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Where the Wild Things Are

The last few years have seen a huge growth in popularity for Wild Beasts. After being nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize for their second album, Two Dancers, they released a third album, Smother, to further critical acclaim earlier this year. When I spoke to lead singer Hayden Thorpe about this ascent he remarked upon the comfort and security that it has brought to the band: ‘We play better when we know people are listening. When you have a lot of doubters in the room you have to play twice as hard and be more confrontational but now we have rooms full of people who are hanging on our every note and we’re really enjoying that connection.’ Although they were pipped to the Mercury prize by The XX, Thorpe was keen to acknowledge the importance of their nomination in granting them this stability. ‘It’s been a gateway [to our music] for large groups of people. The mainstream in Britain is really clogged up and stifled. There seems to be a lot of real dirge which gets in the way of a lot of music which contains more heart and meaning.’  

Indeed, the fact that Wild Beasts did not win The Mercury Prize is arguably a positive thing. They seem to thrive when faced with adversity and the success they have achieved, in spite of the divided opinion on their perceived theatrical style, has given them greater conviction in what they do. At the forefront of many of these criticisms was the issue of Thorpe’s falsetto vocal; an issue that he was keen to address. ‘People want the truth. I don’t know why so many artists sing in a voice not their own; technically correct but soulless. There’s no connection there. I feel proud and strong that people are voting with their feet but I still feel that there are so many people out there who could benefit from other music which could fill them with meaning to a greater extent than the flash in the pan stuff that they’re being made to digest.’

The frustration Thorpe feels with the current mainstream music scene is certainly apparent. In a recent interview with The Independent he said that it was still an ambition of the band to be played regularly on Radio One. There is a sense that this thirst for greater success and recognition is driven by the fact that the band are considered unlikely to be able to achieve it. When asked about the likelihood of this ambition Thorpe was positive. ‘I certainly think it’s possible but it’s got to be possible on our terms. My big issue with Radio One is that it’s very unforgiving and follows a very narrow view of what pop music is. I think the way they do it now is really archaic. It’s aged, it’s over, it’s old. We’re in a new era now.’

Thorpe explained that after Wild Beasts finish their current tour they intend to take some time out before releasing any more material: ‘It’s not really time off, just taking longer to write. We’ve earned the indulgence to enjoy the writing process and that’s what we formed a band for: to make songs together. You realise the scope and the possibilities and you swim in this ocean of ideas. You just need to decide in which direction to swim.’ What with their desire to bring their music to a more mainstream audience it will be very interesting indeed to eventually hear in which direction Wild Beasts choose to go. 

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