Everything Everything chat to Stereoboard about debut album and NME Awards Tour 2011 (Interview)
Thursday, 02 December 2010
Written by Rob Sleigh
It’s been quite a year for experimental indie art-rockers Everything Everything. After a number of successful festival appearances, the Manchester-based four-piece released their widely-praised debut album ‘Man Alive’ at the end of August before heading out on a headlining autumn tour. They are due to end the year with two shows in London and Manchester, where they will play the album in its entirety with some help from a classical ensemble. If this wasn’t enough, Everything Everything are already preparing themselves for 2011, which will begin with the release of their next single ‘Photoshop Handsome’, before they head out on the NME Awards Tour with Crystal Castles, Magnetic Man and the Vaccines. Frontman and founding member Jonathan Everything recently spoke to Stereoboard to talk about the album and being part of the Manchester music scene.
With the release of your debut album ‘Man Alive’, 2010 has been quite an impressive year for Everything Everything. Has it been as good as it has seemed?
Yeah, it’s been crazy. It’s only now that we’ve been able to take stock of it. We’ve got a little bit of time off to work on some new stuff. It’s been amazing. When we think about all the places we’ve been and how many shows we’ve done, it’s been really, really good.
What have the highlights been so far?
Reading and Leeds. That was the first time we’d played a festival twice. We played last year and then came back, so we could really compare how things had changed. The first time, we were on the Introducing Stage and there were a few hundred people there and, this time, there were six or seven thousand people. It was completely crazy. We were just blown away by how things had changed.
How long have the band been around now and how did you first get together?
It’s been around since September 2007. I went to uni in Manchester and met Jeremy [Pritchard, bassist]. I was at school with the guitarist and drummer, so I kind of put these guys together and persuaded them all to move to Manchester. It all went from there, basically.
What about yourself – how did you first get into music?
The same way most people do, I guess. I played the trumpet when I was really young. Then my brother got a bass guitar and I stole it off of him one day and started playing it. I quickly went from there to the guitar. I always had a computer from when I was really young, so I got the first music software that was available – this really crap little demo. I just started making tunes on there from eleven onwards.
It’s already been stated a fair amount in the press that Everything Everything possess a very unique sound and, unsurprisingly, this has been causing a great deal of excitement. How did you first discover this sound?
That’s quite hard to answer because, before the band, I was writing for many years and it wasn’t until I got to uni and more people heard it that I realised it was quite weird. It’s far less weird now than it was. I grew up in a little village in Northumberland and I was a bit cut off from a lot of things, with only my parents’ record collection and the radio. I figured out a lot of things the wrong way around and broke rules without knowing it. Things like that built into a strange style without me really realising.
What about your musical inspirations – were there any particular bands that helped to influence the music you make?
Radiohead were definitely the big band for all of us and probably anyone our age. We were at the perfect age to see their progression. ‘Kid A’ came out when I was sixteen, so that was a really good time for us to go: “Wow – what’s this band doing?” It was at the turn of the millennium as well, so it was like, something’s going on – this band aren’t playing guitars anymore, they’re doing this instead. That felt really brave and inspired us to take risks like that.
What do you think about the current state of music in the UK?
I think it’s at a good stage. Six years ago, things were pretty bad. There was a kind of jingle-jangle, let’s-pretend-it’s-the-Sixties thing going on and there was nothing very progressive or interesting. A lot of it was decent enough, but it just wasn’t exciting enough. Bands like Foals, Klaxons or even Friendly Fires are all different degrees of mainstream, but they’re all listening to more leftfield stuff and making it into something that’s a bit more palatable. That really opened the door for us. If we’d come out when the Kooks were at their height, we’d have been laughed out of town. Now it’s a lot healthier and more diverse.
A lot of the jingly-jangly guitar music came from Manchester. Do you think the Manchester scene has had a big impact on you as a band?
