When publications print who they think is destined to be ‘The Next Big
Thing’, it seems that the bands are either a) rubbish but very ‘oh so
now’ so will probably be big just because they’re around at the right
time or b) rubbish and destined to get no where with it. On the
rare occasions that they go for a band who actually might be any good,
said band then getting popular might not always follow. Editors
could be one of the rare few who have cropped up in many people’s tips
for ’05, as they’re not only making a noise which a lot of kids will no
doubt love right now, the point is they’re actually quite good at
it. Aside from being tipped for phenomenal success this year, the
moniker of ‘Birmingham’s answer to Joy Division’ seems to be following
them around everywhere, but does it bother vocalist Tom?
‘Well I’m never going to complain when we’re put in the same sentence
as great bands! But yeah, it’s exciting. I’m really
excited. There’s a handful of bands tipped for 2005, but we’re
not one of those major players. We’re only sneaking up the back,
we’re not quite in there with Bloc Party and the rest.”
Currently located in Birmingham, despite being from all over the place
having met at university in Staffordshire, they scored a management
deal, relocated themselves in the home of Black Sabbath and turned
their attention to Editors (then named Snowfield, changed simply
because they didn’t like the name). Eighteen or so months later,
they’re signed to the independent Kitchenware records, have released
their debut single and are as we speak in the midst of a UK tour.
‘It took us eighteen months to get a deal because we wanted something
we’re happy with. And it’s a great label. I think it’s a
good time to be on an independent label, it’s perfect. They share
our views and where we want to be for the future.”
It’s obviously not proving any hindrance at least, with the current
interest and buzz surrounding them, but then again why should it?
With a single which has united the overly conscious trend followers
with genuine pursuers of good music, Editors seem to have it
made. The current revival of 80’s new-wave lo-fi sound, with
Interpol steering the explosion, looks back to bands like Joy Division
and Echo and The Bunnymen with more than nostalgia, it’s a pure
inspired revivalist. A recent review compared them to Elbow and
The Killers, which seemed completely off the mark, but Tom seems to
understand this has to happen, “I don’t know, the whole ‘scene’ thing
is a journalism thing to make things easier for them. Good bands
are good bands, and if we’re compared to good bands then that’s OK with
us. We like Elbow! You need somewhere to be put in
Journalism, so that’s what it’s for. We got into making music for
love of bands like early REM and Joy Division. Now you have to
have modern contemporary bands to compare you to.”
The modern contemporary bands who, right now as relevantly as ever, are
pin ups; rock ‘n’ roll monsters the way they allegedly used to
be. With Pete Doherty and Dominic Masters earning more words and
column space because of their drunken antics or silly politics rather
than the actual music, the arrogant superstar has returned, and are
Editors enjoying or benefiting at all from this new found fame?
“(Laughs). No there’s been no real change yet. No-one’s
been recognising us out yet or anything. But there’s no nine to
five jobs anymore, so we have no money, well enough so we don’t
die. This is our first proper tour, both headlining and just
touring. It’s slightly on the cheap, so when we can we go home.”
I take this opportunity to not mention that I once harassed guitarist
Chris in Snobs many months ago. Disclaimer: this was not in the
usual ‘I fancy you’ way, I actually said something along the lines of
‘I really like your band’ before stumbling off to order another triple
vodka and lemonade for fifty pence. Tom finds this not that
surprising, worryingly. Obviously aware that this kind of thing
could become the norm, he sees their ascent to great things something
to look forward to. “We feel very ready for all of it. We’re
still in the starting blocks really though. The shows so far have
been slightly busier than I would’ve expected actually. The
press’ response has been good, like Zane Lowe has been great. He
was there and got it straight from the start. He definitely has a
genuine enthusiasm for new music; it’s not false and comes right from
him.”
The music press has indeed responded more than warmly to Editors, and
with the future looking rosy you can only ask what their long term
plans are, and when to expect an album. “We’d definitely like to make a
career out of this. We just want to get our debut album first,
and that we’re completely happy with it. That’s the next thing
we’ve got to do! We want it to be like when we play live,
with the four of us playing. When recording we might consider
electronics, like keyboards or a piano, as something we could
experiment with, but the length to which we’d use them would be
subtle. We want to add a bit of depth to the recording and make
it a sound that will make people listen again and again.”
Editors have already refined that ‘tireless’ sound with current single
‘Bullets’, which, even after sixty odd spins, is still as inspiring and
as exciting as the first. Anticipation of an album that could be
just as fresh and enjoyable to listen to makes Editors one of the few
bands you should actually bother watching progress and achieve fame in
2005. Seriously, don’t bother with 90% of the bands that are
being touted, ignore the ones you fancy or that magazines are telling
you will be the next big thing. Editors are genuinely brilliant
at what they do, and if for once there can be justice and a band with
talent might achieve success, hopefully it will be them.
Ellen Godwin