Manchester-based three-piece The Whip have been slogging it out in the studio for months to produce their master album Wired Together.
The electro/ indie/ disco group are offering fans a taster of their new album with five tracks available for listening on the band’s website. Playing blinding sets at the major summer festivals (Secret Garden Party performance on your right), band members Bruce Carter, Nathan Sudders and Fiona Daniel travelled all the way down the M1 from Manchester to close the main stage at Shoreditch Festival and catch up with i-D online. Playing underneath the bridge just down the road from the i-D HQ, we were treated to a live preview of the entire album before catching up to talk about all the fun they’ve been having recently…
How has your music developed?
Fiona- From the first album we identified the things that we liked and what we thought the audiences liked and tried to work on them. It’s gone a bit more down the dance path rather than the indie path but we’ve kept the lyrical element.
Bruce – It’s funny making a second album because you just try to play on your strengths. The difference between the first album and this album is that the first was born from demos in the studio in a pretty short period of time whereas this time we really lived inside the songs.
Nathan – Also the dynamic of the group has changed now that we’re a three piece rather than a four piece. It’s meant the concentration has been much more on the music. Everybody’s minds were on making the best thing we could possibly do.
What have the influences been for the new album?
Fiona – Influences that we’ve had forever, like Daft Punk and Soulwax – pioneers of the dance music scene.
Bruce – What we tended to do was get into the studio over the course of the year and if somebody had a song they’d been buzzing off or if we were DJ’ing we would just start the day with a tune. There would be songs we would listen to 20 or 30 times.
Fiona – It was more a case of “I like that drum sound”, picking different elements as reference points.
If you were given a whip what would you do with it?
Fiona – I’d use it to slap him on the tits and him on the back of the neck.
Nathan – I’d use it to herd horses in South Africa; in its natural habitat.
Bruce – I’d learn to crack it, I’ve heard it’s a bit of a knack.
What’s been your favourite time as a band?
Fiona – Fuji Rock, we got booked just before we got a record deal, which apparently is unheard of. I remember when I got the news that we were getting booked it was like OMG I’m going to Japan and doing this. Then we got to the festival and it’s just this beautiful setting in the mountains. Watching, of all things, the Happy Mondays I had tears in my eyes.
Nathan – I had a lump in my throat, imagine being at the base of Fuji mountain, it’s just such a stimulating place on all your senses. Japan Fuji Rock is defiantly one of our highlights.
First song you remember playing on an instrument?
Fiona – Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor
Nathan – Road House Blues by The Doors. My friend’s dad taught it me.
Bruce – I was dying to play bass so I got a bass. Next day I did Wild Thing in a school talent contest.
First song you can remember hearing?
Fiona – Zappa or David Bowie. I had very hippie parents. I liked Fashion by Bowie.
Nathan – My dad was a DJ and I think it was Freak Le Chic.
Bruce – My mum and dad told me that when I was born and brought home from the hospital they put on Here Comes The Sun and changed the lyrics to here comes our son.
Wired Together is out on 19th September.
Text, Photography and Film: Declan Higgins
