Their debut is being hailed as an early contender for album of the year and Django Django are looking forward to more peculiar adventures in psychedelic pop, writes LAUREN MURPHY
IT'S DECEMBER 2009 in the rainy French city of Rennes, and down a puddle-strewn alleyway, four young musicians in African safari costumes have just blown the roof off an old Victorian dancehall. The venue at this Transmusicales festival gig is packed with a crowd eager to hear what Django Django are made of. They're already familiar with the London-based band's song Stormbecause of its inclusion on a recent indie compilation, and so enthused are they by the shape-
shifting sounds of Vinny Neff and co that they demand an encore. The only problem is the band have a limited number of songs and have never played an encore before.
“I remember that well,” laughs Neff, a Derryman who went to live in London via Edinburgh Art School.
"We didn't have anything else prepared because we'd been playing little bars before that, so we ended up doing Stormagain. It was a really bad dub version, too."
More than two years on, some things remain the same – most notably the quartet’s propensity for playing dress-up. Drummer Dave Maclean reveals that recent stage costumes have included medieval tunics and “cowboy shirts with dangly fringes”.
Their French fanbase remains as loyal as ever. And yet, a lot is different. They can tackle encores with more self-assurance these days. They have many more songs in the can than that excellent debut single, having finally finished crafting their long-awaited album. And, perhaps most tellingly, they’ve all given up their respective day-jobs. Back in 2009, Neff (an architect), Maclean (an art technician), keyboardist Tommy Grace (a graphic designer) and bassist Jimmy Dixon (who used to work at Asda), were all squeezing music in around their nine-to-fives. Nowadays, they’re having backstage encounters with Chris Isaak at gigs in Paris.
“That was pretty amazing. I was keen to get a photograph with him, and the rest of them were like ‘Meh . . .’. Then, as soon as the opportunity came up, you’ve never seen them more excited in all their lives,” laughs Neff. “He said I could design his apartment in LA. It was probably the most rock ’n’ roll thing that’s happened to us so far.”
They should probably get used to the strange and unexpected. Since they released their album at the end of last month, the rave reviews have been flooding in, with many already hailing their peculiar incursion into psychedelic pop as an early contender for album of the year.
“At the moment, we don’t really have time to sit around and think about that sort of stuff,” says the no-nonsense, bearded Maclean. “We’re practising, trying to get better live and to meet the new expectations that people will have of our live show, now that the album’s come out.
“We want to try to start to think about the next album as well. This one’s been so long in the making, we’re actually really keen to write some new stuff.”
Maclean has thrown himself into every aspect of Django Django since forming the band with Neff in 2008, from the artwork (he designed the album cover) to production. Although the pair, and Edinburgh native Grace, had known each other since college, it wasn't until they had moved to London and recorded some rough demos that the idea of a band was mooted. In fact, Django Djangowas recorded entirely in Maclean's bedroom.
“I started off with a four-track back in school, recording some friends who were in art college; but it was always about dance music for me, I was never about bands,” he explains. “I was into acid house, hip-hop and jungle at the time, trying to make my own rhythms to dancehall and ragga stuff.
“That was where my head was at until I met Vinny, and the two of us managed to somehow merge my love of weird dance music and his love of The Beatles and Beach Boys’ harmonies.
“Everything just seemed to click with him; had I not met him, I don’t think I’d have necessarily wanted to start a band. I didn’t have much experience of a band. I didn’t know how to record a guitar, or drums, or what you were meant to do. I still don’t, really, but I’m quite happy with that. I like to go with gut feeling and experiment in that way, rather than splashing out on expensive mics and that sort of stuff.
“You can kind of get lost in that a bit. It’s like an artist setting themselves up with a canvas and paints and all that stuff, and then phoning somebody up and getting them to paint something for you. All the fancy equipment might be nice, but you can get the same results by doing it yourself. That’s something we feel quite strongly about.
“I actually feel like more of a producer than a drummer, but I think it’s become an important part of the sound now.”
The homespun charm of the album certainly doesn't detract from the songs, which swing riotously from the scuffed thud of the new single, Default, through to the glorious, harmony-infused electronic pop of Waveformsand the rattlesnake stalk of Love's Dart. Django Djangois an album that's exploding with creativity, diversity and imagination.
Both Maclean and Neff attribute its schizophrenic nature to their “bizarre” record collections.
“We’ve got hardcore rave sitting next to Buddy Holly, The Cramps sitting next to The Beatles or jungle music,” chuckles Maclean. “We don’t have any allegiance to any genre and in that respect, the album is an honest one. I’m a big fan of Giorgio Moroder’s production because you’ve got things that shouldn’t work together in his songs – whether it’s Italo-disco synths alongside power pop, or whatever.
“They’re kind of odd, and I think that’s something worth pursuing. The Beatles were odd, Prince is odd, The Beach Boys were odd, Joe Meek was bizarre. Why not?” It was those qualities that led French independent label Because Music to sign the foursome and continue their Gallic love affair.
“They have a similar sort of philosophy to a label like XL Recordings,” explains Maclean. “They let the artist have full creative control, and I think that’s the key to XL having done well over the past few years, actually. The record industry’s changed so much that it’s great to have a label [like that]. It’s more of a partnership, really.”
Despite the accolades and support, however, Maclean is determined that Django Djangoaren't going to sit back and revel in the eulogies.
“It’s hard to enjoy it. I think for a lot of people who spend a long time making an album, when it comes out, you’re just like ‘Oh’,” he smiles.
“But the summer festivals are gonna be great, and we’re looking forward to being a strong live band, ’cos that’s a different beast. That’s one thing about the album – there’s so much going on that it’s a bit of a headache figuring out how to make it work live. But it’s taken on a life of its own, and the rockabilly and dance stuff especially have become more prominent.
“Basically, I’m happiest when I’m in the studio and making music, so that’s what I want to do now. Musically, we’ve moved on already from the album and I have no idea where we’re gonna go next. And that’s really exciting.”
Django Djangois out now on Because Music. Django Django play the Grand Social on February 23
