Interview: Metronomy

In the midst of a UK tour and with a forthcoming release of their second album, Metronomy are attracting increasing attention for their melodic, catchy electropop. Catching up with the band before their gig at the Roadhouse, they are relaxed yet forceful, clearly passionate about the band’s music and eager to reject the ‘electro’ tag which has been the albatross for so many bands.

Initially though, conversation turns to the band’s humble origins as compositions on frontman Joseph Mount’s computer. To play these compositions live he recruited his cousin Oscar Cash and childhood friend Gabriel Stebbing, and thus Metronomy was born. With the trio playing gigs in their local area of Brighton they gained a record deal on a small local label. This deal led to first album Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 you owe), an album which Joseph says consisted entirely of his early computer compositions. After this start the newly formed trio gigged up and down the country, toiling on ‘the b-road to fame and fortune’, as they have christened the circuit of small gig venues.

This DIY, almost punk approach to building up a fan base is somewhat at odds with the approach of many electro bands and it is therefore understandable that the band want to reject this label, arguing that it is simply ‘lazy’ music journalists who have called the band electro. When pressed on this point Joseph explains that the band see themselves as outside of conventional music genres, arguing that this restrains any bands musical creativity and that any artist who can easily classify themselves “is a bit of a dick”.

When I ask Joseph how he would explain the bands music he argues that it is his “own take on pop structure” and stresses the disparate musical influences of Oscar and Gabriel. This adherence to structure also no doubt partly comes from Joe’s musical studies at university, which seem to have had a clear influence on the nature of Metronomy’s music.
 
One label that the band are quick to embrace is that of a pop band, ‘pop’ being the ever-changing, polymorphous term used to describe a wide variety of music. The trio are keen to be seen as accessible, stating that their music can be liked by anyone from fourteen-year-old girls to the late teens electro and new rave crowd. This point leads to a serious discussion about the nature of pop music, with Joe pointing out how much intelligence and careful backstage planning goes into creating something that seems so vacuous and empty. Joe also acknowledges the inherent problem with labelling Metronomy as a pop band, the fact that the trio don’t have the right look to succeed in what is essentially an image driven industry.

The conversation soon turns to the band’s live shows, notorious for their use of push button lights, purchased from pound shops all over the country. When asked about the origin of this innovative performance technique the band’s love for pop shines through again, as they speak of their love of grand productions, saying that this an emulation of a quarter of a million pound pop performance but done on “about a tenner”. The band also point out that the use of the lights has been an effective “calling card”, that they have become known as “the band with the lights” and that this has been an effective marketing tool, as well as a goofy bit of fun to engage with the audience.

Bearing the band’s earlier comments about pop in mind, I ask them who they would like to emulate and it is here that their influences are clearly expressed. A passion for 1980’s pop is clear with bands such as the Human League cited as examples of a pop band managing to subvert the mainstream, gaining number ones while writing songs about obscure science fiction novels. It seems that Metronomy are aiming for a similar kind of success, hoping for commercial gain without having to dumb down their sometimes complex and highly structured music.

Finally we discuss the Metronomy’s recently completed second album, to be titled Nights Out and released in May. When asked about the differences between this album and their first, Joe points out the obvious disparity between working more or less solo on the first and now as a band. While Joe still writes all the music for Metronomy, the focus has now shifted from relatively experimental compositions to cohesive pop songs that can easily be performed live. This has resulted in obvious changes with Oscar and Gabriel now being given specific parts to showcase their own talents. The interview ends here with the band stressing the collective nature of their music, and I am left eagerly anticipating tonight’s multifaceted pop performance.