The Sony Walkman might be going out of commission, but New York's Walkmen are just warming up, writes SIOBHAN KANE
THIS New York band are difficult to categorise: they love Harry Nilsson and vintage instruments, they’ve written a book together (John’s Journey) and have performed to hyper children on US television show Pancake Mountain. Their searing live performances radiate a kinship that being in a band for a decade might bring. From 2004’s Bows and Arrows to last year’s You and Me to this year’s Lisbon, theirs is a complex, almost literary sound, like Hemingway with a sense of humour: savage, bloody, tender, poetic.
Your records create a consistent atmosphere, yet are quite different. Lisbon is sparse
Pete: We had 28 songs, but a lot of the recordings came out weird, so it came down to 16, which was great as we were very interested in making a short record.
You live in Philadelphia now – that must have changed the dynamic a bit? How are you finding it?
Pete: It is kind of weird. I like that, though. New York feels international, whereas Philadelphia feels cut-off, a little world filled with strange people. I would say three-quarters of it is like the land that time forgot, but there are a lot of woods where I live, which is what I like best about it.
Environment has been important to you over the years. Your rehearsal space in Harlem was hugely significant, to the point where you recorded a track-by-track version of Harry Nilsson’s album Pussy Cats as a farewell to it
Pete: It was wonderful to have. We all lived in the neighbourhood, we would go there after work every night, but when we finished two records, it felt right to get rid of it.
Walter: We decided to record Pussy Cats in the car when we were on tour. It’s such a humorous record.
Humour seems a huge part of your ethos
Hamilton: Everything we do is like: if you don’t have a joke to it then it’s not interesting.
Pete: The Rat came out of a joke. It’s a really intense song, but we just thought it really funny how Matt played the drums on it.
Hamilton, your vocal is one of the reasons for the live intensity, and you always look like you are getting ready for a fight. Does that take preparation?
Hamilton: No, I don’t do anything. Although I did have to quit smoking cigars, because that was messing me up. I should warm up, I know. I do about 10 seconds. My dad was in a band when I was growing up, so I just thought it would be the same for me – it came naturally.
Walter: We are probably the least rehearsed band in the world.
Your instruments are mainly vintage . . .
Walter: We have never acknowledged this to ourselves or each other, but we only buy instruments that have been through the mill. If we see anything untouched we are automatically turned off from it. My bass is from 1955. I got it 12 years ago, and it looks like it’s been through a war.
You are swapping instruments around on stage even more these days
Pete: In London we even started swapping during old songs.
Hamilton: You were shaking like a leaf.
Pete: Walter and I switched from organ to bass on our third record, I didn’t know how to play organ or piano, so it was a big learning process for me. I still don’t; I feel like I am getting better though.
Your live performances are always special, and you have included a church on this tour – a complete Walkmen tour of churches would be great
Hamilton: Yes, nice and old compared to some of what we just played. That will be the first and last time we play Academy Islington. Space is important to us, but I just saw Leonard Cohen in Madison Square Garden, and he put on a great show. He did five encores and skipped on stage for every one.
Pete: He skips?
Hamilton: He does this little dance, and spins around. I know, Leonard Cohen does that on stage .
The Walkmen play Dublin’s Tripod on November 15, and Galway’s Róisín Dubh on November 16. Lisbon is out on Bella Union
