THE SUBWAYS –
The SiS Interview
Warner Bros. Records
By Dany Sloan
Dany: With the success of your debut album in
the UK, what are you hoping
for upon its release in the States?
Charlotte: I don’t think that we have any
initial expectations for the release in the US. We are at the start
of our musical career, and with this first album we are hoping to
introduce ourselves. We are very excited to be going across to America
in March for a full tour, starting a community of fans, as we have
done in the UK.
Dany: How have you trips to the States been so
far? The show I caught in Boston seemed to be packed well before
the first band took the stage. Was that kind of energy a constant
at all of the shows? What are some of your best memories of those
shows?
Charlotte: The first trip to America was amazing
for us. We couldn’t believe how many people came to the shows
when the album wasn’t going to be released for another three
months. It was great to see a few people in the audience who knew
the words to some of the songs already. It’s a very exciting
time at the moment because we still have to really prove ourselves,
as a lot of people haven’t seen us play before.
 Dany:
Tell me about the recording of your debut album.
Charlotte: We recorded our debut album with Ian
Broudie, who was an amazing mentor musically and emotionally. It
was quite an intense period for us, as it was the first time we
had ever spent any long length of time in the studio. It was a great
chance for us to experiment with different ideas and sounds, that
being a three piece, we can’t always play live. Being in Liverpool
was very influential, as it is a world away from the suburban area
that we are from and during the period of recording we were caught
up in the atmosphere of the city.
Billy: Recording the album was an emotional period
for me, mostly because I was reliving all those moments and times
in which I wrote the songs. But I suppose that’s when you
know that the songs are true and genuine – when they really
mean something to you.
Dany: When writing lyrics, what things tend to
inspire you and make the writing process easier? As a band, how
do you write? Additionally, does being in a relationship effect
the band positively or negatively?
Billy: Usually I come up with ideas through lyrics
or chords and take it to these guys [the band] who expand on that
and make it a Subways song. The inspiration comes anytime, anywhere
and I suppose that’s what makes it interesting. If I could
just bang out a song, I don’t think it would mean as much
as it does to me now. All the songs I write are things that have
happened, or real things that I want for myself or others. Obviously
because Charlotte means so much to me she is a common occurrence
in a lot of the goings on in the songs. I never tell her though.
I think the magic might be lost then.
Dany: Being a fan of traveling and subways myself,
I am kind of curious as to where you got the band’s name from.
Billy: The subway where I got the name from was
an underpass that led beneath a road in my town. It led to a clearing
where my friends and I would hang out and listen to music. I suppose
I always considered those days quite romantic and it’s really
where I found myself. I suppose that’s the real reason. It
has nothing to do with food or transport, but I suppose that’s
the colour of life – people have their own interpretations
of things.
Dany: I heard that you guys are quite the readers--what
have you been reading as of late? What else are you involved in
outside of music?
Charlotte: We all read a lot on the road, and
all kinds of different books, too. I have just finished reading
The Unbearable Lightness Of Being by Milan Kundera, which was thought-provoking,
charming and tragic all at once. I am just about to start a book
called Wild Swans by Jung Chang, about three generations of women
living in China throughout the 20th century. Aside from reading
and music, my other main passion is fashion!
Billy: I’m currently reading the Red Dwarf
series in book form. It’s a brilliant British sci-fi comedy
and it’s just as good as literature as it was on the small
screen. Though I’m a big fan of Bukowski and I can always
re-read the Adrian Mole books. Very funny!
Dany: How do you plan to foster the band's longevity?
Any plans for the next album [being that the first one has been
out for a while in the UK]?
Charlotte: We are constantly writing. Touring
so much over the past year has been so inspiring for us, a different
place and different faces each day. Over Christmas we had a couple
of weeks off, which we used to demo some of the new songs at home.
We can’t wait to get into the studio and really develop these
songs, and also to start playing them live at some shows this year.
Billy: Yeah the songs we’ve made so far
from seeing all the different cultures and the way people live their
lives differently has definitely struck a chord with us.
Dany: What are your opinions of playing live?
Do you feel like that is where you shine? What songs do you enjoy
playing the most?
Billy: Playing live is the way this band started
so it’s a really big part of what we do.
Charlotte: We love to play live. It’s a
chance to really connect with the people who enjoy our music.
Dany: Who are some bands you've played with recently
that you're excited to play with again.
Billy: We played with the Foo Fighters recently
and those guys are amazing. They’re real big heroes to us
so It’d be amazing to do some sort of tour with them. Really
get to know them.
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