Redbrick Meets: Cleopatrick

Faith: Hey guys, how’s it going? How has your summer been so far?

Ian and Luke: Great. Busy, very busy.

Faith: Have you managed to see any sets so far?

Luke: No, we actually just got here. We’re going to catch some stuff before we play, we’ve got a good stage today.

Faith: Who are you looking forward to catching?

Luke and Ian: Sick Joy, Tiger Cub.

Faith: This is your first time at Reading and Leeds. Do you have any past festival highlights, either as an artist or as a festival goer? What stands\ out for you?

Ian: I love playing festivals, it’s always the best. I’m trying to think of something that comes to mind.

Luke: We went to Osheago Festival in Montreal. That was like our first time ever really going to a festival. We went as attendees, right when we started the band. It was so cool seeing all our favourite artists in one place, we’d never experienced anything like that before. And being able to check out new people that we hadn’t heard of. It was exhausting. When we started to actually play festivals we realised that it was really fun to be in the back where there’s chairs.

Ian: Secret pathways to get to places.

Luke: Watch the same bands but like side stage. I always think back to that Osheago experience and how now playing festivals it’s like that but only the good parts. Not covered in dirt or exhausted or dehydrated or anything like that.

I always think back to that Osheago experience and how now playing festivals it’s like that but only the good parts.

Faith: You’ve recently toured with Royal Blood. What was it like touring with them?

Ian: It was cool. They were super sweet guys and their whole team was really amazing and accommodating and they were very quick to make us super comfortable. But it was a pretty grinding tour, we were pretty much chasing their bus the entire time and in the US the drives are massive. It was definitely a grind but as far as the Royal Blood part it was super cool, they were really good to us.

Faith: Have you ever kept anything from backstage from a show, like a part of a set or posters?

Luke: We did a Maida Vale session and they just announced that the building was going to be demolished and we were playing in the room where everyone did the legendary sessions. It was really special and we were in there packing up to leave and there was this fire code sign on the wall and I just ripped it off and brought it home. I don’t think anyone is going to miss it, so it’s fine.

Faith: Do you still have it?

Luke: Yeah I do, I look at it fondly.

Faith: Your album Bummer has been toured quite a bit now, what songs from that album do you enjoy playing most? What gets the best reactions?

Ian: I love playing ‘VICTORIA PARK’, it’s not necessarily the craziest song when we play it, but there’s a nice wave to it, something about the tempo for me. It’s a good moment. ‘PEPPERS GHOST’ as well.

Luke: ‘GOOD GRIEF’ is sick. I really like that song. It’s really fun to play.

Faith: What was the inspiration behind your latest single ‘OK’?

Luke: We’ve kind of had that song for a little while. We couldn’t really get around to recording it. It’s about a lot of things but mostly about clicking ok on stuff. I feel like now more so than ever, I’ve just got to accept a lot of cookies these days and click ok on this and privacy policies and all that. I don’t read that sh*t.

Lorcan: You have no idea what you’re signing up for.

Luke: Yeah, I just do it. Cool, I get to see funny videos.

Faith: We’re a student newspaper and Reading Fest attracts a lot of young people. We were wondering what advice would you give to young people starting in the music industry trying to play at festivals like this?

Luke: I’d say make music for yourself. One of the easiest ways to make it genuine is if you’re just making something that you love. Now more than ever with the internet it’s really easy to make sh*t with someone in mind, or with an audience in mind. That works for people, in fact that might be a really quick way to do something big. When it comes down to it the greatest artists make things for themselves and it happens to get out there to other people. It’s where you’ll find the most fulfilment. I’d say take a look at what you’re listening to and try and distil it, find what you love about it and then make your favourite thing ever.

I’d say make music for yourself. One of the easiest ways to make it genuine is if you’re just making something that you love.

Faith: I think also it’s so easy now isn’t it to just start making music, it doesn’t have to be perfect.

Luke: That’s true too, it shouldn’t be perfect, there’s almost more charm in music with flaws.

Faith: What new music have you been enjoying recently?

Luke: I’m obsessed with The War On Drugs right now. That’s been one of those band names that I’ve heard for so long and never really gave the time. I’m deep in that right now, them and Kurt Vile. I learned about the connection between them and that got me into both. It’s been a nice journey.

Faith: The War on Drugs are great for a road trip.

Luke: Yeah exactly, some nice long songs. They’re playing in Toronto the day before we get home.

Faith: What is the craziest thing you’ve seen in a crowd when you’ve been playing?

Luke: A couple back flips.

Ian: Yeah but I’ve never seen them, I’ve only ever heard of the back flips.

Luke: We just played in Budapest, we played Sziget festival. At one point it seemed like half our crowd disappeared right in the centre. They parted for a second and I realised there were a bunch of people on the ground pretending to be in row boats. Maybe it was like 40 people, a fleet of row boats, they were all just sitting in the dirt. That’s pretty weird to me.

Ian: It honestly bummed me out at first because I thought everybody was like sleeping. But then I saw footage of it.

Faith: It’s really funny you say that, because I was just watching Wallows and people in the crowd did that there. They just sat down and they did the row boat thing. I haven’t heard of it before.

You’re having a bit of a break from touring soon, you’re going back to Canada. What are you looking forward to doing when you’re back?

Ian: Camping. I’m looking forward to just doing some other things. We’re excited to look at the idea of making new music. What’s exciting is the change of the pace. I’m still excited to be busy and do stuff. Touring is great, but it’s very linear. I think for me I’m most excited about that and to go camping.

Lorcan: We’re camping right now! We’re having that experience. Where is your go to camping spot in Canada?

Ian: Algonquin Park, which is massive.

Lorcan: Have you ever been to Banff?

Ian: We’ve driven through it.

Luke: It’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. Last time I was there my girlfriend and I were in a town and we were walking on this street and there were elks walking around. It was crazy.

Lorcan: That sounds like it was straight out of a Disney movie.

Luke: Exactly. Everyone that lived there was walking past not even looking twice. It happens all the time.

Faith: Your set is very soon! What do you do before a show to get pumped up for it?

Ian: There’s no ritual. It’s just whatever can be done to get into the zone, maybe it’s listening to music sometimes or just thinking a bit. We don’t really have a thing.

Luke: There’s no hands in the circle, chant on three kind of thing.

Ian: We can do some high fives here and there.

Luke: We keep it pretty private. Between us and our tour managers we’re best buddies but right before the set everyone splits off. We take a second and then we reunite to play the show.

Lorcan: What do you have planned for the future?

Luke: We’re going to make more music. We’ve got a bunch of songs recorded now. We’re going to write some new ones and find the next inspiration.