TELEGRAPHS

On their album, to how displaying your love for the Beach Boys can aid employment in a band, and how they're more like Bruce Willis than you might think

Photo by Pearl Draps

Since first treating our ears to their first EP, 2007's Across A Wire,, we've not shut up about Brighton Rockers, Telegraphs. After two years, a host of singles and more videos than your usual emerging artists, their long-awaited and Dave Eringa-produced début, We Were Ghosts, hit stores last month – though not on the day they expected.

Following their recent tour with Lights Action (see the review and live gallery here), Phill May quizzed lead vocalist Darcy Harrison on all things Telegraphs –from getting some background on their album, to how displaying your love for the Beach Boys can aid employment in a band, and how they're more like Bruce Willis than you might think.

Though we've been excitedly gibbering about your band for some time now, you've only recently released your début album.  Can you tell readers about your band and why people should listen to you?

  "We're a rock band based in Brighton and we've been together for around 3 years.  We don't sound like anyone… and that's not to say we're reinventing the musical wheel with a toaster and electronic banjo.  We have such a wide range of influences in the band that the outcome is thankfully not a carbon copy of someone else or a sound that is typical of a scene.  People should listen to our music if they like songs about anger, frustration, love and loss.  If not they probably shouldn't!"

So that début, We Were Ghosts, is out now. How does it feel to have released your début album?  How do you think it's been received?

"It's a dream come true to release an album.  When you start a band you set goals… or at least you should if you want to achieve anything.  Hitting that target feels amazing – if I die tomorrow at least I did it, I made an album."   

It didn't actually make it to stores when was supposed to, what happened there? How frustrating is it for a band when things like this happen?

  "There was a bit of a problem with distribution and the stores weren't stocked in time.  So on the day of release we messaged saying, 'Album OUT NOW!' only for messages to come back saying, 'I can't find it, I've been into five record stores'.   That's frustrating and disheartening.  The big day feels like a bit of a wash out.  But it was rectified fairly quickly and then there's the next great thing to come along, like being booked into great festivals – so you soon forget about it."

You got Dave Eringa to produce your album, which is pretty bloody impressive – especially for a début. How did that come about?

"A good friend was helping the band out at the time and she knew Dave Eringa from previous work in the music industry.  She messaged Dave and got him to listen to one of our tracks which needed some extra production work done.  Dave loved the track and agreed to do it.  We spent a couple of days with him in the studio and we all got on really well – he was into the demos of the album tracks, we are into a lot of the records that he has produced."

What did he bring to the album's recording? How did he push you to make the very best of We Were Ghosts?

"Dave's a scientist. I want to say genius but that word is over-used and has lost its meaning these days. So yeah, he's a scientist. He has an incredible way of recording guitars and is fanatical about drum sounds.  So that's the technical side in a nutshell.  As a person he is immensely patient, encouraging and incredibly funny.  So that makes the recording process much, much easier. That's what we needed really. I don't think a producer screaming at us or holding a gun to our heads would get the best out of us."

What was the recording process like?

"It was awesome.  At times it was very intense.  We put in long days for most of the recording session… Dave even more so!   At times it was exhausting and our heads hurt, but then I'd stand outside the studio at 4 o'clock in the morning as the sun was starting to rise and think to myself 'I'm recording a f**king album!' - That felt good.

"We were out in the north of Wales on a mountain side for most of it so there were no distractions really.  Apart from Guitar Hero.  We like to work in isolation – we're very easily distracted, and in order for us to get into that headspace, we need to be alone. Once we get into it we are completely focused – it's a good feeling."

Which tracks off the album mean the most to you and why?

"This will vary from band member to band member, so I will have to speak personally.   'Forever Never' is particularly special to me.  I wrote it when Sam [Bacon – drummer] was going through a break up and I really felt for him.  Seeing him suffer put me in the right mindset to write those lyrics and I'm particularly proud of them. I love 'The Argument' because it's so aggressive and fun to play live.  Also, 'I Don't Navigate By You' is fun because of the interplay between mine and Hattie's vocals.  We'll be doing more of that in the future."

What was the inspiration behind the title, We Were Ghosts?

