Calling themselves an indie folk rock band from Hong Kong, Noughts and Exes have been making the rounds playing music festivals and launching 3 albums within the 3 years of their formation. With their latest album launching tomorrow night, loyal followers are promised with an even bigger sound having already wowed audiences with their critically acclaimed sophomore album The Start of Us. Scroll below for the interview!
If you guys had to describe yourself as a fruit, what would it be?
Alex Bedwell: Eggplant. Or would we naturally want to be
something cute like a Tangerine?
Everyone: Hmmm… Durian! [Laughs]
Nick Chan: Oh I get it! Prickly on the outside, sweet on the
inside?
Alix Farquhar: I was thinking more of a pineapple actually.
Winnie Lau: We’re definitely not that tropical though.
AF: You’re right. It’s definitely got to be something sweet.
Winnie (Bago) Lau: And it’s got to be a little more
sophisticated. I think a fig would be nice?
Gideon So: [Shakes head}
NC: Guess someone isn’t a fan. I’m guessing that you guys are a cross hybrid fruit of all the things you’ve just mentioned?
NC: Guess someone isn’t a fan. I’m guessing that you guys are a cross hybrid fruit of all the things you’ve just mentioned?
AF: [Laughs] I think we’ll have to get back to that one…
AB: Fruit salad anyone?
(Quick side note, Josh Wong correctly identified each
person’s answer at the end)
What are you guys listening to right now?
AF: I was
just listening to Simian Mobile Disco recently.
WBL: I’m
playing gangster hip hop right now.
NC: And I
picture you wearing gold chains and whatnot…
AF: Just
swaggerin’ down the street.
GS: I’m listening to a collaborative album by 4tet artist
Kieran Hebden and jazz drummer Steve Reid.
Winnie (Wizza) Lau: Just got back into Franz Ferdinand to
prep myself for the coming Clockenflap festival.
You guys have been playing for a while now, do you have any
funny stories to share?
WWL: Hmmm anything happen in Berlin?
[Pause]
AB: God we’re so boring!
AF: Well there was the time when Gideon missed the flight to
Berlin. He misses a lot of flights but that time wasn’t his fault. He ended up
staying in Frankfurt while we were all away in Berlin without him.
GS: Yeah I wasn’t with you guys but I’m sure you were all
blaming me in your heads [Laughs]
AF: Nah we were busy blaming each other because, who was it
that decided not to go to the actual gate and sit in Starbucks for an hour and
a half…?
I heard you guys held a flash mob in the middle of Times
Square. Can you tell me a little more about that?
WWL: We basically invited and taught 50 musicians with
different instruments to play our song from the new album. We practiced a few
times before the show and that day, all of us would appear suddenly in the
covered area under Times Square.
That sounds like a crazy idea! How did you manage to find
all these musicians?
AF: They were mostly our friends and also some of them were
from the vine.
Any song you guys are particularly fond of from your albums?
WWL: Seasons!!
GS: It’s quite funny you say that because you hated that
song initially.
AF: I would go for In the Eye. Still not bored of that one
[Laughs]
WWL: So I guess you’re bored of every other song then?
NC: Ouch. Time to get out…
AF: To be fair to me, it’s my alarm clock in the morning and
I really like the intro.
WWL: And your voice…
AB: I’d have to say it’s the same for me. It’s a great song
to play.
WBL: On and On is a pretty good song but I’d have to say
Hearts is still my favourite because it’s sounds new to me every time.
“Start of Us” was a huge hit and quite a defining song for
Noughts and Exes. Do you guys ever feel like it holds you back creatively?
Everyone: Not really
GS: One thing about us that we're constantly looking for something new. In some ways we ignore the past a bit too much and we normally come up with something fresh. The old stuff gets boring to us really quickly...
WWL: Despite the fact that we're still playing them [Laughs]
AB: Well that's true for the first album though. We don't play anything from Act One, Scene One anymore because it's a different feel and vibe to what we're playing now.
WBL: Yeah, all 3 albums have a different sound to them.
AF: And sometimes we also debate which one is the most popular...
AB: I guess on the other hand, we have clear standouts like The Start of Us that represents who we are, but we also don't expect ourselves to play it at every show.
WBL: I think we've also attained certain sounds in our music, but it's not deliberate for us to try to maintain the same kind of sound.
So you mentioned that the 3 albums are quite different from each other. How would you describe your 3rd album?
GS: It's grander.
AF: Someone said we're getting more epic.
WBL: Yeah, Alex and I are also the next lineup for the new album so that changes the dynamics a bit.
AF: So it's basically moved from a cello to a violin which is a much more beautiful sound.
WBL: While Alex has a thicker voice that works well with the lively violin.
