Haven
As Haven prepare to release their debut album "Between The Senses" we searched our archives for our original Haven interview which originally was published way back in November 2000. Looking back this was a band on the verge of success and at the time were currently unsigned. Read on to find out how far they've come since our original interview.
Haven - November 2000 - Designer magazine
Since moving to Manchester just over a year ago, Cornwall's
Haven have attracted the wrath of the Manchester bands and the love of
the fans in equal measures. Despite outside pressures the band attracted
the attentions of former Smiths / Marion manager Joe Moss, were one of
the highlights of Manchester's ITC, gained a support slot with Badly
Drawn Boy for his recent national tour and are on the verge of signing
a deal with one of the majors. They chose to talk to Designer Magazine
exclusively about being on the precipice of mega stardom.
Q: How did the Badly Drawn Boy tour go?
Gary: The fans reacted really well and
it amazed us all. I think we benefited from a crowd that, well he'd have
had his core supporters, were coming to check him out because he won the
Mercury Music Prize. We benefited from the fact that people were there
to see something new and we weren't playing with a necessarily long running
established act, its definitely worked in our favour.
I think anyone can get into our music, it don't think
that it restricts anyone. You can listen to our music and pretty much have
an opinion on it straight away.
Q: Give us a brief background as to how Haven actually
came together?
Gary: We met in Cornwall, but I spent the
early years moving round from town to town. Music was my thing, a major
part of my growing up and I'd heard about Nat being a good guitar player.
We met up one day, put a band together and 18 months ago we moved up to
Manchester.
We didn't decide consciously to move up to Manchester but obviously with its history it was definitely attractive. We always got off on the West Coast 76 era of music which is arguably the most creative period in musical history. We just came up to visit Joe and we just love places like the Night & Day Cafe - it had that real bohemian feel to it and it had that San Francisco vibe to it. You could just feel the music everywhere, its sound really corny but its true.
Its about music and its not about where you're from. If it becomes about anything else other than the music then it's boring. Why should people listen to you when all you're saying is "I'm From Manchester"?
Nat: Our move to Manchester was nothing to do with wanting to or trying to become a Manchester band in anyway. Its was purely to get involved in a more creative circle because you're cut off in Cornwall.
Q: So when exactly did Joe Moss get involved and were
you aware of his history?
Nat: He just started visiting Cornwall
and he heard about us. We started off on very much a friend level, he'd
come down and we'd just have a drink together. He's a really wise man so
once he starts talking you want to encourage it so you just sort of bring
the wine on.
Gary: We were aware of the Smiths and knew
a little about Marion, but is was funny because it never came into it in
a "You're a band, I'm a manager - lets do something". We clicked on a personal
level as four guys that loved music, particularly the music that was part
of his youth.
Q: For people that haven't heard you yet. How would
you describe your sound?
Gary: I'd say were somewhere between the
Grateful Dead and Buffalo Springfield. We've very much got our own sound
and its something you'd have to listen to and get a handle on yourself.
I know we don't sound like any other band and I can't see anything in our
music that I've heard latter day.
If all people are using to compare our band to another is melody then there is millions of bands out there that use melody. For a long, long time there didn't seem to be that much of it going on. Arguably Johnny Marr was the last guitarist to have such a handle on that, it wasn't just a bunch of chords and a pretty voice on top and that's very much our thing.
Were trying to make the music as interesting as the vocal
and what I mean by that is if the song was played without vocal it would
still be as interesting - I think that got lost along the way.
Q: And lyrically what subjects would you say our your
mainstay?
Gary: There isn't any main themes through
the songs, but I'd like to thing that everything I write is a honest as
it can be. Its not written for effect or to cause a reaction, its written
as purely and as simply as I can.
I'm aware that half this country are reading Chauseur,
checking out the financial times and worrying about the Presidential Election
in America. But the large majority of this country are eating Fish &
Chips, drinking cider in the park, smoking behind bike sheds and digging
up roads. My thing is just to put things over as simply as I can.
Q: Some people say guitar music's reached a low point
with Coldplay and Travis being as conservative as the pop bands we despise.
Why should we put our faith in a rock & roll band?
Gary: Well you should because were a rock
& roll band. Were not an acoustic band, there's not an acoustic guitar
anywhere near are stuff - that's what sets us apart. I think at the moment
it is an exciting time with the like of Travis, Coldplay, Doves, I Am Kloot,
Badly Drawn Boy; its all driven by melody, not by attitude or anything
but the fact that they're writing songs.
Nat: It's timeless. People get sick of attitude but a timeless tune will stand the test of time and it can be recorded in any way, by any artist. A great song can be recorded by anyone and it will still come across as a great song.
Gary: If anything I think its all going to rise back up again. I don't think guitar music is dead; I think every other style of music is more restricting, more done, more the same and more rehashed. I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes out of the New Year.
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Haven Photo's Courtesy Of Tina McClelland
Photo
2000 Website
For more info on Haven
www.haven-online.com
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