Was ist düster, folkig und weiß noch, was es letzten Sommer getan hat? Eine Band namens The Phantom Band! Die Herrschaften aus Glasgow haben sich mit ihren beiden bisher unter dem aktuellen Bandnamen veröffentlichen Platten in unsere Herzen gespielt. Jetzt meldet sich die Kombo zurück - allerdings nicht mit einem neuen Album, sondern mit einer eigenen Meinung. In unserem Jahresrückblick verrät Sänger Rick Anthony pikante Details aus dem vergangenen Jahr von The Phantom Band.
Was ist dein liebstes Album 2011? I haven't listened to that many new albums, but Cass McComb's Wit's End is great. I listened to the song "County Line" about a hundred times until I finally got round to buying the whole thing. It's just good songwriting - strong melodies, interesting lyrics. There's a song on there called "Lonely Doll" which I could probably listen to on repeat for 10 years.
Das enttäuschendste oder schlechteste Album 2011? Oh god knows... I have little enough time to think about albums I enjoy. There is a nagging sadness in the pit of my stomach that tells me the Hoosiers released an album this year so I'll say that one. They make me want to punch myself in the face.
Was war das schönste Konzert 2011? Concerts we played or concerts we went to? I can't remember going to any that we weren't playing at in any case, so I'll have to talk about them. We had a good one in Zurich at a great bar called El Lokal in February; a great place if you get the chance. I'd been ill and then away for a few days rest and the guys had been cooped up in a wee flat in Geneva and going a little stir-crazy. Spirits needed a lift and we ended up having a really good time. All thanks in part I'm sure, to El Lokal's hugely generous free bar rider policy for bands. At one point Greg even turned around and faced the crowd which is when I knew things must be going okay. I think the audience liked it; they certainly bought loads of T-shirts. But then they were Swiss so they could probably afford it.
Und was das schlechteste Konzert 2011? We did a show in the Scandinavian leg of the tour this year that was pretty bad. It started out ok but nerves were getting pretty frazzled by that point in the tour and, a couple of songs in, the wheels started coming off. Some of us thought we were playing too slow and kept on shouting to go faster, while some of us thought we were playing too fast and were shouting to slow down. That probably tells you that we were actually playing at exactly the right speed and that we should, with hindsight, just have sucked it up and gotten on with it. The audience seemed to be (justifiably) underwhelmed by the whole thing. Someone in the crowd kept shouting "Praise Jesus" for some fucking reason and then we sold one t-shirt at the end which was, now that I think about it, probably just our tour-manager lying because he felt sorry for us. I came offstage wanting to just go and get a plane home and everyone else was similarly paranoid or pissed off. Sometimes it happens like that. Not often, but when it does you wonder why you do it to yourself and you just want someone to hold you. A couple of beers later and it was hugs all round.
Wer ist dein Newcomer 2011? Young Iain officially joined the band in 2011 and PB guitarist Greg and his girlfriend had a wee baby called Sadie a couple of moths ago, so maybe her. Mind you Gerry (PB bass) had a wee girl called Connie at the end of last year so I suppose her contribution to 2011 has been more considerable than Sadie's. And probably Iain's too. Sadie does look a little bit like a puppet though, and she was actually born in 2011. Sadie wins on a technicality.
Was ging gar nicht 2011? Libya looked a bit dangerous for a while, and I think that DR Congo is having a fair bit of bother too so I don't think I'd go there either. Glastonbury (or a promoter acting on the festivals behalf) wanted us to come and play there in 2011 for a crate of beer. We asked them if said crate of beer was magical and would be able to transport us and our equipment on an 800 mile round trip but they didn’t get back to us. It would be great to play Glastonbury but we can’t afford to pay out money to do it. Fuck all that "great opportunity for your music to be heard blah blah blah" bullshit. Start down that road and you're doomed.
Dein musikalischer Wunsch für 2012? A fucking massive Piano, overflowing with £1000 notes. Or maybe for someone to write a song or piece of music so incredible, so undeniably extraordinary, that the whole world hears it and everyone who's a dick just suddenly stops being a dick. Either would be great thanks.
Wir blicken zurück auf The Phantom Band: Der Song The Howling Pop-Up
