25/05/11
Your new album is totally brilliant! It is quite different from your older stuff - did anything specific inspire this progression?
LISA: Mostly it’s inspired by Iain’s fevered imagination. It’s a concept album about a train crash in a phantom forest with lots of beasts and mythical creatures. A really big influence to our sound changing has been down to our line-up change because we don’t have the orchestral elements anymore. We’ve stripped right down to just guitars, drums and keyboards. We’re more of a fierce bear now.
JOE: But also I think these songs deserved a more straight-forward approach, there's some down and dirty rock that deserved it's own breathing room.
It seems more ‘solid’ than previous albums (maybe except Oh:Io, 2007). Do you think that’s because your newly recruited rhythm section are sexy lovvers?
LISA: Definitely - Joe smacks the drums real hard, and Charlene has one dirty big muff (pedal).
JOE: LISA!! I don't smack them that hard.
You produced the album with super cool Gareth Parton, who has also produced bands like The Breeders, The Go! Team and Foals. How long have you been working on the album, and what was it like working with Gareth Parton?
JAN: It seems like we've been working towards this new album for all of Bearsuit's life really. We're estatically happy with The Phantom Forest - it is our best ever record. We're the proud parents of this new-born bundle. But in recording terms, we started recording in October 2009 in Brighton and London with Gareth, and didn't really finish with him until about March time. He then emigrated to Australia - nothing we did or said we promise! - and our album tracks got lost on a shipping container for a few weeks which was very worrying. The Phantom Forest could've been very phantom indeed... Gareth was a real gem to work with and is obviously born with pop sensibilities coarsing through his veins. He's very skilful at adding in a part or taking out a riff at the exact right place, or even stopping everything for a microsecond, so that the whole emerges as a pop masterpiece before your eyes. When Will I Be Queen was recorded by Joe is his kitchen, maybe you can hear Charlene making tea in the background? Joe made sure that Queen follows Gareth's production tropes so that it fits with the rest of the record and has done a blinding job on it - fantastic work Mr Naylor!
As well as an album launch, your March 7th gig is a fundraiser for your SXSW trip right!? What are you going to be doing to raise extra cash?
LISA: We’ve got a whole load of cool merch to sell and hopefully raise some dollar - a new range of Phantom Forest inspired t-shirts, postcards, badges, sexy vinyl and CDs. We’ll be hawking our wares on tour round the country for the next two weeks like Del Boy. We’re also happily receiving donations if anyone’s feeling generous! We’ve also been seeing what people would pay us £1000 to do on Twitter and Facebook and Iain’s totally down with tattooing someone’s face on his bum. Joe’s our body parts cash cow - he’s already sold off his good kidney for recording the album.
JOE: I'm also taking all our spare change to Coinstar on Saturday. Times is bad.
You have played Norwich loads of times in your 10-year career - do you still get excited about playing Norwich?
LISA: I actually get pretty nervous about playing Norwich - I guess our friends are the people we want to impress the most, so it can be quite nerve-wracking. We tend to let rip a bit more when we’re out of town!
Your on-stage costumes have been pretty incredible in the past - have you got any costumes planned for the launch show?
LISA: We haven’t got any costumes planned yet, but Iain usually comes up with something bizarre at the last minute. His best creation was a 10-meter wide light-up jellyfish outfit last year at the Buffalo Bar in London, which took up most of the room never mind the stage.
I heard a rumour that The Phantom Forest is going to be available on WHITE VINYL! I love coloured vinyl! What are each of your favourite coloured vinyls that you own (that are not Bearsuit!)?
JAN - I've always been a sucker for coloured vinyl - white, see-through red, bubblegum pink always win me over. I think I've got a really disgusting brown coloured record somewhere - can't remember who it's by though (hope it wasn't Bearsuit!).
LISA - it *was* bearsuit! We asked for a chocolate brown, but it came back more like a kind of ash and poop mix shade. I love red.
You have got dates planned in America at the prestigious SXSW, Spain at Contempopranea Festival, and in Scotland in ummmm, Aberdeen. Which country are you most looking forward to, and why?
LISA: I’m really looking forward to SXSW. We’re going to be playing for Radio 1’s Huw Stephens and the British Music Embassy with a great line including Bombay Bicycle Club and Esben and the Witch. Spain should be great too - we’ve never played there before and it’ll be hot, hot, hot!
It will not be so hot in Scotland, I suspect! You have already made 3 videos for this album, which all look very slick by the way! If money was no object, what would be your dream video shoot?
JAN: Surely it would have to be either a huge phantom forest backdop with all of the mythical creatures from the album, such as Kwaa Kwaa the bird demon queen. OR it would be on space station - Bears in Space!
LISA: Space station space station!
JOE: I'd like to recreate Happy Days and try to tie it in with a Microsoft product, say Windows.
Finally, have you got any tips for anyone coming to see you on March 7th, or at any of the dates on your upcoming tour?
LISA: Dress like you’re blind, dance like the Peanuts gang, bring everyone you know!
JOE: Having just seen 127 Hours - make sure an adult knows where you are going, bring clean underwear and a saw.
Maxie Gedge
BEARSUIT play Norwich Arts Centre on Monday 7th March. For tickets go to www.norwichartscentre.co.uk or call 01603 660352. Get their album ‘The Phantom Forest’ from all good record stores from 13th March.