Hawk Eyes Interviewed At Damnation Festival 2012 (Interview)
Friday, 30 November 2012
Written by Ben Bland
Stereoboard spoke to Hawk Eyes guitarist Rob Stephens and bassist Ryan Clark about this year’s brilliant album, 'Ideas', touring hard... and milk...
It’s been a really busy six months or so for you guys, since the release of 'Ideas'. What are your feelings about the really positive reaction that record got, particularly considering the name change the band went through after the previous album, 'Modern Bodies'?
Rob: I think there was maybe a little bit of relief. You never know how people are going to receive things after all, but “Ideas” got a ridiculously positive reception. It’s just been an amazing year, pretty non-stop but still great.
Ryan: The critical reception always helps because it tends to get you more opportunities but it’s not the reason we make the records. Hawk Eyes is a self-serving project to fulfil our needs first and foremost.
Rob: If anyone else likes it that’s just a bonus!
How do you see the progression of the band’s sound from 'Modern Bodies' through the 'Mindhammers' EP last year to 'Ideas'?
Rob: We felt 'Modern Bodies' was a bit too samey sounding in some ways I think...
Ryan: It is essentially just forty-five minutes of ‘get fucked’ isn’t it really? “Ideas”, I think, was about us introducing more dynamics to what we do.
Rob: We really wanted to make each song different and unique I suppose.
You guys are obviously from Leeds, and therefore are part of a very productive Leeds music scene at the moment. How far do you think that has shaped you as a band?
Rob: I think we are definitely a band born out of the Leeds scene. All our first gigs were DIY Leeds scene gigs, and in fact apart from me and Ryan we all met at some stage through the Leeds music scene. We owe everything to the music scene in Leeds, everything from promoters to our press guys to people to help with our artwork...
Ryan: I just think Leeds is an amazing place to learn your craft as a band, and I think we have benefited hugely from the city as a band.
There’s a lot of almost hidden complexity in Hawk Eyes’ music, things that maybe you wouldn’t notice before watching you play live...
Rob: Yeah that’s obviously a tricky one in a way. I mean, what’s the point of a riff if you can’t hum it? That’s the way I kinda look at it.
Ryan: I think all the little hidden elements we include maybe don’t come out straight away but there are always some cool things under the surface for sure, little lead lines or whatever. There’s an intricacy that isn’t at the forefront of the music but very much soaked in at the same time.
You guys have quite an ‘in your face’ live show, with Paul (Astick, frontman) regularly taking guitar and mic stand into the crowd if he fancies it. Where do you think that springs from?
Rob: I guess it’s partly because we’ve played with so many heavier bands from Leeds over the years. We never wanted it to be that we weren’t being taken notice of when on stage…
Ryan: Also, this is the music we love and so we get off on playing it ourselves of course. It’s not like we are just going to stand there, we want to dance around and get into it and we want other people to do the same thing. At the end of the day if you aren’t going to play hard and give a good show there is no point in turning up anyway.
Going back to 'Ideas', which has raised the profile of the band a fair bit I suppose, do you have any plans to capitalise on that further? Are you already thinking about future records?
Rob: Yeah we’ve already started coming up with new things. We’re in the really early stages at the moment but as soon as the tour with Therapy? is done we are just going to really knuckle down and get on with it. This is what we love doing and I think we all really feel like getting back into the studio and sorting the third record out is in the best interests of the band because we have already toured this record pretty hard after all.
There’s a song on 'Ideas' called 'Milk Hog'. What is a 'Milk Hog'? One of my mates thinks it sounds like a really shit dessert…
Ryan: Someone who has to have all the milk!
Rob: (laughs) Erm, it came from our old drummer Matt. He used to get very giddy from drinking milk...not from alcohol or energy drinks or anything; he just used to get high off milk so he was the milk hog. Riders full of milk for Hawk Eyes!
My stock Damnation Festival question is this; If you could consign one thing to eternal damnation what would it be and why?
Rob: (laughs) Argh, Room 101… the Michael Bay Transformer films would have to be up there. (Ryan guffaws in the background) This is going to sound really geeky I know but he ruined Transformers for everyone. He changed the entire back story for all the Transformers and, the way I look at it, the only thing that achieved was to piss off long-term Transformers fans. All the people who go to the film just for the explosions and stuff don’t care about that so why bother changing it? All he did was piss off people who actually liked Transformers originally…
Ryan: That doesn’t change the fact that you can still have the fight sequences the same does it? All he had to do was keep in the same background story and everyone would have been fine with it.
Rob: Sorry I didn’t come up with anything more insightful or thought-provoking…
Ryan: I dunno mate, I think that one is definitely going to get people thinking. On the other hand, though, I would just like to say that my heart is too full of love to consign anything or anyone to eternal damnation. I’m obviously too nice. That’s probably a better reflection on our band!
'Ideas' is out now via Fierce Panda. Hawk Eyes are currently on tour with the excellent LaFaro and the legendary Therapy?
Fri November 30th 2012 - Glasgow Garage, Glasgow
Sat December 1st 2012 - Manchester Academy 2, Manchester
Sun December 2nd 2012 - Central Station, Wrexham
Tue December 4th 2012 - Sub89, Reading
Wed December 5th 2012 - The Globe, Cardiff
Thu December 6th 2012 - Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth
Fri December 7th 2012 - KOKO, London
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It’s been a really busy six months or so for you guys, since the release of 'Ideas'. What are your feelings about the really positive reaction that record got, particularly considering the name change the band went through after the previous album, 'Modern Bodies'?
