Project Description
Interview with
LAURIE VINCENT
from
SLAVES (UK)
by Brittany Long
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“This pair are one of the most exciting and forward-charging rock bands currently active”– The Line of Best Fit
“Musically, ‘Acts Of Fear And Love’ is the most accomplished of Slaves’ three albums, switching things up and pulling off new sounds without losing sight of the band’s DNA.”– NME
“…it’s impossible to deny it is blazing with confidence and a witty, abrasive humour. What we loved about Slaves when they emerged into the DIY punk scene has returned into the mainstream, and about time too.”– CLASH
“The spirit of Ian Dury lives on in their witty observations of 21st-century living, not to mention their irresistibly rough swagger.”– The Independent
“Slaves is, all things considered, a pretty apt name for a band that represents a genuine alternative to much of what is subjugating about music, and life today.”– So Young Magazine
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How would you describe your bands sound?
It’s got British sensibilities, much more melodic nowadays, rooted in punk rock, nothing like anyone else you’ve ever heard in my opinion.
What sort of music did you listen to growing up? Has that influenced the music you play now?
Yeah I think like everything influenced it, and lead into like English punk rock. I’ve sort of had lots of exposure to different genres, like punk rock, rap, but bands that have really stood out are bands like Slash, The Clash, The Crack, Joy Division, then hiphop like Eminem, Biggie, then English music dubstreet, contemporary people like Jamie T. It’s a real mix, it’s really sort of eclectic.
Who are your inspirations, both in the music world and outside of it?
I’ve always like really went with what Damon Albarn did like being in Blur and then going on to create The Gorillas and just sort of always pushing the bar and not just staying the same and making different records. I’ve got quite a lot of inspirations I guess but I probably can’t just like pinpoint them. I’m like really into painting as well, like Danny Fox is killing it and has been recognised on the global art scene which is quite incredible, and then this new writer from Dublin.
Let’s talk about your latest release, album acts of fear and love, what’s the inspiration behind that?
We spent like previous records sort of shouting a lot about what was wrong with things, being pissed off. Then I sort of posed the question, should we make a response and talk about different things, rather than repeating the same subject matter over and over again, like let’s sort of like take a different view on it and start opening up, talking about our own feelings and love or sort of insecurities, it still features a lot of the other stuff but there’s a lot less room for it. Mainly just wanting to go deeper into what we feel and sort of open the discussion around emotions.
The name Slaves, where did that come from? Do you feel you’re slaves to the music or what’s the inspiration behind the name?
When we started and were looking for a band name, being a punk band it was more about the sound and feeling that harsh sort of abrasive name, coming from a place where you work your day jobs and everyone thinks you’re idiots for trying to be in a band, that name kept on coming back to us and it just embodied the punk band and sounds just what it is, and it just stuck straightaway.
How do you feel when you perform, obviously being a guitarist, you’d have a completely different experience to Isaac?
Isaac’s really like he loses himself in the music and I do sort of to an extent but sometimes I’m really switched on and aware, I’m always sort of watching what everyone else is doing, I have this real tendency to be hyper-aware. My best shows are when I come off and sort of realise when I didn’t think about anything, sometimes I’ll be thinking about really random stuff like what I’ve eaten or what I’m going to eat for dinner, my brain wanders.
How are you feeling about coming to Australia to tour for the first time?
I’m really excited, there’s so much history between our countries, the people there seem lovely and like close to what the British people are. It’s sort of like we should’ve gone there a long time ago. I’m really frustrated that we haven’t been able to make it and we’ve seen most of the world but that’s a place we’ve never reached, so I’m really excited. Just to visit and hang out with people.
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TOUR DATES
WEDNESDAY 6th MARCH AMPLIFIER BAR, PERTH
BUY TICKETS
THURSDAY 7th MARCH THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE
BUY TICKETS
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Have you got a bucket list of things you want to do while you’re here?
Basically catching up with bands, like we’re really good friends with the DMA’s so I really want to go and see them, and hang out with them in their own environment, which will be a really different experience, it’s weird, we’ve got lots of friends in different places, here and there. So mainly that, then if I get to see the big stuff like the Sydney Opera House and that then I’ll be sorted.
Do you intend to try Vegemite, or have you tried it before? It’s a weird one where you either love it or you hate it.
I’ve never tried it but I’ll give it a go. Yeah I’m really weird, like I don’t like Marmite, I actually don’t like the feel of it, it’s quite a rarity for me to eat it actually.
