Coral Society

Jade tests the charms of Scouser Nick Power, who claims most of his band's fans hail from Manchester...

 The Coral have been floating around like flotsam and jetsam for ages now. They have spanned musical fluxes, survived the ‘guitar-band’ backlash and been dubbed by the “NME” as “constantly brilliant”. So what is it like to be back? “It’s good, it’s been three years since we made a full-length album – the last thing we did was a compilation, so we
went into the studio and just began trying new things. I mean, we’re not coming out with Adam and the Ants make-up on, but this album definitely stands out, it was definitely the best one to work on and it flows from beginning to end, like a journey. That was the idea…”
The scouse thing must get a little wearing when the band boasts influences far and wide? “Yeah, we’re from the Wirral but being associated with Liverpool it’s hard not to be influenced by that. It’s good when you’re compared to the good bands but a bit shit when they’re not so good!"
“Liverpool and Manchester are quite similar, I think, in that they both give themselves a good account and the way the geography, people, language have all influenced great music. Bands from Liverpool wrote in a certain way.”

The new record was written in rented cottages in the middle of nowhere, then recorded in Liverpool and London. The idea is established in “The Butterfly House” that not all aspects of life have to be touched by technology, that sometimes it is better to have some time out to be creative…
“The Internet is a bit funny because anyone can now be influenced by anywhere now. We were a lastgeneration band before the Internet so we were pretty old school, putting b-sides out with three songs on them and stuff… but I don’t want to be a grumpy sod about it!”
So where do The Coral’s latest lyrical influences come from, and how does it feel to have a compilation album under an already tight belt?
“The compilation album feels a little strange – it was a definitive line drawn underneath the band up to that point, especially after our guitarist left. It’s a stepping stone.
“We’re influenced by different things. Jay wrote ‘Far from the Maddening Crowd’ after seeing the title somewhere - I don’t think he’d even read the book! But phrases like that provide a thread for lyrics. That and weird places on tour.”
And the weirdest place played on tour? “A ski resort in Georgia with no snow. We had to roll down the hills. We’ve not really had any rock’n’roll moments because they’d probably be half-arsed in comparison – you can’t mess with the greats. Plus I want to live to a good, old age. I’ll be rock’n’roll in a zimmer”

Age handily brings us to the idea of being young and The Coral consists of people who were classmates from school. Surely an odd experience for anyone – watching each other evolve and grow whilst getting to do a job most people would consider a dream? “It’s the same as watching your brothers
grow older, you don’t really notice it. Except when you stand still and have one of those moments. We had that at the start of the band and it pushes expectations up, you have to strive for something together or go bust.”

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of creating a new album, planning a tour and getting into the festival spirit was there time for catching anyone else’s music?
“I saw the Strokes the other day and I’m glad they got back together. They had that thing in 2004 that a lot of bands wanted and they still manage to have that now – they’re magic.”
Studios can get pretty cramped and the sheer volume of festival dates have at least allowed his band to escape cabin fever… how does playing a festival compare to their own headline gig?
“Playing festivals are different. You just turn up, bang out the tunes. There’s a beauty in that. At your own gig you have the sound check and all the waiting around but then it’s your own gig - so there is good in both.
“All festivals are good. T in the Park is always fun… the Scots are always bouncing. London can be a bit weird to play but I do remember our two best gigs ever were in London and Glasgow. Guess it depends on the vibe. Most of our fans are from Manchester so I guess being from Liverpool we’re breaking some boundaries of the cross-divide!”