Interview with Caravan Palace

Interview with Caravan Palace

Posted on: 15 Oct 2015

Caravan Palace are an electric swing band from France, combining a flurry of musical genres to produce a unique and energetic sound. Ahead of their Bristol gig, they agreed to do an interview. This is what they had to say...

 

How was the European leg of the tour, did you have any stand-out moments or strange stories to tell?

 

The 3 English festivals we did (Secret Garden Party, Wilderness Festival, and Boomtown Fair) were clearly in the highlights of our summer tour: mud, huge sites, crazy people in fancy outfits and music everywhere!! You can't find that kind of event in France!!

 

Have you found people to be positively responding to your new material?

 

A lot! We were quite anxious about it, but from the very first concerts, we've been very surprised about the good reactions, as if the public already knew the songs sometimes!

 

You have released a couple of singles from the upcoming album, do you feel they represent the album as a whole or will there be some surprises?

 

They represent, at least, the wide variety of influences we tried to put in this album. None of them is totally comprehensive, but each one is like a brick of the wall! It means that there are many other bricks to discover!!

 

Have you been to any gigs or festivals of any other artist so far this year? If so, who?

 

We have had the unique chance to see some of our idols very closely while on tour this year: Busta Rhymes, FFS, and Jamie Cullum !!

 

Does your influence come from anywhere unexpected? What bands do you refer to for inspiration?

 

We live in a fast changing world, hundreds of new sounds and technologies emerge every day, and we are the products of it. We are 4 co-composers and every one of us has (very!) different tastes from the other, even if we often agree on what makes us bounce or shiver!

 

What’s the worst thing that has happened at a show?

 

We recently played in Bulgaria, and 30 minutes before the concert, the singer put her back out. She was stiff like a doll on stage, with two crazy guys jumping everywhere by her side!! When you know how she normally is on stage, you can imagine the frustration!

 

Have you ever received anything from a fan?

 

At a concert in the south of France, a fan gave every member a little pebble with a word on it, like "sharing", or "authenticity"... Most of us lost it quickly but some kept it for years! Apart from that, gift are not that frequent!!

 

Outside of music, what do you like to do?

 

Some of us like skydiving, others like skating, others prefer being with their children, or relaxing in their country house... We all have very different lives, but it is always a great moment to meet up in the tour bus!

 

As a band, do you find there is one key songwriter, or do you all put in equally?

 

Some are more "comfortable" with the genre or have a deeper technical knowledge and some are "natural born songwriters". The final result is always an equal commitment of everyone in the songs. A Caravan Palace album would never sound the same if any one of us decided to do it alone!

 

What kind of show can we expect when you play Bristol?

 

Dancing and dancing again, and smiling, we hope! The English audience is especially crazy, dressing in the 20's style, and dancing as if their life depended on it! Our last concert in Bristol took place in a church, it was quite surreal. We'll always remember that concert!

 

Caravan Palace will be performing at a number of venues this December. Their performance in Bristol on the 10th December will be held at the O2 Academy, tickets are available here.

 

Interviewed by Miri Teixeira for 365Bristol.


Article by:

James Anderson

Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.