When your fans are watching you onstage what sort of experience do you want them to have? Is there a certain message you’re trying to convey through your music to your fans?
I think someone summed it up to me really well once, they watched us and said ‘you are them and they are you’ and that’s what we sort of try and do is break down the barrier. We try and show people that we’re the same as you, and you could do this, and we want them to have fun and experience it that way. We get in the audience sometimes and like make everyone hug, it’s all about the experience and communal joy and people go like what the fuck is going on and are just laughing their heads off.
If you could play with anyone on stage, dead or alive, who would you choose?
I have to think about this carefully, man that’s so hard, I reckon it’s gotta be Joe Strummer from The Clash.
What’s your biggest fear?
Dying without experiencing all I do.
Let’s talk favourites for the fans. What’s your favourite food/artist/ice-cream?
Food: Indian food, but like the British take on it. The British sort of invented like Tikka Masala and stuff. Here the culture is from all different diversities so I’d say English-Indian food.
Artist: my favourite contemporary artist is Danny Fox, he’s a painter and doing really well.
Ice-cream: I always go for like caramel or a toffee one, I like those.
What’s next for Slaves, is there any new music on the horizon?
Yeah so we’ve got like four tracks which we think we’re going to put out, we’re making them sort of based around this one single that we’ve got, which we’ve been sitting on for quite awhile, so we’re really trying to get that out. We’ve also been doing like, we did some writing with people, you might see some stuff featuring other people in the future, which is exciting.
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So, you’re also a painter, can you tell me is that something that you were influenced by growing up or how did that come about?
Yeah I just didn’t really like music going through school, I never did, but I loved art class, so art was Always like my face paint at school, it was one of the only subjects I ever looked forward to doing. So art and music have always run parallel in my sort of ambition and I’ve always had them both running at the same time. Music’s taken the forefront for a long time but then art has just always been there for me. I always like doing something creative, it’s like my therapy, I can’t really live without it, I get really anxious and stressed out if I don’t do like something creative. Painting gives me sort of an escape from music, and music gives me an escape the other way around.
Now you have a son Bart, How do you balance family life with touring?
It’s hard but I’ve got a really good and patient girlfriend where she comes on tour with me. My girlfriend will just jump on a plane with him and take him to come meet me, spend two weeks on tour and then they’ll go home. We just really take it as it comes, before him it was just like we’ll do it, but now we fit him into our lives and won’t make it the other way around. It works really well, we have a really confident, happy little guy who’s amazing. We just make it work.
What does a typical day in your life look like?
I wake up usually in between 7-8, I get Bart out of his cot and then we go downstairs and I make some breakfast, then we usually watch cartoons. We hang out in the morning then at the moment we do sort of like household chores and then I’ll go out, drop him at the nursery, then I’ll write some music or I’ll go do some painting or something. Then I’ll come home get Bart from the nursery and feed him, then I go for a run, put him to bed. Then I’ll watch some TV, read a book, that’s my life at the moment. We sort of do like family outings and stuff or I write music or it’s pretty chill.
I can see you’re very family orientated.
Family has always been really really important for me. It’s really something that I wanted to do young and I wanted to be able to enjoy my family when I was older and I’m happy I’ve done it this way.
Tell me, If you weren’t a musician what would you be doing now?
I was a tattoo apprentice when the band started out so I think I’d be tattooing, but I reckon I would’ve ended up finding my way to painting, because painting is just like such a freeing experience because you don’t have anyone to do it for, it’s quite selfish and something that you do for yourself. That’s another thing I’ve been getting into this year as well, photography, I’ve been just sort of carrying a little point and shoot around. I never used to be into photography when I was younger and as I get older I realise how much of a skill it is, there’s a lot more to it than just taking photos, and I love that. I get conscious of like creating opportunities.
Thankyou very much and we’re looking forward to coming to Australia and we’ll see you soon.
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ACTS OF FEAR AND LOVE
TRACKLIST
1. The Lives They Wish They Had
2. Cut and Run
3. Bugs
4. Magnolia
5. Daddy
6. Chokehold
7. Photo Opportunity
8. Artificial Intelligence
9. Acts of Fear and Love
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SLAVES
AUSTRALIAN TOUR DATES
SAT 09 MAR | DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, PARRAMATTA PARK | SYDNEY
MON 11 MAR | DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL, FLEMINGTON RACECOURSE | MELBOURNE
Tickets and event details here
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