7.30 - Mirror Signal the set list taped to the door told me. I HAVE to interview this guy I thought, so here we are. A little shy but never the less, one of my favourite acts I've started listening to this year. If this guy doesn't blow up in 2014 I will be absolutely dumb founded.
What started it all for you?
I've been writing for quite a few years now. In middle school I learnt 'Mary had a little lamb' on piano, it was literally that that got me into music. So I joined the orchestra as a clarinetist which was weird, I then moved onto guitar and wrote my first song in year 8. But electronically this year really.You should do a tribute performance of 'Mary had a little lamb' as a thank you.
Haha, yeah that's not a bad idea actually.
Musically, biggest influences?
Green Day, weirdly were my biggest influence to learn guitar, also Fall Out Boy. But gradually my tastes changed and I just went off making acoustic music as my previous stage name TeeTotal, I was less into the mainstream stuff. I started listening to a lot more electronic stuff, I'm not even sure how, so for my current sound, James Blake, definitely Radiohead, bands like that.
Your music is quite chilled, would you say your influences reflect in the music you make?
A lot of people draw comparisons to my influences when listening to my stuff. But I wouldn't compare myself, I don't think I'm that good.
You don't think you're that good? Crazy. What made you put the songs you have released out there then?
I just recorded an EP in January with some tracks and put it out in April. I've recorded since but I've recently come into management so I just haven't had time to release anything else yet.
Can I have context for the lyrics in your tracks?
At the time of writing I was going through an existential crisis, you know, where you don't really know what anything means? I just had loads of ideas about society, what society means and why there's meaning where it's not really needed. A lot of my lyrics stem from that really.
Cool. How easy is it to balance gigging as Mirror Signal and being at uni?
Easy at the moment, my manager will ring me up with a gig and I can either accept or decline depending on how much stuff I have on that particular day. But I'm in my first year at Uni so its not too difficult to balance. Music is first and foremost what I want to do. Uni was a back up plan, so music will always come first.
2014 plans for Mirror Signal?
At the moment I'm writing a few songs, I have 7 or 8 in demo form. I'm releasing a new song early next year called Submarine Eyes. But that's about it.
Have you been starstruck yet?
Sort of, yeah. But not as much as I thought I'd be. I supported Andreya Triana, she's pretty big. I'd been listening to her for ages and I supported her in October, she came into sound check and I was star struck for a couple of seconds. And at the end of that gig I just saw Newton Faulkner in the room. That was really weird. I met Jamie Cullum too but he's a really nice guy so being star struck doesn't last too long.
I once saw Newton Faulkner at London zoo watching the penguin show. The guy gets around. Is Jamie Cullum really short in real life?
Yeah he's tiny, I didn't think he would be but he was shorter than me.
Was Jamie Cullum playing your track on his show a big boost to the attention you received?
Definitely, it was my biggest influx of new fans. I had so many new Twitter followers and Facebook messages after the show. Which just proves radio is still a big part of the industry, I think people forget that sometimes.
We have to talk about the 'fro. Its quiet amazing. Are you ever manhandled for your choice in hairstyle?
Yeah actually, I played a gig in Manchester and after my set three drunk girls came up to me, didn't mention anything about what I'd just played but asked if they could touch my hair. I was just like "I could get used to this".
Having an afro seems like people see it as an invitation to touch the afro-bearerr, like a green light to the general public.
Haha, yeah I don't mind it at all.
Festivals next year?
I can't really say anything but I've been offered a few stages.
Dream festival to play?
Obviously Glastonbury, but a couple in America that I'd like to play as I've never been there.
Things have happened so quickly for you, it seems so crazy.
Yeah, I'd say I'm quite shy, indifferent and strange, I try to channel that into music to make it stand out. I guess that its working.
True dat.
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