Republic of Loose @ Reading Festival 2007

United Kingdom | by Ross Purdie | 03 September 2007

VF: How did your set go?
MP: “It was great here at Reading but at Leeds it wasn’t so good. There’s more atmosphere at Reading - the crowd were really up for it.”

VF: What do you think it is that makes Reading so great? Is it the crowds or the history?
MP: “It is quite legendary. Most people here are really psyched up for music, unlike Glastonbury where loads of people go for the general buzz and the atmosphere. Here at Reading its mostly real music fans.”

VF: Have you been here before?
MP: “No, but my sister played here and said it was the best festival in the world. She played them all [festivals] years and years ago.”

VF: What does your sister do?
MP: “She was in a band called Chicks.  She told me Reading was the best festival because it was just a bunch of kids who were really up for the music.”

VF: How is it going for you guys? You’re getting rave reviews for the new album and playing lots of live shows - is it all systems go?
MP: “It does seem to be going well. We’re getting some good press and a good vibe from the radio - we’re really enjoying getting back into it. The first album had an indie vibe to it, but for this album we seem to be getting a lot more acceptance for our sound. We’re really looking forward to the album coming out and touring some more. It looks like we are doing some support shows for Alabama 3 and then probably coming back to the UK to do our own tour in November.”

VF: I reckon you will have a fun time with Alabama 3.
MP: “They are always fun. We went out with them for a few months ago but we could only manage about five nights.”

VF: They are indestructible…
MP: “Yeah. When you speak to one of them on the phone they’re really chilled out, but when you see them on tour they are so pumped up.”

VF: What is the wildest tour you have done?
MP: "The first three years were pretty wild and then we copped on a bit. Our own tours in Ireland are always fun but there’s actually been a bit too much partying. We’ve been partying non-stop for four years - its time we started playing some fucking music.”

VF: What are your plans for the rest of the day?
MP: “We’re only here for a couple of hours. We have a DJ set later on then we have to leg it back to Ireland because we are in the studio tomorrow.”

VF: What sort of music are you going to play in your DJ set?
MP: “Some hip hop, a bit of Soul and maybe some Country.”

VF: Any survival tips for our festival goers?
MP: “Pray to God that it’s sunny - if it is raining its fucking hell on Earth.”

VF: Have you played any other festivals this year?
MP: “We played Glastonbury and we’ve played loads of small festivals around Ireland - in town squares and stuff.”

VF: Do you get the best reception from the home crowd in Ireland?
MP: “Yeah. That’s where we sell most of our records.”

VF: Do you have any tips for new bands breaking through? What is the key to success?
MP: “The major thing is don’t listen to the rubbish that major record labels are saying -  they are going to tell you fucking lies and take all of your money. The main thing is listen to your fans and listen to the crowd. Just do it all yourself. Why do you need a moron in a record company telling you what to do?  We proved we could do it in Ireland. We sell records without being signed to a label. If you want to play music - just play it. If you want to be a rock star - take lots of drugs and sleep with models.”

VF: What’s the worst thing in the industry right now?
MP: “The worst thing is the big labels telling bands how to make music. On the flip side the internet is a great and liberating phenomenon – it’s giving bands a sense of freedom and artistic license.”

VF: How did you guys go about doing this?
MP: “Basically we couldn’t get a record deal for a very long time but now we’re delighted we couldn’t because it has worked out a lot better. We used Ireland as our base. We wrote a lot of songs which ended up doing really well on the radio and then we toured the place on our own. Now we’re touring the UK on our own but we’re distributing via Universal and Nylon. The risk is huge, but the reward is that you don’t have to sell twenty five million records to be allowed to make a second album.”

VF: Do you think that because there are so many of you it adds to your success?
MP: “Nine heads are better than one! We all help each other.  The reason there are so many of us is because if we want the music to sound as it does in the studio we really need to have backing vocals and the like when we play it live. We could do it without that but it just doesn’t sound as good. At the end of the day we are losing money because of it. But I would rather give the audience a good show than play a gig we weren’t happy playing. In the end it’s all about the audience. But it is really fun having so many in the band - it’s a lot less intense.”

VF: Does having lots of people ever get too much?
MP: “It’s like being on a primary school trip sometimes but it’s cool.”

VF: What are the other guys up to right now?
MP: “They’re just sitting around getting sunstroke.”