In light of their upcoming Irish tour, The Magic Numbers front man Romeo took some time out to talk to GoldenPlec. The Magic Numbers Irish tour will see them visit the INEC(Killarney) on Thursday 2nd Dec, The Pavillion(Cork) on Friday 3rd Dec, The Roisin Dubh(Galway) on Saturday 4th Dec, Whelans(Dublin) on Sunday 5th Dec and finally Spring and Airbrake(Belfast) on Monday 6th Dec.
When Ros Madigan from GoldenPlec caught up with Romeo, he talked about the upcoming Irish Dates, their newest album, the bands downtime and the future of the music business.
GP: I would like to start by saying that I really like the new album, I like how the tracks vary from one to the other, giving the album a really different feel to your previous work.
There are a lot more layers and complexity to this new album. Has this been hard adapting all this extra sound into your live performances?
Romeo: Initially it was when we finished making the album, we were thinking about how we were going to do the songs live but I think we have treated it as two different things and there is different versions that we play live. A lot of us(in the band) are doing much more on stage, multitasking, extra keyboards and different sounds. So in a lot of ways it’s much more fun and a nice challenge.
GP: On the new album, you try a lot of different approaches to different songs leading to a varied eclectic sounding album. Is this something you were conscious of?
Romeo: Yes, even when we started the new songs, which I had written and brought to the band, we didn’t want to kind of do what we normally did. I remember when we were all together in the live rooms, we were trying to push ourselves with the arrangements. I wanted to not use the guitar as the main thing to drive the song, so a lot of the time I would pick something else up. I wrote much more on the piano this time round. So there was a decision of sorts and as it evolved we kind of realized where it was taking shape and we were really pleased and really proud of it you know. We feel we have made something different and something going somewhere.
GP: Your coming back to complete a small tour in Ireland, after the recent success of playing Arthurs Day here, are you looking forward to this Irish tour?
Romeo: Definitely, I am looking forward to do a week of great shows and some killer nights out. We have always had good times touring Ireland and playing. Angela and Sean actually have lots of family over there too.
GP: You have one day off in Dublin during this tour so will you be taking some time off to relax or will you try and see a bit of Dublin?
Romeo: I think probably continuing the debauch madness. We got friends over there so, were going to hook up with David Kitt I think who we’re good friends with and I love him. Also Conor from the Villagers, good friends with him also so if they’re in town, in Dublin at that time it’ll be good.
GP: So keep an eye out for a nice star studded sing along session in some local pub in Dublin soon then?
Romeo: I love that, I love that you know, late nights and everyone is bursting into song. I love Ireland for that, you see some great players and you just sit there, it’s really cool. You have the essence of what it’s all about, going back to basics.
GP: To a lot of people you were gone for some time, off the radar if you will. I know you guys decided to take some time after extended periods on the road, so what did you guys do in the meantime?
Romeo: Yeah, it was good to have that time away; we had kind of been on the road and made two albums back to back. We hadn’t stopped for four years and when we finished touring the second album, I remember when we finished in America and we were all you know sitting there saying nothing to each other. We were worn out and wanted to take a break. My sister Michelle had a baby girl during the break so that was great, being able to have a life outside of the group. But we were all itching to get back into the studio, that was the thing. It took a year to build our own studio, find the place and get the desk. I was learning a lot of how to set things up and it was good just having that time because when you come back, you know, fresh ideas. I think we started enjoying just hanging out with each other as friends again rather than part of the group.
GP: You have been touring this album for quite some time now. How has the reaction been to the latest material and how much longer do you plan to keep touring this album?
Romeo: It’s been great, the UK and European tour we did was amazing. We did a lot in South America as well. The plan is kind of to do some shows over in the States early next year and after that were pretty much going to start working on the next album really. It’s been cool and nice to hear everyone singing the new songs. I feel kind of like everyone that comes to the shows now come for the whole experience, all the rocking songs and then for all the quiet one’s too. I feel like we are honing in on this amazing bunch of people who are into the band.
GP: Touring now for an artist is becoming an even more important role with dwindling album sales and with increasingly demanding tours. Do you like the push towards more live shows and extended touring?
Romeo: Yeah, we love the road. That’s we’re the songs aren’t yours anymore and they’re out there and I love the unpredictability as well of like turning up somewhere and not knowing what’s going to happen and that whole thing keeps it exciting. The way it is now it’s really hard for groups to count on bringing out a record. For very new bands trying to get signed, it’s really difficult.
GP: In the short time you guys have been away, the music industry has changed, making it very hard to sell records. What do you see as the future of music industry?
Romeo: Well at the moment, I have a lot of friends in groups and stuff and now in order to get a deal they want the groups to finish the albums themselves, give it to them and then they will put it out. They want a slice of everything, like a 360 deal like touring and this and that. Gone are the days of being on the dole and getting a record contract and getting some money and being all like ‘wow, I can do what I want to do’, and breath a little bit. So I think it’s really tough for new groups, because you know I feel the life span of new groups last like a month or something and all of a sudden there is another one. Then people are raving about one new group, hardly anyone is staying with new groups. When you think of like Neil Young, having 35 albums, where are those artists now? I think its really difficult and even with us we can see that everyone that was with us, for lets say the first record, where have a lot of those people gone? They have moved on, maybe onto new things. Another things is in terms of promotion, your not able to spend that much money, a lot of people don’t even know you have a new album out and that’s an issue as well.
GP: With the music industry lately, the term genre is coming thrashing down with people having Dizee rascal next to Coldplay in their record collections, do you think that artists such as yourselves with your folk pop sound have benefitted from this change in opinion?
Romeo: Well I think were just going to continue to do what we do. A live show, no one can get that, they’re going to have to come out and see that. You can get the album for free or whatever but you can’t get that experience of a live show. We are very much a live band and it’s about making everybody feel a part of something on that night. You want that hour and a half to be this special thing. I think for live groups, it’s what you do. With anything creative, you have to allow it to be a struggle. It can’t all be amazing. You have got to feel like your working for it. I just worry for the artists like Kate Bush or say Nick Drake or something, people who didn’t want to go out and tour because they didn’t really enjoy it, who found it difficult or it wasn’t their way of expressing themselves fully live. They preferred making something that lasts forever. How do artists like that continue in terms of sales of records if they cant go out and tour?
GP: Being such a great live band, you have played some amazing venues and festivals. I myself seen you at Oxegen 2006 at can testify to your performances. Where has been the most memorable place you have played and why?
Romeo: I think personally, I went to Africa for the Damon Albarn ‘Afica Express’ project. That was pretty mind blowing and life changing playing with all these African musicians. Just being there and playing music really and there was this big concert at the end and I think that just kind of spun me out. As a band, the four of us, it depends because there are good things about going around Europe and there is great things about going around certain parts of America too. South America, places like Argentina and Brazil, people are really amazing, the gigs have great and we love touring over there. Everywhere really, some our best gigs have been in Scotland and in Ireland, those shows always stand out on a tour.
GP: What next for the Magic Numbers?
Romeo: Well early next year we’re going to go to America and do some shows out there. Then we’re kind of finished touring this record really and start working on the next album. We have pretty much all the songs and we’re rehearsing them now and again, working on them. I would hope that maybe July next year we should have it all done hopefully but before that my sister Michelle is basically a couple of weeks away from finishing her own album. So she is doing her own solo record and that will be out in probably March or April of next year. Very different from us and what we do as well. It’s cool, I think she is going to surprise a few people. Lots more recording really, we want to do a sort of acoustic album, maybe just a vinyl release or something. Lots of albums and things.