekend’s Pohoda Festival, from Flume to black midi; Balming Tiger to Lianne La Havas, and a handful of favourites like slowthai, Wolf Alice, Sigrid and Shame.

Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs might quite literally be the biggest name at the festival (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and The Comet Is Coming run a little behind on that count). Ahead of their arrival in Slovakia - in the middle of a series of shows both festival and headline - we had a bit of a catch up with the band.

Hello! What’s going on in Pigs x7’s world?
There’s a lot. We have Ewan [Mackenzie] back into the fold - the original Pigs drummer; we’ve just finished working on a new album and though we’ve been back at it a while, playing shows again still feels quite new.

Have you fully felt the catharsis of being able to return to the live stage yet?
Catharsis is something we’re often lucky enough to get in spades but the last few months of shows has been especially purifying and we’re not short of appreciation that we’re able to do what we do. Each show this year has felt like the first one back.

You’ve got dates lined up just about everywhere - what kind of festival setting do you prefer?
Roskilde had a cocktail and oyster bar backstage. That’s my ideal setting. We find ourselves on as many family festivals as we do metal and esoteric ones which we love, seeing young kids going nuts on their parents’ shoulders, it’s just as enjoyable as seeing hairy old fuckers fist pumping. Both of which we love, I should add.

You also just played a home town show at the Cluny earlier this month, which we imagine was special in a different way. What’s the best thing about playing in the North East for you?
We get a kick out of seeing the faces of friends looking back at us, thankfully we get that in a lot of cities now but there’s always something special about playing the North East. Maybe it’s the short ride home.

Have you ever played in Slovakia before?
We haven’t, we had a memorable drive through Slovakia on a previous tour and that’s the closest we’ve come so it’s an exciting prospect. Playing new cities always makes for standout trips, new countries - ten fold.