Preview: Red Drapes at The Old Queens Head

Preview: Red Drapes at The Old Queens Head

31 August, 2010
by: Timthackray

We catch up with Red Drapes ahead of their residency launch at The Old Queens Head. 

Red Drapes are a band wrapped up in romantic Englishness and were named a such to evoke images of love-torn cities and historic courting. This feeds through into their music which delves into the distinctly English sounds of rock music including The Smiths and Joy Division. All this adds up to a brooding, intelligent and captivating sound which flashes with nostalgic glimpses of hope. 

Formed in London, they have since “thrown their arms around the city” and are starting a residency at The Old Queen's Head on Thursday 2nd September. We caught up for a chat.

'Reflection' by Red Drapes by RED DRAPES

Biggest musical influences?

We have great respect for bands past and present that have the heart on sleeve approach, who just write what they desire however dreadfully honest it is. Namely The Smiths, Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen, and The Cure, as well as, say, Billie Holiday and Jeff Buckley.

Two non-musical influences?

We very much like to document what goes on around us and there's plenty of subject matter in the city. We bserve the everyday, from an engagement with a stranger to immersing yourself in your own thoughts. Poetry and a is something we regularly emotionally involve ourselves with. I think it's important to surround yourself with things you can absorb as a writer and to create portraits.

What did your first band practice sound like?

I remember it sounding quite good actually. We all just got into our own head spaces and stuck there and that's kind of how it works now and why we write and sound like we do. I remember there being a strange but special feeling of something just feeling right about the way we played together and that's still very much there today.

What do you aim for with your live sound?

It's important to be entertaining but also to deliver songs honestly. I think it's very important for an audience to be able to feel the thoughts and emotions of the band and the performance. When you feel you've shared something with a crowd or they've been able to understand what you wish to display – that's half the battle won. We deliver the songs with different angst or delicateness at every show depending on how we feel at that moment.

Best gig so far?

I think one of the gigs that stands out would be spring of this year at Bang Bang Club in Berlin. It was the first time we had played in Europe and we were very well received.

Do you buy your music from record shops or online?

Record shops. I enjoy the process of just being in a record store and find that buying is sometimes more fulfilling than the listening as it's such an exciting environment with such an expanse of music. Sadly I think that experience is in decline.

Best venue to play in London?

We've always enjoyed playing 93 Feet East on Brick Lane as it has a nice stage and the sound is great. The Macbeth is also great and always has a good vibe. I think the venue has to be interesting, with some sort of niche to it that can really help with the experience of seeing a band. We're starting a monthly residency at The Old Queens Head in Angel – that's a really interesting and beautiful venue and we've always really enjoyed the intimacy of it. We're very much looking forward to playing there.

What's your opinion on the music scene at the moment?

I think the scene is very exciting. There are a lot of great bands regularly emerging and I think there's some really great US bands breaking through here. It's nice to see us swapping shores more, with us showing our Englishness to them and America in return.

Do new bands still have something relevant to say?

There are more bands than ever at the moment all striving to be heard and that's something that should be embraced. The only thing I would say is that bands should work together more in creating scenes and lose the competitive streaks that can be hard to break.

Your record collection is seconds away from being destroyed; what three records do you save?

I think that changes all the time, so that would make saving very difficult, but probably 'Low' by Bowie, 'Queen Is Dead' by The Smiths and 'Love is Hell' by Ryan Adams. But sense would say probably grab the Neil Youngs, Beatles etc. I hope this never happens!

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Timthackray