THE NIGHTJARS
The SIS Interview by Dany Sloan

We've been intrigued by Manchester outfit the Nightjars for quite some time. Their min-album Towards Light threw us some Idlewild-inspired bones, but on their debut LP, out this March, they've embraced their American indie muse. Pavement and Sonic Youth might be obvious touchstones, but these lads are agile enough to make a record that sounds like no one else other than the Nightjars.

Bassist/vocalist Ollie and I got down on the information motorway late last year to discuss exactly what 2009 will bring for one of our newest favorites.

SIS: How did the band get together? What were your initial goals? How has that changed?

Ollie: Phil and I started making music when we were about 14. We lived next door to each other, in a town in Derbyshire. At that point, the idea of simply being in a band was thrilling enough. We talked about playing gigs supporting our heroes and sending demo tapes to John Peel – the usual teenage stuff.

We did all that in Derby, then eventually both moved to Manchester. We got The Nightjars together by recruiting Dan (guitar) and Seamus (drums). Dan, who has left now, was introduced by a mutual friend. Seamus, like so many other persistent and irritating viruses, was picked up on the internet.

We got a lot of interest from major labels, including Sony turning up at our third gig, which was weird and not a pleasant experience. A few months later, we demoed for Vertigo Records, then signed to an indie label, Reveal Records. We did a mini album with Kramer (Towards Light), got dropped and now we’re releasing the new full album (The Nightjars) ourselves.

The advantages of self-releasing are that you don’t have any external interference – you have total control and responsibility over how many copies are pressed, artwork, what is done to promote it, budget, everything. Maybe that’s the main thing that changed over the past 15 years – when you’re kids starting out, you dream about getting signed and being a big star, or whatever; then you get a bit older, have a bit of experience of the business side and find out that you’re more than capable of doing most of it on your own, if you’re prepared to work hard at it and actually, it’s more sustainable that way. It also opens up the possibility us taking the label a bit more seriously and maybe releasing records for other people that we like.

The disadvantages of self-releasing are - no glory, no gold discs, no groupies, no world tour, etc. You have to pay for it all yourselves. And also, you don’t get to swan around music shops at the age of 23, picking shiny new guitars off the rack and buying huge great big fuck-off amps, then sending the bill to The Man. But if you save money out of your wages, you can afford these things anyway.

SIS: Any big plans for '09?

Ollie: First of all, organise the release of ‘The Nightjars’, which Kramer has mastered for us. That will be out early 2009. After that, do some gigs and start writing the next record. I’ve got about 20 songs kicking around that I want to get taped in the mean time, so we’ll see what happens with those.

On the side, we’re also playing as backing band on the new King Tree record (www.myspace.com/gianttree). It’s gonna be fantastic.

SIS: Who do you often find yourselves compared to, and do you like or dislike that comparison?

Ollie: We got Sonic Youth / Pavement comparisons for Towards Light (our first mini album), which we encouraged to an extent – but the new album should change people’s perceptions of what we’re about. I don’t think it will allow reviewers to reach for their ‘auto-compare’ cliché book. It’s too varied for that. Then again, I thought that about the last album too.

SIS: Who are some of your favourite bands to play with? Do you think any of them will take over the world?

Ollie: We always thought Polytechnic and The Longcut deserved to be massive. There’s definitely an audience for Neil Burrell’s stuff out there – he starts fires in certain people’s imaginations. King Tree is a great songwriter, a real talent. Electric Tape Recorder, out of Leeds, is starting to get a bit of deserved recognition now.

I did a solo gig supporting Emmy The Great the other night and she was indeed great! Her guitarist Euan has his own group called Younghusband. They’re brilliant too.

SIS: What is your favourite and least favourite thing about being on the road?

Ollie: I really enjoy the travelling, seeing different cities and playing to new audiences. It can be hard hauling yourself out of bed to go to work the next morning though - and because I don’t drive, I don’t have to deal with the stressful side of it, like keeping yourself awake on the motorway in the early hours, not being able to tuck into the rider, etc.

SIS: If any member of the Nightjars were on the cover of a tabloid, who would it be and why?

Ollie: I can’t see that ever happening, somehow.

SIS: When family ask you what your band sounds like, what do you tell them?

Ollie: ‘It’s kind of rock music,’ then stare at my feet until somebody changes the subject.

My mum and dad both love their music, although they have very different tastes. Last time he came to see us play, Dad was shouting to us to play our first single “Cease To Exist,” but we didn’t do it.

Mum’s more into Motown and dance music, but she’s very proud of her son for being in a band, bless her.

SIS: What's something about your hometown that most people don't know?

Ollie: Withington, a suburb of Manchester, is the most burgled area in Western Europe. I was told this after my house in Withington got burgled. I don’t live there anymore….

SIS: In 15 words or less, why should people buy your records?

Ollie: Just listen to them; if you like them enough, buy them. We’re musicians, not salesmen!