[This was published in Issue #1 of my zine, Hipsters Unite; as I recall, I did the interview and Charlie Rawcliffe edited the transcript, so credit where it's due. I decided to publish this here from the 'print-only' zine because I think this may be the first interview the band have had, and to be honest I want to be there first. Ego and that]
Tripping Over Words: The World according to Tripwires
Currently in the studio finishing off their debut album, Reading’s shoegazers-in-chief, Tripwires, took a little bit of time out to talk to us:
What’s happening in the world of Tripwires?
‘We’re recording today, but hopefully we’ll be done by the end of the week, and the album will be coming out in March or April next year so we’ll be releasing some singles. Then I guess we’ll be touring, hopefully in lots of new places. Although, for us it's important that we keep writing songs; if we want a second album we’ve got to keep writing.’
What is it that motivates you to write?
Boredom; it’s not a great feeling, but it’s good for writing songs. But our influences play a part too.
What’s influencing you at the moment then?
666 by Aphrodite's Child, Spirit Of Eden by Talk Talk and watching documentaries about North Korea and Krautrock.
So how did you all get together and start playing?
We met at secondary school. You wouldn’t guess now, but we used to stay behind afterschool playing metal together.
What's the most difficult part of being in a young band?
Embarrassing questions about 'the band' from friends and family, and embarrassing questions about 'the band' from people who like Pendulum or Mumford and Sons; sometimes it’s best not to tell anybody. We won't get 'rich' and you're not going to 'see us on Top of the Pops'.
Can you remember the best gig you've ever played?
We once had Peroni in our rider, which was a bit special. The band we were supporting had Beck's though, so it's quite conceivable that the boxes got mixed up.
What's your favourite bit of kit?
We’re big fans of Roland Space Echos, as well as Death by Audio's Harmonic Transformer, that’s the dirtiest pedal we've ever played.
Do you think there's a shoegaze revival happening now? Any ideas as to why?
Perhaps, a lot of our favourite music has come as a reaction to the shit before it. Generally speaking, the quality of music put out in the last few years has been shocking. When people like Calvin Harris and Dizzee Rascal claim guitar music is dead, you know that change for the better is on its way. What better justification to play loud guitar music when shit pseudo-electro bands seem to dominate? Maybe a new generation of musicians will discover great music that was around when they were kids that they didn't know existed at the time, because all they heard on the radio was the fucking Spice Girls and Take That.
What is it that you love most about making music?
That when you record it, you commit something permanently, and that whilst playing live you can do something great, yet never hear it again. You can’t help but love both those things.
Currently in the studio finishing off their debut album, Reading’s shoegazers-in-chief, Tripwires, took a little bit of time out to talk to us:
What’s happening in the world of Tripwires?
‘We’re recording today, but hopefully we’ll be done by the end of the week, and the album will be coming out in March or April next year so we’ll be releasing some singles. Then I guess we’ll be touring, hopefully in lots of new places. Although, for us it's important that we keep writing songs; if we want a second album we’ve got to keep writing.’
What is it that motivates you to write?
Boredom; it’s not a great feeling, but it’s good for writing songs. But our influences play a part too.
What’s influencing you at the moment then?
666 by Aphrodite's Child, Spirit Of Eden by Talk Talk and watching documentaries about North Korea and Krautrock.
So how did you all get together and start playing?
We met at secondary school. You wouldn’t guess now, but we used to stay behind afterschool playing metal together.
What's the most difficult part of being in a young band?
Embarrassing questions about 'the band' from friends and family, and embarrassing questions about 'the band' from people who like Pendulum or Mumford and Sons; sometimes it’s best not to tell anybody. We won't get 'rich' and you're not going to 'see us on Top of the Pops'.
Can you remember the best gig you've ever played?
We once had Peroni in our rider, which was a bit special. The band we were supporting had Beck's though, so it's quite conceivable that the boxes got mixed up.
What's your favourite bit of kit?
We’re big fans of Roland Space Echos, as well as Death by Audio's Harmonic Transformer, that’s the dirtiest pedal we've ever played.
Do you think there's a shoegaze revival happening now? Any ideas as to why?
Perhaps, a lot of our favourite music has come as a reaction to the shit before it. Generally speaking, the quality of music put out in the last few years has been shocking. When people like Calvin Harris and Dizzee Rascal claim guitar music is dead, you know that change for the better is on its way. What better justification to play loud guitar music when shit pseudo-electro bands seem to dominate? Maybe a new generation of musicians will discover great music that was around when they were kids that they didn't know existed at the time, because all they heard on the radio was the fucking Spice Girls and Take That.
What is it that you love most about making music?
That when you record it, you commit something permanently, and that whilst playing live you can do something great, yet never hear it again. You can’t help but love both those things.
>>> Tripwires will be putting out their debut record on Club AC30 next year. If you want to hear some tracks that will probably be on it, go look up our podcast, as they sent me a bunch of tracks they'd been recording earlier this year before they signed with AC30. Merry Christmas.
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