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INDIE / ROCK 38 www.guestlist.net Issue 54 / 2013 IEW RV TE IN Kodaline Ahead of their performance at Reading and Leeds, we caught up with Mark from the band hitting it big in the world of Indie. We chat about their music, touring and reminiscing festivals. Danielle Holley guestlist.net | Hi Mark, how you doing? Nice to meet you Danielle, yeah not bad. You're playing the Gambel Festival at the weekend, is that right? Yeah we will be there in like an hour actually. Are you excited? Yeah we can't wait. We have an hour slot as well, its always more fun when you have an hour to play and do what you want. This weekend has actually been pretty busy, I think the day after that we are in Holland and we have big shows back to back but its fun. What's been the highlight so far of all this touring and traveling? Well we just got back from Japan at the week and that was crazy. We have never been to Japan before and it was just mad. Everything is cartoon mad. We where only there for four days playing the summer standing festival that was pretty amazing and the hottest it had ever been in Japan in the last like 15 years. Playing at like 40-degree heat. Amazing country like. The audience where quite strange because there where a couple of thousand people and after a song they clap really loud for a couple of seconds. And then they'll stop and it'll just be total silence and you could just hear a pin drop. Laughs, It was really awkward no one told us it would be like that but still it was cool and different. So your playing Reading and Leeds next weekend, where I will be seeing you live for the first time, are you exited for that? Yes! Can't wait for that. It's going to amazing. I've never actually been before but I heard they're crazy. I've heard the crowd can just go mental. Yeah, the crowd do go nuts at Leeds! And the line up is a cracking line up this year. Has there been anywhere you're nervous about playing? We're always a bit nervous but where we're really nervous is at Glastonbury because it's the main festival that everyone talks about and we had a bit of a nightmare. We walked on stage and the PA system wasn't working and we just shit ourselves. So we just played the first song and didn't realise. It sounded fine on stage but apparently none of the crowd could hear us. We didn't know the crowd couldn't hear it. We were back stage just like freaking out but they fixed the problem and 5 minuets later it turned problem. Unless your tent floods. Oh Jesus, yeah. My tent got full of water last time I camped at a festival. The zip on the front of the tent broke and it just started pissing with rain. I came back an hour later and there was like a lake in my tent. I had to move to a friend's tent but it was still a great time. What was the main inspiration behind the album? All sorts of things really, there's songs about break ups, and girls, and just feelings really. Like what we felt over the last few years. Not every song is about the same thing. Every song is about a specific thing though, we could tell you what each song is about. It adds to the festival experience. Yeah absolutely. I remember last year I cant remember where it was but it was really windy. And some tent just got picked up like 100 feet up in the air and the whole festival was just cheering but some poor bastard's tent was just flying away in the air. I can't remember what So, have you been writing any new material whilst on the road? Yeah! Loads. Whenever we get like time off we go into the studio and we have a few days of next week so we are going into the studio then. We are actually living in Birmingham at the moment with a friend, then Steve and me are going "Even if we are in a hotel room for a few days we will set up a keyboard there and just start playing. We are constantly writing." out to be one of the best gigs of the summer. It's always the ones we never expect. Sometimes if we go to a festival and the crowd isn't that big we get a bit gutted but then they turn out to be the craziest. And we have been super lucky, the sun has come out every time we have played. Yesterday when we were playing with Snow Patrol it had been raining all day and then the second we walk on stage the sun came out and then when we walked off it rained again. *Laughs* So hopefully you'll bring the sunshine with you to Leeds Festival? I guarantee we will bring the sun. I will hold you to that. Once you've got a good pair of wellies and a good rain jacket there really is no festival that was but that was funny. That is funny. So, June saw the release of your debut album "perfect world" with all the touring you've been doing did you have time to get excited about the release? Not really the release kind of crept up on us, we finished it before Christmas and then it came out in June and then we just kind of forgot it was coming out because we were so busy touring and doing so much radio stuff we where just like, Oh Jesus. It was a very nerve wracking week but we where really chuffed with the response. It's still getting a good response and it's pretty over whelming we weren't expecting it to do that well, like people are still getting it. Mental. It's an amazing feeling. to the countryside later in the year and I'm sure we will be inspired then and see what comes out. Even if we are in a hotel room for a few days we will set up a keyboard there and just start playing. So yeah we are constantly writing. Ok, so what was it like to go from being an independent band to a major label? Did you experience any set backs during that time? Going from independent to major label is sort of the same, we still deal with the same people and we still have complete control over what we do, how we write and all that kind of stuff, nothings really changed there's just more people in the office that's it. *Laughs* But nothing has changed as how we work as a band like the four of us are still in the same little bubble we have always been in. So is there anywhere you haven't played yet that you would really like too? We haven't gone to Australia yet, I think we are meant to go down there New Year which will be cool. Or maybe like Africa or India. Or South America. Supposed to be crazy there! Pretty mental. We went across America in like a big truck and van for like 3 and a half weeks. Some of the people we met where just crazy. So have you guys got a top summer track that your listening to right now, or artists you just cant get enough of? I love Vampire Weekend, their album is incredible. We played a festival at the weekend with them in Dublin and they where just incredible. And a track called California Days by Peace, I think? So if you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be? Erm, I would love to collaborate with Daft Punk. They're aiming pretty high! Have you met any artists, which you have got on with really well? We went out with Bastille a couple of weeks ago. We kinda hang out with them a little bit. We met Example at a festival and he's a really funny guy. And we ended up playing football with Mackelmore. It was really cool. But for the record Macklemore is really shit at football. *Laughs* Any bands we have met have been really cool actually. We're at that level still where we get kind of excited when we see a band still. So what does the future hold for you guys? Well were doing a few more festivals. We go to American in October and then Europe after that. Then next summer look to releasing a new album too. Well it was so great talking to you guys; I can't wait to see you play. Thanks so much. See you next weekend. Follow @Kodaline