We had a chat with Sheffield band The Crookes this week. Having now released three albums, with their latest being 'Soapbox' and endlessley being on the road, many agree that the quartet haven't earned quite the recognition they deserve. The Yorkshire lads have recently unleashed their own contender for Christmas number one in the shape of, 'You're Just Like Christmas', and have just come off the road from their fifth tour of the year. So, we thought we'd get in touch with the band in question and ask them how it's going.
1. For those who don't know of you already, who are The Crookes?
We are a guitar pop band from Sheffield. We are George, Tom, Russ and Dan.
2. You've recently released your new album, 'Soapbox', tell us a little about this?
Soapbox is our third record on the mighty Fierce Panda label. It was recorded in Preone, Italy, over the course of a month or so late last year.
Whilst touring in Italy a couple of years ago we met an Italian band called The Charlestones and have remained friends ever since. When we decided that we wanted to make Soapbox in an unorthodox environment their drummer, Fred, offered up his grandfather's chapel in the mountains above Preone. We obviously said yes, thank you. For that month we were the only ones around for miles - writing and recording for 15/16 hours a day - and our surroundings really helped foster the outsider spirit that went on to underpin the whole album. We also got very fat eating industrial quantities of gnocchi and lasagne that Fred's mum would deliver to us for lunch and tea.
3. You've also been getting festive of late with your new track, 'You're Just Like Christmas', tell us a little about this as well?
In September (how festive!) we went to record a new track we had been working on in Leeds. By lunchtime we had laid down drums, bass and guitars - and during the break Matt played us the new Pulled Apart By Horses Christmas song that he had just produced. It was so good that we decided to get in on the act. In the space of about half an hour, we did a huge u-turn - re-wrote all of the lyrics to the tune we working on, smothered it in bells (sleigh and church) and stuck some girl group backing vocals on it until it became 'You're Just Like Christmas'. All whilst wearing Christmas cowboy hats. And the video was filmed in SANTA Cruz. Hahahaha. And our arses are in it. How much more festive can you get?
4. You've recently been out on tour, how did this go?
It was our fifth tour of the year and I think it went really well. Our favourite thing about being in a band is playing live so it's always great to get in the van and go make a lot of noise for an hour every night. We are dead lucky to have such lovely, dedicated fans as well. You kind of forget that there are people who actually like your music out there until you turn up at a venue and there's a front row singing every word back at you. It's very heartening for us and we appreciate how lucky we are to be in that situation. One girl, Marina, even flew from Russia for our shows in Leeds and Manchester!
5. What's next for The Crookes?
Our last gig of the year is in Sheffield on Saturday. That'll be a wonderful, drunken send off to 2014. And then, the aim is to write and record our fourth album in the first few months of 2015. We don't like sitting around, twiddling our thumbs.
Big thanks to The Crookes for the interview.
Listen to The Crookes via Youtube:
Purchase The Crookes' new album, 'Soapbox', via their official store: www.thecrookes.bigcartel.com
Follow The Crookes on Twitter: @TheCrookes
Like The Crookes on Facebook: /TheCrookes
Posted by Charlie Ireland.
RIFFED x