Stereoboard Talk To 12 Dirty Bullets About Their US Tour, New Album & Making A Living (Interview)
Friday, 16 December 2011
Written by Gemma Johnson
Since the release of their debut ‘Downsides to Making A Living’ two years ago, things have been on the upside for London based Indie outfit, 12 Dirty Bullets. Fresh off the back of a 44 date stint across America after reaching number one in the US radio charts, as well as giving Europe the quick once over, before embarking on the UK leg of their tour, the band proves that hard work pays off. In Camden’s swanky Bar Solo, 12 Dirty Bullets Front man, Jamie waits patiently with a brew to be interviewed...“There aren’t any musicians here today, it’s just me, they’re all in the studio recording for the new album!” He says shaking Stereo Board’s hand with excitement. During our interview, Jamie talks America, the new album and the downsides to making a living.
Having only formed 4 years ago, you guys have just toured America, that’s a big achievement in a short space of time, how was it you? Any tales along the way?
Jamie - It was an amazing experience and it was a difficult one, it was a testing one cause we just got a new drummer the weeks before. I think the whole thing was just an incredible experience we were staying in New York City one night to Chicago the next and then out in the desert and people were walking round with hand guns on their hips and stuff. It was just mad, every state you go into there’s different laws, way of life it’s just crazy. It was a great experience but we would do it like that again, it was just so intense ya’ know what I mean.
Your Tour Manager tells me you reached higher in the radio charts in some states, than Florence and the Machine, how did that feel? Was that with a specific song or your debut album?
Jamie - It was a specific song we released before the tour called “Motown.” It was in the radio charts, so it was the top 50 songs being played across America that week. But because we didn’t have any money or clout it was just for that week, it was alright, would have been better if it was in the actual charts but it was cool to have achieved that.
Jamie, you and Josh are brothers, what’s it like working together?
Jamie - Shite! Nah it’s not too bad man, sometimes it gets heavy cause we live together as well and it can be a bit much, but I mean when we were younger there was a lot of fighting but now we just kind of get on with it a bit more. Were all goin’ in the same direction as well, so it’s just easier to get on! We do fight a lot though to be honest- and clash.
Who are your main influences?
Jamie - My musical influences at the minute are Laura Marling and Daniel Johnston who is an American writer. People have said we are poetic before, but I don’t read poetry or anything like that. I just write about anything that goes on in my head, my lyrics are all directly related to what’s going on in my life, but I’m definitely not a poet, I’m not bright enough for it (nervous laugh.)
NME began supporting the band early on, do you think you’ve just been lucky and in the right place at the right time, or do you think someone or something else is responsible for where you are today?
Jamie - We recorded the first album just as the recession was beginning so no labels were signing anyone. The publishers we were gonna be working with collapsed, so it’s been a bit uphill for us really. But I think the reason why we got clout behind us from NME is because we work so hard and they can see that, we are working class people, it’s in a blood do ya know what I mean.
What was the choice behind the name of the new album ‘Downsides of making a living?’
Jamie - I suppose at the time I wrote it that was on my mind a lot, leaving sixth form and everyone was like get a job or go to university and I thought the options were the “down sides to making a living” and a bit shit, so I started band and tried that.
I notice track names like ‘Dark Tales of a Policeman’ and ‘Champagne and Cocaine’ both seem to relate to the album’s title in some way. Is the album supposed to tell a story?
Jamie - They do connect yeah, but I tell you, when I wrote those songs and we put them together, I has no intention of there being a reoccurring theme or a flow. It wasn’t until other people started saying it that I thought ‘oh yeah maybe it did!’ It wasn’t intentional, but everything that went in there from “Champaign and Cocain” to “Dark Tales of a Policeman,” related to experiences that happened on a daily basis, and I just picked up on it all from there. It was just a snap shot of what was going on at the time, and unintentionally it kind of flowed.
What do you think sets you apart (as a band) from the rest?
Jamie - I think we work harder and to be honest with you I know there are bands that work hard but for us personally, there aren’t many bands that are unsigned, touring America, Europe and Britain over a 4 month period completely on their own, writing, recording and producing their own stuff... I just don’t know many other bands doing it on that scale, at our level.
Can you give us any hints as to what the new album is going to sound like?
Jamie - We just nearly finished our second album, it sounds great. There’s two piano songs on their that we didn’t have on the first one, by accident an old lady who lived next door was moving house so she gave me her piano and then she died and I kept it, so I just wrote a couple of songs on there. There’s dark moments, there’s some softer moments, I think the song writings got better the musicianship has got better, it’s a lot stronger album and there’s gonna between 11 and 13 tracks and were just working on the title and everything now so it’ll be ready for early next year. It’s matured and moved on a lot [in sound] from what we did before and without a doubt, people who have heard the samples have said that as well.
12 Dirty Bullets are on tour in the UK now, checkout facebook.com/12dirtybullets for all dates.
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