The Pigeon Detectives
Don’t Stop The Pigeons
The
Pigeon Detectives’ 2007 debut album “Wait For Me” had
more impressive hooks than a Peter Pan fancy dress party and has put
our ornithological inspectors firmly on the face of the 21st century
music scene. Here’s their take on the last six months:
AD: I have described "Wait For Me" as having the youthful
exuberance of the classic Supergrass debut "I should Coco",
with the pop sensibilities of The Beatles, with the edge of The Ramones
and such powerful hooks that you probably have to go back to Slade in
their heyday some 36 years ago before you can find anything that comes
close to being that infectious. How would you describe it yourselves?
PD: We don’t try to be like anyone really, we do wear our influences
on our sleeves though; we make catchy indie pop that everyone will like.
AD: Certain quarters of the media would have us believe that The
Pigeon Detectives have an arrogant swagger to match - or possibly even
surpass - that of the Gallaghers. Is there an element of truth in these
accusations or are they leading us up the garden path?
PD: No not at all, we can see how these accusations can happen,
we’ve known each other that long we have a tight little circle
and we might seem to come across as arrogant but we’re not, we’re
nice boys!!
AD: What the fuck has happened to Leeds lately (the city I mean,
not the football team)? All of a sudden there seems to be a spate of
extremely talented artists making a big noise where the charts are concerned.
Is there something or someone supremely behind the rise of the city's
musical profile? Was there really a "scene" created, or is
it all being blown up out of proportion by all and sundry?
PD: I don’t know… yes loads of good bands are popping
up at the moment, there’s no-one in particular behind it, I suppose
you have to give a lot of credit to all the venues and promoters around
Leeds for being consistent and putting gigs on week in week out. There’s
a little scene going on but nothing massive. We always talk and hang
around with other bands when we can.
AD: Talking about some of the current bands doing the rounds at the
moment - not necessarily from Leeds - there is rather an alarming upsurge
in Arctic Monkeys copyists out there. Initially, I was concerned that
your album would pan out that way as well, but any doubts were well
and truly put to bed upon my first listen; "Wait For Me" has
all the hallmarks of a classic debut album. How do you think you've
managed to avoid the pitfall of sounding like anybody else presently
in the public eye?
PD: From day one we’ve always wrote songs to sound like us
- we don’t copy anyone. Like I said before we wear our influences
on our sleeves. We’re all massive Beatles fans and some other bands;
you can hear the influence in some of our songs but it still sounds
like The Pigeon Detectives.
AD: What made you choose Will Jackson to produce the album, and what
does he bring to your recordings?
PD: We first met Will at the beginning of 2006 - he recorded a track
of ours to go on a Dance To The Radio compilation cd. We really like
him and his style so we decided to use him for the album. He’s
worked with some great bands in the past and he gets the best out of
us. He’s a great producer and friend.
AD: You've had 3 top 40 singles in a very short space of time. How
surprised are you at the speed in which you're achieving things?
PD: It’s brilliant, we didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,
but now it has we’re so happy with it, hopefully it’ll continue.
AD: What's been the absolute pinnacle of your time in The Pigeon
Detectives so far?
PD: The main pinnacle has to be having our album go to number 3
in the charts; we were so pleased with that happening and we’ve
had amazing feedback from it, so we’re living the dream.
AD: Finally, as I said before it's a stunning debut album, so how
on earth are you going to top it next time around?!!
PD: Hopefully some more of the same. We’ve already been working
in a secret location writing some more songs. We’ve got a couple
for the next album so hopefully you’ll like the second one as much
as the first.
The Pigeon Detectives album is out right now. If you can find a catchier
album this year I will eat my trousers.
Interview by Tone E
