From playing their very first gig in a living room in Leeds to winning the prestigious Mercury Prize and headlining some of the most colossal festivals around the world, alt-J could have very well let the success go to their heads.
Yet the musicians are anything but vain. As we speak with keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton, we find the band in a quite modest and comfortable place ahead of their anticipated performance at Strawberry Festival in Beijing on May 1.
“I suppose we’re in a famous band, but we’re not famous people. That’s kind of perfect really,” Gus says. "We live completely normal lives when we’re not on the road.”
The reality is that the guys have found their sweet spot. They've managed to release globally top-charting albums, achieve critical acclaim and sell out arenas, all while still being able to head down to the local pub without being recognized. In fact, Gus even mentions that it's a rare treat to be asked for photos by gushing starstruck fans.
That’s the point.
alt-J is not a band of ego-tripping rockstar personalities who regularly find themselves plastered on the pages of glamour magazines – they let their music do the talking.
"I suppose we’re in a famous band, but we’re not famous people."
Playing what Gus best describes as “experimental pop,” the band’s most recent album Relaxer signaled a progression away from the distinguished sound of their first two releases, proving they've still got some tricks up their sleeve. Tracks such as 'Hit Me Like That Snare' showcase a gritty, edgier alt-J, while 'Adeline' features soft finger-plucking guitar riffs and delicate vocals familiar to longtime fans.
While presenting a different and more “challenging” sound, as Gus describes it, the band almost came full circle last year with another Mercury Prize nomination – the same award that thrust alt-J and their debut album An Awesome Wave into the spotlight. “It’s been quite a natural process of evolution,” he says. "It’s never been a conscious decision to change our sound."
Nevertheless, the band’s sound remains layered and introspective at times. On bringing that sound to a live setting, Gus confessed that it's no easy feat. "It takes us a long time after we finish an album," he says. "We essentially have to learn how to play it live.” Learn they do and damn, do they play it well live. After garnering rave reviews for their recent Coachella performance, alt-J is sure to deliver something special this Tuesday night for Beijing fans.
However, when you do gain the success of alt-J, much of the time is spent touring around the globe. With Strawberry Festival being the band's long-awaited live debut in China, they're in for a hectic few days. Before their trip up north to the capital, Gus reveals to us that they did manage to get some time off while playing in Shanghai. “We’ve just been walking around, eating great food, drinking a lot of beer and having a really good time,” he says. "It's really been great."
Thankfully for Gus, repeat stops on tour have been made easier with the help of his travel necessity – a little leather notebook made by his girlfriend, which he uses for noting down the best restaurants and food spots in each city. With this being his first time in China and hopefully not the last, we’re confident that there may be a few new additions to the list.
Tue May 1; RMB320-580 (buy tickets here); Yuyang Ski Resort, see event listing.
0 User Comments