THE deliciously dark allure of Exeter four-piece Concubines has got us all in a fluster. When hearing Nick Cave-inspired new track Darkness for the first time, we just had to find out what makes the freshest sound in the South West tick. Luminous Plectrum took time out to discuss their influences, their hopes for the future and why Exeter has crafted their sumptuous style.
Luminous Plectrum: Who are Concubines?
Andy Death: Concubines are individuals who are engaged in a quasi matrimonial relationship with a person who they cannot be officially wed to... this may be because the person is already married or of a higher social standing within a society where marriage between people of uneven social status is forbidden/ frowned upon...
For the purposes of the band, Concubines is Andy Death, Andy White, Phil Death, Simon Christopher Hickson. For live purposes we have AD; vocals & keys, AW; drums & vocals, PD; guitars & vocals, SCH; bass.
LP: Tell me more about your origins. Why the name? Who are your influences?
AD: I thought it presented a nice juxtaposition between a name which had in itself a poetic quality- it has assonant and alliterative elements, yet it's meaning is quite dark. It struck me as something which could be read as a metaphor for contemporary society. You can read into that as you will.
Influence wise we're into everything really... in music terms that means anything from 60s psych and garage to modern indie via post punk... For me a huge influence is watching and reading about how people like Phil Spector and Quncy Jones worked... y'know great pop producers. Beyond music I don't think you can escape the influence of art & film... I think these things definitely shape you and where you're coming from...
LP: You hail from Exeter - how has Devon shaped you as an act?
PD: Exeter is pretty sleepy as far as cities go, but there has always been an undercurrent of good music: punk and alternative/independent, mainly out of the Cavern. The thing is that Devon tends to make kids want to make noise, rebel and move to Brighton or Bristol or London...However there is a good group of creative people here who tend to get involved with each other's projects. Personally I'm inspired by the wild moors and dramatic coastline but I think as a band we are more shaped by a broad interest in music and making something different. It is a little harder to create a musical oddity in a small town. Strangely, if we did hail from London perhaps the music would sound more generic.
LP: I can definitely pin-point nods to Joy Division, Nick Cave et al on Darkness - what sets you apart?
AD: I think at this stage it would be too arrogant to say anything sets us far apart from the pack, all I would say is that I think given an opportunity to present a body of work I think we'll prove that we have our own thing going on... I love Nick Cave and Joy Division and the former has definitely been an influence in terms of his song-writing and structure from his work with the Bad Seeds. It's a good point of departure towards something else.
LP: Darkness is deliberately..well..dark, from the black and white video to the captivating-yet-bleak vocal style and jangling guitar melodies, is this a prevalent theme to your work?
AD: I don't think so... for Darkness it just worked. We're quite keen to present our work in a way that considers aspects such as the aesthetic and I think it will be important to keep an open mind in terms of imagery for us as a band going forward...
LP: Who is exciting you in music at the moment?
PD: The last White Denim album was a real eye-opener. They make complex music that anyone can follow, before they disappear into some obscure time signature they throw you a hook to hold onto and the tracks flow like that. It's truly masterful songwriting. Aside from that I'd say vaguely experimental pop like Django Django and expansive, dark indie from Australian band Jezabels, or Poliça.
AD: I've kinda been excited by exploring a mix of 60s stuff like Silver Apples, the Walker Brothers, USA, the Monks and the Velvet Underground lately... I like the blend of harmonies and arrangements with the desperate vocals...
LP: What are your aspirations for the future?
AD: It's always been my dream to tour Europe and play New York... just be able to go to great inspiring places. Think of the material and songs you could write on the back of these experiences. Aside from that just to write songs we can be proud of and can offer something a little different... In the short term we have a gig supporting Martin Rev from Suicide at the Purple Turtle in Camden on Friday May 25th to launch our debut single. Suicide is a band we're massively informed by- so we're stoked to playing that one.
Darkness is released on 100 limited edition vinyl via Howling Owl on May 14th.
The band will support the release with a few shows across the country including a launch show at the Electricity Showrooms in London on May 17th and a hometown show supporting Fixers at the Exeter Cavern.
See the video for Darkess below.
