Music / alma tavern
Interview: Robin Allender
Even before you listen to his EP, you can tell Robin Allender likes pubs. And no, that’s not because he’s got a drinker’s nose, or a beer gut – it’s because it’s all over his Twitter. In one week he’s retweeted a map showing every pub in the UK (which is a ridiculously thick blanket, in case you were wondering), commiserated over his bank balance after a Friday night out on the town, and asked, tongue firmly in cheek, “Why can’t someone just pay me to write vague poetry in the world’s most exquisite Irish pub?” He says as such when we sit down to chat, too – so much so that he struggles to pick out his Bristol favourites. “There’s too many to choose from…” he ponders, before settling on the Alma Tavern, The Hare, The Highbury Vaults and The Lion in Clifton Wood.
It’s true that we all like a cheeky trip down to our local boozer, but maybe not in the same way that Robin does. He pins meaning to almost every place he inhabits, and freely admits that he’s utterly addicted to nostalgia. His pub obsession is just another expression of his longing for the cosiness of the past. He even has a recurring dream where he’s “in Bristol, and there’s this pub that’s down an alleyway somewhere – but it just out of reach.” He explains that pubs represent real-life magic to him, and unsurprisingly, this feeling is expressed on record. “Why not spend afternoons in imaginary pubs?” he asks on opener to his EP, Train Dreams. On another song, Ithaca, he remembers: “I’m only 25, but I remember it must be true – every street had a hidden pub.” However, there are also voices pulling him back. “You’re not fooling anyone,” they mock. “The past is illusory.”
is needed now More than ever
https://soundcloud.com/robinallender/sets/train-dreams-ep
It’s this beautiful flux between the gorgeously hazy past and harsher present that Train Dreams inhabits. Scored by intricate guitar work that layers and layers again, its swirling shoegazy vocals draw you ever deeper into Allender’s world of ghostly towns, train journeys, and yes, dreamy pubs (that may, or may not exist). Filled with ambient tape noise, field recordings and rich vocal harmonies, it’s impressive to consider that this is Allender’s work alone.
Looking forward, Robin has practise for his Edinburgh Fringe comedy set to look forward to. He’s a stand-up comedian as well as a musician, and rates the supportive nature of each Bristol scene. He’s also looking forward to making more “really, really relaxing music,” saying that it’s all he listens to now that he’s “older.” Robin might see himself as older, but his music is timeless – take twenty minutes to get absorbed in his Train Dreams in the player above.
Listen to Train Dreams on Soundcloud and listen and download on Bandcamp. Follow Robin on Twitter at @robinallender
Photos by Sam Wisternoff
Read more: Interview: Yola Carter
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