Interview : The Rakes
The Little Stalkers : What were your reactions when you read Klang reviews ?
Jamie (bass) : Most reviews were pretty good. It was a relief. It put us in a good mood for the tour.
TLS : What about the reaction of the crowds so far ?
Matthew (guitar) : It’s been really really great. If the crowd doesn’t go wild you can’t go wild, really. You need to have them going.
Jamie : We haven’t been there for three and half year, but at the end of the set, people go very wild.
Matthew : Manchester was the best one.
TLS : Why ?
Matthew : There is something about Manchester. When we first went to Manchester, no one really liked us. It was like a cold shower. But they gradually came round. Because of comparisons with Joy Division made by journalists, they thought we were just a bunch of Southerners trying to be Joy Division - maybe. But then they realized there were obviously quite big differences between Joy Division and The Rakes. They were really crazy last time.
TLS : I think there’s a big suspicion of any London band in Manchester as well ...
Matthew : Exactly. And they’ve got a lot of bands to be proud of. They are quite protective that way.
Jamie : There’s a thing about all those Mancunian bands though ... Oasis, Happy Mondays, the Stone Roses – they never really made it abroad, especially America. I think Mancunian music is very English in a way, and only really stays in England. But it’s massive in England.
TLS : Do you mind when people react more to the first album songs rather than the last ?
Matthew : I don’t think that’s true. We’ve been playing We Danced Together (One of the Rakes’ second album Ten News Messages single) here – the people went mad. We Danced Together especially, they were really singing so loud. Normally I can’t hear when people sing along, but here I could hear it.
Jamie : People react more to The World Was a Mess (...) and We Danced Together than any other song actually.
Matthew : Apart from 22 Grand Job. It’s a single thing !
CB.
