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Interview // FOX CHAPEL

It feels like we’re stuck there, and the thing about being stuck in one place for a while is that you just get bored – newcomers FOX CHAPEL reflect on life as a band from Northampton and everything that involves.

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Fox Chapel are ready for their second single launch gig this weekend here at The Shacklewell Arms. After finally, and with some struggles, assembling all four band members in the green room we are ready to talk.

The lead singer Kailan Price takes it upon himself to introduce the band.

I’m Kailan Price, I play guitar and sing, to my left we have Joel Daw who plays drums, to my right, Calam Wright, and passed that we have Jonny Longland who plays bass.

I don’t play anything apparently – Calam says.

Oh yeah, Callum, he plays guitar, and he sings and plays bass on weekends – Kailan adds.

With that established, we get onto the matter of the night, their London launch for new single, Ice Cream.

We played the single launch yesterday in our hometown, Northampton. So we come down here to do a second one in London at The Shacklewell Arms. It’s a sweet venue – Kailan tells.

If last night took its toll on the bunch, you cannot see it.

It sold out! It is nice to have support from where we come from, obviously – Kailan elaborates.

There wasn’t much else going on that night so – Joel adds honestly. Well, that is Northampton for you.

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The track Ice Cream which was released alongside B-side Dead Flowers is an upbeat guitar-driven tune with a psychedelic twist.

I always end up describing it so if anyone else wants to, have a go – Kailan kicks off, circling my phone around.

It’s alright – Jonny states.

It was our producer who put that forward to be the single. She suggested that as our best track so we thought we might as well release it – Kailan adds. It’s got a really good drop in it.

Good energy, it’s quite upbeat and the B-side is a bit more slow, drawn out and weird – Joel ponders.

In conclusion: it all comes together kind off psychedelic with loads of reverb and noise. Finally agreeing on a half decent description, the subject of comparison is raised.

“We get compared to The Clash a lot” – Jonny says, though as Calam suggest – “that’s probably because of your (Kailan’s) vocals”.

The track allegedly came to be in just another jam session.

I think I came up with the riff and we just went from there – Kailan explains. Somehow it just happened to come together in the first attempt, which was weird.

Listening through Fox Chapel’s rather slim catalogue, you notice subtle changes along the way, and if you’d seen them live about two years ago you wouldn’t think it was the same group.

I guess we started as an indie pop thing, but now we’re a bit more like a throwback sound with our own kind of twist on it – Kailan reflects.

Some of them (the songs) are quite moody cause of the surroundings of being struck in Northampton – Calam adds.

It’s all dark and weird. It’s how we like it.

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As for the future:

We’re just trying to get a lot of tracks together and release more – Kailan tells.

And get a real record – Joel adds.

Calam says they basically want to “keep playing bigger gigs and making bigger tunes. Bigger, better, wider, faster, stronger.”

That’s Daft Punk – Jonny says.

Yeah we wanna be Daft Punk.

That’s the dream they agree on. Good thing Calam already has a “funny mask”.

Speaking of dreams, the band’s main one is, like most smaller bands, to manage to make a living of it.

I wanna get out of Northampton – Jonny says.

Yeah. And just carry on doing what we’re doing but ditch the shitty jobs I guess – Kailan agrees.

Though the guys are pretty held back about potentially funny stories, “nothing that we want in print”. They are way broader when it comes to discussing inspiration. Chocolate and culture is mentioned before the discussion slips into pro’s and con’s of London and public transport.

The boredom of town-life seem to be something Fox Chapel draw on, as Calam says – “It’s sort of having nothing else to do.” And Kailan adds – “It’s nice to make something, cause otherwise we’d just have these shitty jobs and then we’d be like sat at home, eating crisps.”

“We still do that!” – it’s argued, sparking a discussion on favourite crisps. And Joel, who apparently is “more of a biscuit man”, has to answer for whether or not minirolls is a biscuit.

“I don’t even like minirolls” – he states.

In spite of the love for food, we are here to talk music.

Along with the normal channels Ice Cream is also released on cassette.

They’re cheaper than CDs and people find them cool. It’s for the hipsters that can’t afford vinyl – the guys explain.

Adding a commercial:

Buy our shit cause we’re poor, and we wanna get out of Northampton.

The wish for escape seems to be prominent on Fox Chapel’s agenda.

It feels like we’re stuck there, and the thing about being stuck in one place for a while is that you just get bored – Kailan explains.

Non of them go to uni so there is definite a feel of losing out on their escape.

Northampton doesn’t exactly seem like a cultural beacon either. Though Fox Chapel say “The bands might be good, but there’s nothing supporting us.” That, and the fact that “It’s in the middle of nowhere”, makes it hard.

Rounding off as their set time creeps near, they get to describe the band in 5 words. After a tirade of swear words and declining Calam’s inaccurate Daft Punk quote, they got it.

Alright, fast, cheesy chips wraps and a bit gloomy.

We’re really alright. If you’ve got nothing else on and it’s a rainy Sunday get us on Spotify and turn it up.

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Photos: Aurora Henni Krogh