HT Interview: Yuck Shows Wisdom in Youth

HT: Not to dwell on this too much, but I’m sure you’ve noticed that everything written about you guys has obsessed over this idea of the ’90s sound and the ’90s influences. Do you guys really listen to that stuff and take from that, or is it more just the way your music happens to sound?

MB: I feel like I was listening to a lot of guitar music when the album was being made, and learning a lot about the sounds you could make with an electric guitar. Obviously, that meant a lot of bands with amazing guitarists were inspirational to me personally. But, I feel like I try not to read too much of what’s written about us. Comparisons are inevitable. There’s not really any benefit to reading what the press says about us. For me, if I read something bad or whatever it kind of destroys me. I’m not opposed to the comparisons just as long as it’s bands I like [laughs].

In terms of influences, they change rather rapidly. What I was listening to a year ago, I can still appreciate, but what I’m really obsessed with, that changes on a weekly basis [laughs].

HT: Yeah, I know the feeling. So, let’s talk about South by Southwest. What were your favorite moments?

MB: It was all really good, but the BEST moment was when we played the biggest gig we’ve ever played. It was really pretty special for it to be in America. I guess at someplace like South by Southwest, you’re never really sure if the crowd is there to see you or the band after you, but it didn’t really matter. You could just pretend that it was all for us [laughs]. That gig was really amazing. It was that NPR gig, and it was really cool to play for that many people. And the day we played four shows in one day, that was pretty intense, and it was all pretty exhausting, but in a good way.

HT: So, things have gotten really quite big rather fast for your guys. Has it been a scramble to keep up in terms of all the travel and having the right infrastructure, the gear, the team, transportation, money, and everything given the speed things have moved?

MB: Yes and no. I feel like from an outsider’s perspective of someone who’s not living with us, it might appear that it’s been a really steep increase, but I feel like the work that we’ve put in has been pretty consistent. We’ve toured a lot in the U.K. and stuff, we’ve traveled a lot, recently we’ve gotten to go to America, and we’re going again, which is something that I’m really happy about.

I think we’re quite an easy band to tour with. We’re just an ordinary setup of guitar bass and drums, and one guy is our tour manager and sound engineer. It’s really fine. Obviously, we’re away a lot and I’ve had to move out of my flat, because I’m not there anymore, and move back into my parents’ house just because there is no point to pay for a place and not stay in it. It has changed my home life in that way.

HT: How do you like those long drives here in the U.S.?

MB: I love it. Everything in America is really new and unfamiliar. I grew up in London and I’m kind of sick of it by now. So, it’s refreshing to sort of see the world. London is made up of tiny little towns, whereas in America, especially playing music, is very different. There’s a lot more opportunities and bands can exist on a number of different levels. You can’t really do that in London. For example, the number of college radio stations that play music I really like, well, they don’t really have that in England.

HT: Are you guys considering moving here at all?

MB: I don’t know. I would like to. It’s much cheaper, but I would have to think long and hard about it. But, I would like to. It’s definitely not out of the question. It’s a lot nicer, really [laughs].

YuckGet Away

HT: I wanted to ask you about Fat Possum. How did that relationship come to fruition and how did your whole record contract experience go?

MB: Well, they got in contact with us and said, “We’ve been following you for a while and we really love what you’re doing. We listened to this album, and we liked your other band.” So, it really didn’t take long to come to the decision that they were the right label for us. They basically offered us a deal and we accepted straight away, partly because we wanted to get the album out as soon as possible. We kind of went with our gut and accepted the deal. I think they are the best label in the world and what they are doing is unbelievable. I have nothing bad to say about them, they are incredible.

HT: It’s an interesting story how they came from an old southern blues background and morphed into this indie powerhouse. It’s definitely pretty cool.

MB: Have you ever seen the documentary?

HT: No, I didn’t know they had one.

MB: Yeah, there’s a documentary about them and the main guy, Matthew, who runs it. I haven’t seen it either, but I think it’s on Netflix. I forget what it’s called, but I want to see it.

HT: So, have you guys, generally speaking, had much musical training or are you more self-taught?

MB: I have always played music, but I’m kind of against the idea of training. I feel like if you’re learning guitar, it’s important to have personal flair and stuff. I think it’s important that it’s something you teach yourself. It’s really easy to teach yourself the basics on guitar, but on an instrument like the trumpet, I’m not opposed to someone teaching you the basics. But, with all instruments, you should get to a place where you want to play on your own. So, I think self-teaching is the way to go.

HT: Finally, I wanted to throw out a couple sort of personal preference type questions. What’s your favorite London venue?

MB: That would be the Lexington. It’s really good. The sound is really good. That’s definitely my favorite venue. It holds about 200 people. I saw some amazing gigs there, let me think, what amazing ones did I see there? Oh, I saw Real Estate there, that was really good.

HT: Last one, what would you say is your favorite television show of all-time?

MB: Ohhhh, that’s so hard! Ummmm. Ummmm. Ummmm. I really like, ummmm [laughs]. I want to say Curb Your Enthusiasm, but I feel like you can’t watch that over and over again, because it gets bit boring after a while. I wish I could have some time to think about it and get back to you three weeks later. A journey of self-discovery [laughs]. What’s yours?

HT: Oh man, your turning the tables? I might say the Simpsons for all-time, but that’s not really true right now. I don’t really watch it that much anymore. I guess I’d probably say Lost. I loved Lost.

MB: Yeah, that’s true. I really like the Simpsons too, but that’s a lot of rubbish now. Ummmm. Ok, you know The Office? The U.K. Office? I like that too. Man, I don’t know. I guess I’ll say Curb.

Blumberg and his bandmates – fellow north Londoner Max Bloom, Japanese bass player Mariko Doi, and New Jersey drummer Jonny Rogoff

Related Content

One Response

  1. FYI for anyone in New England area…They are playing Northampton on Friday April 29th. Can’t wait!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter