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Cutaways: We Like Big Choruses And We Cannot Lie

Matters of the heart, La Roux and why mainstream acts have had their day.

Posted 12th August 2009, 5:42pm in Interviews, by Claire Noble
Cutaways Having recently been announced as one of the many acts performing at this year's Indie week in Toronto, Belfast born trio Cutaways are steadily gaining a legion of fans both UK and Stateside. DIY manages to catch up with guitarist Paul McIver to talk matters of the heart, La Roux and why mainstream acts have had their day.

Afternoon Cutaways! Firstly let's get an introduction, who are the “Cutaways!” and what do you all do?
Grace Mc Macken - vocals, keyboards, claves and general dancing.
Paul McIver - vocals, guitars, weird hand movements.
Ryan Simpson - drums, percussion, shouting and beardiness.

So tell us, what's the new music scene like in Belfast?
The scene in Belfast is very positive at the moment with lots of great bands coming through. General Fiasco has just been signed to Infectious Records and there are bands like And So I Watch You From Afar, In Case of Fire and Fighting With Wire etc who are bringing a lot of attention to these parts.

Your debut album 'Earth And Earthly Things' was released last month?
We just wanted to make an album that captures what we're about so it's a pretty melodic, poppy and upbeat record in places with a lot of depth and emotive parts too. We like big choruses and we cannot lie! We're an energetic live band so I think we've made a big, catchy, energetic ball of fun.

We read (in your press release) that a Cutaways live show includes anything from live puppet shows to “rap” cameos - sounds wicked! Obviously the performance aspect is very important to you guys. Will you be doing any UK shows to coincide with the album release?
Yeah we do like to put a bit of effort into it! We have our giant birds which are synonymous with our shows and we try to do much more besides that to make each show unique. The music is the most important thing of course, but we also want to give people something different and make their experience as memorable as possible. If we had a bigger budget we would probably do some quite ridiculous things...

One of the tracks off the album, 'Lovers Are Lunatics' is a catchy little rant! Was this written after a personal experience? Or is it just a general scope on turbulent relationships?
I've had a pretty rubbish love-life up until recently and my lyrics often tend to gravitate towards the topic of relationships. So the song 'Lovers Are Lunatics' sums it all up really! It's about how unhinged we all become when love enters the door of our heart. Without sounding like a prick (which I'm sure I've already achieved), I like to write lyrics about human behaviour and the things we all go through. People can relate to the scenarios and so the songs are good for me and everyone else. But we should remain upbeat and celebrate our strange ways!

The artwork on your album is quite commendable! Did you guys design it yourselves?
Speaking of my love-life... my girlfriend Meaghan does the artwork and she does an amazing job! She just picks out lyrics or song-titles and bases her work on those. It makes it even more special that everything is inter-related and we haven't just picked something random or someone random who doesn't understand the band or the songs. She's a talented gal.

So you'd agree that imagery is quite important to a bands overall persona?
Yes, for sure. I can only relate to bands with a strong overall personality, both musically and aesthetically. Every band that makes an impression does so through imagery. It may not always be artwork but it can be their personal style.

La Roux recently told the BBC that “guitar music has had its day” do you think people are tiring of the familiar skinny jeans scene and possibly looking for something a little more eccentric and exciting?
I hope so! Eccentric and experimental bands have always had their day and it seems to happen in cycles. People will get a bit bored with the norm and will look for something new. And that's only fair cos people get way too much success from following formulas and trends while those trying to create something different will generally be overlooked and unappreciated. Those who stick to their guns and express themselves will have their day. Hopefully.

Do you guys have any plans to play any festivals this summer?
We're playing Belfast Pride festival which draws in the region of 6,000 people which will be an amazing experience, a few other events that are still to be fully confirmed. We really enjoyed our first festival appearance; playing at Glasgowbury festival last year. And that's not a typo by the way. It's a festival run by a guy called Paddy Glasgow. It's great! We had everyone dancing and it was the best gig experience ever. People just want to have mucho fun at festivals, and it gives us the chance to check out lots of new bands while we're there.

We read that Grace cuts her own hair - credit crunch success! Do you guys have any other hidden talents that our DIY readers should know about?
Yeah, Grace usually succeeds with the self-styled hair apart from the one time... Ryan is the most organised person in the history of earth. Which may be deemed a talent? And I've been saving for new musical equipment by working part-time as a grounds man at a tennis club so I've discovered how to stain a fence, change floodlight bulbs and ride a tractor! Ha, now I'm well equipped for the road!
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