Mini interview with Tom Tom Club on playing Deerhunter's ATP next month (+ music added to our Soundcloud)
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Next month from the 21st-23rd June, Deerhunter will curate and headline the last ever UK Holiday Camp ATP festival at Camber Sands, alongside many other amazing acts such as The Breeders performing Last Splash, Tom Tom Club, Steve Reich and many many more. Tickets are available now from this link.
Also performing will be legendary Talking Heads spinoff group Tom Tom Club, responsible for such classics as Genius Of Love and Wordy Rappinghood. You can hear two tracks from their latest release on our Soundcloud playlist for the event, and below you can check out a small chat we had with them about playing the event...
Year Formed: 1981
Bio: Spinning off from Talking Heads in the early '80s, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth gave their parent band a run for its money as far as killer party bands went with Tom Tom Club. Their rock-solid rhythms and skeletal grooves were more concerned with getting down than getting artsy, and their limited discography yielded a few of the most timeless dance-rock tracks of all time. With the five-track EP Downtown Rockers, the band offers its first new studio material since 2000's mixed-bag The Good the Bad and the Funky. At first blush, the title track sets the listener up for disappointment. "Downtown Rockers" is a spoken list of key players from the gritty early days of New York's Lower East Side rock scene, with Frantz ominously uttering "The Ramones! Television! Suicide! Blondie!" and the like over a backdrop of decidedly unfunky hard rock guitars and borderline cheesy keyboard flourishes. Somewhere in the middle of the song, however, it stops feeling like an out-of-touch vie for a comeback and becomes genuinely fun. Its B-52's-like affectations on the singsongy chorus and just enough of that patented N.Y.C. mystery meld into an unexpectedly catchy party jam. The song goes on a little longer than the run-of-the-mill rehash from any given reunited '80s group, establishing the sense of groove that made Tom Tom Club brilliant to begin with. Even at odds with some dubious production, the song gets over, reminding us how "Genius of Love," arguably the band's best track, was little more than a similar list of inspiring musicians with a little more of a story to it. Things go uphill from there, with every song feeling more natural, relaxed, and groovy than the last. "Won't Give You Up" finds Weymouth's detached vocals floating somewhere over a pseudo-reggae groove, bursts of electronic space drums and spooky keyboards wrapping around the song's minimal rhythmic backbone. Like-minded newcomers Wild Belle make guest appearances as well, with Natalie Bergman adding slippery guest vocals to "You Make Me Rock and Roll" and her bandmate brother Elliot playing saxophone throughout the EP. Downtown Rockers can sound nostalgic at times, from the subject matter to the instrumentation and even the very essence of the songs. In this case, however, it's the best possible kind of nostalgia. Nothing about the band looking back on incredible times in a rich musical or personal history comes off as desperate or cloying here, primarily because Tom Tom Club still have the goods to produce irresistibly funky tunes. Their approach is basic and there are moments of yesteryear reflection, but (with the exception of a few too many crunchy guitars) almost everything on this EP fits perfectly in place with a band that nailed the vibe of a simple good time decades prior. Some things never change, and hopefully the inspired magic of Tom Tom Club and their ability to cultivate an atmosphere of instant celebration will remain one of those things.
Do your best to describe the sound of your band in one sentence:
We like to call our sound freestyle.
What are the most recent activities of your band?
We have recently recorded a new Tom Tom Club EP to be released soon in the UK. We have been touring the world over the past few years and right now we're writing some more new music.
How excited are you to play this event?
We're extremely excited to play ATP, the most chic of all music Festivals.
Do you have a connection with Deerhunter / an idea why you were chosen to play?
We had a good conversation with Bradford Cox on the phone and he said he loves our rhythm section for our depth and sense of no nonsense. He also loves Tina's singing style.
Which of your releases do you feel ATP attendees should check out first?
We would recommend the first album with "Wordy Rappinghood" and "Genius Of Love" and also the new EP Downtown Rockers.
Is there one of your tracks you think specifically represents you best?
"Genius Of Love" and "Wordy Rappinghood " are our biggest hits, but deeper tracks like "Kissin' Antonio" and "Won't Give You Up" from the new EP are classic Tom Tom Club.
Are there any other currently confirmed bands you're excited about seeing?
We're excited to see Deerhunter and The Breeders live, but also very interested to see what Rhys Chatham is up to and same with Pere Ubu.
If you were curating, name three bands you'd want to play your event...
The Meters
David Bowie
Wild Belle
If you could pick one record release in the last year which would you recommend?
The single by Wild Belle called "Keep You" They guested on our new EP, too.
What have your previous experiences at ATP been like? Any favourite memories?
This is the first time for us but we have great expectations!