Getting anywhere in today’s hyper-populated industry can be quite a challenge, with so many factors determining the amount of chance you even have in having a stab at success. For most bands, location is a big player in even finding the right places to be and people to meet, yet for the Brighton-based MIAMIGO this wasn’t too much of an issue. We caught up with core members Liam and Jamie following their show at Pinkpop in Holland, which turned out to be the pair’s first major “field festival” since forming last year.
Hey guys, how are you doing?
Liam: Good thanks!
So you just released a new single, Forever. How’s the reaction been?
Liam: Yeah, it’s been really good man. A lot of people said that it’s a lot poppier, a lot dancier and a little bit darker.
Jamie: It’s a bit more aggressive, and there’s a lot more bass in it! It’s a lot more fun to play live.
What’s the story behind the track?
Liam: I guess it’s about the overuse of the word, which is ‘forever’. It’s actually quite fickle nowadays, and nothing does last forever. It’s a song about a relationship.
What kind of stuff do you tend to draw from for further influence on your tracks?
Jamie: I mean, it can be anything. We used to write about our experiences and what we saw from our point of view when it came to friends and their relationships. One song in particular was basically an ode to a friend. We’ve not gone off that, but it’s a bit different now. We both watch a lot of TV programmes and stuff, which helps us set a theme. We watch a lot of Buffy and Curb Your Enthusiasm, so it can be stuff like that which inspires our songs.
How about the visual side, the videos and stuff?
Jamie: We write, storyboard and film them all by ourselves, which is why they’re not so professional. We did our first official one last week, and it’s coming out in July. We storyboarded and wrote that, but we also got a director and cast involved which was really cool. It was our idea coming to life, which was great.
You released two EPs last year, but what can we expect for the rest of this year?
Liam: I think we’re hopefully gonna put out a couple more standalone songs, maybe with a few more videos as well. The album will come out next year, as well as a few more festivals this summer.
Jamie: Yeah, the album comes out next year.
Liam: We’ve definitely already finished it.
So why are you waiting so long to release it when you’ve already completed it?
Jamie: Well, we had maybe around 300 songs to select from, so we had to cut that down for ages.
Liam: It’s not just from since when the EPs came out, it was also a lot before that.
You basically wrote continuously?
Liam: Yeah. A lot of songs from the EPs won’t be on the album, it’s basically all new stuff.
Jamie: We’ll put maybe one or two older songs on there too, with a different mix. We’re just trying to collect the interests of as many people as possible first. We also have a real vision and want to put out some more videos first.
So how’s all of that translating to the live stage? Because you’re playing quite a lot of shows this year as well.
Liam: It’s really cool. It’s different, too, because we have the live band with a bassist and a drummer. In the studio it’s just Jamie and I who do all the music, so live it translates very differently.
Jamie: Playing live is my favourite thing to do.
Liam: I mean, it depends on the song. Sometimes it’s quite easy, but it can also be quite hard. It depends on how much stuff there is to do on the track. We eventually want to get more people in the band, because there’s only four at the moment. It’ll be a hard sound to emulate but eventually we’ll want to get bigger.
Jamie: A lot of the bigger songs require more holding back, because they require more things to do live.
Have you enjoyed the festivals you’ve played so far?
Jamie: Yeah, but this is our first one. We’ve done a lot of smaller ones, but this is our first ever big ‘field’ festival.
So how did the show go earlier?
Liam: Oh man, it was amazing.
The tent was pretty full.
Liam: Pretty surprised that all those people turned up!
What’s the scene like back in Brighton?
Jamie: Well we live in Brighton, but we’re actually from North London and we’re moving back there soon. Brighton was a perfect place to write the album, but we’re moving back to the hustle and bustle of London now that it’s done. The scene there is good, it’s different, but I couldn’t say it’s one genre.
Liam: I could.
Jamie: Could you?
Liam: It’s garage rock. There’s a lot of garage rock bands in Brighton.
Jamie: True. I mean, the music in Brighton is very different as well. It’s great, but it’s also a bit of a bubble; once you’re in there it’s hard to get out.
Are there any new bands who have been standing out to you lately?
Liam: I mean, this isn’t new but The Temper Trap released a new track a few days ago and we love that. The Strokes too! Do you know a band called Liss?
Nope.
Liam: They’re awesome, from Denmark. Liss are the only band I’ve really been listening to recently.
Thanks a lot for your time!
MIAMIGO’s debut album comes out in 2017. Listen to Irreversible below.
