Some bands you discover and you just connect with from the outset. For me, The Whip are one such band. Hailing from Manchester, I first discovered them on MySpace, when their debut CD was just a twinkling in their collective eyes. I used MySpace a lot back in the day and discovered many bands through them; however, The Whip are one of a handful that I still follow to this day. Their music is astounding, completely different to the usual pop/electro/rock bands currently on the scene. From the first time I heard their song Trash they grabbed hold of my ears and have not relinquished them yet.
So you can imagine my excitement when I was lucky enough to interview Bruce prior to their upcoming gig at the renowned King Tuts Wah Wah Hut on 9th September, prior to the release of their new album Wired Together on 19th September. In addition to speaking to one of my musical heroes it was the first interview I had ever done, so I was a bit of a wreck. There was no need though and I hope you will enjoy reading the interview as much as I enjoyed doing it.
The Whip formed in 2006 after Bruce spent a year demoing material around Manchester. He already knew Nathan (Sudders) and asked him to give the bass a shot. Nathan then put Bruce in touch with the drummer, Fee (Fiona Daniel), who was his then-girlfriend. Unfortunately by the time the first rehearsal came around Nathan and Fee had split up, which understandably caused some concern. This concern did not last for long, as Bruce said “they have a great relationship though, they’re like brother and sister and really look out for each other.”
It is difficult to describe the Whip, and they are not a band who can be put into a box and then stay there. They describe themselves on their Facebook page as “Part man. Part machine”, a very apt quote. They are a combination of your traditional indie band with heavy heavy emphasis on electronica elements. Seeing them play live is an experience in itself as they can play songs like Muzzle No. 1 which are perhaps more traditionally “indie” but then segue into a track like Divebomb, which is pure dance at its best and always gets the punters bouncing.
The Whip have released two albums, X Marks Destination in 2008 and a remix album, Remix Marks Destination, also in 2008. They spent a lot of time touring and promoting X Marks Destination, hence the slight delay in getting their new release out there. Bruce now understands how this happens. “I always wondered why some bands took so long in releasing new material but we were so meticulous with ours and took so long going through it all with a fine tooth comb”. Bruce said “we spent most of last year in the studio working on the new album, but we also demoed songs and wrote constantly while on the X Marks Destination tour”. Perfection does indeed take time, and from the 5 tracks from Wired Together currently posted on their website, it has paid off.
For those Whip fans who, like me, can’t get enough of them Bruce assures you that there shouldn’t be as much of a wait for the next album! Bruce said “we have songs ready to go which didn’t fit the mould for Wired Together but which we are hoping to get onto our next release.”
Wired Together shows a definite progression while still remaining true to the original Whip sound showcased on X Marks Destination. Bruce said “The tour for the first album took in a lot of club dates and we also ended up playing a lot of our own remixes of other bands’ music. So our sound naturally came together.” I asked whether Bruce would say that Wired Together was more electro-sounding and Bruce agreed. “The producer we worked with on Wired Together was more heavily dance-orientated. We would record the live instruments and then listen to loops non-stop and build up the tracks from there.”
I also asked Bruce whether the tracks on Wired Together placed more emphasis on vocals and lyrics than those on X Marks Destination and he replied “on the first album we used lyrical loops a lot but on this new release I put everything into the lyrics.”
Unsurprisingly Bruce has been inspired by a wide range of artists. He said “I was inspired by loads of people growing up. My dad was right into his music and loved the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and the Birds so they were always an influence. I then discovered bands like Kraftwerk, Talking Heads and Teenage Fanclub, who are from your neck of the woods. Primal Scream’s Screamadelica was another big influence while we were recording Wired Together and we would listen to it constantly.” I told Bruce that it was my biggest regret that I had missed getting tickets for the recent gig where Primal Scream played Screamadelica from start to finish and he told me “it was brilliant to see them perform it live”. Talk about rubbing it in!
I asked Bruce what their touring schedule was. Along with the gigs supporting The Music he said “these upcoming September dates are really just a mini tour to test the new songs. We’ve always loved playing in Glasgow, Manchester is our home town and bands always need to do a gig in London”. A full tour is on the cards after the release of Wired Together.
The Whip have toured extensively in the past. When they were just starting out they supported The Music, a band they have great respect for. The feeling is obviously mutual as The Music asked The Whip if they would be the support act on their farewell tour. Bruce remembered playing the Barrowlands in a support capacity and said “the lights went down and pints of Tennents came flying out at us from everywhere”. Those music fans who go to the Barrowlands will know that this is a common occurrence, with not only beer being chucked…
The Whip have played many venues up and down the country as well as travelling abroad. Bruce said “Fuji Rock was amazing. We were asked to do this gig when we were just starting out, before we even had a record deal and had just been putting music out on the internet. It was our first time leaving the country for a gig and we ended up on the other side of the world! The Japanese are very polite and it was great to see them all having such a wicked time. We all got a bit emotional after the gig”. The Whip were also on the bill at Glastonbury this year, playing the Other Stage. Bruce said “that was the most people we have ever played to. It was cool playing to that amount of people”.
When asked about their worst gig Bruce said “Just the small towns when you start out when you’re playing to one man and his dog.” This is definitely well behind them now, what with the following they have and will no doubt build upon when Wired Together hits the airwaves.
The Whip’s recordings are fantastic, but the cherry on the Whip cake is that they really come into their element live. I asked Bruce what his favourite track to perform live is, telling him that mine is Divebomb. Bruce said “yeah, that’s good, because I get a rest from the singing and get to chill out with the keyboards! That song has a unique vibe. I’m really liking playing the new songs though. We recently played Kendal Calling when our set ran over and we had to decide what two songs to drop. It’s just a matter of working out what songs work best where. Riot is going down well live.”
They’ve had a few bizarre occurrences at gigs. Bruce said “we played a tiny bar in Barnsley when we were just starting out. I used to sing with my eyes closed and after we got off the stage the guys said ‘did you see that guy at the front?’ It turned out he had whipped his trousers down but I missed it all!” Probably not a bad thing, could have been terribly distracting! Bruce went on: “At another gig at Preston Fee’s monitor fried. The gig was really good until I started smelling something burning. It ended up with naked flames coming out of the monitor but we didn’t stop playing until the song was done.” Now that is devotion, running the risk of turning into Crispy Fried Whip to get the song done.
As we wound up the interview I asked Bruce why he loved playing Scotland so much. He said “it sounds like a cliché but everyone’s well up for a party. I have Scottish relatives and there’s always loads of energy in Scotland”.
I can definitely concur with this, having seen The Whip twice, once at King Tuts and once at the Arches. Both were utterly fantastic and would easily be counted as amongst my most favourite gigs ever. I have tickets booked for the upcoming Tuts gig in September and am counting the days, it’s going to be a blinder.
Visit www.thewhipband.com to listen to the 5 tracks from their new song and book tickets for the upcoming September gigs. They also have a Facebook page which can be found at www.facebook.com/thewhip.
Go home, check out their tunes and BOOK TICKETS FOR THE GIG! I guarantee that you will not see a better live act than the Whip.
