Rob finds out what's on satan's iPod.
First glances would suggest Worriedaboutsatan are just your bog-standard indie electronica act. But scratch some of the paint off and you’ll find one of those rare as hell bands who are able to perform that almost impossible trick of making normally cold electronic music sounds deep and affecting at the same time.
Using a combination of laptops and guitars on stage, the Leeds-based duo throw out an intricate web of structures that somehow combine both post-rock and IDM: their music is equally at home on Fabric’s dancefloors as it is pumping out of some beat-up hipster flat in Homerton.
I caught up with Tom and Gavin to ask them about the dark one...
We Can Make It Out (worriedaboutsatan remix) by worriedaboutsatan
So, are you seriously worried about Satan? I noticed Mogwai fear Satan as well.
Gavin: Haha, no, we’re not actually worried about him! The name comes from a song by a Belgian band called dEUS. A lot of people think we’re either religious, massive Mogwai rip-offs, or just Goths. We’re none of those.
Are you the antithesis to Arthur Brown?
Tom: No, not at all. The name ‘worriedaboutsatan’ is also taken from the fact that we spend a lot of time with Satan, and we are generally worried about him. He’s still very young and he has a very bad temper.
Behind Satan, what would you say are your biggest fears?
Gavin: Good question… probably ending up working in an office for the rest of our lives.
Did you see the Pope's top ten albums of all time last year? What do you think might be on Satan's list if we asked his spokesperson?
Tom: ‘The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’ (obviously), ‘In Torment in Hell’ by Deicide (he sleeps to this on his iPod), and ‘Time, Love and Tenderness’ by Michael Bolton.
Anyway, on to more important things, 'Arrivals' was released in 2009. Can fans expect anything new in the pipeline?
Tom: Of course! We’ve finished an entirely new album. It should hopefully see the dark of the night by summer. The new album is a lot beefier and a bit more dance floor, but somehow managing to have more guitar on it than 'Arrivals'.
You released 'Heart Monitor' last year. That returned to a slightly more organic sound. Was it an intentional contrast to step away from this for the record?
Gavin: 'Heart Monitor' sounded of itself, and not like the other stuff we had for the record, so we decided to do a little bridging-the-gap single with it instead. There wasn’t any intention to 'break away' from this or that. We don’t really have a ‘genre’ to call home anyway – we used to write metal riffs, after all.
'Heart Monitor' is a deeply affecting track. Is there a lot that goes into these songs personally? It's not something you notice a hell of a lot in electronic music.
Tom: Yes, you’re right, there isn’t much personality in electronic music; I think it’s the same with all genres though. A lot of people are making music like someone else now, doing sound-a-likes. Their influences are coming from other artists’ music, rather than their own experiences and feelings.
Ok, I didn’t want to get onto this, but since I've drawn myself in, would you say you’re electronica or post-rock?
Gavin: Both genres have elements we take from, but we don’t really sit that comfortably in either. Rock kids see laptops and don’t like it, and dance kids see guitars and don’t like it either!
A lot of your music contains a rich calmness that, after a night out has undertones of what may have been on the dance floor the night before. Do you shift it up a gear on the live stage?
Gavin: Ha ha, yes. Live, we’re a different beast to on record. It has to be. There’s nothing worse than watching one person looking like they’re checking their emails onstage. You have to construct an engaging experience for the audience – they paid to come see something, after all. We have live drums, vocals, and lots more guitar. The inspiration for our on-stage presence comes from bands like Slayer. Seriously.
Finally, you also had a remix album. Who would be your dream remix swap?
Tom: I would loooooooooove to do a remix swap with Nine Inch Nails. That has to be the dream. Trent, if you’re reading this, get in touch. I also need that cake tin back...
Worriedaboutsatan play the Old Blue Last this Friday.
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