Brightest Young Things

Keeping pace, following yesterday's rush of youth, brakesbrakesbrakes continue our march towards the triple bill of joy arriving Monday at the Black Cat. Frontman Eamon Hamilton brings his sharp wit and stunning sense of style along for the ride:

 

 

You can see them October 5th with We Were Promise Jetpacks whom we interviewed yesterday and The Twilight Sad so keep those eyes peeled for interviews with those jokers as well.

 

 

What was the most outrageously "American" thing you have ever seen? (Killers and 46-year old groupies traveling over to London with them notwithstanding.)

 

I think the most American thing I've ever seen, in every sense, was New York on the night that Obama got elected- it was about 11.30 pm when it was called, and the whole city went freakball crazy- the sound!! I was on a roof in Brooklyn, and you could hear every borough just going wild - all the taxis and busses and trucks were all blaring their horns, people were randomly whooping and hollering, it was incredible. It felt like politics and democracy actually mattered, and that the American people actually had the power to change things.

 

 

What's been the best meal you have ever had in Brighton? (please include beverages and dessert!)

 

There are a lot of good places to eat in Brighton, but my favourite is a pub called The Round George's. It was my local for years, and they just got a really good chef in who does all sorts of stuff with kidneys and ox tails and stuff. So the last meal I had there was with two of my brothers, Ross and Steve, and for starters we had Harvey's, which is the local beer. I think we had another beer as a 'snack', before we ordered a bottle of Rioja. For the main, I had a grilled mackerel with new potatoes, then we had some Sambucca for dessert. And then, I think, we had a Laphroig whisky as a nightcap. That was a good meal.

 

 

What brought on the obsession with outer space? Did you notice a seeming trade off for the country landscapes to the unknown heavens?

 

I think maybe I've been watching too much of the History Channel, or the Biography Channel, or the youtubes of aliens visits- it all seemed to be about 2012 and the Mayans and the "end of times" and I started thinking "I don't give two hoots if these really are the end of days and that aliens are invading us, I'm quite liking it here on Earth."

 

 

I can't think of a band today making records that sequence like a perfect set in the way that you do - is it a conscious decision to write a certain number of slower ruminations vs. blistering fast numbers and mid-tempo burns?

 

I've learnt that when I'm playing guitar, if a song starts forming out of the chords and whatever I'm humming or singing at the time, then I should just carry on until the song is done. I've stopped at that point before, thinking "that's not what I wanted to write- I wanted a rockabilly song with techno harmonies" and as a consequence lost quite a few songs that might have been really good. So, there's no conscious decision about what the songs will be like, they just run past us and we try to catch them.

 

 

When can we do away with this triple brakes thing? You will always be just "Brakes" to me!

 

Well, thank you, but you'll have to speak to the Philadelphian band The Brakes' lawyer about that one.....

 

 

What led to the switch from Rough Trade to Fat Cat?

 

We came to the end of our contract with Rough Trade, and, as the saying goes, we "went to market." We had some interesting offers, including one from an internet gambling company that had opened up a music section- it was going to be us and the Wu Tang Clan- but after some serious discussions, we went with Fat Cat, who release awesome records.

 

 

You haven't picked up the Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks boys yet, but which band do you think will be more hungover when you do?

 

I can’t wait to find out. Jetpacks have the iron constitution of youth on their side, but wait.... I don’t know if they're of legal drinking age in the States, I think they're all under 21 (ed - the boys are all legal so expect a tough time getting to the bar.)

 

Which band member owns/loves the most embarrassing record and what is it?

 

Alex owns, loves, and often puts on in the van, Chicago IV- Chicago live at Carnegie Hall volumes 1-4. That's four live albums released as one. You would imagine that that is all the Chicago one man needs, but you'd be surprised by the devotion that Chicago inspire- Alex also owns, and has played us, every Chicago album ever released, from Chicago Transit Authority to Chicago XXXII: Stone Of Sisyphus. I prefer Steely Dan.

 

 

I mean this as the highest compliment - "Oh! Forever" is the finest Jesus and Mary Chain song that they never wrote. It fits in perfectly with your varied presentations but is totally unexpected. Is it a flavor of the Reid brothers or more a case of the same fuzz and sweet pop 60's influence that they carry?

 

Goffin and King, Ellie Greenwich and The Jesus And Mary Chain- If I only had their records left to listen to, I'd be happy.

 

 

 

Will the next craze be Hawaiian shirts and shaved heads? (If so - I am already waaay ahead of you kids!)

 

I just saw the 1982 punk movie called "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains." It is fucking awesome. I predict the next craze will be a return to the "skunk" look.

 

 

How many Obama souvenirs will you buy in DC?

 

Have they made one with Obama smoking a reefer with the words "DOPE" underneath it yet? I wouldn't buy it, but it'd make me laugh.

 

 

What's the very next thing you are going to eat?

 

Tacos with homemade salsa (small onion, green pepper, two plum tomatoes but scrape their seeds and gunk out, two jalapenos, juice of one lime, all chopped up & mixed= nom nom nom).

 

 

What's the very next thing you are going to watch?

 

The last episode of Hung and then the first episode of the new Curb.

 

 

What's the very next thing you are going to listen to?

 

On the record player right now is an album called "Detroit Gold Volume 1- Original Karen, Carla & Moira Nuggets." I just played side one, so I'll flip it and play side B.

 

 

 

Touchdown online here
Catch them live on Monday @ The Black Cat
and keep your eyes peeled for the additional 2 interviews from the same bill because John Foster has made it his personal mission to make you fall in love with them all by the time this week ends.