Alt-J talk non-stop touring and early ideas for a third album at Reading 2015

Ahead of their main stage slot at Reading Festival, Alt-J told DIY that they’re beginning to form early ideas for a third album.

The trio are still in the midst of touring second LP ‘This Is All Yours’, dates rounding off with a run of November UK shows. Joe Newman says after those shows, it’s “definitely” the end of the current tour. “We do wanna come off tour and decompress,” he says.

All three are in agreement that a third album won’t be shunned entirely once they come off tour. “It’s a solid break, but you can’t help from thinking about the next album,” says Newman. “It’s the thing that drives us, the creativity side of what we do.”

Gus Unger-Hamilton adds: “We’re not raring to get back on the road, but ideas for the third album come round.” Drummer Thom Green says he’s been working on ideas while touring, and never stops. “I don’t find life on the road too difficult, it actually kind of motivates you,” he states. “You have the equipment you need. If you’re a creative person, then I don’t see why you’d give up. Touring is harder, but we’ve adapted to the situation. It’s very important for us to do that. We work best when we work together. We don’t ever really stop working. I think we’ll have more ideas than we realise when it comes to putting an album together, even thinking about stuff from the first album.”

Tonight they play one of their last UK festival shows around this album, with Leeds to follow. “I quite like not headlining,” says Newman. “It does take the pressure off. It means we don’t get caught in the media frenzy of whether this band should be playing, are they doing this festival justice by headlining. You avoid the politics of that.”