Fresh from our recent photo-shoot with Exit Calm, we asked front-man Nicky Smith a few questions about the band, music and fashion…
First of all the name of the band! Why ‘Exit Calm’?
It’s from a book called Silent Rebels that Sime read, I think we have given those words meaning now though.
How did you guys all come together to form Exit Calm?
The other three were looking for a singer and put an advert in jumbo, it was at a time when Kaiser Chiefs were about so it was refreshing to see Primal Scream and Spiritualized as influences. The advert said they were called Blind Shore. Sime rung me up and asked what I had been listening to recently, I told him Lyca Sleep, he said that they used to be Lyca Sleep. I don’t believe in coincidence, serendipity I guess…
What / who were your biggest influences in music as a lad and when starting the band?
As a lad it will have been fairly obvious stuff like The Beatles, The Roses, Oasis etc but then The Beatles lead to The Stones and Led Zep, The Roses lead to The Smiths, Oasis to Ride and so on and so on. The list is pretty endless now. When we met as a band the common interests were massive. Mowax, Factory and Creation probably sums it up best; but then I miss out Dark star… it goes on and on.
What would you say has been the most beneficial factor in contributing to the initial success of the band? (e.g manager/fans/myspace/word of mouth etc)
Initially it was the fact that us four got in a room and started making music together. I think that once this started happening everything else fell into place. We got a gig in Tokyo straight away and with that on the horizon, we were cemented as a unit very quickly.
Who would you compare Exit Calm’s sound to?
We have a massive sound so we mostly get Verve, most people forget to mention other bands with big sounds like Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Levitation, Dark Star etc. I think it’s summat to do with Rob’s hands anyway – he could hide a table and chairs in them!.
What have exit calm got planned for the summer? Any festivals we’re likely to catch you at?
We wont be doing them all, but we will get to as many as we can. There are a few officially confirmed, people will just have to keep on their toes because last year we only found out about V about three weeks before.
You’ve just released your self-titled debut album, are you working on any new material or leaving that for a while to concentrate on getting your first album out there and heard?
There are always plenty of new ideas kicking around when we get together, Rob and I wrote a couple the other day that we thought about using for the Janice Long session to keep things fresh; But yeah we mainly are still thinking about getting our debut out there for the majority of the rest of the year.
Have a listen to new song ‘Alarms’ below that was aired for the very first time on the Janice Long BBC Radio 2 session in July…
Alarms (Acoustic) by Exit Calm – Live on Janice Long
On a more personal note, what is your favourite Band of all time?
I like the Beatles for being varied and so prolific within such a short time (and still being ‘good’ before the cool types say Faust or Beefheart etc, but in a romantic sense I am not sure anyone will ever top The Stone Roses. Beyond the lad stigma they have now I see a really true poetic beauty in everything they did, but everyone knows this… If there was a guide book of answers for bands to say, that one would probably be in it! I know its a cliche, but it still is what blew me away when i came of age. I was lucky because at a time when my mind was at its most impressionable these two bands happened to jump in to my head and i never looked back, good job it wasnt Razorlight! but in all honesty I dont really have a favourite anymore, there is just too much to choose from.
Favourite single?
Wrote For luck by the Happy Mondays. Foot tapping till the end and it has one of my favourite lines ever “you used to speak the truth but now you’re clever”. And the remixes are amazing too!
Favourite album?
As i said above I cant really single out one band, single or album. I will probably think of something else other than Wrote For Luck in a minute. The albums that made the biggest impressions on me growing up were Definitely Maybe, The La’s, The Stone Roses, Endtroducing, Psyence Fiction, Loveless, Lost Souls, From Here On In, The Three EPs, Harvest and Rubber Soul to name a few, but if you want a sense of who i am then I think they tell you.
And which is your favourite out of all the venues you’ve played at so far?
Glasgow king tuts has been special both times, the people, crowd and atmosphere are something else. When we played with the Bunnymen they told us Glasgow Barrwolands was the greatest place to play in the world. ( I imagine they have seen quite a few! ) It was amazing… in fact when we played ABC it was top too so there must just be something about Glasgow. They know how to get to our hearts as well! Down here you get a stamped-on pasty and half a custard cream before you go on. Up there you get a three course meal and a bottle of red. No shit! that was when we were starting out as well, no preferential treatment. We thought they had the wrong band when we first went. When you are looked after you feel welcome and play better because you are buzzing.
You’ve visited the Kiosk 78 store here in Leeds, and worn some of our gear during the photo shoot we did with Exit Calm back in April this year……Who would you say is the most into their clothes in the band? And the most fashionable member?
Simon Paul Lindley, we all like our clothes, but he runs a vintage company and makes his mrs stop in the wardrobe so he can sleep with his clothes.
And how would you describe your own personal style? And favourite label/brand?
SPL said I was a casual mod when he first met me, but I think now all I seem to wear is black, because its more practical for being on the road, but im sick of looking like a boring personality-less goth! Its time for colour for me now…Those parka’s i wore with you were sound. I have seen a Fred Perry one that is mint, that will be my winter coat! I like subtle stuff that is made well and fits bang on. I dont like walking round like an advert, if you know then you know… subtle classic heritage brands. Pretty much everything you lot do.
Where can we hear / see you next? (upcoming gigs?)
We have just finsihed a tour, it was amazing to see how the album has made venues fill out and grow this time around. We ended with a massive gig in Barnsley, people came from all over the world for it. Spain, Sweden…mental!! One lad came from New Jersey just for it! It was in a hall and the last gig there was by the Small Faces so that was very special too. Apart from the odd gig in the summer and festivals, we are building up for another UK tour with a single in October, then we are off to Germany and Poland. Then we are going to America and Canada having just signed a deal over there, which I can not wait for!
And finally…How long do you reckon it will be before you’re throwing TV’s out of hotel windows?
Already done it but we were on the ground floor. Thank you x
Cheers to Nicky for taking time to answer our questions.
Interview by Lucy Cook for Kiosk 78 Blueprint.
