Interviews

The Whip

Mike Caulfield 15/02/2007

Rising from the murky major label ashes of almost famous, 'Manctronica' purveyors, Nylon Pylon, the Manchester duo Bruce Carter and Danny Saville, collectively known as The Whip, have been rousing revellers and inducing frantic shape pulling with a series of vital singles and transcendent live shows for the past year. God Is in the TV caught up with Bruce Carter during a Club NME jaunt around Scotland to find out a little more about what they are about.

How's the tour going so far?

(BC) “It's going really good, we're having a really good time. It's great to just get out there and play the stuff more because the more we play, the tighter we sound as a band, so when we come to recording the album it's gonna be a step up from some of the stuff we've already recorded. Yeah we're having fun, and it's nice to get up to Scotland 'cause we haven't really played here before except for a little festival date last year, it's gonna be good.”

How are the new comers reacting?

(BC) “Really well, it's cool people seem to be getting into it a bit more, dancing about a lot more, so it's going really well, we're really happy.”

What can people expect from The Whip live experience?

(BC) “Lots of dancing about, there's far too many gigs where your back starts to ache from standing still too long. Just encouraging people to move about and have a good time, lots of energy, a little bit of sleaze, and a lot of moisture…”

How's the record coming along?

(BC) “Good, we're just doing the next single with Jas from Simian Mobile Disco and that's shaping up really nicely, he's doing a few edits and we're just finishing writing the last couple of songs, enough for an albums worth, then probably have it out some time during the year.”

How did Jas from Simian Mobile Disco become involved and what has he brought to the sessions so far?

(BC) “I think he just got in touch with us after a gig and really, really liked it. But they're finishing their own album at the moment so whenever he has time in between, he's working with us, and so if all goes well, we'll hopefully start doing the album with him.
He's cool, I can't believe how professional he is, and he works really quickly, bringing in lots of little bleats and beats that we might not have thought of, just stepped it up again for us really.”


What lessons have you picked up from the Nylon Pylon days?

(BC) “Aww…so many things, just from doing the wrong thing initially. But we're not remotely cynical about anything, you just learn from your past mistakes, like anything in your life and now we just feel a bit more confident about what we're doing. So a little bit older and wiser…”

How does the song writing process work between you and Danny, do you both bring in your own ideas or is it more of an organic process?

(BC) “One of us will bring in an idea and we'll sit down together and start adding different elements, like keyboards once we've got a vocal down. Then we'll probably do about six or seven different versions of the same song and they'll all come out different. Sometimes we'll be totally finished with a song and then realise that it's not working, so we'll strip it back down and start again, so sometimes it's a bit of a ball ache but it's worth it in the end.”

Are there any groups or artists you particularly identify with at the moment?

(BC) “Yeah loads of stuff, one of the problems with the Nylon Pylon stuff was that no one had heard anything like it at the time and thought, what the hell is this?! Things seem to have caught up a bit now, and there seems to be a bit more of a scene if you like, groups like Justice and The Presets, and a lot of the French stuff, so it's good to have more allies or people to identify with.”

What do you have planned for the rest of the year?

(BC) “We're just finishing this tour now, after that we'll probably finish off writing the album and then we're touring again in May leading into the festivals, and it'd be wicked if we could play at a few of the festivals. Then get the album sorted out and hopefully get it out by the end of the year.”

New single 'Muzzle No.1' is released through Southern Fried Records on February 26th


http://www.myspace.com/thewhipmanchester