Interview Still Corners: ‘We’re Not A Showman Band’

Still Corners are preparing for the release of their debut album, ‘Creatures Of An Hour’ through Sub Pop next month. We caught up with the band at Field Day for a little natter about playing live, pressure and P Diddy.

So, how are you all?

Tessa: We read a column in the Guardian on people’s worst gig experiences and it’s given us the inspiration to talk about our worst gigs ever. Leon’s got loads.

Leon: Oh, no I can’t. It’s too embarrassing. One day I’ll tell.

Greg: We haven’t really had a bad gig. Oh, well maybe the one at SXSW where we played in front of a woman and her dog. In a parking lot. It was really hot.

Leon: I thought we played well.

G: We played really well. The dog was really into it.

T: There was only one plug as well so it took us an hour to find enough power sources.

G: We love the guy that did it but he only had one outlet for the whole thing.

Your debut album is on the way and due for release in October and it’s your first big release through a label too.

T: Well it’s the first full length release for the band. In the past, Great Pop Supplement have put out a few 7’ for us. We’ve kind of been included on compilations but in terms of full proper release it’s the first so it’s exciting.

Is it all finished now?

G: It’s done, yeah. We turned it in April.

T: It’s quite a long lead in time.

You’ve been sitting on it a little while then. Do you think that’s made you more nervous or more comfortable with the release?

G: I don’t know. I think you hear things sometimes and you want to go back and change it and then at others you’re like, ‘Oh, forget it.’

L: But it’s art, right? I think everyone wants to change things. It’s just the way art goes.

G: You don’t finish it, you abandon it. Or however that saying goes.

L: You never really finish it, you just leave it.

It’s been quite a long time coming. Do you feel under any pressure?

G: No, I don’t. Do you guys? I think because we’ve all sort of been plodding along doing our thing, it just sort of happened and we’re just enjoying it and having a good time.

T: It will be good when it’s out because I think people are just talking about it a bit. And it will be nice to have some people who’ve actually listened to it and heard it because at the minute, we’re the only people who’ve heard it so it is a bit scary.

Seen as you’re the only people who’ve heard it so far. Can you tell us what we might expect from it?

G: There’s more dreamy-pop tracks.

L: Guitar shredding.

G: There’s some serious guitar-shredding on some songs. But lots of tracks you can mosh to, a few quiet ones, so I think it kind of falls more towards what we’ve done previously.

Are there any tracks from your previously released EPs on there?

G: It’s all brand new except ‘Endless Summer’, that’s been heard but we stuck it on there.

L: Basically that single that just came out, those two songs are the only ones.

G: Yep, it’s all brand new. There’s ten tracks so I guess people will hear eight new ones.

So how did signing to Sub Pop come about? We heard it had something to do with your performance at The Great Escape…

G: I think what happened was it was a combination of the Great Pop Supplement release and the ‘Wish’ video and ‘Endless Summer’. Gorilla vs. Bear was instrumental in a lot of that.

T: They basically, well Susan, who’s kind of our A&R person, bought the single on Bandcamp. And we got an email saying that the money’s come in and you get the email address as well. And we were like, ‘Oh wow, that’s a Sub Pop email address, that’s crazy’. Then she emailed and was like, ‘I really like you guys, let’s talk.’ And then they came and saw us and it just took quite a long time to go through all the processes but that was basically it.

G: And then she was like, ‘Do you wanna come and hang with me and P Diddy?’ And we were like, ‘Yeah, we wanna do that…’ It was awesome.

Who’s the most exciting person that you’ve met through Sub Pop?

G: That’s a good question, I don’t know. I’ll have to think now.

T: I think in terms of people on the rise, one of the best was when we played with Twin Sister last year. They’re just such nice people.

L: It was cool meeting Kurt Vile.

G: He’s a cool guy. That’s a cool band. And they’re funny. It’s Kurt Vile or P Diddy but I don’t know.

For people who haven’t seen you play live before, can you talk us through your live set up and your projections?

T: We have projections over the top of us. So we’re there but kind of hidden in a way.

G: Yeah, that’s a big part, projections is a big part. We like the lights down.

L: We’ve never been a showman band. We’re not interesting. We don’t really move around that much and we’re very into film and visuals so it sort of makes sense.

T: It gives people something to look at as well as listen to.

Do you consider yourselves more of a studio band or a live band?

G: We do both. The studio stuff is a bit different to the live stuff. The live stuff’s a lot more, I don’t wanna say dramatic but it’s more kind of edgy and stuff like that. The studio’s a bit more thoughtful and stuff like that. Well not thoughtful, softer maybe. There’s a difference. I think we like playing out and we like the studio so it’s both.

The album’s out in October but what are your plans for the rest of the year?

L: America!

G: Yeah, we’ve got a big US tour in October.

L: But we’ve got the launch party in London at Cafe Otto.

G: And La Route De Rock in Saint Malo with other bands like Low and Okkervil River, and Blonde Redhead and Mogwai. Some great bands. That’s coming up very soon, that’s next week.

T: And then a European tour once we’ve got back from the States and that’s pretty much it.

G: We’re going to do a little bit of recording in between that for some stuff that’s going out on a compilation for Rough Trade. Or it’s the album for Rough Trade. But other than that, probably just shows and stuff!

Still Corners’ new album ‘Creatures Of An Hour’ will be released on 10th October via Sub Pop Records.