Editors are one of those bands that, in my opinion, will look back on 2006 as their turning point. Their melancholy yet poppy music has captured the attention of fans in the UK and the same is happening in the States now. With mind-blowing performances at SXSW and Coachella -- and soon at Lollapalooza -- Editors are on fire and it doesn't seem like anything is going to cool them off anytime soon.
I chatted with lead singer Tom Smith at Chicago's Metro back in April and was really impressed with him. There's some noise in the background, but that's what happens when you do an interview backstage with the rest of the band just outside their dressing room.
Read the entire interview below or stream it now.
Q&A with Tom Smith of Editors:
SomethingGlorious: A lot of lyrics are seemingly dark and gloomy – is that who you are or a part of where you write from?
Tom Smith: I've always been into melancholic music. It seems to be easier to write sad songs than happy, happy songs. The tone of the record is dark but there are a lot of optimistic lyrics on the album. Things are overly romatic. People who love our band see both sides of the lyrics.
SG: It seems like a lot of the lyrics are metaphorical. Like on "All Sparks" – it seems like it might be a political message. You tell me.
TS: I guess "All Sparks" and "Blood," lyrically, are the two darkest songs on the album. It has pessimism – maybe realism – in the song. What strikes me about those two songs, they have the most playful and catchy melodies on the record. When I sit down to write words, sometimes I'm feeling good and happy about things and sometimes I'm thinking how shit life can be, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a morose tune carrying that message.
SG: So you pull from experience and how you feel that day?
TS: Exactly. They lyrics are stemmed in the bigger things – feelings, relationships or lack of relationship – general insecurities that teenagers or young people have. The oldest ones on the record go back to university – when I was in my early '20s. I've been writing songs since I picked up a guitar when I was 14.
SG: With "Blood," was that about a particular person who hurt you when you were young?
TS: With songs, I try to slightly detach myself, but some do have specific events that inspired the lyrics. The rest of the song is padded out because you can use words as imagery. I'm not too interested in going into specifically what happened there. You know when you go through life, you have people you have nothing in common with, they have a completely different way of thinking from you.
SG: You guys have had a really good six months. How does the attention feel now that you're huge in England and getting big in the States?
TS: It's strange. You try not to think about it too much, but you stop and look around and tell yourself to appreciate it. The first single came out back home two Januarys ago. We were signed at the end of 2004. The success that we had in the UK was cumulative. There was a build from constant touring and people slowly realized who we are. It went to No. 2 six months after it was released. Coming here, we're starting again. In places like Chicago and New York, the word is out on us and the crowd is pretty big for a new band. But in other places, there are people who don't know who we are. There's a lot of hard work to be done in America.
SG: Do you find it humbling? I mean has it made you less approachable, the fame back home, that is?
TS: No, I think we're pretty approachable. That kind of arrogance goes hand in hand with some bands that believe they should be the biggest band in the world. We've never been like that. We have self-belief and deep down we belive we can be popular. But going on stage is still a humbling experience.
SG: Any bands you think have gotten hype lately that don't deserve it?
TS: I don't know that that's for me to say. Things can happen so quickly. The weird thing for me last year was when the Bravery came out. One single came out and it was plastered everywhere and the NME said they were going to change the world. And a year later, they were nominated for worst band in the world [by the NME]. I'm just glad we've never been championed like that from anyone. No one's ever said this is going to be the best new band of this year.
SG: Any issues with other bands?
TS: Not really. Most bands are fairly like-minded people. You think they're going to be intimidating but they're not. Elbow has had a big influence on us and they approached us to work with them and we've now become friends.
SG: Anyone else you want to work with?
TS: Jason Pierce of Spiritualized is doing a remix for us. I just want to work with as many people as possible.
SG: Any heroes that you want to work with that when you meet them will leave you star struck?
TS: Yeah, I guess like the Thom Yorkes and Michael Stipes of the world. Radiohead's OK Computer and The Bends and all that stuff, but OK especially is one of my favorite albums. They never cease to amaze me how they continue to evolve. I find Murmur and Reckoning to be two of my favorite albums. With Automatic for the People [R.E.M.] became one of the biggest bands, but didn't lose their credibility or mystique. I'd love to work with Michael Stipe. We were playing in Athens and he walked by. I guess he lived right near there. But he didn't come in. We just recorded "Orange Crush" for Q magazine. We're really proud of it. It was fun getting back into the studio. I expect we'd do something with it.
SG: Do you play it live?
TS: Not yet, you need two vocalists on stage. The other three members of the band don't really have their singing shoes on.
SG: How do you feel when critics say one Interpol is enough?
TS: I don't mind being compared to other bands. There's a list of bands that we're compared to. When it's used as a stumbling block and someone says that, they obviously never liked us in the first place. But that can put off other people. When people question our integrity, of course that grates. We're passionate about what we do. When someone can cheaply discard it, of course that hurts.
SG: Do you even feel like you're like Interpol?
TS: I feel like there are similarities but not as much as people go on about. It's weird being put in a situation where I'm almost defending what we do. Sure I have a deep voice and our music is dark but we've never copied anyone. I think there's a lot more warmth in our music.
SG: The big comparison is Joy Division and it's uncanny.
TS: They've never been an influence on us. I've got to be honest, "Bullet" sounds nothing like a Joy division song. I'm fully aware of their legacy. The list of the bands that people compare us to – early U2, Bunnymen, Joy Division – it's not a bad list. If your band's good enough, with time, those stumbling blocks or comparisons will go away.
SG: How you do you set yourselves apart?
TS: You don't think about it. If you're striving to do something completely original, you don't succeed. We've never been interested in doing that. We've only wanted to make big, passionate exciting guitar music and to connect with people and touch people. Lots of people get that and that's how we're making them feel. That's the only thing we've ever tried to do.
SG: To someone who's never seen you live, what do you think they would take from your show?
TS: There's a thread of intensity that runs through our music and the amount of passion for what we do comes across when we're on stage. It's not cold, it's quite warm. Back home, when there's however many people singing back all the words, it's euprohic. Our songs have very big moments in them. We're not scared of that. Our songs have big choruses.
SG: What are some stand out moments?
TS: There are moments in the song "Fall" that breaks down with me on guitar. Back home, I can't hear what I'm doing above the audience singing. It does move you. Sure it's a cliché band moment. There are moments you lose yourself in when the gig's going well. It's one of the biggest buzzes.
SG: Where do you consider home?
TS: The band is from Birmingham. That's where we moved to get a record deal. A lot of the darker moments come from that time. The environment rubs off on you. It's pretty bleak. It's not vibrant and it's big and sprawling and ugly. I live in London now. The other guys now live at home technically. I managed to get out. I get home fairly often.
SG: Do you feel like not being from a big music city like Manchester or London helped or hindered your growth as a songwriter?
TS:: I think it helps. As a band, we've never been part of any scene. There have never been bands around us coming out of the UK that sound anything like us. It can only be a good thing to not be affected by what's around you.
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