Fractures
On Their Past, Present & Future
January 2012
Questionnaire: Steve Bateman
As I went to start my research prior to putting together
a Q&A for Fractures, I was amazed to find very little information
on the London-based band, but thats all hopefully set to change
this year! With the group having already performed a key show at The
O2 December Sessions in 2011, theyre now scheduled to play HMV's
Next Big Thing Festival in February and were also tipped as The
New Suede in NMEs 100 New Bands You Have To Hear In
2012 feature.
Citing classic bands including Led Zeppelin, Magazine
and Television as major influences, and taking their name from a shoulder
injury once sustained by their drummer. Fractures are Freddie Murray
(vocals / bass), Sam Cook (guitar), Matt Gwyer (guitar) and Gaz Southwell
(drums), with their YouTube taster demos Brixton Animal, Nicotine,
Ride and Shades Of You providing instant, indie rock n
roll thrills that will enrapture your senses and proving just why guitar
music will never die
Lucy: Your band have been quite quiet for the last few months. Are you looking
forward to playing gigs again?
Katie Jane Garside: I think I give very obtuse ans
1.Firstly, do you feel lucky to have found each other / think you
may have been on different musical paths otherwise?
Matt: Me and Fred have known each other for a few years and have
been jamming together for a while, so I think we always knew we wanted
to be on the same musical path. We met Gary and Sam earlier this year
quite randomly, so I think we were quite lucky in that respect.
2.Can you tell us about the development of your sound and is there a
specific song where you feel you took it up a notch?
Fred: Most of the songs written in the last few months I personally
feel have been our best I think we've really tuned into who we
are and what we want to achieve.
3.At what age did you feel you were beginning to build a bank of
knowledge about music history / the lineage of bands and scenes?
Matt: Since I started playing my instrument (around 18), I always
loved the style of people like Jimi, Page, Keith Richards etc., so I
spent a lot of time listening to 70's stuff and trying to sound like
that.
4.I read that youre currently recording a new track with Dave
Eringa, so how did this come about and what are you like to be around
in the studio do you tape jams, keep notebooks etc?
Fred: Working with Dave Eringa was a great experience it
all seemed to fall into place smoothly. It is the first song recorded
out of my room so its a big jump, but we're happy with it. You
can have an idea in your head and demo it, but when youre demo'ing
on cheap equipment its difficult to get it to sound how you imagine
it to sound, but I think we achieved what we are looking for with Dave.
5.Have many of your tracks been based around a guitar riff?
Fred: A couple of the songs have spun off a riff. Our songwriting
process varies from on acoustics to just smashing it up in a practice
I find if you get in the right headspace it doesn't matter how
its done.
6.Do you think it should always be possible to strip a classic song
of all its parts and for it to work just as well on an acoustic guitar
or piano + is there anyone who you would like to see appear on MTV Unplugged?
Fred: No, but I think you should definitely have songs which can
be stripped back but not all of them. Some songs need to be electric
and f*:"king loud you know?
7.Have you ever tried to make your own version of a track, i.e. Kurt
Cobain openly admitted that Nirvanas Smells Like Teen Spirit was
basically a rewrite of Bostons More Than A Feeling?
Fred: Yeah, I tried to make a version of all the young dudes
still working on that though, I'll get back to you when its done.
The lyrics are so on it in that song.
8.Are there any groups who you believe have more than one great songwriter,
singer or guitarist?
Fred: Yeah Radiohead/The Beatles.
9.Lyrically, Paul McCartney has spoken about how he often says a
lot of what he wants to in the first verse of a song. Is this
the same for you or do you find it easy to write lots of words + from
all of your treasured music, do you have an all-time favourite opening
lyric or is there a lyric that sums up your outlook on life?
Fred: Sometimes the lyrics are in excess and its tough picking
the right ones, but sometimes there can be a great first verse and your
chasing it with the second sometimes. For an all-time favourite
opening lyric, 'Time takes a cigarette, puts it in your mouth. You pull
on your finger, then another finger, then your cigarette' (David Bowie:
Rock n Roll Suicide).
10.As a tribute to both the film I Need That Record! and to Record
Store Day, have you ever had an artist / band recommended to you
by a staff member, heard a song playing in a shop before buying an LP,
queued for a record on the day of its release or perhaps attended an
interesting album launch/in-store signing?
Matt: Strokes. I was looking around my local HMV and heard strokes
and thought fuck yeah thats cool! Went and bought it straight
away.
11.Continuing with this train of thought, over the years, there have
been numerous discussions about what the greatest albums with title
tracks + self-titled LPs ever recorded are. So, I wondered if you have
any cherished albums that take their title from a song on the record,
as well as any favourite self-titled LPs?
Matt: Radiohead The bends
Strokes Is this it
Suede Suede
Fleetwood Mac Tusk
Jeff Buckley Grace
The Cure Disintegration
The Doors Strange Days.
12.Whats the most amount of times that youve seen a group
play live / have you ever followed anyone on tour, and are you a mosher
or more of an observer at gigs?
Matt: I've seen arcade fire a few times, I think theyre
great live and I got to meet some of them at their aftershow at The
02 it was a great experience! Cant really afford to follow
people around on tour yet!
13.Do you ever think about how your songs will translate live
Billy Corgan once remarked that he wants Smashing Pumpkins gigs
to be like a kick in the guts and then a gentle caress?
Matt: Rock n Roll.
14.What are your biggest hopes for Fractures long-term?
Fred: Well, what I really wanted was to be recognised in the street,
but that happened the other day so its back to the drawing
board. We just want to develop our music together, get a good few albums
done.
15.Lastly, chips or cream buns?
Chips!
A very special thanks to Fred + Matt, and to Danny
@ Black Book Management, for all of their time and help.