Shirts, Boats & R’n'B: Titus Andronicus

Interviews are just like dates. Sometimes they work out great; you grab a beer, chat for hours and end up making wild love in the back seat of their kronked-out car. Waking up with a throbbing pain in your arm (and your heart) from that I LUV BRIAN tattoo kind of feels romantic.

Other times there's stony silence, punctuated only by the sound of the breeze running through their beard bristles and the thought that "Hey, maybe last week's singer-songwriter with the BO and eye-patch wasn't too bad".

After cancelling two meetings with Titus Andronicus, and having not seen theNew Jersey band since their UK tour last summer, things between us could have been frosty. After all, since playing the UK in 2009, they've reached new levels of "epic". Featuring a loose civil war theme and the likes of the Vivian Girls, "The Monitor" (on Merok/XL) secured their place as one of the only bands making rock cool right now. And they've been banging out their gloriously dramatic brand of garage rock in front of bigger and wilder crowds, just last week showing Spain what they have been missing at Primavera Sound.

We caught up with the band before getting on the plane to talk about life on the road. Only they erm, didn't realise it was an interview.

Neu: So you're playing Primavera at the weekend, yeah?

Eric: Yeah, we're totally looking forward to it. I've never been, have you?

Neu: No, I'm going though.

Eric: Ah cool, we should hang out!

Neu: (moves the dictaphone towards him)

Eric: Wait… is this the interview? I had no idea! I thought we were just hanging out.

Neu: Haha, we are hanging out! But I'd like to know how this tour has gone…

Eric: Well, this one is probably the best tour we've done.

Ian: Yeah… Nothing's been stolen or broken yet. And the van hasn't broken down or got any flat types.

Patrick: Although we haven't actually played that much music. Most of our shows have only been half hour sets… it's been a little slight.

Neu: Still, ten shows is a lot. Some bands whinge about playing four shows just in London. And you guys always play a lot of shows, yeah?

Amy: We've just played like 48 shows.

Patrick: Make that 53.

Ian: But they've all been really great. I'd say it's been a 98% success rate. (Laughs)

Eric: We are used to playing very long tours, with no days off. So to come over here for two or three weeks and only play 10 or 11 shows is kinda nice. Even though the sets have been short.

Amy: It feels like a vacation!

Patrick: This is just a pleasure cruise. Except for Ian who has had to drive the stick shift.

Neu: Who have you been playing with? Sleigh Bells?

Patrick: Yep and Male Bonding, Surfer Blood....

Eric: We're looking forward to playing with Double Dagger. Did you know tonight is sold out?

Neu: Yeah, and the same promoters have got Tanlines and Javelin playing at another venue tonight, and I don't think that's sold out yet. So, well done!

Patrick: That's because chill wave is dead. But Rock will never die!

Eric: Javelin are really good though so maybe not...

Neu: Your second album, The Monitor, went down really well.

Patrick: Yeah… We're going to play the whole album tonight. Well, maybe 80% of it. Most of it, definitely.

Neu: Well, your sound seems to have developed a lot over the past year.

Patrick: Yeah… We've had to new recruits - Amy Klein and David Robbins join the band, which has really helped.

Neu: So how's it going for you guys?

Amy: Great, yeah it's really great.

David: I think i knew what I was getting into.

Amy: Plus, we really like it when Dave strips down to his tank top on stage... it adds a whole new dimension to our live show

Neu: Well, I rather like gentlemen in vests. You should go to the Dalston Superstore. They might buy you a drink.

Patrick: I've never had anyone buy me a drink...

Neu: Have you seen Male Bonding's new video?

Eric: Yeah! Our friend is in that! It's very sexy.

Neu: So have bands like Male Bonding been played in the the van while you've been on the road?

Ian: Oh no… it's been all about British radio!

Amy: We've been listening to all the British pop hits…

Ian: Yeah… Plan B, Professor Green. And on Sunday there was three hours of solid show tunes.

Amy: We listened to Mulan. That was really fun. And of course, we got to play on Mark Riley's radio too. That was so much fun.

Eric: Playing on the radio's fun because you can just focus on playing and don't have to worry too much about looking awesome and remembering all the dance moves.

Amy: But sometimes there's just like one guy looking at you, and no fans to vibe off… and that can be a bit awkward.

Amy: But you can go into your own little world. You have the headphones on so you can actually hear yourself for once. But mine fell off… they were too big.

Neu: That must have been traumatic! One of many life-changing experiences that have come out of joining a punk rock band, no doubt…

Amy: Indeed… Titus Andronicus changed my life in many ways! I ate a belgian waffle. In Belgium! I thought i'd had one before but it was just a crude imitation.

Neu: So… Is it too early to talk about when you guys are going to get back into the studio?

Patrick: Well… The record just came out... so...

Amy: There might be plans for an R 'n' B side project...

Eric: Shhh… that's a secret! strike that from the record.

(laughs)

Patrick: I am willing to go on the record and say that I am entertaining an offer from an R 'n' B duo to do a rap cameo on one of their songs. I'm not going to say where this offer is coming from though…

Neu: it's not going to be Jay Z/Linkin Park style then? You'll be the rapper? What will you rhyme about?

Patrick: About my success with the ladies… About being in da club… About how when I'm in the club I might see a girl I like…. About how I like the way she dances… About how I'm going to see if she wants to get with me.

Neu: At the afterparty? In the hotel lobby?

Ian: Getting bottle service!

Patrick: Yeah I'll be drinking bottles of expensive drinks… There will definitely be plenty of bottle service. I'll be in the VIP section so it'll be fly.

Neu: And how have you life on the road, Dave?

David: I got a huge stain on my shirt. And I stole a boat in the Netherlands.

Patrick: He returned it. He's a nice boy.

Eric: He put a hole in it, though.

Patrick: We went to a party thrown in our honour last night in Manchester. There were some wild teenagers there.

Amy: There was an all-night Oasis sing along in the kitchen... The drum solos were out of this world.

Patrick: We had a guitar and this guy drummed with some pots and pans.

Amy: Gotta love the "Mancs". Is that what you call them?

Neu: Haha. This was going to be a big epic trawl through Titus Andronicus history but we've talked about Grand Theft Nautical and RnB sideprojects instead.

Eric: But that's our life, I guess.

Patrick: This is real.

Titus Andronicus are Ian Graetzer, Eric Harm, Amy Klein, David Robbins and Patrick Stickles

The Monitor is OUT NOW buy it from XL.