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Oct 08, 2024 Web Exclusive By Dom Gourlay Photography by Sandra Ebert

London-based four-piece Crows have Silver Tongues earned a reputation as one of the hardest working bands on the circuit, as well as being one of the most ferociously intense live acts on the planet.

Having released two critically acclaimed albums in the shape of 2019 debut the 2022 follow-up Beware Believers, the band has just put out their long-awaited third record. Entitled Reason Enough, the album came out at the end of last month (September) on Bad Vibrations/Fuzz Club and arguably represents their most polished collection of songs to date.

It’s been a long and arduous road for the foursome – James Cox (vocals), Steve Goddard (guitar), Jith Amarasinghe (bass) and Sam Lister (drums) – combining the pressures of day jobs and family lives with being in a band, but also a very rewarding one as Reason Enough amply proves.

With the band due to go out on tour any day now, Under the Radar sat down with vocalist James Cox to discuss the new record, touring, and how difficult it is for bands to survive in the current financial climate.

Dom Gourlay (Under the Radar): Your new album Reason Enough came out last month. Talk me through the writing and recording process.

James Cox: Writing, we spent a bit more time with this one. I think once we realized we weren’t going to be able to turn it around in a year – the expected time to turn an album around is getting shorter and shorter – we decided to take our time rather than stress ourselves trying to force something. We wrote a lot of songs then whittled them down into what we thought would make a good album. That’s the first time we’ve written a lot more for an album than we actually needed. So, we finished about 15 or 16 tracks and had a few more ideas, then whittled that down to 10 which became the album. It was nice to be able to explore some different types of song. We really believe in the dynamic of this album. I feel the last one was a bit flat out, full on. Taking more time with this one meant we could experiment a bit more, even if some of the songs weren’t as good. We shelved a few over the course of the writing process.

We took loads of writing weekends away as we don’t really like writing in London. It’s quite difficult when we’re all working. We’d get there and play for two hours then everyone would be starving and too tired. So, we took a few weekends away, mainly around Gloucestershire because Jith’s (Amarasinghe, bass) mum is from Gloucester so we could drop his kid Gigi at his mum’s then have a bit more freedom to write over the weekend. We did a bit of pre-production with Joel Amey, the drummer from Wolf Alice who’s a friend of ours. He was just really keen to help in any way he could. He loves the band and we’re all good friends. We were at the point where we’d heard and listened to the songs so much that we needed to get another pair of ears and someone else to come in to tell us what’s good and what’s bad. So, Joel went through all the demos that we’d done – all 15/16 tracks – and added a few subtle bits here and there. Maybe the odd chord progression change and a few backing vocals, but it made us look at all the songs in a different way. Which was just what we needed. It also helped us choose which songs we were going to work on for the album together. Then at some point we thought now we need to stop and just start recording it. So, we reached out to Andy Savours as we wanted a more “indie” producer that could capture the songs a bit more. With the first two albums we’d tried to capture the live show on record which was fine, but we felt the need to do something different with this one. You can’t do the same thing three times, and we wanted a bit more of a polished indie sound. Sam (Lister, drums) knew Andy and we’re all big fans of the records he’s made with other bands. It turned out he was up for it, so we met for a beer and he recorded and mixed it. It meant we were under no time pressure in the studio as it was Andy’s studio. We had a month to do it as slow or as fast as we wanted. He’s very much like a 9 to 5, Monday to Friday kinda guy so it was nice to have that regiment and organisation. It was very smooth. Andy is very meticulous so he’d do lots and lots of takes whereas we’d previously just done 4 or 5 takes. It did take a bit of getting used to, but once we’d gotten used to it and started listening back to what he was playing with this patchwork of layers and layers, we began to understand his technique and why it was so unique to him. It was a really great experience. It was mastered by a guy called Pete Maher who’s also done our last two records. I’ve still never met him but he’s mastered all of our records so far! I only ever speak to him via email but he does a great job every time.

Would you work with Andy Savours again in the future or are you looking to work with someone else on the next record?

I think it depends what the next record is going to sound like. We’d definitely like to work with Andy again. He did an amazing job and was a real pleasure to work with, but we’re still not sure what the next record will sound like. We’ll cross that bridge after we’ve toured this one.

You mentioned five or six songs that were written and demoed around the same time as the album but didn’t make it onto the record. Will those songs be revisited or even released in the future?

Maybe. Some of them definitely not. Or maybe we’ll pick parts as ideas -b a bass line or a guitar line out of them. They were interesting songs and I really liked some of them but they didn’t fit. They were still obvious Crows songs but not as strong as the ones we chose to go on the album. We’ll probably start with something from most of them but again, it depends on how we approach record number four. To be confirmed I guess!

