They may be in their own space when writing, and it may not have changed over the years, but the space into which that music is released has changed considerably – for example, in 2012 the band’s tracks were included in the huge London Olympics opening ceremony, placing the band firmly in the forefront of current English culture. The importance of the event means it has become a mainstay in interviews with the band, so I apologise bringing it up, but it’s interesting to hear how the band feel about the Olympics a year on. Has it become an albatross around their neck? Was it worth it, or has it become a tremendous pain in the arse? Ben laughs: “It definitely wasn’t a pain in the ass. It was a privelege and honour to be asked in the first place by someone like Rick Smith (Underworld), who has such a heritage himself; for me that was one of the most flattering aspects of it. But we also obviously, perhaps, reached people that might never have heard of us before. It was a pretty amazing thing.”
An honour and a privilege perhaps, but Andy isn’t so sure that it’s changed things long terms for the band. When I suggest to him that the band’s audience is bigger because of the exposure, he doesn’t agree: “Do you think? I don’t. I think we’ve still the same trajectory that we had before”. There’s a hint of challenge in his voice, as if daring me to suggest that they’ve taken some kind of short-cut to the position they’re in now. Ben seems more relaxed about it: “trajectory or boost, either way there’s no doubt that Slow Focus has charted at a higher position than the previous albums.”
I don’t think an artist is owed money just because he’s made something – no matter how good it is. It’s like saying ‘if you don’t pay these people, you’re not going to have art anymore’, which I think is absolute bollocks.
You can see, though, why the suggestion that the Olympics helped their profile might be insulting to the band, after all, this is a group that has never gone out of its way to court the commercial success that they now enjoy – just take a look at their name to prove the point! While geography and location may not have shaped their songwriting, I wonder if it has shaped their attitude; what kind of influence did starting out in Bristol have on them? “Bristol is very fertile for music because it’s very insular.It’s fantastic for bands starting out”, Andy explains before continuing “for bands who’ve stepped up a level it’s shit [laughs)].” Interestingly, since the band moved to London Hung has found himself going out to gigs less. “I don’t really go to many shows any more. I used to go to more shows when we lived in Bristol, and I think it’s because I really hate people talking at shows, which happens all the time now. It’s become a social event now, partly because people don’t buy as much music – they go to shows, which is good, but they go to socialise as well, which is why I like to listen to albums in my own space. In Bristol, people didn’t kind of move or talk at shows [laughs], so the reaction to the shows was funny [makes an indifferent face] – though at the end they’d be cheering and all that”.
That period in Bristol, forging not just their sound but also their live show, has served the band well, particularly given that we’re in an age where records have increasingly less commercial value. We’ve talked about the space the band work in, so let’s now move on to the times they live in; as Slow Focus was about to be released, it leaked out onto file-sharing sites in advance. Do they get worried/angry about things like that? Is it just inevitable? Ben answers calmly “for us it doesn’t really bother us, because we’re not afraid of playing live shows. I think if we had being doing this ten years ago things might have been different – we’d have been making money off records.” Andy, nodding in agreement, joins in: “We’ve never made money from records. That’s not how we make a living, so we’re used to the reality. I think, or what I’d like to think is that we’re living in a state of transition. I think it’s a golden age for entrepreneurship amongst musicians. If you want to live from it, you need to think about things a little bit – you can’t just hand it to record labels like you could ten to fifteen years ago. You actually have to work it.”
And what then of arguments made, for example by leading novelist Philip Pullman, that file-sharing and downloading of music is the equivalent of reaching into an artist’s pocket and stealing their wallet? ” I really don’t agree,” Andy says. “You know, there’s a difference between ideology and reality on this. I think it’s the world we live in. The recording industry is in trouble, like the film industry, because they try to protect their products by making it illegal to download, and by putting barriers up, but pirates who share the stuff are always going to find ways. Like I said, I think it could be a golden age for musicians, for musicians who are prepared to think about things, to work it”. Ben is also against Pullman’s argument. “I don’t think an artist is owed money just because he’s made something – no matter how good it is. It’s like saying – someone was saying to me the other day, ‘if you don’t pay these people, you’re not going to have art anymore’ which I think is absolute bollocks. You go to some of the poorest countries in the world and see some amazing art. Look at Detroit and Berlin – where there was great music being made for the sake of making great music”.
Our time is up, but I leave this small journey with Fuck Buttons with a clear picture, a snapshot of a band full to the brim with confidence exploring and charting their own soundscapes. You should join them – it’s one hell of a trip.