The fast-paced world of media is intrinsically unpredictable, so it's hardly surprising that I only discover I'm to interview Rogues just hours before I'm due to leave the office. Having enquired about recording equipment, I'm told that almost the entire supply of Spoonfed dictaphones is on loan to various contributors. 'How do you feel about going old school?' Joe asks me, before producing what appears to be a huge, black, plastic brick. 'This thing's cool. My dad used it to interview Richard Nixon.' Wow. That is pretty impressive. But I'm nonetheless not too keen on lugging it around KOKO with me.
Fortunately, Jonathan comes to my rescue and offers me his impressively small and lightweight (ergo handbag-friendly) digital recorder. 'Batteries?' 'Should last for at least an hour.' Marvellous. I still decide to use the record facility on my phone as a back up though - you know, just in case.
The interview is pretty well attended. As well as vocalist/guitarists Pearse MacIntyre and Sam James, I'm joined by fellow Spooner Tom, photographer Elena Legakis and Rogues' manager Ross Grady. With the various recording devices strategically placed around the room, we're ready to begin.
GT: Thanks for taking the time to speak to us. You've only been together as a band since August, but you're doing pretty well so far. You've been on tour with Iglu & Hartly and you already have a single under your belt. What would you say the highlight's been so far?
PM: We did a Steve Lamacq Radio One Live Session about a month after our first gig. We didn't really know how to play together by that point. It was the highlight because we didn't expect it. I think we've improved a lot since then. That was a pretty cool moment.
SJ: Tonight should be a highlight I think.
PM: Yeah we like The Virgins so we're looking forward to seeing them live.
Photo credit: Elena Legakis
GT: How do you feel about Club NME? It tends to provoke extreme reactions at both ends of the scale.
PM: Well it depends where it is really. KOKO is quite cool. It's kind of the epitome of NMEness.
SJ: We played at Club NME in Derby last night and it was completely different. There wasn't any sort of NME vibe at all really. There were these old funk fellas playing. The crowd didn't even stick around to see us and they drunk all our beer. It was probably the worst gig we've ever done, but everything else we've done NME-wise has been good. The NME Shockwaves tour was good.
GT: What was it like going on tour with Iglu & Hartly?
SJ: They were good fun.
GT: Do you have any interesting tour stories?
PM: Yeah a couple but I don't know if they're broadcastable. Jarvis is very much a pushing force and always makes sure something happens. I think we learnt a lot from their shows, especially about engaging with the audience.
SJ: Yeah he was telling me about looking at the crowd and saying that you should hold the gaze of a girl for 20 seconds, and then move on and hold the gaze of another girl for 20 seconds and then you hold the gaze of a boy for 10 seconds.
Photo credit: Elena Legakis
GT: You released your debut single a couple of weeks ago. How do you think that went?
SJ: Good so far, it got in the NME's '10 Tracks You Have To Hear This Week'.
RG: Yeah and it's sold out.
PM: It's been getting lots of good reactions. It's kind of dependent on airplay how widely known it is, but everyone who's heard it either likes it or doesn't have the balls to say they don't.
SJ: And on this tour we've been on just now there have been a few places where there have been kids singing along and afterwards it turns out they've downloaded it, which I was impressed with - making waves with random kids. I wasn't expecting that at all.
GT: I hear 'Not So Pretty' is autobiographical. So are you quite ugly on the inside?
PM: Yeah. I don't know about the other three, but I know that he (Sam) is minging on the inside. But it's not really specifically about me or Sam.
GT: But you are quite pretty as a band in general. Is that something you work on? Is image important to you?
PM: I suppose so. You need to have some kind of unified visual thing. I've started putting this band around my head in an attempt to look cool.
GT: So out of the five of you, who takes the longest to get ready?
PM: (Turns to Sam) It's probably you actually. He's always the last out of the Travel Lodge.
SJ: I like to think that's because I'm checking that all the rooms are empty.
GT: A lot of critics (er, including me) have compared your sound to Foals. How do you feel about that?
PM: It's not mathematical like Foals. We don't use anything computerised. There's no sequencing or anything. I do like Foals but I think the general feeling you get from our music is different.
SJ: There are a few songs that have that angular guitar playing but I think a lot of the other songs are quite different.
Photo credit: Elena Legakis
I pick up the dictaphone. The battery has died. I have no idea how much it has recorded. No matter, I still have my phone. I check that too. It's stopped recording. FAIL. I begin to panic. 'You're going to love me' says Elena as she whips out her portable tape recorder. 'I pressed record as I came in.' Yes, I do in fact love her. 'This always happens to people with digital recorders. Everyone makes fun of me because I have an old school tape recorder but it always comes through.' Which just goes to show that old school wins hands down. Next time I'm going to use the Nixon recorder.
To read the full interview, check out the Spoonfed blog.
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