Go: Audio.
BY KELDA MANLEY.
‘Some more burglars’ grins Go: Audio frontman James Matthews. The 24 is eagerly discussing the bands forthcoming album when two excited faces appear in the doorway.
The band are in Manchester as part of their sold out tour of the UK. They have been dealing with fans breaking in all day. It’s not something that bothers them and it is actually a topic of some amusement for them. ‘They always try and find a way to get in’ laughs drummer Andy Booth.
Outside the venue is a queue of excited, vocal teenage fans. ‘They’ve been there since 8’ admits Andy.
James: ‘The last lot who turned up at Leeds were like, “we’ve been here since 4 in the morning!” We’re like “Why?” “To get to the front... ”
Andy: ‘Then they come in and go to the toilet and don’t get to the front anyway. I always just got there when the doors open and got in.’
James: ‘Or just tip up and catch the last song of the support band. I never queued. Maybe I should say I did just to encourage all the kids. “Yes I did. I did it all the time”……. But I didn’t.’
The two are, of course, joking. Despite not releasing their debut album as yet the foursome have a dedicated, passionate fanbase behind them. ‘They’ve been very supportive’ admits James ‘with everything we’ve been through with change of labels and stuff, delaying our album and the fact that kids are still coming to see us and selling out big venues like this is massive and that all down to them. So, they’re wicked.’
The band have had their fair share of problems. Signing to Epic Records in May 2007 they parted ways in September the following year delaying the release of their debut album. ‘At the time [of leaving Sony we were upset] but we were on tour at the time so moral kind of kept high’ admits James. ‘If we’d have been at home and found out that we weren’t with them anymore I think we’d have gone into a bit of depression. We were a band before we got signed so it’s not going to stop us being a band afterwards.’
The pop rock band have quickly bounced back from the disappointment. Setting up their own label, Rubix Records, and preparing to release the already recorded album through that.
As James is explaining the bands new venture Andy suddenly looks up. Grinning he laughs ‘I just realised I’m daydreaming. I haven’t heard anything for that whole time!’ The Record Journal could quite possibly take offence at the lack of attention but in fact it’s what makes Go Audio likeable. Cheerful and talkative James is the obvious mouthpiece. Andy is considerably quieter but wonderfully honest when he does speak.
After Andy’s wake-up James is keen to get back to discussing their label ‘If it does work then it will really pay off for us’ he explains. Despite the lengthy delay in getting their album a release date the band aren’t tempted to update the material ‘it was a wicked time in our lives when we were writing and recording it’ James continues. ‘I would love to go back to then because we had such a laugh doing it. I don’t really get sick of them it’s just a bit repetitive but you know we can’t wait to get it out.’
Their fanbase, mainly consisting of teenagers, have been waiting for its release for a long time. While the band are proud of their fans, a lot of attention is drawn towards the number of female fans flocking to their shows. ‘I think especially this tour, and the end of the last tour we’ve started to notice a lot more guys turn up and stuff which is good’ admits James.
Andy: It was about 90/10 at first now it’s probably like 60/40. Definitely loads more men, guys coming out. Men? Yeah not men.’
James: ‘Yeah, we’re appealing to a whole new market.’
Andy: ‘Boys I should say.’
James: ‘Yeah, playing GAY next week. Obviously we don’t mind. Whoever wants to come watch us, however old, male or female, aliens. Whatever.’
Andy: ‘Get them in.’
The band themselves have been known to adore band themselves, ‘I was massive into Oasis years ago’ grins James. ‘I’m not into them anymore because I think they’ve gone a bit... not that good. I went to watch them loads of times.’ Turning to Andy the frontman jokes, ‘You like what? John Mayer?’
Andy: ‘I haven’t been to a gig in ages. When you play all the time.....’
James: ‘On your days off you don’t want to stand in a loud room again.’
Andy: ‘I can’t remember the last gig I went to. I went to see Britney Spears once which was nice. She mimed though. Wasn’t nice.’
Now paying full attention Andy explains, ‘I was a radio lover, shame the radio is rubbish now.’ Both were also heavily influenced by their dads. ‘My dad’s played in a band for like 30 years’ explains James ‘and I always used to go play with him when he used to do gigs. I’ve always wanted to [be in a band] but having the bottle to go and do it… I went to see Stereophonics at Donnington and seeing Kelly Jones on stage. He looked like a real cool dude and I thought I’ve got to do that and I started a band… not this one… they’re massive now.’
With their star now rising there is nobody more happy than their supportive parents. ‘My dad rings up every day, he’s just so into it’ grins Andy. ‘My mum says he’s on the MySpace everyday, looking at the comments and seeing how the gig went the night before. So I think they’re really chuffed.’ James nods agreement with his bandmate, ‘My parents aren’t the internet generation whatsoever so they go onto the MySpace and read every comment. It’s impossible to reply to everyone and they’re like “Have you replied to that one there? She’s from Holland!”
2009 looks set to be Go: Audio’s year. ‘[We’ve got a] single [coming out], album, festivals, another single after that’ outlines James ‘Then we’re hopefully going to get into the studio and record a new album.’
They’ll be playing T in the Park, Oxeagen, Download and the Reading and Leeds festivals. It’s perhaps the one thing Andy in particular is not looking forward to.
James: ‘We played Download last year and he necked a bottle of vodka didn’t you?’
Andy: ‘We were inbetween someone like Knife Me I’m Dead and something. Absolute crap.’
James: ‘He hates metal music.’
Andy: ‘Unbelievable. Obviously it’s good because we’re in Kerrang a lot and that’s their festival. So we were playing because Kerrang like us but last year it rained when we went on and it was proper screamo before and after us and we were in the middle coming on with our pop songs. And it was raining so the tent was packed. 3000 people in there. It went well. They weren’t amazingly responsive but nothing go thrown.’
James: ‘I thought I’d get bottled. [Our] mates were all at the back just laughing their heads off.’
One imagines nobody will laughing at Go: Audio by the end of this year.
The bands new single ‘Drive to the City’ is out Monday 20th April.
Their debut album is due for release on 11th May.
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