Earmarked for potential greatness after an electric start to their career, Chapel Club speak to Jenni Hardwick after their Emerge NME Radar Tour set in Portsmouth...LONDON-based Chapel Club performed to an eclectic mix of punters on Wednesday, as Portsmouth's Wedgewood Rooms played host to the Emerge NME Radar Tour.
The five piece band took the middle slot of the night and played a short but enigmatic half hour set, packed with rippling guitar riffs and lingering vocals. Debut single ‘Surfacing’ – the chorus of which borrows from 1930s classic ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’ - ensured a slow-paced but atmospheric opening.
Lead vocalist Lewis Bowman leaned on his mike and gazed solemnly into the crowd as he delivered an impressive vocal performance which was both effortlessly controlled and beautifully expressive. He could perhaps have relaxed just a little to some of the more upbeat tracks, his stiff posture seeming to jar with the tempo of faster efforts such as ‘Five Trees’.
The band as a whole were not inclined to much movement around the stage, but this created an impression of an assured confidence rather than of a lack of effort or excitement. For their part the crowd were gradually moved, if not to the point of jumping around then certainly to some enthusiastic swaying and nodding of heads.
The band’s mellow style means that the majority of their tracks do not lend themselves to being instant crowd-pleasers, and their material is undeniably lacking in catchy choruses. However, this deficit was largely made up for by the smoothness and intensity of the performance, and singles ‘O Maybe I’ and ‘All the Eastern Girls’ proved hard to forget.
The latter provided a rousing end to a convincingly polished set from a band who are relatively new on the scene, and if the scattered shouts of ‘Encore!’ were anything to go by, they left the crowd wanting more.
After the performance, Bowman and guitarist Michael Hibbert sat down to discuss their highlights and future plans.
How was it playing the festivals this summer?
Lewis: It was good! It’s always a bit haphazard, ’cause you don’t know what the sound’s gonna be like and stuff, until you go out on stage and do a sound check. We were really lucky though ’cause it seemed to go well for us most of the time.
Michael: Yeah, I’d say Glastonbury and Reading
How is it being on tour at the moment, are you enjoying it or are you getting a bit sick of it now?!
Lewis: It’s been really good.
Michael: Yeah, we’ve been back and forth to London quite a lot, ’cause it’s cheaper than staying in hotels - like tonight, we’ve only had a two hour drive so we’re gonna travel back. So generally we’re quite enjoying touring but we haven’t done that much of it yet - I think we’re gonna find out next year whether we’re made for it or not!
Lewis: Yeah, we’re all feeling quite refreshed today. We had a day in London and then did Later with Jools Holland last night so we’re all still on a high from that, and we got a night in our own beds as well!
Wow, how was it performing on ‘Later with Jools Holland’?
Lewis: It was amazing, really really good. I mean we were there for about twelve hours in total, just hanging around, which got a bit dull. But there were some amazing people on the show, including Cyndi Lauper and John Legend, who I got to meet very briefly. It’s weird though when you get to that level of stardom which they’re at, I mean they’re both really nice but none of their personality really comes through - they’re obviously so used to meeting people that they’re just going through the motions now. I also met Marcus Mumford ‘cause Mumford & Sons were performing too, and he was an incredibly nice person.
How is it sharing this tour with the other bands?
Michael: We’ve never really toured with another band before, so it’s actually been quite exciting for us. We get along really well with Flats, and it turns out we’re from the same part of London
Have you heard any rumours going around about Chapel Club which you’d like to set the record straight on?
Lewis: I feel like I am constantly complaining about people making stuff up, but now you’ve asked me I can’t remember anything specific! Being in a band has made me really aware of what people can be like though; we haven’t even really done much press this year, but from what we have done I’ve realised that it’s quite ridiculous how often people will say you’ve said something when you haven’t.
Any news on the release date or name for the album yet?
Lewis: It’s looking like it’s going to be the 31st January next year. It’s really exciting for us because it’s actually been done for a while, and we’ve been writing other stuff and moving forward in the mean time, so we just want to get it out there now. We have got the name decided too but we’re not allowed to tell anyone that yet! It should be announced soon though.
How would you sum up the mood of the album?
Lewis: There’s a couple of words knocking around which people have used to describe it, which I’m getting bored of repeating in interviews! (Laughs). We’ve been labelled as being a really dark band but I don’t think the album sounds that way at all.
Michael: I think if you listen to it musically rather than lyrically, then it doesn’t sound dark in any way.
Lewis: I suppose a lot of the lyrics are quite melancholic, but not dark.
Michael: If I had to describe the mood of the album, I’d say it’s trying to capture areas of the spectrum. So it’s not just downbeat, it’s also uplifting and rousing.
Lewis: Some people have said it’s quite sonic, which I think is true in that it’s like an assault on the senses. It’s blistering, and it sounds best loud... there’s a lot going on. In terms of the lyrics, it is a love story I suppose. We never planned it to be but it just came out that way... more or less. It’s a lot to do with memory as well.
Did you enjoy being totally wrapped up in sheets in the video for ‘All the Eastern Girls’?!
Did you enjoy being totally wrapped up in sheets in the video for ‘All the Eastern Girls’?!
Michael: It’s funny you should mention that actually – I’ve never been claustrophobic before but I really freaked out when we were doing that! Everyone else was fine with it but I really didn’t like it, so I’m worried I’m gonna develop some form of claustrophobia now! (Laughs.)
And finally, a random one to finish with... would you rather get in a fight with ten duck-sized horses, or one horse-sized duck?!
Lewis: I’d prefer the ten little ones.
Michael: Yeah, I’d woo them and use them as a form of transport!
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