Hello to Number 4 in my series of interviews with Manchester bands, and after Run Toto Run, Pocketkife and 1913, I speak to Elliott Williams, frontman of Airship.
Airship mix up soaring synth-pop with dark fragile songs, anthemic emotional records and songs full of introverted melancholy. They come over a blend between The Cure, Elbow and Eels, and their new E.P ‘Algebra’ came out last month. I asked Elliott about the band’s future plans and the Manchester scene:
A N Other Manc: So how would you sum up your sound in a sentence?
Elliott: Introverted and extroverted pop music
ANOM: How did you start out?
E: I started a band with Tom the bassist when we were sixteen and members came and went, and Airship properly evolved two years ago.
ANOM: What are you influences?
E: There are too many to list as we all listen to lots of different stuff but I think we all mutually love The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Air, Radiohead, The Smiths, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and Pavement.
Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of old French records like Serge Gainsbourg Leonie and Jean-Claude Vannier.
ANOM: What do you hope to achieve by the end of the year?
E: To have made our debut album that’s our main goal.
ANOM: Whats it like being a Manchester band in 2010?
E: Its good, I think a lot of the stereotypes of the past have gone and its moving forward as a musical city.
ANOM: Do you think the scene is pretty good at the moment do you think the environment is good for new bands? How would you categorise it?
E: I think its impossible to categorize as none of the bands are doing the same things, we’re all aware of each other and respect each other but we’re just doing our own styles, I think that’s what’s really great about it.
ANOM: Do you owe anything to ‘Madchester’ or would you rather it wasn’t so glorified by the music press and Hooky’s new wheeze Fac251?
E: I don’t feel we owe anything to it, i was a little kid at the decline of Madchester I never experienced the Hacienda or dropped E’s at a Happy Mondays gig. I enjoy hearing the story’s, reading the books and watching the films but it doesn’t bother me about it being glorified, it put Manchester on the map and its a better city for it. It can be annoying as every interview we have ever done always has Manchester questions in it, so generally I blame the press.
I haven’t been to Fac251 and have no plans to.
ANOM: Who would your ideal gig consist of?
E: A festival with Michael Jackson and Peter Gabriel on the first day, The Cure and The Smiths on the second, Radiohead and The Smashing Pumpkins on the third and The Beatles as surprise special guests on one of the smaller stages.
ANOM: Are you planning on playing any Summer festivals?
E: We’re playing T in The Park in a few weeks, then two european festivals Pukkelpop in Belgium and Lowlands in Holland. Very excited about them i really enjoy festivals.
ANOM: Which other local bands do you admire and would like to play with?
E: I think we have played with all the bands we really admire like Dutch Uncles, Everything Everything, Delphic, The Answering Machine, Books, Working For A Nuclear Free City and Nine Black Alps.
ANOM: Love and Disaster just released their Manchester sampler which saw you appear alongside Dutch Uncles and Delphic, do you think being signed to a local label is the best way forward? and Have you found it hard to get any London label people to come and look at bands outside of In The City?
E: We’re not signed to Love and Disaster, Dan who runs it is a friend who helped us put out an E.P, he is a great guy and its a brilliant little label. I don’t think we’ve found it hard to get people from London to see us if your good they will come wherever you are. It’s not something we worry or get fussed about most of them aren’t great people or great label’s getting their attention is not something we strive for.
ANOM: Whats your favourite vowel?
E: A obviously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Their new EP is available to buy here, and you can see Airship at T in The Park next weekend, and when they get back from their European travels they play the Underground Festival in Gloucester on September 25th
