There is a buzz around the Internet at the minute, Irish music is at one of it’s strongest points and acts are producing material that are collectively blowing our minds.

Cue The Minutes to dip in with their debut album ‘Marcata’ which will have a secret gig today for fans and media and then there will be a launch gig on May 21st. There is a buzz around this release and as such we thought it was a good time to catch the guys and have a quick chat with them. Deirdre Harrison went to meet the lads and this is what happened.

M = Mark
T = Tom

When you came on the scene you had a much more indie sound, what was the reason for the change in direction?

M: Because we were sick of it.

T: Yeah we weren’t making very good songs in that indie sense.

M: And it was just wrong, it was hard for us to play it. And then we were like, let’s just play what we want to play, music that we like.

T: It didn’t come natural to us to play indie. We found it very difficult to write songs. We were always trying to like second guess each other and be clever about writing music but we just ended up playing the way we are playing now which is more down the line, direct.

Would that be what you’re more interested in yourselves? What you’d actually listen to?

M: Definitely.

T: We’ve all eclectic tastes in music but that’s one thing we all really agree on is rock n roll.

Do you think you’ll ever play older songs like Ukraine and Harmonic again?

M: No. They’re in the bin!

T: It’s just we played them to death and they don’t do it for us anymore.

M: And they don’t do the band justice either like. Harmonic was meant to be on the record but…

T: The dynamic is different and even when we do play those songs, the songs now are just more direct you know?

You’ve always plays gigs that are a little out of the ordinary like gig in your gaff or secret gigs for fans, are those gigs more fun the normal Whelans type gigs?

M: Definitely yeah, cos like you don’t know what’s gonna happen. Like we just played Arnotts, its eleven o’clock at night on a Thursday!

T: I was just saying that when we were packing the van, that it’s a buzz you get off that cos no one knows. You have conventional gigs that you go to and everyone knows that they get there for a certain time but when we do these ones, anything can happen.

M: It’s mental; you never know what’s gonna happen.

T: We buzz off the crowd because we know they’re not in their usual surroundings of a venue so they’re already a bit “What’s gonna happen?” you know?

Does it annoy you that every website now seems to be having competitions for a gig in your gaff and that they’re calling it that?

M: Yeah it does. Yeah totally, cos I came up with that idea. And I, well I didn’t come up with the idea of playing in people’s houses but I came up with the phrase “Gigs in Your Gaff”. At least call it something else Bell X1 and The Coronas and whoever else is playing in people’s houses. And if you’re gonna play in people’s houses, play in people’s houses. Don’t bring an acoustic guitar and do a half hour set, blow the ears off them! Play a proper set! You lazy bastards! Put that in the interview! And, Bell X1 are playing on a roof and we’re playing on a roof. We were playing on a roof before that whole thing came off. Bell X1’s, whoever they are, PR company stop robbing our ideas.

When you were doing the gigs in your gaff, did you have any particularly bad experiences or mental things happen?

M: At the start they were always weird because you’re going into someone’s gaff. So it’s weird, you’re like “Hiya, heya, how are you?”

T: There is always that air of like what the hell because you arrive at the gig and you’re stone cold sober and you’re unpacking the van and no one really knows what to expect. But then you get into it, and you hit the third song and you have a few beers and everyone’s…

M: Friends! And afterwards everyone like, they know you for years!

T: They’re like “I saw you playing in my garage!” As for weird stuff happening, I think the Guards came to one. We were supposed to be playing outside a guy’s garden. Where was it Knocklyon?

M: Firhouse or Tallaght or something… In a housing estate, a built up housing estate.

T: I think the Guards were called, but like that kinda stuff happens.

M: It was cool though.

You’ve built up a reputation as a must see live act, were you worried going into the studio that your sound wouldn’t translate?

M: No because we went into the studio as a live band. We had practised, as a live band and done the shows in Whelans upstairs. We played the songs live and tested them out, and we went into the studio and recorded them the same way. So they were always going to be that same heart of the band. That was never our worry at all.

Can you tell us a bit about the recording of the album?

T: Live, again we just went into a room. We recorded to tape in a massive converted barn in upstate New York. And again as Mark just said, it was all done really, I hate to use the word, naturally, that’s how we did it.

After the Irish release and tour do you have any plans to release the album in other territories or tour anywhere else?

M: I think England in September and I don’t know where after that. But definitely Germany, France and Spain. And Holland. And America. They’re the key places. I suppose Sweden, most of Europe and definitely North America. That’s for starters.

Do you think you’ll do unusual gigs there as well?

M: If we can yeah.  Sometimes I think they’re a bit more conservative in Europe, maybe in Germany. But if you go to that little bit of extra effort like we do here, people appreciate it.

T: You already have a story before you know, especially with going to play in Europe. Coming from Ireland you’re obviously a step ahead of the rest of them. The way you’re received and the way the gigs are received. Especially when they see us and we’re not playing diddly idle di, we’re playing balls to the wall rock n’ roll music. They understand it.

And finally, why do you think people should buy your album?

M: Cos it’s a pretty good record. Better than most of the stuff out there, Irish, English, American, Japanese, French or otherwise. It’s just a good record and that’s just it. And if you don’t like it, it doesn’t matter, don’t worry about it. And it’s only €7.99 why wouldn’t you buy it? I’d even buy it. But I won’t, but I could because I actually have €7.99 so it’s not that bad. That’s less than two pints isn’t it?

T: It is.

M: Less than two pints for 34minutes of a pretty good record.

T: A great record.

M: And don’t listen to it and rob it Bell X1!

T: It’s not pretty good, it’s a great album. We put our heart and soul into it.

The Minutes play a special rooftop gig for fans on May 18th and then will play The Workmans Club on May 21st with tickets costing €10