"As people probably know now, Hattie and I were in a relationship and a little while after the record was finished we split up.  At that time we didn't have a title and it just popped into my head one day.  The best way I can describe it is using that film The Sixth Sense.  The character played by Bruce Willis is dead but he doesn't know it.  In many respects that is how mine and Hattie's relationship played out.  We were together, writing these songs about love and loss not realizing that they were about us and our relationship.  We had no idea we were dead to each other in that way."

Guitarist Aung Yay is a newer addition to Telegraphs, how did he come to join the band and how what does he bring to the band?

"Hattie met him at a pub in Brighton.  She was speaking to a mutual friend about our need for a new guitarist.  The friend explained that Aung played guitar and called him over.  Despite a few missing teeth from an accident the week before, Hattie was suitably impressed by his Beach Boys tattoo and got him along to a rehearsal.  He fit into the band perfectly and for the first time we felt like a solid unit.   He brings humour, song ideas, long winded anecdotes and, thankfully, someone to share the driving!"

You've just polished off a headline tour with Lights Action, what were the highlights and low points of the tour? Any disasters?

  "It was great!  We really bonded with the Lights Action boys and the tour was full of banter and practical jokes.  A highlight for us was playing our first headline London show and having tons of people there singing along.  We were very humbled.  The only disaster was when Lights Action punked our van with salad, bread and toilet tissue – we were going to get them back on the last night and totally forgot!"

You recently had your first big run-around, with a slot at the Camden Rocks festival and a gig in Oxford that night.  How did that go? Get there on time?

"That was fun!  We got there on time, despite a couple of wrong turns in London.  Next we'll have to do a Def Leppard and three continents in one day…or whatever it was they did!"

You're clocking up some impressive supports (Innerpartysystem, In Case Of Fire...), What was it like having your momentum build for We Were Ghosts, and how much do you think the last few months have improved Telegraphs as a live act?

"Those tours have been great in terms of spreading the fanbase and building momentum for the release.  Being on tour really irons out the creases in any bands' live show and we're no exception.  We're tighter and more polished than ever before. Also, of course, getting to see awesome bands play every night is brilliant – Innerpartysystem blew us away – they have so much energy. You constantly up your game by touring with bands like that and In Case Of Fire. It's very inspiring."

You've just played a support slot for Eagles Of Death Metal, you sounded pretty excited about it – big fans? How did it go?

"That was a really fun show.  The Eagles Of Death Metal are a great band and really nice guys too.  Jesse was having a kip on the bus when we were playing and his son was watching from the side of the stage.  He must've enjoyed because he ran and woke his Dad up to come and watch us play!  We thought that was awesome. "

Any more tour plans? Will you be playing any festivals this year?

"We have a lot of festivals this summer. We're doing three in three days next week;  Oxegen, T In The Park and Guilfest.  So that's pretty exciting!  We're also playing Ben and Jerry's festival in London, Sonisphere and Boardmaster's in Cornwall… plus a load of other smaller festivals around the country. And we're playing some dates with Rival Schools in Europe which we're stoked about."

With a number of the songs on We Were Ghosts having been around for a while, do you have any new material primed and ready to be recorded?

"We do!  We're writing as much as possible and can't wait to start demoing them and playing them live. We're very excited about a few of the new songs in particular."

Where do you see Telegraphs in six months time (ideally and realistically)?

"Ideally, in the recording studio, making a new album. That is where we're aiming to be, so I have to think it is realistic!"

Finally, Brighton seems to be firing out good bands at a fairly consistent rate.  Are there any we might not have heard about yet that you think we should?

"If you have already heard of The X-Certs and ThisCity, then I would encourage you to listen to Heels Catch Fire – they are on the up and one of the most creative, interesting bands in the country as far as we are concerned! Alice Shaw and Emily Baker who are both singer songwriters are also extremely talented if you want to look beyond rock."

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For the RM Report on Telegraphs in Cardiff PLUS our exclusive photo gallery click here.

Telegraphs' début album, We Were Ghosts, is out now. We reviewed it here - wear sunglasses, it's a new level of glowing."

by Phill May

Further links

(Damn) This Desert Air on Myspace (damnthisdesertair)

Official myspace page of the experimental rock band