Music / Interviews
Interview: Andy Cairns, Therapy?
The ever busy, ever excellent Therapy? have got a brand new record out, Cleave, their fifteenth in a prolific career creating and playing a marvellous punk-metal / metal-punk hybrid jammed with hooks and catchy choruses. They’re touring that record and stop off at SWX (a venue that’s certainly been getting some great bands lately) on Tuesday 20th November. Frontman Andy Cairns submitted to the Bristol 247 to talk about records that he loves, read all about them:
What was the first record you ever bought and where did you buy it?
Blockbuster by The Sweet, I was eight years old and I bought it in Smyths Records in Belfast
What was the most recent record you bought and where did you buy it?
Istikrarli Hayal Hakikattir by Gaye Su Akyol and I bought it on iTunes.
What album do you stick on the deck to soothe your soul?
Untrue by Burial. It’s got me through more dark times than I care to remember.
is needed now More than ever
Have you bought a recording based on a great single and then been disappointed by the rest of the album? If so, tell us all about it…
Yes: many nineties albums. Too many to be specific.
What records do you turn up to maximum to get in to that party mood?
James Brown Live at the Apollo seems to do the trick.
What’s the greatest live album of all time? (You may skip this question if you’re under 40)?
This would be a toss up between It’s Alive by The Ramones or At Budokan by Cheap Trick. The Ramones album will win by a whisker as I bought it first and had a bigger impact on my life.
What’s your favourite record sleeve? Tell us all about it (and whether the music gives you as much pleasure as the sleeve)?
Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. Simple, clean lines and yet still mysterious. Looking at its austerity and quiet grace is like getting a sage nod of approval from a favoured teacher. Of course, the music speaks for itself.
Ever bought a record solely because you liked the sleeve? If so, what was it and did it delight you or disappoint you?
Yes. An album by Vladimir Estragon. It was in a record store in Germany and not only did the band’s name reference Samuel Beckett, but the sleeve was very similar to early Wire records. It turned out to be an avant garde skronk fest featuring FM Einheit from Einsturzende Neubauten. Pretty good actually.
The resurgence of the LP has seen all manner of coloured and multicoloured vinyl, yet some purists believe a record should only ever be black: what’s your opinion, and what are the most delightful and the most obnoxious coloured records you own?
I grew up collecting coloured vinyl punk 7”’s. When I was very young I would try and collect all the coloured vinyl by U.K. Subs, Dickies, Generation X etc. I’ve got a blood-splattered copy of Butcher Baby by the Plasmatics which is gorgeous and At Budokan by Cheap Trick on (I kid you not) kamikaze yellow vinyl. What on Earth were they thinking?
Back in the olden days there were all manner of shaped discs, got any cracking examples in your collection? And if you had freedom of design, what song of yours could be best represented by a shaped disc?
I’ve got I Married a Monster from Outer Space by John Cooper Clarke on orange triangular vinyl and Loneliness by the wonderful Irish band Horslips on green shamrock shaped vinyl. I suppose we missed a trick not having our tune Teethgrinder on teeth retractor shaped vinyl.
If we had the ability to land you at the recording of one classic LP so you could witness the whole recording process, what would you choose and why?
Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. Apparently, they were cooped up in a house for six months rehearsing and recording this difficult, challenging music with only the Captain’s untutored piano, sax and whistling to guide them. They ran out of money and were living on beans. The resulting masterpiece sounds different every time I listen to it.
Oh no, your house is burning down, and you can only rescue one record! What would it be and why?
Ever Fallen in Love by The Buzzcocks. It’s my favourite song of all time and the reason I’m a songwriter myself. The music made me want to ride my bike to school faster, but the melody and lyrics brought tears and euphoria in equal measure. I have the Duchamp inspired heart design featured on the picture sleeve of the 7” tattooed on my right upper arm.
Morbidity alert: what records would you like played at your funeral?
An Ending (Ascent) by Brian Eno.
Therapy? play SWX on Tuesday 20 November 2018.
All pix by Shona Cutt
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