Primavera Interview // Wild Nothing

They may well be bringing up the rear end, but Virginia’s own Wild Nothing have proved that there is plenty of mileage to be had in C86-esque dreamy indie pop on the back of outstanding debut Gemini. Noize sat down with a rather ill Jack Tatum, fresh after a 14 hour van ride from Italy, to ask him the burning questions.

Noize: Ever done back to back gigs in the same city before?

Jack: Yes, we have. We did five shows in a row in New York once, as part of a festival. We also played two nights in DC on our last tour, and I think two nights in Italy once. It’s sometimes hard to keep track.

Noize: So what do you normally do with your day off?

Jack: Usually, if we can, we like to visit cool areas, or just walk around and at least get some sort of grip on what the city we’re in feels like. Today I just stayed in my hotel though. I’ve been sick and I just can’t do anything, which is annoying. It’s all I can do to do these shows.

Noize: Are you gonna get a chance to see other bands?

Jack: Probably just the other bands that are in our showcases. We’re really good friends with Beach Fossils, so we’ll definitely watch them play. And probably Dam Funk as well.

Noize: Anyone on the bill you’re desperate to check out?

Jack: Not particularly, but not because there are people that I don’t like or something. It’s funny, because this comes at the end of our tour, and any touring musician will know that by the end, you’re just totally exhausted. Usually I’m a lot more eager to feel these things out, but since I’ve been sick, and we’re at the end, it’s just hard.

Noize: Is there any notable difference between touring Europe and touring the US?

Jack: Yeah, I think there are slight differences in the way things feel. For the most part it’s kind of the same, but you see a lot of differences in the audiences and the reception in general. Even with the promoters and the people who are putting on shows, you see a lot more friendliness in Europe and a lot more eagerness to make you feel welcome. People are really excited about music here and are happy to put on these kind of shows. I wouldn’t say that audiences are better over here exactly….

Noize: They are though!

Jack: Well, I ‘ve noticed a lot with European crowds you can’t quite gage them as well. In America, it’s pretty easy to tell straight off the bat whether they’re gonna like you or not, but here, it’s weird. Sometimes they’ll seem like they were totally bummed out the entire time you’re playing and then at the end go crazy. Especially in Italy and Germany. It’s almost like a politeness that we’re not really used to.

Noize: Any nightmare festival stories you care to share?

Jack: We’ve had it pretty good really, we haven’t really done anything crazy. We played CMJ in New York right before we came over, and that’s a disaster because it’s such a big thing, but in such a big place, with something like 1200 bands.  Literally every venue in the city will have bands on. It’s really cool, and really neat, but it’s impossible to find parking.

Noize: How does the rider here compare to other places? Has Spain been the most generous?

Jack: I’d say here is on par with the rest of Europe, which is to say it’s really good. It’s so much better than the US. There, you never get anything you ask for, but you kind of expect that, as it’s almost like a joke having a rider anyway.

Noize: Do you have weird requests then?

Jack: No, but maybe we should. We need to update our rider so it’s more ridiculous, it’s actually really boring. Just beer, water, a small bottle of whisky….the usual.

Noize: Who’s the craziest band you’ve shared a tour / bus / stage with?

Jack: This band called Dom, in the States. Really nice guys, but really kooky….they totally trashed the dressing room we were sharing. Destroyed it.

Noize: People still do that?

Jack: Oh yeah. They’re certified rock stars. Trashing a dressing room to us is like, leaving around a bunch of empties, or messing up the crisps. We’re a fairly polite band.

Interview by Derek Robertson