Tracks & Fields

Gigwise caught up with Matty and Henry from Anglo-Icelandic shoegaze popstrels Fields to talk debut album bunker syndrome, touring with Bloc Party and, err…, their love of catering.
 
It’s just gone 6pm and Fields are hammering out their soundcheck at the Carling Academy Newcastle.  Or so we suppose because, having blatantly not finessed the art of “looking like we’re supposed to be here”, Gigwise is relegated to freezing his man-tits off outside with the kids and some spectacularly downtrodden touts in Newcastle’s practically arctic February conditions. That said, when the Fields advance party of bassist Matty, drummer Henry and their tour manager arrive to escort your correspondent inside they get equally short shrift from the gang of twenty part-time neo-fascists guarding the venue’s inner sanctum.  There then follows ten minutes of awkward feet shuffling, as the three of us wait in front of the rabid bouncers while the tour manager legs it to blag a AAA pass.  Hell, if the band can’t even get into their own gig, what chance does a simple hack have?  Luckily both Matty and Henry are in good humour and, having finally dispensed with the security situation, we settle in and talk turns to the tour with Bloc Party.
 
“I’ve loved it,” says Matty.  “We kind of know Bloc Party anyway, so it’s been very, very family, family.  I’ve been friends with Russell for about 10 years, I know Kele, and Matt Tong’s wife’s selling our merch!  It’s great to be on the road with them, and it’s great to have catering!  That’s the best thing about the tour, I think – the catering!”
 
That enthusiasm may be symptomatic of the considerable glycaemic load hitting Matty’s system right about now – the result of a sizeable curry thanks to that very catering – but Henry’s quick to agree. “Yeah, it’s better than being crashed out in the van eating Whoppers every day.  When we’re back on our toilet-circuit tour, we’ll be back in Burger King.”
 
While hitching a ride on the hottest tour of the moment – Bloc Party’s sophomore effort and grandiose concept album ‘A Weekend In The City’ having just broken into the American Top 20 – clearly has its associated perks, the band are more than happy to be playing bigger venues. “I think we sound quite good in a big room,” says Matty, modestly.  “The last time we played here, it was with Editors and I just remember we had a good time.  And with having five people in the band it’s nice to have a bit of space.
 “Instead of Emily being stood on my drumkit,” quips Henry.
 
All of which might hint at a bit of internecine tension in the Fields camp when they’re living all over each other in a transit, but Henry’s quick to quash any such suggestions. “Luckily we have the benefit of the Travelodge!  That’s kind of saving our behinds a bit, provided we don’t get too pissed. We’ve been on the road for about a year and a half now, just solidly touring, and we all get on really well.”
 
Which is just as well, since the band’s good nature was stretched to near breaking point last summer when they decamped to Dublin to record their debut album, ‘Everything Last Winter’. Henry takes up the story:  “It was a long time recording the album because we recorded it in Dublin and initially it was like ‘Dublin!  Wow!  New town, new city.’  But then, after a while, we all became very homesick. I was the last to crack ‘cos me and Matty we’d go out and have a good time after we’d recorded our bits, and paint the town green.  But eventually we all started to go a bit crazy.  It was recorded in a basement over the summer – we spent the whole summer in a basement!”