Interview with
James (vocals) from Mirrors
Searching for a Band called MIRRORS shows a lot of stuff. Not even what you are looking for. But after all I got some information about these four guys from Brighton / UK. Before I've met the singer and songwriter James in Hamburg during his interview-tour in support of the forthcoming album, I've seen their actual video. Really interesting and worth to see on their Homepage: http://www.theworldofmirrors.com/. Since it was the first time for me that I was at the PIAS label office in Hamburg, I've been too late. So, first I have to thank James for spending more time with me than we have scheduled.
Reflections of Darkness (RoD): Hello James, nice to meet you here in Germany. For how long you'll be here and was this your first time at Germany?
James: Hi. Well I'm going back today eve at 8pm from the airport. My first time here was in last autumn. We've been here for about seven gigs. And it was great.
RoD: Searching for Information about the band was not easy and there was not really much to find. Your homepage has not really much content about your project or even the history of the band. So I have to ask you: are you a product of a casting or is the band a group of school friends?
James: (smiling) We're just friends from school. Being professionals about two years and just got the luck to live from being musicians. The history is self-produced. We wanted to create a mystic image. Not want to tell each and everybody everything of our own.
RoD: Okay and what about your clothing? That's something that I can see on each video or picture of you. Everywhere, on stage or CD just like you are dressed now... you are wearing suits. It looks like you want to create an image. But what are you wearing at home? What's the difference between the band and you on your privacy?
James: I think I will speak for each of us, we are wearing suits each day. We are the image and the image is just like we are on our own privacy. It's a way to look smart and precision. That's more important for us, because this is what we want to say about us. It's like Gilbert & George, do you know?
RoD: Ah, I see. Let's talk about business. The forthcoming album, I've heard it about 7 to 10 times the last few days, was stated as your debut. But I still find some information about another records. Was this your real debut?
James: Oh yes it is. The other CD was an EP as a collection of some tracks we've released as best of Demos and collectables. 'Lights and Offerings' is our first full length album, just we called it our debut.
RoD: Something really interesting I've seen were the free gigs you are playing some days. Who have sponsored these concerts and will you play for free as well in future?
James: Surely, on the next week we have free concert in Brighton. We've got the luck to live as professional musicians, so we got the luck to play for free. For example a gig was just sponsored by a local music-magazine.
RoD: But only in the UK? There is nothing to find about new concerts at Germany.
James: Until now there a some concerts that will come in spring, but we can't pronounce something yet. The venues could change and so we have to wait a few days, before we'll publish it.
RoD: Than I'll hope to see you at Hamburg. Somebody, maybe you or the responsible guy of your crew, marked a link to "neuroscience for feeling music" as important. Is you music more science or feeling or just science?
James: (laughing) That's me. I'm the one who marked and published the link. I'm the responsible. Music is feeling and science but our music is more feeling and like the man in the machine. Like our image about precision. Music is feeling and precision.
RoD: So the next important quotation has been marked from you too? "Citation: Hmmm... you know, sometimes in my head it's not 2011"
James: Oops, yes that's me too. It was about a band of the eighties.
RoD: Oh nice to know... but back to business... now you are here to promote your debut album, but what comes next? Will you still wait for the reactions or work on some new stuff? Will there be a future?
James: This is a promotion tour but we still professionals working on new songs and collecting ideas. But with the upcoming shows we have a short break.
RoD: On your website are some reactions from other redactors about your debut album. Mostly recommended are positive reactions. Do you still read other notices? Do they love or hate your music?
James: If you think we wouldn't publish negative reactions too, that's maybe wrong. *smirk smiling* If the BBC will write a bad or worse review, I will publish it. But until today they didn't. But in general I'm really happy about the positive reactions.
RoD: I've read that your music is called "pop noire". What's the dark side of you / your music? Reading the lyrics there is more than a personal sight? Because many lyrics talking about you as the "first person narrator".
James: The dark pop and empathy are the dark and ghostly filth as well as the influence from the bands of the eighties.
RoD: Yes, I understand. Some songs are having a drastic resemblance to the elder OMD or ULTRAVOX. Maybe just like some great other bands within the German "gothic or just called black scene" there are much bands being under the influence from both or just going back from KRAFTWERK till now like COVENANT.
James: Thank you (smiling). Yes I like the music from OMD or XTC, TALKING HEADS and so on. But one thing was really interesting, we've got no similar word in the English language for the gothic scene.
RoD: We have to come to an end.... Too sad. But at least one more question... what kind of music are listing to at home? And you are looking really young, what's your age?
James: I'm 26 and the music? That's the same you can see an the mix tape section on our website. Each month we offer a new one. That's after my fancy.
RoD: I have to thank you for spending your time and I hope to see you soon at Hamburg.
After all we've changed some email addresses and information about forthcoming gigs, but the next interview-partner is already waiting and I just left with a feeling of "forgotten the half of questions" and some thoughts about a interesting suitable dressed guy.
Web link with downloads, music and videos: http://www.theworldofmirrors.com
{jcomments on}
Comments powered by CComment