Interviews

:: This interview took place in July 2005.

When you're putting a track together what's the process?

Tom - It's different every time.

Joe - What kinda happens, maybe if me and Tom have a musical idea, maybe a lyric or in practice we'll be messing around with a jam, then Greeny will join in.

There's no point him doing a beat 'cause there's nothing to put it to, then maybe we'll go away and I will think of a lyric or Tom will think of one, and you just get an idea and it develops.

It's not like one of us has a song and has everything sorted and comes to the practice and tell everyone what to do, 'cause it's just not like that, and the song wouldn't be as good if it was like that anyway.

Greeny's Nan's is where they used to practice

Louis - It can happen as well where we've practiced all the songs that we've done and we've got nothing else to do really so we just start messing about at the end of a practice, and it can evolve from there.

Joe - 99% of it is just rubbish, but that one percent can be quite good, not rubbish but you don't think you'd make a song out of it.

So how much time do you get to put into your music? Because you're all quite young. (Greeny and Louis are 19, Tom is 18 and Joe's just 17!)

Tom - We've put more time into it recently, it's a job now at the end of the day.

Joe - Yeah, we want it to be a job and put all out time in. Maybe a year or two ago it was nowhere near as serious as this and we'd just do stuff when we felt it was necessary, it was really relaxed.

But now it's still relaxed but we've got more of a drive to get stuff done.

Louis - It's more of an aim, more point to it, where as before we were just playing covers, we were just gigging for our mates basically.

So when you started off, did you start playing small venues straight away?

Louis - Erm... birthdays, functions and Phoenix Nights type things.

Tom - We were about 14 years old then, it only really started getting serious about two years ago. First two years all we did pretty much was messing about, playing a few parties.

Louis - When we did gigs we'd invite all our mates and they'd come just to get pis*ed on alco-pops basically!

Joe - Yeah, we weren't Hanson, put it that way, or the Jackson Five!

Joe - We've got a mini tour coming up, seven or eight dates, it kinda cements the realism that it's getting quite serious. We're not playing Wembley Arena or anything. 50% of it is the music... we're quietly confident that we're good enough and we've got decent enough songs to get a reaction, and the other half is the experience part of it, being away from Sheffield and having a good time.

Since you've been together from a young age has family help been crucial?

Louis - We couldn't ask for more really, we used Greeny's house to practice all the time.

Greeny - We started off in my Nan's loft which was nice, I don't think she turned her hearing aid on.

Joe - Since we've got proper management it's kind of moved away from that which is good in a way because it takes away the responsibility from them [family], and they [label] organise things for us so we don't have to take care of that side of things.

We're in a studio in Sheffield and we've got keys for that so we go in when we want so we couldn't ask for anything more really.

Tom - It's near Spearmint Rhino so what could be better? [laughs]

So your lyrics are based on your lives in Sheffield, do you think all city folk will relate to that?

Joe - I think inner city, or big city life is the same pretty much everywhere and it's a class thing as well. A lot of people that come to the gigs are from the same sort of culture that we are but from a different part of the country.

Tom - I suppose when you go on tour you end up writing about different things, obviously you write about what you know, I've not really been outside of Sheffield so, but obviously if you visit other cities you'll see other things and want to write about them.

So how relaxed are the people at your label?

Joe - Yeah we just do what we want, well musically we do. I think we wouldn't have signed with them if they were going to put constraints on creativity so to speak... and they can't tell us what to do.

Greeny - I think they're relaxed because we're young as well, there's no pressure at all.

Joe - We contacted them through a friend of a friend and after a few meetings with them we gained trust in them, they're not like the usual industry vipers, they're more friendly and trustworthy.

So do you hang out with any other bands?

Tom - There's a bit of a community I'd say, there's about four or five bands, Bromheads Jacket, Harrisons, Arctic Monkeys and 1984.

Milburn missed a gig when Joe forgot his ID

Joe - Yeah, we're all the same sort of age so we all relate and get on with each other. The Arctic Monkeys are doing well, they're gathering good steam, I think all these bands will do well.

So have you had any nightmares?

Greeny - Well we went to Manchester once and they wouldn't let us play 'cause Joe didn't bring any ID! [laughs]

Joe - Upon reflection it was quite a good thing 'cause it didn't seem like a great gig anyway.

So what's been your favourite gig so far?

Greeny - The Nottingham gig was good, we played at Old Angels?

Joe - It was like a proper music venue, I think it was the first time we got a proper reaction, people knew our songs!

Louis - It was weird we all started turning around smiling at each other, not to say "aren't we good" but to be a bit humble about it 'cause it was weird seeing a reaction like that, it was like "why are they singing our songs?"

Joe - We had a bit of media coverage recently, we had a single review in NME, any press is good press, especially if it's national, we've had a couple of things on Radio 1 (Steve Lamacq and Zane Lowe), so it's just building it up and getting it going, getting your name around.

So have you any top tips for young bands?

Joe - Just say no [laughs].

Greeny - Just go and see as many live bands as you can 'cause that's where you pick things up really.

Tom - Go and watch bands and buy music.

Joe - My best tip would be not to form a band 'cause you think it's cool, but because you really like it and you really want to do it 'cause a lot of kids are just doing it 'cause it looks good, it's not the best way it will fizzle out.

Tom - I'd say if you just make sure that you're happy with what you're doing, if you feel you're good enough eventually someone will notice.

Louis - You don't have to go down to London and start playing loads of gigs, if you're good enough people will come and see you.

So what's next?

Louis - Well we've got a new single coming out.

Joe - It's due out in September but will get radio play in the next couple of weeks, but we'll do some gigs to promote the single, so it's all going pretty good I suppose.

Louis - I hope we go full time soon, I don't want to coming off a building site at half five every day.

Milburn are: Louis and Joe Carnell, Joe 'Greeny' Green and Tom Rowley.

:: This interview took place in July 2005