The Whip (Press Shot)
It was a horribly rainy New York afternoon in April when I met up with The Whip’s Fee Daniel (drums) and Bruce Carter (lead) at the East Village soccer football pub Nevada Smiths. We were slated to meet up at the hotel but was suggested we catch the Premier League’s Wolverhampton vs. Birmingham match, which unfortunately for Bruce kept losing satellite signal because of the rain.
When we spoke in April The Whip had just played 2 gigs with Late of The Pier, were about to film their first American TV appearance on Jimmy Kimmel (Watch here), wrapping their US tour, and writing and recording their second album. We’ve been following the band’s Twitter and have compiled the following updates: The Whip have played a few gigs to test out 20 new possible songs while recording in a remote location in South England, and were commissioned to record animal noises for The Crookers. New song titles include Keep or Delete, Mean Machine, and Riot.
The Whip had to unfortunately pull out of The Electric Zoo line-up in NY to finish the second album and also so Bruce could spend time with his soon-to-be-born child. Fee and Bruce provided a lot of insight into the new album in it’s very early footsteps and we’re so anxious for the new material. I predict an unleashed return to the dancefloor!
Oh and if you were wondering about who won the match, Birmingham won 2-0 against Wolverhampton. Bummer!
MP3: The Whip – Sister Siam or zShare
MP3: The Whip – Divebomb (Mumdance Carnival Remix) or zShare
> The words I use to describe your music are defiant, unapologetic, thrashy, and upbeat especially with songs like Trash and Blackout.
BC: In terms of the lyrics, yeah. I write lyrics in an appreciative way of the struggle. Trash has a positive message of standing up for yourself. Our sound comes from the chemistry that happens when all four of us play together, really letting off steam in a positive way through music.
> That’s some quality therapy. I noticed that you tend to jam between songs as well.
BC: It’s actually kind of restricted to the way the laptop functions.
FD: We test songs and change them up a bit live. If there’s something we could have done better or if there’s something the audience isn’t reacting to we change it straight away for the next gig. Sometimes we cut a few bars at the end of a song if it’s gone too long, which we can tell by watching the audience. That’s sort of how we got our set polished.
“The first album is about getting to the theme park and this album is about being at the theme park… A couple of the rides we’re still not tall enough to ride.”
The Whip's Bruce at Bowery Ballroom, 4.2.09
> I really like that. It seems more interactive in creating the non-stop set.
BC: Yeah we like blending one song into another. We’ve started writing songs with almost the same BPM almost deliberately.
> Then you have songs like Frustration that flirt with the new wave sound…
BC: The new wave songs are in there because when we started writing songs as a band we were listening to a lot of Echo and the Bunnymen. That probably explains a bit of that context. A lot of the songs we’re writing on the new record are similar but with a different vibe.
FD: The new stuff is a lot more dance floor and pounding. But you have to keep in mind that you don’t know what direction it will go in when you start recording in the studio. Just wait and see basically.
> So you’re working on new material?
BC: As soon as we wrap the tour we’re going to start in the studio. We’ve got a few songs finished and I’ve been writing more on the bus. It’s getting there slowly but surely.
> It’s funny that this record just came out here last month (all laugh.)
BC: Hopefully there will be another one that gets released here around the same time as the new record gets released in the UK, probably around October or September.
“Music is a global thing now with the internet, so scenes don’t exist as much anymore. They exist on a global level rather than regional…”
> So back to the new material. Is there any lyrical subject matter or genres you’d like to play around with?
BC: Just writing what’s going on with myself. The first album is about getting to the theme park and this album is about being at the theme park.
FD: Experiencing the rides…
BC: Experiencing the rides, do you know what I mean? A couple of the rides we’re still not tall enough to ride (all laugh.)
But you know, it’s just about the wrath of being on the road away from home, the exhaustive and relentlessness of it all and how we’ve been dealing since the 1st album.
FD: That’s definitely where Bruce has taken new songs lyrically. The second album is more about as Bruce said “doing it rather than getting there.” I think that’s actually a really good analogy.
BC to FD: The theme park?
FD: Yeah (all laugh.)
The Whip's Fee (Press Shot)
> And you heard it here first! You’re about to do your first American television appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Show!
BC: We don’t know too much about him because he’s not on in the UK.
FD: American people in England who we’ve told have been like “Oooh!”
> He’s a little fresher and edgier than the other late night show hosts.
FD: We’re all wondering who will be on the show that day.
BC: We want to meet some Hollywood show biz star. Watch it be someone really lame like a football player.
FD: Or someone English. I want to meet a proper Hollywood celeb on the show.
