arabella luisa : INTRODUCING : CARNIVALS

SOUTH-EAST LONDON QUARTET CARNIVALS ARE PUTTING IN THEIR TWO CENTS TO THE EVER-GROWING PSYCH-POP SCENE. I CAUGHT UP WITH THE BAND - CAL, HARRY, JOE AND GEORGE - TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT WHO THEY ARE, WHAT THEY DO, AND HOW THEIR FIRST VENTURE INTO MUSIC WAS SURPRISINGLY VERY FAR FROM ANYTHING YOU'D FIND IN THE 60'S/PSYCH SECTION OF YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORE...

> TELL US A BIT ABOUT WHO CARNIVALS ARE. HOW DID YOU START MAKING MUSIC TOGETHER?

G - WE ARE FOUR NORMAL GUYS WHO FELL IN LOVE WITH MUSIC AND NEEDED AN OUTLET. WE ALL CAME FROM DIFFERENT ROUTES INTO MAKING MUSIC THOUGH. JOE (LEAD GUITAR) AND HARRY (DRUMS) WERE OLD SCHOOL FRIENDS WHO'D WORKED ON VARIOUS PROJECTS TOGETHER, REINVENTING THEIR FAVOURITE SOUNDS. CAL (LEAD VOCALS/GUITAR) WROTE AND PERFORMED A LOT ON HIS OWN AND WITH THE BAND HE WAS IN PRIOR TO CARNIVALS. I PLAYED WITH WHOEVER WAS AVAILABLE AROUND OUR AREA, DOING ORIGINALS, COVERS AND BLUES OPEN MIC NIGHTS. THEN I MET THE OTHERS AT A GIG WE WERE ALL BILLED ON. AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH HOW WE GOT TOGETHER...

C - I WENT TO SCHOOL WITH JOE AND HARRY BUT IT WAS ONLY AFTER WE DISCOVERED OUR SIMILAR TASTES IN MUSIC THAT WE'D HAVE THE ODD JAM AT PARTIES, AND EVEN IN TESCO CAR PARK... THEN I JOINED THE BAND OFFICIALLY AND WE STARTED GIGGING.

> FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T HEARD YOUR MUSIC, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND?

G - OUR SOUND IS INFLUENCED BY A COMBINATION OF ERA'S AND STYLES. WE HARNESS A LOT OF INFLUENCE FROM 60'S AND 70'S POP BANDS, WHO ARE SOME OF THE BEST MUSICIANS WITH SOME OF THE MOST WELL-CRAFTED SONGS. LIKE THE DOORS, THE KINKS, THE ZOMBIES, PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN...

J - YEAH ALONG WITH THE CLASSICS WE LIKE GROUPS LIKE ARCTIC MONKEYS, TAME IMPALA, TEMPLES, THE GROWLERS, THE CORAL...

G - TO SUM UP OUR SOUND: WE MAKE INDIE ROCK WITH A TINGE OF PSYCH AND SURF RIFFS BACKED BY A DANCEABLE RHYTHM.

C - YEAH, WE MAKE PSYCH POP, BUT WE TRY TO KEEP IT AS CATCHY AS WE CAN AND SPICE IT UP WITH TRIPPY RIFFS.

> IF YOU COULD ONLY LISTEN TO ONE ALBUM FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIVES WHAT WOULD IT BE?

J - THAT'S A TOUGH ONE. I LOVE ARCTIC MONKEYS' HUMBUG, IT'S A REALLY UNDERRATED RECORD...BUT PROBABLY RUBBER SOUL BY THE BEATLES CAUSE IT'S A CLASSIC.

G - LED ZEPPELIN II - LED ZEPPELIN

C - THE DOORS - THE DOORS

H - TAME IMPALA - LONERISM

> WHAT ARE YOUR EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORIES?

G - MY EARLIEST MUSICAL MEMORY WAS PRETTY TRAGIC. I WAS ABOUT 7 OR 8 YEARS OLD AND I'D SOMEHOW MANAGED TO PICK UP ON THAT REALLY CHEESY R'N'B TUNE THAT GOES 'LET ME LICK YOU UP AND DOWN...' WHICH MUST HAVE BEEN DOWN TO MY OLDER SISTER'S CHOICE OF CAR MUSIC. ANYWAY I STARTED SINGING IT IN CLASS AND EVERYONE THOUGHT IT WAS GREAT. SO I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND PERFORMED 'MAMBO NUMBER 5' AT THE END OF YEAR SCHOOL DANCE...BUT FORGOT HALF THE GIRLS' NAMES IN THE SONG, CRIED ON STAGE AND NEVER MANAGED TO LIVE IT DOWN. PRETTY ROCK AND ROLL...

> AND FINALLY, WHAT'S NEXT FOR CARNIVALS?

OUR SINGLE 'SHADOWS' IS OUT NEXT MONTH WHICH WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT CAUSE IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING. WE RECORDED IT AT THE FAMOUS PARR STREET STUDIOS IN LIVERPOOL. THEN ONCE THE SINGLE IS OUT WE'LL BE PLAYING A FEW HEADLINE SHOWS IN LONDON AND OUT OF TOWN TOO WHICH WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO. THERE'S A VIDEO FOR 'SHADOWS' IN THE PIPELINE TOO. OVER THE SUMMER WE'RE PLAYING AT SOME FESTIVALS WHICH WILL BE AMAZING FOR US. WE'VE ONLY BEEN TOGETHER COLLECTIVELY FOR A YEAR SO TO HAVE THESE OPPORTUNITIES IS REALLY COOL.