ARCHIVE
FUTURE KINGS OF SPAIN
5th March 2007
DW: It's been a while lads but can I just say that it's damn fine to see you back again! So the last we heard of you was a gig last year and news of a new album release, err about 18 months ago.
BRYAN: It’s great to be back Pauline. This is the first interview that we’ve done. We’ve so much to rattle on about! It’s great too, to get the chance to speak about what happened and explain why we “disappeared” to all intents and purposes. We finished the album in November 2005, and on the very last day of mixing, our now (thankfully) ex-label told us that they were bankrupt! And so the long battle for the recordings and to extricate ourselves from the contract began. They dug their heels in, completely denying us the right to be a band. So we fought and fought. And won! And here we are again!
DW: You played the Hard Working Class Heroes festival in Dublin and were voted "Best Performance of the Festival" by Hot Press. That must have been extremely gratifying for you as a band, given the long delays in releasing your new album “Nervousystem” and lack of live dates in quite a while.
BRYAN: Yeah it was! It was our first time to play it. And we technically are working class now! It was cool that we still meant so much to people in Dublin. That we weren’t forgotten about, as so much has happened and a lot of good stuff has come through in our absence. And to have the nosey Dublin media types turned away because the venue was dangerously over capacity was gratifying too. They had to base reviews of the show on the opinions of those coming out! Ha! The journalist from Hot Press should’ve got the award for managing to get in!DW: You've said that there were legal problems connected with the album does this mean that you have split from Red Flag Records, and is that something you can go into any more detail about?
BRYAN: Yes we’ve split. Praise be! We don’t want to go slagging them off or anything. But they could have made it easier by being more up front about things. They had lost money on some acts, and us as the breading winning band ended up the casualty. Which still doesn’t make any amount of sense to us? They also could have released us from their grasp a year ago, as the relationship between us and them had completely broken down. Anyway enough of that... We’re free!
DW: It must have been frustrating having everything ready for the release but not to be able to do anything with it. What did you do to take your mind off the situation?
BRYAN: It was. We never took our minds off the situation.DW: Joey, Bryan and Tony you're involved in the A Lazarus Soul album "Graveyard of Burnt Out Cars" - how did the partnership with Brian Brannigan come about and did that cause any conflict with FKOS?
BRYAN: I’ve known Briany for years. Joe and I shared best man duties at his wedding. We’ve played in A Lazarus Soul for about 4 years now. The enforced FKOS hiatus saw that we could invest more time with Briany and Fin.
DW: So that's an ongoing project then?
BRYAN: It’s very much an ongoing project. This is the second album. We seem to seamlessly move between both bands. I can be talking to Joey about A Lazarus Soul with both of us referring to it as “we/us”.
DW: In what way does A Lazarus Soul differ to FKOS musically.BRYAN: Well, Briany is the brains and genius behind it. He writes music and lyrics. We mess it up as much as he allows! Plus I get to rehearse and play shows without breaking a sweat. Unless Briany makes real his threat to get one of those Nik Kershaw strap over keyboards!
DW: So Karl, while your three amigos here were swanning off making music with Briany and Fin what has kept you occupied for the past 18 months?
KARL: Well I have been working on some of my own musical projects I hope to have up and running over the next couple of months. Just been playing around a lot with home recording gear I bought.
DW: And what's with the Ukulele?
KARL: Ah, something that happened many moons ago. I had spent quite a bit of time away in Cuba and Thailand, and the only instrument I had with me was an old Ukulele, and I ended up writing a lot of little silly tunes. I came home and told my friend I wanted to record a ukulele album with his gear, expecting him to laugh, but he agreed, and 3 days later it was finished!DW: The new single, Guess Again, has been chosen by Phantom FM listeners, its due out in May, does this mean you have signed to a new record company?
BRYAN: No. We’re doing all this independently. We’ve got the distribution sorted. We’re looking at other things outside of Ireland, but in the meanwhile will be pressing ahead and making it available online also.
The Phantom FM thing was something we owed FKOS fans. They’ve patiently waited all this time, and to involve them was the least we could do. We’re thrilled with Guess Again as their choice. But it looks like the single’s release will now coincide with the April/May Irish tour. This is the last FKOS delay ever - we swear!!
DW: You also have a live date booked in for May are there any more dates in the pipeline?
BRYAN: We’ve just announced a nationwide Irish tour.
DW: Back to Nervousystem itself. Are the three tracks which we heard on Phantom FM typical of the whole of the album, and what are the plans for it's release.
BRYAN: They’re not atypical! That hardly adequately answers the question does it? You’ll have to wait and see, unless you make the Irish shows or until its release sometime in August. There’ll be another single before that in July. Karl’s contribution to FKOS and the new album is immense. We managed to write and include on the album, a near 9 minute epic. We wanted to release it as the first single but reality kicked in. It might be the second single. We’re the boss now!
DW: Finally, what are your hopes/plans for the coming year?
BRYAN: I can only speak for me on that one and not possibly endorse the lofty aspirations of the others. Just to re-connect with everyone who we played for and met while touring the first album. Thanks DW. We always appreciate your continuing support. Welcome back to you too!
http://www.myspace.com/futurekingsofspain