What do you think about the music scene in Hong Kong?
WBL: It's growing. We definitely see a lot more people going to see the shows rather than just listening to their iPods. There are more opportunities for artists as well.
AB: Yeah, like this place [Beating Heart] has changed a lot. It's definitely raised the standards for what people now expect on stage because of the improved acoustics. Places like the new Hidden Agenda are definitely up there.
Last question. You guys have been playing together for so long, what has been the hardest lesson you've had to learn?
WBL: Oh, it definitely has to be the process of recording. [Laughs]
WWL: Yeah, we used a lot of effort to work with different producers.
AF: We also had to balance out the opinions that everyone had during the whole process so the production was quite an important time for us. I mean, all of us wanted to get it 'perfect' so it was definitely a team effort to get it as good as it can be. Even though it's never perfect... [Laughs]
GS: [Shakes head]
AB: I would say the biggest lesson I've learnt is how much work you'd have to do for promotion. That's been a big revelation because I've only ever been focused on the music but it turns out that there's also the other part where you have to get as much exposure as possible.
GS: I think also, the way we approach our songwriting to be very different from other groups. So in the end, we try to learn to live from each other's contributions and create something organic.
So I suppose the songwriting is much easier than the production?
WBL: Yeah definitely! We were just talking about this 2 days ago and one song came out in just one take. I don't even remember how, but all 6 of us started jamming one day and it just happened spontaneously. We didn't even need any visual or spoken prompts because these things happen organically.
GS: Yeah, it's not like, "Oh, you didn't get the memo?" [Laughs]
Catch their album launch tomorrow night!
The Vine Centre
29 Burrows Street,
Purchase your tickets at Ticketflap!
Tickets Adv: $230 incl. CD / $160 no CD
Tickets Door: $250 incl. CD / $180 no CD
Everyone: Not really
GS: One thing about us that we're constantly looking for something new. In some ways we ignore the past a bit too much and we normally come up with something fresh. The old stuff gets boring to us really quickly...
WWL: Despite the fact that we're still playing them [Laughs]
AB: Well that's true for the first album though. We don't play anything from Act One, Scene One anymore because it's a different feel and vibe to what we're playing now.
WBL: Yeah, all 3 albums have a different sound to them.
AF: And sometimes we also debate which one is the most popular...
AB: I guess on the other hand, we have clear standouts like The Start of Us that represents who we are, but we also don't expect ourselves to play it at every show.
WBL: I think we've also attained certain sounds in our music, but it's not deliberate for us to try to maintain the same kind of sound.
So you mentioned that the 3 albums are quite different from each other. How would you describe your 3rd album?
GS: It's grander.
AF: Someone said we're getting more epic.
WBL: Yeah, Alex and I are also the next lineup for the new album so that changes the dynamics a bit.
AF: So it's basically moved from a cello to a violin which is a much more beautiful sound.
WBL: While Alex has a thicker voice that works well with the lively violin.
What do you think about the music scene in Hong Kong?
WBL: It's growing. We definitely see a lot more people going to see the shows rather than just listening to their iPods. There are more opportunities for artists as well.
AB: Yeah, like this place [Beating Heart] has changed a lot. It's definitely raised the standards for what people now expect on stage because of the improved acoustics. Places like the new Hidden Agenda are definitely up there.
 |
| Taken from Walk On Music |
WBL: Oh, it definitely has to be the process of recording. [Laughs]
WWL: Yeah, we used a lot of effort to work with different producers.
AF: We also had to balance out the opinions that everyone had during the whole process so the production was quite an important time for us. I mean, all of us wanted to get it 'perfect' so it was definitely a team effort to get it as good as it can be. Even though it's never perfect... [Laughs]
GS: [Shakes head]
AB: I would say the biggest lesson I've learnt is how much work you'd have to do for promotion. That's been a big revelation because I've only ever been focused on the music but it turns out that there's also the other part where you have to get as much exposure as possible.
GS: I think also, the way we approach our songwriting to be very different from other groups. So in the end, we try to learn to live from each other's contributions and create something organic.
So I suppose the songwriting is much easier than the production?
WBL: Yeah definitely! We were just talking about this 2 days ago and one song came out in just one take. I don't even remember how, but all 6 of us started jamming one day and it just happened spontaneously. We didn't even need any visual or spoken prompts because these things happen organically.
GS: Yeah, it's not like, "Oh, you didn't get the memo?" [Laughs]
___________________
Catch their album launch tomorrow night!
The Vine Centre
29 Burrows Street,
Wan Chai,
Hong Kong
Tickets Adv: $230 incl. CD / $160 no CD
Tickets Door: $250 incl. CD / $180 no CD
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