THE CORAL
PAUL DUFFY (BASS)
Liverpool band, The Coral have gone relatively unnoticed over the past year. Lack of any new material, or even any shows at all since last August has sunk the band nonchalantly beneath the radar. But, after bumping into the band at Bristol's Real World Studios, bassist Paul Duffy and drummer Ian Skelly exclusively reveal some sneaky details on what will be their first studio effort in a year, how they became successful and why they would like fingers as big as legs.
As we’re at Real World studio’s, would this suggest there's a new album on the way?
Ian Skelly: Yeah we’re doing our new album!
Paul Duffy: Yeah so far, it’s pretty good.
Ian Skelly: We’ve done six songs so far.
So which sounds have evolved on this album from the previous six?
IS: It’s heavier.
PD: Yeah! A lot heavier yeah. It’s very layered, it's like you have one thing and you just keep adding things on top, and it just sounds big cause we've gone in as a six piece. We’ve got the bass, got the six members down, you know, doing them parts. We’ve been sticking on vocals and stuff like that so it’s a different kind of approach to what we usually go down which is, y’know, drums, bass, guitar. A lot of the stuff’s kinda set in stone now though, finished for the album.
"Dreaming of You" is is arguably your most successful song to date. Are there any similar tracks on the new record?
PD: Yeah, deffo, yeah.
PD: Well, ‘In the Morning’ always gets good reactions from crowds when we play it, but ‘Dreaming of You’ is obviously the one that everyone knows.
IS: There aren’t really any similar ones to ‘Dreaming of You’ on this record though, no.
So what you would describe the new tracks as?
IS: Erm…I don’t really know what they are, we haven’t really lived with it for that long. Just wrote it and arranged it in about two weeks, got on the phone [and said] “Lets make a record!” So, I don’t really know what it is yet.
PD: We haven’t even got a name for it yet.
IS: But it has got some catchy ones on it…it’s good…it’s good so far.
Riot Rhythm is a blog for all good music. What would you like to tell those wanting to make their own?
IS: Rehearse and just get good. Write good songs, just get good enough so you can go out there and do things. Once you're on a roll then things will start happening. You do [have to have talent] but you also have to, y’know, work hard at it, get good at it.
PD: Yeah that’s what you do, you go out and get gigs. I went uni for a bit but it weren’t for me really so…I left and concentrated on the band. You can get more and more gigs there so, and we just built up a bit of a name.
No back up plan?
PD: No! I still don’t! Never! It's always been The Coral, y’know, full time, all the way.
IS: We just went for it. You can do that when you're young, you got time to mess about, you know what I mean, we've been doing since about 15/16.
PD: We've been doing it properly for about 20 years…yeah, signed for about 10 years.
So would you say its just persistence to get into the industry?
PD: Yeah!
IS: Well you do it cause you love it, that’s why you do it really. We did it just for the love of it, and you don’t get paid a lot for years. It's never been about the money, it’s always been about the art…well I always thought we’d get signed, it's just one of them where if you get good enough and you believe in yourself.
Finally, would you rather legs as big as your fingers or fingers as big as your legs?
IS: What legs like that? (measuring an inch gap with fingers)
PD: Or MASSIVE fingers?
Or massive fingers, yeah.
(Pause, PD drumming fingers)
PD: That’s a tough one.
IS: Yeah!
PD: Probably legs as big as fingers. (Pause) cause then, you know, you’re not that disabled, whereas if you had massive fingers, you couldn’t pick things up could ya (performs demonstration). Although you could walk on your hands…hmm, I wouldn’t like that. At least I could sit in a chair with little legs.
IS: So it’s five legs… on your hands?
Yes.
IS: All the same length?
Yep.
IS: Think I’d go for that one.
That’s what Fyfe Dangerfield said, because then he could take up boxing...
PD: Oh but that’s kicking now, that’s against the rules! Well I’d choose fingers as legs, cause then, y’know, at least you could join the circus.
The Coral have also recently announced a string of DJ sets, fronted by keyboardist Nick Power and joined by Magot from Goldie Lookin Chain. Janice Graham Band, The Sundowners, SULK and The Draymin will also be supporting.
If this (what could only be described as) fusion of contrasts takes your interest, visit http://www.thisfeeling.co.uk/ for more info. If not, here are some dates for you below:
London Queen Of Hoxton (March 10)
Sheffield Leadmill (15)
Manchester FAC251 (16)
Dunfermline PJ Malloy's (30)
Glasgow Chambre 69 (31)
London Queen Of Hoxton (April 14)
Liverpool Magnet (May 6)
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