Page 32 - 368649 LP250851 NE Volume Magazine (170mm x 245mm 52pp) November 2022

CHARTS & GRAPHS
NEW ALBUM
‘No Dive Bombing Or Heavy Petting'
AVAILABLE NOW AT
chartsandgraphs.bandcamp.com
As Newcastle three-piece Charts and Graphs release their new album, Lee Allcock caught up with frontman Dan Greener to speak about recording in their basement, supporting Jesus Jones and more.
Tell me a bit about Charts and Graphs and your influences...
We're a post-punk three-piece from Newcastle. The line we use that sums up our sound is: ‘Charts and Graphs sound like Talking Heads being force-fed Gang of Four while repeatedly running around the park listening to LCD Soundsystem on a Walkman'. We formed in 2020, just me and the bass player Ross, initially. We'd previously been in a ska/punk band in London called The Toy Guns. Lockdown hit so we wrote and recorded our
a pounding bass and some of Hugh's best drumming. It's got bags of energy and spins off in different directions. To date, it's been our most popular single in terms of streams, downloads, radio, playlists etc...not bad for a tune without a chorus.
And your second album is out now too. Where did you record the album/what did you learn during the recording process?
For the 2nd album, 'No Dive Bombing Or Heavy Petting', we recorded the drums at Blast Studios in Newcastle and then did the guitars and vocals in my basement (I have a little studio setup there). We self-produced it all
debut album remotely and then when we were back on the streets, we met Hugh, who joined as our drummer. Werehearsedandstartedgigging
in late summer 2021 and have been doing that, and recording, ever since.
As a band, what has been your
favourite moment to date and
why?
Imeanwelovethewholething:
writing, rehearsing, gigging and
recording. The reason we started
was because we missed just playing
but if we're going to pin one thing
down, it would probably be supporting
Jesus Jones at The Cluny in September. We're all
big fans, so that was exciting. And also, to play in front of a large crowd, who don't know you, is great and also an opportunity to be heard by new people and, hopefully, future fans of the band.
The title of your new track, 'Intruder Alert', sounds rather ominous...
The reason behind the title is just that it sounded cool. I tend not to write lyrics that follow one theme...so it's not about a past burglary or anything. Most of my lyrics are phrases and observations that I jot down in my phone and then dip into when I need them. Musically, the song fly's by on a scratchy, jerky guitar riff that's supported by
as it's how we prefer to record. When you do it yourself, with your own setup, you can do it at your own pace and you can try loads of things out and you don't feel like you’re on the clock or wasting anyone’s time. Also, the gear you can get now is so good. We always try to make the recorded songs sound like they would if you saw us live, so quite raw with as few overdubs as possible. All the music is put down first and then one day, I'll pop down to the basement, have a few beers to warm up and then reel off all the
vocals.Thenwemixitandit'sdone.
You've been keeping yourself busy, so what are your plans for the remainder of 2022?
We have our first gig out of the Newcastle area at your bar (NE Volume Music Bar) then we're supporting indie legends Cud at St. Dom's in Newcastle as well as playing at Anarchy Brewery and Three Tanners Bank. We've also got quite a few new tunes on the go and have started rehearsing and arranging them when we practice. Hopefully, we'll get one or two into the live set before the year's out and then early next year, we'll get them recorded and put another few singles and another album out.
To find out more about Charts and Graphs and their new releases, head to chartsandgraphs.bandcamp.com.
“It's not about a past burglary or anything”
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