North Atlantic Oscillation are a band long since is this music? favourites, gigging under the itm? / Tigerfest banner in 2008 with Amusement Parks on Fire, and before that, on the cover CD for issue 22 of the paper version of the magazine, almost 10 years ago. But they look so young!
Betty Mayonnaise has likewise got some (ahem) ‘history’ with the band, reviews under her, er, belt, dating back more than 4 years. So a 10 question kinda thing seemed in order.
Ben Martin (drums & programming) was the lucky recipient of her attentions…
1. are on their third album but still no commercial paydirt that this reviewer can see. Any film soundtrack or TV advert offers in the pipeline? Any already done? Any turned down?
Funnily enough rather than NAO getting direct syncs we have been more successful due to our affiliation with the band. After working with Tony Doogan on Fog Electric I got a call to work on drums with Paul Leonard Morgan for the recent Dredd Soundtrack. Sam has also been commissioned on some theatre productions and we have both been involved with various festivals and art installations. No big buck yet though.
2. Do you guys have day jobs and if not, how do you pay the bills?
Sam and myself both are self-employed. I teach drums both one to one work and community music groups and Sam does something mysterious with computers. I have a suspicion he is a CIA operative but you didn’t hear it from me.
3. What has been your fave support slot tour recently? (although not noticed any support slots so maybe NAO don’t do it?)
Probably the best support we have ever done was for Bob Mould. He heard our cover of ,One Good Reason’, and asked us which was nice. It gave us a chance to put our rock socks on. And we became tighter as a result.
4. What would be your fave support slot gig, if offered? (assuming you’d take it on!)
Bob Mould is one of Sam’s all time favourite artists so I think he will die happy. I would be overwhelmed to support Radiohead but then who wouldn’t be. Someone like Bjork would equally be thrilling to me. It would be great to see how they put a show together.
5. Do you think that artists should have an opinion on Scotch independence, or not?
We certainly did try to keep our opinions to ourselves. The Yes campaign certainly wasn’t shy and now that we are staying in the UK I will be fully behind the drive for maximum devolution not just for Scotland but for every part of the UK. Scotland has a point that Westminster is quite a fusty backwards institution – I don’t see why it should be just the Scotts that gain the benefits of localised enthusiasm for change.
6. Where do you most look forward to playing, of any venue/location?
I have a personal ambition which is to play the main stage at Glastonbury. I have seen so many inspiring performances happen there I just feel it would be nice to be part of that lineage.
7. Do you play golf? It seems to be de rigeur for Scottish music starlets these days.
No. It would never occur to me to invent that game if it didn’t already exist.
8. Do you have an opinion on fracking, I think that is what it is called around here?
Fracking can go Frack itself.
9. Album number three is upon us – give us a bit of a steer re: what we should expect and what was on your minds when making it.
It’s the love child of the first two albums. It is more hooky with more groove. Tight production and less self aware.
10. We have heard about Sam’s side project – Sand – is there anything due from you?
I am extremely slow when it comes to songwriting but I have a project I am starting to start work on early next year. I nearly have an album’s worth of demos, the earliest of which was written in 2005. The name of the project is Spacehaul
Meanwhile, Ben’s day job is keeping him busy, with NAO’s third long-player, ‘The Third Day’, out now on KScope.
More at www.naoband.com.