Yeah, of course. I think it’s had an impact on anyone that’s in a band in this country. We’re not strictly from Manchester, I just went to uni here and we formed the band here. The influence of Manchester music is huge on anyone that’s living here and anyone trying to make it in a band here. You can’t go a step without someone reminding you of all the great bands from twenty years ago. And they were great. We’ve definitely been influenced a lot by the Smiths and Joy Division – they were the big ones for us. I loved Oasis when I was thirteen or fourteen, so they’ve definitely got a place in our hearts, but you don’t have to just stick to a set of bands because they’re from here.
How have you felt about the response to ‘Man Alive’ following its release?
It’s been really, really good. We didn’t really know what to expect. We thought it was going to be fifty-fifty people liking it or not liking it or getting it or not getting it, but it’s been overwhelming positive. It’s been really surprising that we’ve had all this attention, considering we’re making such strange music – it’s not really radio-friendly. That feels like a little victory. I hope that’s inspired some people to have a bit more hope for more unusual music.
Do you think it’s come out at the right time, in terms of the music that’s around at the moment?
Yeah, definitely. I definitely feel a kinship with bands like Foals and Wild Beasts. I don’t know what they feel about us [Laughs]. If I was sixteen now, I’d be absolutely loving what’s going on. I think it’s exciting and there are not so many rules. You’re not so tied to genres as you were. It’s more diverse – you can get Rihanna sitting next to Wild Beasts and nobody thinks that’s weird. That’s just how it’s done now and that feels really great.
Do you feel as though you’ve learned a lot from making and releasing the album?
Definitely, but probably more than both of those is touring, particularly with another band. We were on tour with Hurts and, to anyone, that would seem pretty crazy. The styles are so different, but we got on with them really well and we can appreciate their music. Basically, watching how crowds react to other bands is probably more interesting than watching how crowds react to your own band. You can learn a lot. Seeing what equipment bands use and how they structure their shows tells you an awful lot.
The next single ‘Photoshop Handsome’ is due out in January. Please can you tell me what the song is about?
I was thinking about playing computer games, which I did a lot of in my youth, and how you die and come back, then die and come back. Life isn’t worth much when you start to come back. I was also thinking about using Photoshop as a tool for how you look. What does it all mean if we’re changing ourselves to this degree?
The video definitely suits the track. Who came up with the idea for the video and what is it all about?
We tried to Photoshop ourselves and then we destroyed ourselves in Photoshop and stuff like that. We couldn’t really take it as far as we wanted because we didn’t have the skills or the technology. So this time, we decided to let creative people have a go. It worked really, really well. It’s nice to have this idea and let it go out of your hands.
In February, you’ll be joining the NME Awards Tour. As always, the NME have brought together a fairly diverse line-up for the tour. Are you looking forward to it?
Absolutely. We did one for them before, which we really enjoyed, but I think this one will be much better. It’s longer and it’s going to more places. I’m really into Crystal Castles and Magnetic Man, so it’s going to be great. I don’t know much about the Vaccines, but I’m sure I’ll find out [Laughs].
Everything Everything ‘Photoshop Handsome’:
The album ‘Man Alive’ is out now.
The single ‘Photoshop Handsome’ will be released on 17th January 2011.
The date on the 15th will be available to stream live online and on an iPhone/iPad app. The app can be downloaded from iTunes via Everything Everything's website and will also include a number of pre-gig functions.
NME Awards Tour 2011:
Thu 03 Feb Glasgow O2 Academy
Fri 04 Feb Manchester Academy
Mon 07 Feb Newcastle O2 Academy
Tue 08 Feb Nottingham Rock City
Wed 09 Feb Leeds O2 Academy
Fri 11 Feb Norwich UEA
Sat 12 Feb Birmingham O2 Academy
Sun 13 Feb Cardiff Uni Great Hall
Tue 15 Feb Bristol O2 Academy
Wed 16 Feb Bournemouth O2 Academy
Thu 17 Feb Brighton Dome
Sat 19 Feb London O2 Academy Brixton Click Here to Compare & Buy NME Awards Tour 2011 Tickets
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It’s already been stated a fair amount in the press that Everything Everything possess a very unique sound and, unsurprisingly, this has been causing a great deal of excitement. How did you first discover this sound? 
