Matt Interview (August 2012)
1. Did you expect there to be as much demand as there currently is for cable 13 years on?
No. 2 years on maybe, but not now. I don’t know what to make of it really, it could be a watershed moment in obscure reunions, but it’s gonna be really cool anyway! and if the “demand” really does extend beyond Burton-on-trent, then even better! I’ve spent the last 6 years in a scandinavian indie-pop band so the whole thing feels kinda weird, but it’s very nice. I was confident HR would fill the Forum but we seriously hadn’t expected the shows would sell out that quickly – it meant we were forced to make a fast decision about playing on our own. Headlining was never part of the plan, we were simply meant to play 2 support slots but it quickly became obvious that we had to rethink. We’ll see how it all translates face-to-face in November anyway ha ha!
2. Which songs you are looking forward to playing the most?
not telling 😉 but people can expect an equal selection from each album..
3. Is there any plan to reissue the old albums?
We’re not sure yet. I’d like to see a vinyl re-issue of the albums, It’s possible I have the world’s only copy of Down-Lift the Up-Trodden on 12-inch (with a 2-inch lead-in) so we might press some of those. But we might not.
4. How does Matt think the English music scene compares to the one in Norway?
It’s totally different, Norway has only 5 million people for starters, glaciers, moonshine, strange lights in the sky, and trolls. And people have much more free time so sitting in the dark in graveyards wearing kiss-style facepaint is also still popular, but I can only just-about speak for Oslo.
I don’t know anything about the “scene” in the UK specially tho. Did The Beatles split up? There’s quite a prolific little scene here, even if it lacks the urgency you obviously find in the UK. The Oslo scene is compact, diverse and idealistic. It’s small enough that everyone knows each other, and many of the bands do consist of basically the same people.. My friend runs a great label called ‘Oslo Gramafon’, there’s ‘Perfect Pop’ with an awesome catalogue of sublime psychedelic pop, ‘Metronomicon Audio’ releasing DIY Balcan-indie-electronica, and Club Kosmische flying the Krautrock flag scando-style. Leon (Kosmische) plays in Radio 9 who are a great band too. If you want your eardrums-shattered forever tho, I can recommend bands like Ã…rabrot, Serena Maneesh, Deathcrush, Burning Motherfuckers.. All amazing.
There’s plenty of money, endless space, and very little pressure to sell out. So it can be a good place for bands to develop under the radar. But you can’t seriously compare the 2 countries. The UK scene is so massive in comparison.
5. Has the music scene here in the UK changed for the better or worse over the years since Cable called it a day?
I think things have only got better, it couldn’t have got any worse! the UK scene became so fucking fluffy and retro around 96. Now the internet dictates how we’re informed about new music and the way scenes evolve, and empowering musicians etc, so life’s far more interesting I think.
Je suis animal’s label in the UK ‘Angular’ have a brilliant roster of UK artists, Wet Dog, This Many Boyfriends, The Lodger. I wish there was something like ‘Upset the Rythmn’ in Oslo.
I really think there’ve been many amazing guitar-abusers come out of the UK in the last few years like Part Chimp, Action Beat, Micachu & the shapes. I saw leeds band Quack Quack play when I was home once and they were awesome too..
6. How did you feel when you heard about the cable tribute album, was it a humbling experience to see that so many bands wanted to show their respect for your music by contributing to the album?
It was very humbling, of course. I honestly hadn’t anticipated hearing anyone ever saying we’d influenced them, so it was strange and overwhelming. (Kramer’s notes were especially good)
7. If it hadn’t been for cables unfortunate demise, do you think the band would have naturally lasted longer and continued recording more albums, was there longer term plans?
For sure, I think we were quite happy with our dubious little flirt with ‘pop-sensibilities’ on sub-lingual and had we not been crippled by the verdict we would have struggled on long enough to make at least one unlistenable noise album. But we were all so burnt after all the legal hassle, it felt like the end of the world (for me at least). Of course it wasn’t, and it’s a pretty familiar story, but it was enough to destroy the band at the time. Perhaps we would have reacted a little differently had it happened today, now we’re older and meaner, but at the time I just wanted to run away and become a monk.
8. Why do you think Cable are so fondly remembered, even after all these years?
I don’t know. It’s a little bit of the ‘myth’ status I suppose, but I think we were quite out-of-step with the UK scene, sitting so awkwardly between the brit-pop world and the post-grunge wave coming out of the US, and that perhaps over time made the band a tiny bit unique.
9. What can we expect from the London and Manchester shows?
40 minutes of blissful ear-pain.
10. Will these shows be a one off or is there a chance you guys might do more shows in the future?
It’s pretty unlikely..