Popular Interview Late Of The Pier

We caught up with Late Of The Pier's Faley (Francis Dudley Dance) when he DJ'ed at The Social Club in gay Paris

Popular-What Late Of The Pier record is guaranteed to get the best reception at a gig?

Faley-As a band its probably bathroom gurgle because probably the most popular, space in the woods use to be the most popular but recently with shows 'Bathroom Gurgle' seems to be the one we always play it at the end, and everyone goes 'uuuuuuuhhhh yeh I know this one fuckin ell like'

Popular-What about when you DJ like here tonight?

Faley-When I DJ I don't have a fucking clue, coz I'm not a fucking DJ, I mean I do DJ I have 2 decks and CD mixer, I DJ for myself. I don't really DJ that often to be honest but the only songs you can ever play which are guaranteed to play out and everyone goes 'fucking ell that's incredible' is Daft Punk. Just because they are fucking hell incredible and everyone knows its just pure pop but amazing dance music.

Popular-Favourite city in the world and why?

Faley-Berlin…the first time I ever went there was last year or two years ago and I expected it to be kind of really harsh and and cold, but its twice as chilled out as Amsterdam, everyone kinda just moves at their own speed of life, and the speed of life seems to move to Minimal Techno. It's a really strange thing minimal has never really kicked off in the UK in a big way like it has there. The thing with Germany its not like a music you listen to or DJ its almost a way of life, art and minimal music go hand in hand…a lot of the artist I know over there do very much minimal art it all fits in hand in hand very much take your time, do what you want its all at a certain tempo BPM, life runs at a different speed there its just beautiful.

Popular- We talked earlier before about whether decent electronic music only emanates from Europe and you spoke about Japan (earlier being before the interview)

Faley-Japan yeh there's a lot of weird crazy electronic stuff coming from there
But yeh to be honest most of the electronic music I listen to comes from…Buts to be honest there's 14000 kids in the UK making amazing electronic music, but you've just not heard them because they're 16 yr old kids in their room making it for themselves they're making it for the sake of making music, and for what they like, they are not trying to make it big or anything…and for that reason they haven't got picked up by major record companies and for that reason you don't know them and they've not got massive and they haven't been spread all over the world

Popular-What sort of sounds have an influence over what you do?

Faley-Late 90s house music from france, even early 90s house, absolutely amazing.been a massive influence to me, not so much the rest of the band, but I really do fucking love it, just like good feeling good happy electronic music

Popular-How important is aesthetic image to the band? To the band yes definitely, we all believe that image is part of it…if you step on stage and you look like a group of kind of boys next door its not gonna go down as well. All the greatest pop icons that you can think of everyone from daft punk to Kylie Minogue all have that solid image which makes them almost inhuman…so you cant touch.

….but to be honest personally I don't actually give a fuck, honestly I've been so unselfconscious about all that all my life, I'm the sort of kid who was bullied in school for having long hair, which has just made me be like, I don't give a fuck I'm gonna dress how I want. I'm gonna do it how I want and that's all that matters. For me personally music is about music and when you see it live it's about the music that they play and the energy and how you feel. Admittedly,how you look in costumes becomes a part of that energy..But again for me personally if I saw kinda four kids get on stage, play the music we make and they did just look like kids from like down the road, real scummy kids…I'd be so much more impressed than if they all stepped up on stage and they were all wearing the kitsch like American Apparel…oh fuck I'm wearing an American Apparel T- shirt. Shit..

Popular- ha ha

Faley-No it was given to me, part of our video I turned up and they were like free t-shirts. Image. I don't give a fuck, its about the music..i'm a skinny long haired kid nothing looks good on me…

Popular- How do you formulate a track as a band, what are roles that are played out whilst formulating it? Do you have a concept in mind before or does it just come to you?

Faley-9 times out of ten it's the lead singer Sam, basically he's a musical freak, I could say prodigy but that just sounds like I'm blowing coke up his arse..I mean he is honestly a really really talented musician, for the soul fact that when everyone else was at school, going out getting drunk and whatever he was at home hulled up in his room and was making tunes on 'Fruit Loops' or like playing around with synths or guitars or base or drums that his dad has left him, usually its him, he'll come over and he'll be like yeh I've made this track and we'll all listen to it you know and go fucking hell that's incredible. Its usually like very electronica based because its built on 'Fruit Loops', and then we basically try and take it and turn it into a band song..there have been a lot of exceptions , as with 'random film', 'mad dog' where its been ideas he's had and we've just jammed and played it live until it formulates itself into a song, but usually its not actually a fucking song, its just a group of ideas put together and then when you play it if people are like 'oh I like that' for instance bathroom gurgle was about three ideas chucked together that never really worked but as we played it live it actually became something on its own, it's a really strange thing..

also Sam makes a lot of remixes and his own electonic tracks..under the name of 'LA priest'..and I'd say some of the tracks from the album have defiantly taken an influence from that..taking Electonica and relating it to instruments..

we use old synths, base guitars from 84, guitars from the 80s early 90s..all the syths are from the 80s…all the instruments are from the 80s! I don't have a fucking clue! We just do what we do and see what happens..if people pick up on it then eh...

....especially with the lyrics it's a massive part Sam's written some fucking deep lyrics..if you look at space in the woods its so funny I've read a lot of reviews that write it off like 'Oh yeh its some Emo teenage angst' 'its like suicide was in my blood it always was'..but if they actually listened to it its more about the deep philosophical side of man against earth and space..and how one is all the same.. but yeh everyones like 'uuuhhhh teenage angst fuck off' there is hell of a lot more thought that goes into it than people first pick up on, and sometimes people can read into it in completely different ways….

Popular- And finally something a bit topical….Do you think the worlds gonna end?

Faley-The world or the human race? The human race…yes but not in our lifetime, maybe our kids…

Popular- Well what do you plan to do about this?

Faley-The end of the world? Well I could say..travel forward in time and tell everyone to chill out but no one would listen to me they'd be like who the fucks this skinny cunt…?