Summer festivals are coming to an end but Theme Park is just getting started.
It's quite hard to keep track of things, especially in London. You wake up every day, only to see yourself swimming against a sea of suits, battling over which band to see and choosing from an ocean of restaurants to cook you exactly the plate you want. We are constantly hit by tidal waves of the coolest that, newest this and freshest what’s next, that you end up not knowing which is which.
At least with Theme Park, you know where you stand. Made up of twin brothers Marcus and Miles, and two friends Louis and Oscar, Theme Park intricately knit together music that weaves beautifully assembled pieces and keeps you constantly locked to their unique sounds and returning back for the repeat button. Having earned comparisons with the likes of Talking Heads and Bon Iver this fresh faced London quartet certainly have the hype machine all riled up, and for once it’s for all the right reason.
About to release the singles 'Wax' and 'Mountain We Love’, I caught up with them at the Strongrooms for a pint and a good swoon.
Wax by Theme Park
So how did Theme Park first get together?
Miles: Me and brother Marcus are twins so we've been writing together for a while just at home. Oscar and Louis are both our friends from school and we knew they were great musicians, so it kind of made sense to get them in the band.
You’ve been compared to Talking Heads and Bon Iver – is that something your pleased with?
Marcus: Talking Heads and Bon Iver are influences, yeah, but I wouldn't say they were our only influences. We listen to a lot of LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead and the Beach Boys. I guess you probably wouldn't be able to hear what we listen to in our songs and a lot of things you can probably hear we don't actually listen to.
Oscar: Talking Heads and Bon Iver was stuff that we listened to a while ago and you sort of write music that sounds like what you listen to a bit a while ago. Who knows? Maybe in five years the stuff I'm listening to now will come through. It’s a strange filtering process.
How do you feel playing in London's fast-forward music scene? Pressure? Excitement?
Marcus: Not pressure. I think it's exciting. There's something going on musically. There are lots of gigs and cool stuff happening.
Where do you guys hang out in London?
Marcus: Lots of bands hang out at the Lexington. It's actually where we are playing. That's coincidental. Also Hoxton Bar and Grill, Shacklewell Arms and Effes in Stoke Newington.
Miles: Corsica Studios...even though I don't like it. I tend to find myself seeing a fair few things. It is quite an evil place!
Isn’t your show on 31st August Theme Park's first official show? How do you guys feel about that?
Marcus: Nervous.
Oscar: I'm so excited!
Miles: I don't know. We'll see how it goes. As long as we don’t mess up and people like it, then we can get drunk after.
What's the deal behind 'Mountain We Love' anyway?
Miles: I don't know. The video is a kind of a collage. I think the song is a kind of a collage. As opposed to being about one idea there are lots of shards of ideas and things. A picture with lots of bits to it.
Marcus: Sound-wise it's got a lot of clarity to it. There's lots of space within the sound.
Miles: There's not that many parts. I like the bass line.
So what’s the plan from here on in guys?
Oscar: First of all writing enough songs to put together some form of album in the future. Play as many gigs as people will tolerate and hopefully progress as a band.
Theme Park play the Lexington on the 31st August.
Add an event
Frieze Art Fair to launch new section for young galleries in 2012
Frieze have today announced details for the 2012 edition, their tenth art fair in London. Taking place...