Despite not having secured massive commercial success, English alt-rockers The Subways have year on year cemented their position as a live band with a serious cult status. Now with a third album on the shelves and dreams of an Aussie tour, we caught up with their super lovely bassist and singer, Charlotte Cooper…
You’ve just been playing a lot of festivals. Can you still get away with joining the crowds between gigs?
I wouldn’t say we’re that recognizable, I could pretty much stand in any festival! If we’ve got all day we definitely hang around and see some bands. I like to get involved with the atmosphere, I think it makes me more into my performance if I’m seeing what’s going on.
So, you’re in the moshpit then?
Ha, we’re normally a bit more casually at the back.
Who’s good right now?
The Foo Fighters are absolutely amazing. I think they’re one of the best live bands around at the moment, definitely someone I’m inspired by. They just give 100 per cent every night.
What was touring with them like?
It was an amazing opportunity. They’re one of the few big bands who actually hang out backstage at festivals. Most headline bands, you don’t see them. They’re completely hidden.
So, what’s your new album like?
I think that musically it’s kind of a mix of the first two albums. The pop melodies of the first album and the more heavy sound of the second. I think that’s a natural response to having toured so extensively with the first two albums and combining the two sets of songs together in our sets. We really come alive on stage and we’re always thinking about getting back out on tour. I think that’s reflected on this album as all the songs are quite immediate.
Any plans for an Aussie tour?
We really hope so. It’s a place we always want to go back to. All three of us have family ties so we’ve been over there quite a lot when we were kids. We absolutely love Australia, we’ve done Big Day Out and Soundwaves before, they were amazing. We really hope we can get on one again or maybe get our own shows. It will happen because we’ll keep asking for it!
Got a fave place down here?
For me personally. I remember going up to the Great Barrier Reef and going to some tiny little island and snorkelling on the reef. It was such an amazing thing to experience.
Do you have to play the peacekeeper, being in a band with two brothers?
Ha, sometimes I can be. Everyone knows what brothers are like. They’ll never be afraid to say what they think to each other, but I think that’s kind of good in a way because they’re very honest. Nobody ever keeps anything pent up, any issues always come out straight away and we move on.
What do you think you’d be doing, if music hadn’t worked out?
That’s such a difficult question because now I’ve found other things I’m interested in, but at the time, I was like 17 and in a rock band and absolutely loving it, so I never really had to think about what else I would do. I don’t really know, it would have been very different! We’re just very lucky that we could go straight into it. So lucky!
If you could be in any band…
Ooooh, good question, let me think. I’d love to have been in the backing band of a really big pop artist, someone like Kylie.
Dream drinking partner?
Courtney Love! I bet she could take me on a wicked night out. I think I’d have to leave her to it at some point. I do like a drink, but I’m pretty small, I can’t really keep up with the big drinkers!
What superpower would you choose?
I actually had a dream last week about having superhuman strength! I had this weird dream about lifting up the tour bus. It was pretty good.
Did you use your power for good or evil?
I was just discovering it so I was just going around picking different stuff up.
Favourite cartoon character?
It’s got to be Eric Cartman from South Park. It’s just the one-liners he has and how wrong he is. I’m going through a bit of a South Park obsession at the moment.
The Subways new album Money and Celebrity, is out now on Cooking Vinyl Records. www.thesubways.net