I understand a lot of the album was written in a converted church. Did those surroundings inform or inspire the songs and the way they were written?

I guess it did a little bit. It was also in bleak midwinter. Everywhere was freezing and wet so we didn’t have any excuse to be anywhere but inside writing. We’d be in there all day, break for some food, then go back in. It was around when the Qatar World Cup was on. One night, we went to try and watch the football somewhere in Stroud which is not a very big town, and everywhere was rammed. So, we ended up watching one of the games outside on one of the benches and it was freezing cold. It definitely put a dark shine and a dark spin on it being so surrounded by darkness.

Which is the oldest song on the album? Did any of these songs feature in your most recent live sets earlier this year?

I think “Silhouettes” was the one that we finished first. There might be a couple we started earlier but that was definitely the one we completed first. We had a run of dates in France and the Netherlands around February of last year and we were definitely playing it in those sets, mainly to road test and see what it was like. I remember it going down really well. It’s got a nice dynamic, short and melodic verses then a big, big Crows chorus. It was a nice break in the set as well so it was nice to watch people hear it for the first time and realise a new album was on the way. I think it was a good marker as well to say we’re going in a more melodic direction with this record. That was our main aim for the whole thing really.

The main lyrical themes seem to be very bleak as well, for example “Is It Better?”

I view “Is It Better?” as quite a positive song. I wrote that at the tail end of me coming out of a rough year of mental health after I’d had some therapy. It was written as an ode to my friend’s family who got me out of a really tough year of mental health. It is funny the way people perceive lyrics at times, especially mine. I guess different people connect with lyrics in different ways. “Vision Of Me” is another one that means very different things to different people and not necessarily what it was written about. That’s the good thing about music, and I’m very fortunate to have people connect with my lyrics so much. Going back to “Is It Better?”, for me its quite a positive song. I was in a much better place when I wrote It as a thank you to the people that got me out of a bad place.

All three singles that came out before the album – “Bored”, “Vision Of Me” and “Is It Better?” – represent very different sides of the band. Was that something you were conscious of, and will there be any more singles coming out in the future?

It was really tough to choose what singles we were going to release for this album. Everyone had a different point of view. The label had a different point of view, the radio plugger had a different point of view, all of us in the band had a different point of view. “Bored” I think was the most obvious choice as it doesn’t stray too far from what we’ve done previously. It also got the most 6Music plays we’ve ever had in our entire career. We weren’t sure if “Vision Of Me” was going to be a single because its quite long and has a big, heavy outro, But it also sounds quite eighties alternative and sonically represents a real progression from the last two albums. Vocally as well, I’m singing quite low in it. So, I think that also showed its not all just going to be fast and punky like previous Crows records. “Is It Better?” was mainly because it has that hooky guitar line. We were going to release another single on the same day the album came out, and there was an argument whether that was going to be “Living On My Knees” or “Every Day Of The Year”. Again, no one could decide so someone will probably end up flipping a coin at some point. It’s difficult to choose singles and it’s never the right one when we do! Someone will always say we should have picked that one instead.

But it’s a nice dilemma to have I guess?

Yeah.

This is your second release on Bad Vibrations/Fuzz Club. What are they like to work with from a label perspective? Are there any expectations from them in terms of sales and commercial success?

So, Keith (Milla) is Bad Vibrations then Fuzz Club do the brunt of the work. Keith is more the face of it I guess. He’s one of my oldest friends and been our promoter in London the whole time we’ve been a band. On the day to day stuff we deal with Jack (Palfrey) and everyone at Fuzz Club. They’re an incredible record label. They’re really hard working and never miss anything which is great for an independent in this day and age. They’ve never got anything wrong. It’s always been really positive and really honest. It’s nice. I’d rather have that where I can just raise stuff direct with them if something’s on my mind. I mean, there are benefits to being on a major label in terms of having more money, but to be honest I’d much rather work with someone we like and who we can call a friend as opposed to having to speak to someone different every time we need something. It’s been a pleasure working with Bad Vibrations and Fuzz Club. They’re good people all round.

You’re on tour throughout October and the first part of November. What can we expect from the setlists?

It’s quite hard choosing setlists now as we have so much material. We’ve got three albums, two EPs and numerous singles so instead of trying to write setlists for every night, we wrote down a list of all the songs we’re likely to play throughout the tour which came to thirty-one in total. We’ve been rehearsing all of them, and then we’re going to switch things around every night. So basically it’s a mix of everything we’ve released so far. But it is very difficult now. I can see why Bruce Springsteen plays for three hours or whatever he does!

