An interview with Alpines ahead of their Bristol show
Posted on: 27 Jan 2017Ahead of their gig at The Louisiana on 20 February, 365Bristol.com’s Martin Allen caught up with Alpines to talk about their new album, their varied influences - and why Bristol is where it all began for them…
Alt-pop, R’n’B, electronic… there are a multitude of ways in which you could attempt to categorise the music of Alpines, but no single term quite defines the rich mixture of influences that emerge from their latest album ‘Another River’.
The band - consisting of singer/songwriter Catharine Pockson on vocals and keyboard, and Bob Matthews on guitar and production - visit Bristol on 20 February when they stop-off at The Louisiana as part of a 14-date tour that sees them travel the UK and Europe performing tracks from their latest LP. And they admit that even they sometimes struggle to sum up which genre best describes their sound: “Both of us come from very different musical backgrounds so in a sense it is always going to sound like a mesh of different influences,” says Pockson. “Sometimes vocally we’ll be labelled as being soulful or R’n’B but then the production that Bob will have put into a track will make it seem a little more avant-garde or leftfield than that, so it is quite hard to pin down.
Alpines - Heaven
Matthews adds: “We find it really hard to describe our music - and it doesn’t get any easier as time goes on either. In essence, we write pop music, but we bring so many other things to the table that somehow that doesn’t seem like a very accurate description. I quite like being hard to pin down though.”
Another River is the kind of album that you don’t just listen to, you also feel it. Musically and lyrically, it seems like quite an evolution from their 2014 debut album ‘Oasis’. “We spent quite a long time writing it - a couple of years certainly,” explains Pockson. “As the lyricist, I was quite keen that it was really honest and straight-up, and was really inspired by a lot of the music I was listening to at the time, artists like Loyle Carner. I listen to a lot of rap as I love the lyricism, the honesty and directness. The album became quite a healing process as well as there was a lot of stuff going on for me personally too and I wanted to get some of that across and I felt that being totally honest was how I would be able to write the best possible music.”
Matthews adds: “We wanted to make sure it was an album you could really step into and immerse yourself in. We put a lot of effort into ensuring it had a cohesive sound and that it felt like a single body of work which was really important for us.”
Alpines are no strangers to Bristol, having performed at a number of the city’s venues, including the Thekla and the Fleece. In fact, the pair first met at a friend’s wedding in Bristol in 2010 where Matthews was performing and, as a former Bristol University student, Pockson knows all about the musical pedigree of the area. “A big part of my musical learning was in Bristol as it was the place I decided I wanted to be a musician and did lots of different musical projects there.
Alpines - Completely
“It’s a place where it is so easy to see many varied gigs, as well as have the opportunity to perform too. I did solo stuff and was also in a funk collective for a year or so in a group with some amazing jazz musicians. I was also at uni with my friend Matt [Robson-Scott] who is one half of Gorgon City and has gone on to do great things.” Matthews adds: “We love Bristol as it’s got such a unique vibe. We might even move there one day!”
In the meantime, Alpines will be bringing their captivating material to The Louisiana on Monday 20 February as part of touring run that both are particularly looking forward to. “It’s the longest string of dates that we’ve ever done so it’ll be interesting to see how we handle it!” says Matthews. “It should be fun. There are some really good venues on the UK dates, plus in Europe we’ll be going to places that we’ve never been before, including our first shows in Germany.”
As well as tracks from ‘Another River’ - including the exquisite ‘Heaven’ and ‘Completely’ - fans can look forward to seeing and hearing an expanded line-up for the tour, with Matthews and Pockson joined on stage by a drummer and keyboard player for an expansive full band set-up. “It’s exciting as it is feeling a bit more ‘live’, with the shows taking on a life of their own the more we rehearse,” Matthews says. “In the past, we’ve tried to stay true to the sound of the record which can be quite difficult without relying on having a lot of stuff on the backing track. It can be a bit boring doing shows in which not much can change - or even go wrong! - so we’ve taken almost everything off the backing track and have four musicians on stage creating all of the music from scratch there and then in the room. Most fans probably wouldn’t necessarily notice it sounding particularly different but it will ‘feel’ different, and hopefully these will be the best shows we’ve done yet.”
Tickets for Alpines at The Louisiana, Bristol, can be purchased here.
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As a lifelong music obsessive, Martin brings his extensive journalism experience to bear on reviewing some of the many gigs that make Bristol's music scene one of the liveliest in the country. Originally from London, he spends his time following AFC Wimbledon, tormenting his children with Dad Jokes, and getting out to see as much live music, comedy and theatre as possible.
