The Whip - Interview, UK - Winter 2007
By: Alex Lee Thomson
Manchester dance-rockers The Whip have been spelling trouble across the nation as their direct, down to Earth rock 'n' roll is blurring the lines of club dance and punk far more than most people can comprehend. We caught up with front man Bruce for a few words...
Rockfeedback: This has certainly been the year for throwaway bands, what is it you think that The Whip have which will give you hopefully a more loyal fan base than the likes of the Wombats or Kate Nash etc.?
Bruce: We just like doing our own thing, it's pretty nuts how many different kinds of people seem to be coming down to our gigs. We get people who reek of youth with fun sticks, then we can play a club and people get off on it from another dimension and some fold who maybe liked acid house first time round or New Order get it too. It's a musical Noah's Ark on the road with The Whip. We seem to get anyone who's open minded about music which is cool because we listen to all sorts of stuff. It's the best way to be with so much good music out there, keeping your ears muffled is defo' the way forward.
RFB: It seems to be the best and worst time for new bands right now. Any artist can get their music out there, but the problem is ANY artist can get their music out there. Is it daunting to be an emerging band at this point?
B: No not one bit, it's a really healthy way of approaching music, people can find stuff they like pretty easy and become the judge of things themselves, rather than asking behind a counter to listen to a record people can review stuff themselves online. It did feel good in the past when someone would do you a mix tape or a copy of something, things sounded wicked on a tape too! Totally over compressed, it made some stuff sound better! Playing live is the best way of getting the message across, we love playing live so much... beefing it out in a room with a bunch of other people. We love it!
RFB: What do you think is the most important thing to keep in mind if you're a band who's struggling to make an impact, and likewise if you're in a band that seems to be going places?
B: Do what you think is best; if that's what you keep to, what more can you do? I love evolving as a band, it's best, for me anyway, to keep thinking all the time... it's great playing in clubs and then get on the dancefloor and hear the DJ playing some fresh stuff, it keeps you on your toes and is pretty inspirational. We're just finishing our album and you can hear the journey over the songs of places we went to and what got my tail wagging.
RFB: What's been your biggest challenge as a band?
B: It was pretty brutal early on when we we're driving in our cars to gigs, we would get back from them and I would go straight to work and do another that night... and repeat... I looked like I'd been beaten up for a while. You've got to get out there though, that's what it's all about.
RFB: What goals do you have for The Whip, do you think any of them have been met yet?
B: We're just excited about finishing the album and getting it out there, we finish next week so that will be a mission complete for me, then serve the beast everywhere we go with a side dish of fun.
RFB: You've been going for a few years but now seem to be snowballing with tours, records, fans, etc. Why do you think things have started happening for you now? Has something changed in the band, either on stage or behind the scenes? Or do you think the scene has shifted to allow your style of electro to be taken in a new light?
B: We've just kept picking people up bit by bit which feels pretty healthy. No beer on the rider turns to 4 beers, to 12, to 24, to vodka... this can be bad.
RFB: Do you think being from Manchester has affected people's view of the band? There's a massive history, and healthy current scene there right now, do you think that's played any part in either the formation of The Whip or the music you make?
B: Manchester is a great town to come from when you think about bands like New Order, 808 State.... there's loads of good stuff from our town, it defo' affects the way you make music. There's a mood that adds a vibe you can hear.
RFB: Gun to your head, and you had to pick, would you class yourself as a dance band or a rock band? It's exciting that you blur the lines so well, but you walk into HMV, where would you see The Whip? Or is the idea of pigeonholing an antiquated system? My dream is to have a HMV without borders, a free world so to speak...
B: Mate, that sounds like a nice world, yeah I don't mind where we live. I think it's getting a bit like that, I don't really class us in any one spot, and we just like to get people dancing with their eyes open. As I said I think the internet is helping that a lot.
RFB: How important do you think it is to have an imposing live show? You're a band that could quite easily exist in music only form but you recreate every aspect of your sound on stage. Is that a hard thing to do? Was that something that featured high up on the agenda when starting out?
B: Live is what it's all about; it's such a buzz to go to a gig and to play. Live is so important to me. It's not too hard to get it going on stage, we're all up for a bit of graft to get it sounding right so we can beef it as much as possible at the gig.
RFB: Crystal ball time, but what do you think... or what would you hope... the near future holds for The Whip?
B: Things are going good, next year should be a lot of fun, I can't wait for the festival season again, touring with Simian Mobile Disco will be cool, we had a lot of fun last summer, I just want some repeat business. It'll be cool when the album's out then people can get into all the songs they only know a bit. They can wait for the big build up's, and give all with us... and join the party.
Artists in this article: The Whip