BC: Like Tom Cruise or something.
FD: We’ll deliberately be the quirky British people.
> Are you nervous about being on American television?
BC: No we’re up for it man, yeah!
FD: Things will get captured forever which will be really cool but I’ll still be a little bit nervous.
> It’ll be on YouTube forever! I first saw The Whip at McCarren last summer, I don’t know if you remember that gig…
BC: It was so hot that day!
“…They’re carrying on a little bit of tradition. You can tie them to the whole Manchester heritage thing more so than us because we do dance music.”
> I don’t even remember who you opened for, just remember the set.
FD: Since that gig, I’ve met so many people who were there and just happened to stumble upon us. It was definitely a really good gig for us to do as we gained quite a lot of fans from it.
> This is a weird question but I’m curious as I’m not a musician. How do your families feel about your music and career choice?
FD: I think I can speak for the group in saying that our families have been really supportive –
BC: (distraught) We’re losing, you should put this in the interview. Basically it’s the most important football game in England and the satellite signal has gone out. I just found out we’re losing.
FD to BC: He asked if our families were supportive of what we’re doing.
BC: Deffo!
FD: My parents have been fans of music their whole lives and I grew up with music all around me. They were never given the opportunity to be musicians so it was important to them to introduce us to music at an early age. They love hearing about what we’re doing and stuff, they love it.
Bowery Ballroom, 4.2.09
> We interviewed The Courteeners a few weeks ago when they were opening for Morrissey in New York. They’re both obviously from Manchester. They told me their own perspective, but I’m curious to hear your take on the Manchester scene.
BC: It’s funny because we’re not back there much at all. We travel a lot and don’t get to keep up on the latest. We like going clubbing and only really know about that culture.
FD: The thing about The Courteeners is that they’re carrying on a little bit of tradition. You can tie them to the whole Manchester heritage thing more so than us because we do dance music.
Music is a global thing now with the internet, so scenes don’t exist as much anymore. They exist on a global level rather than regional because you can go on MySpace, find a band in France that’s got a similar sound as you and book a gig with them. That’s sort of what we’ve been doing so the whole Manchester thing doesn’t really apply to us.
BC: It’s not like we come to NY and say “this is the Manchester night!”
> That’s another question I had. When you come to New York do you have any say in what bands you play with? Late of the Pier seemed a bit more planned I take it.
BC: You just get put on the bill with right man bands, or right man DJ’s. Getting back to the Manchester thing though I asked The Ting Tings, they’re from Manchester as well, how many times they’ve been back and they told me 2 days in the last 9 months. End of statement.
FD: Our tour in America right now has been the longest we’ve been away from home. We’ve had 11 hour drives to the next gig but in England the longest drive is 4-5 hours with a show every night.
BC: When you’re traveling with a band it makes the world seem like this tiny place. The world seems manageable and smaller, it’s nuts.
I used to work in clubs and the bands would get all sweaty and I’d be like “What’s all that?” And now we’re on the other side of it pounding music…and the crowd goes nuts. You get anesthetized by the exposure, from travel, from clubs.
“When you’re traveling with a band it makes the world seem like this tiny place. The world seems manageable and smaller, it’s nuts.”
> I noticed you’ve got all these wristbands.
BC: Mr. VIP!
FD: He’s challenging himself to keep everything on from the American tour. I can’t handle it, I’ve always got to take mine off.
> It’s like a tree ring, you know how they have a ring for each year?
BC: Yeah, yeah totally! I pulled off a few because they got a bit skanky.
Bruce's Wristbands (via @TheWhipBand TwitPic)
> I’ve only got one more question left…
BC: Who’s gonna win The Wolves or Birmingham?
> Exactly, wonder who you’re rooting for (all laugh.) Have you seen any good shows while here in NY?.
BC: We caught Bloody Beetroots at Webster Hall.
FD: There were so many people outside you literally had to fight to get in, we finally managed to get in after a lot of hassle. It was kind of worth it when everything came together, when you have to make an effort to get in. We played with them last year and I’ve never seen it like that, there was a guy with a megaphone and there was no form of a queue. It was madness!
> I was there for the Presets earlier that night, but I didn’t stay for the DJ set.
BC: We seem to be following them everywhere. We DJ’ed the other night with Kim in Miami. We’re literally going around at the same time so I have to bump into them again.
> Well I don’t know if you want to add anything…
BC: The Wolves have got to win today it’s come to the end of the season, serious stuff!
> You got a pool or bet going or something?
BC: No no, just a couple of beers. We’re living the dream traveling town to town, loving it. Absolutely loving it.
FD: I think he said everything.
Thank you for your time!
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