Interview \\ Chapel Club

From moody, broody shoegazers to synth-pop enthusiasts, Chapel Club have come a long way. They took the time after their performance at Y Not Festival to tell us why they changed direction and how their fans have reacted.

Daniel Willis: Hi guys, how did you find Y Not Festival? Have you played there before?

Alex Parry: Hi! We haven’t, and we really enjoyed it. The audience was amazing and it was fun to play such a short set, as it made for more energy overall, which I think is more important at a festival.   DW: What’s been your favourite gig so far this year?  

AP: Y Not festival, easily! And Nottingham Dot to Dot was quite special.
DW: How has the reception to Good Together been? Has there been a backlash from your earlier fans?

AP: It’s been pretty mixed, there’s a clear divide between the more progressive minded and the fans that wanted a repeat of the first album. There has been a backlash I guess, but it’s been pretty easy to ignore – it doesn’t seem too productive to explain to people the reasons you pursued a different creative path, better just leave them to it and be grateful for those that are into it. Maybe the others will get into it in time.

DW: Previously you’ve said about yourselves that you didn’t know what type of band you wanted to be, have you found out now?

AP: It’s a little bit clearer, but I still don’t see any real definition in terms of a genre, or a sub genre of whatever music we make, be it indie or pop or whatever. That’s not a bad thing really, it means there’s no creative reins as it were, but it does confuse listeners I suppose. I think we’re all, ourselves and listeners, just waiting to see what happens; if it starts to define itself or something. We definitely have an approach to music, if not a definite style.  

DW: We thought that Palace and the Wintering EP were pretty good records, tracks like ‘Telluride’ in particular were pretty unique, why the sudden change of style?

AP: As I say, the approach has remained the same – Good Together or ‘Jenny Baby’ is another version of ‘Widows’ or ‘The Shore’, just in a different light. The style just changed on its own really, there wasn’t too much thought that went into it. It was largely governed by what we were listening to and we were pretty sure we wanted the tone to change, if not the overall message.

DW: Do you actively dislike those early records? Or see them as part of the learning curve?

AP: Neither really – they are what they are, and I still like them. There has been an overall learning curve, but it doesn’t all rest on the records, it was our whole early life as a band really, signing to a major label etc.

DW: What are you expecting from the rest of summer? Any big gigs planned?

AP: Some more festivals – Victorious, Reading and Leeds, Festival No. 6 – and maybe some shows in London around our next single.

DW: Can we expect more of the same musical style on upcoming releases, or more progression?

AP: It’ll either be progressive or regressive, or better or worse, but it won’t be more of the same.

DW: What are Chapel Club’s big plans for the next year?

AP: We’ll all have to wait and see about that!