You are quite an established band now so people will have their favourite songs and favourite albums.

That’s the nice thing about it. Whenever we play gigs, people will often come up to us and say they’ve been a fan since hearing such-and-such-a-song or such-and-such-a-record and it’s always really nice to hear things like that. We seem to have acquired a pretty dedicated fanbase over the years which makes this whole thing so worthwhile.

You’ve toured with a lot of bands over the years, IDLES being one. Have you learned anything from those experiences or even changed your approach to making music based on seeing what other artists do?

I don’t know. I think we’ve always just done our own thing. I think that’s why those bands like taking us on tour because we’re just doing our own thing. The best thing about that is making friends, because you’ve made those friends for life. Especially when those bands keep getting bigger and bigger and bigger. It’s such a great thing to see. I think we’ve always done our own thing and I think we always will just do our own thing.

Pretty much everyone I know that’s in a band has a day job or some other form of employment besides making music. How do you manage to combine the two so successfully and be able to devote as much time as is necessary towards making music?

It is quite tough. I think having a very supportive employer helps. For instance, I’ve worked for a food company for eight years, and my boss (Simon) loves the band. He’s always given me time off to tour and then when I’m back, enough work to survive. It’s important to me and he’s a good friend, so that’s great. For the other guys, Sam works in music so it’s a little bit easier for him. Steve works for his own family business selling nuts and bolts so it’s a bit more flexible for him. Having fun is important as well when you tour a lot, then when you’re back off tour you have to work a lot. Having an understanding partner as well is also quite crucial. Unfortunately it’s become the norm and so accepted that people in bands have other jobs. Most people don’t even give it a second thought now. The only way around it is to be on tour for eleven or twelve months a year which is fine if that’s what you want to do, but also doesn’t give you a great work/life balance. Or time to be creative which you need to do to be an artist. It’s a vicious cycle.

You’ve also been doing vocals for Humanist on tour with Depeche Mode and Jane’s Addiction earlier this year. How did that come about?

We played a gig in St Leonards-on-Sea which is where Rob (Marshall, Humanist) lives and his manager at the time saw it and advised Rob to ask me to sing on the Humanist album – its basically a collaboration between Rob and different vocalists on each song. I hadn’t heard of Humanist up to that point, so I gave them a listen and it was really cool. Rob then sent me three tracks and said do whatever you want over these and that was it. That was ages ago – two years ago at least – and then the album finally came out this year. Then Humanist got offered the Depeche Mode tour, so Rob asked if I’d consider doing some live shows with them. Crows weren’t touring at the time so I agreed to do it, and it was with Depeche Mode playing in arenas which was incredible. Those gigs were a real pleasure, just playing these massive arenas in really cool cities I’d never been to before. The Jane’s Addiction shows were really cool as well, not in arenas but still pretty big venues like Glasgow Barrowlands, which I’d never played before. It was great, and I now have a new really dear friend in Rob and the band are great so it was a really nice experience. It just happened and hopefully, we’ll get to do more stuff together in the future as well.

Do you see yourself collaborating with any other artists in the future?

That’s why I wanted to do this with Rob because I haven’t ever really done it before. I was really nervous about going on tour as well and actually close to not doing it, but my girlfriend convinced me. She said what have you got to lose and she was right. I was literally over thinking it in my own head and I’m so glad I did it. I’d never done anything like that before. All I’d done was Crows or solo stuff so it made me realise I can do other stuff and it will be fine. So yeah, it’s definitely something I’m open to although I haven’t got time to think about anything else other than this record at the minute. But if the right thing comes along at the right time then definitely.

What advice would you give to a new band just starting out?

Write as much as you can. Always write, even when you think you’ve written enough write some more because you can never have too many songs, and you just get better the more you write. Avoid just playing in your hometown for as long as possible. Try getting out as much and as quickly as you can. That’s when we really started honing the whole thing as Crows, when we started playing away from London. We played the whole circuit in London loads which is important, but it was only when we started touring that the band began to take shape as a thing. I think that’s important, but just write, write, write is the best advice I can give to anyone.

Are there any new bands you’d recommend for Under the Radar and its readers to check out?

Do you know High Vis? I’m absolutely loving them. They’re good guys as well. Lambrini Girls I do love. I know they’ve been going for a while but they’re absolutely smashing it right now, and it’s just a great live show. Those two are on my radar at the moment.

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