Cabbage - Garage-rock against consumerism

“Nihilistic Glamour Shots” is the debut Lp by Cabbage, but the five lads from Mossley – a small town near Manchester – have already made plenty of noise. Partly for their primitive, frenzied garage-punk, which the press has often compared to acts like Fat White Family, Black Lips and The Fall; partly for the band's foul-mouthed, chaotic attitude on and off stage. And so, partly thanks to a brash and energetic musical proposition, partly thanks to the British passion for tabloids and all things related, the promotional tour for “Nihilistic Glamour Shots” was already racking up sold-out shows and venue upgrades well before the album's release.

I'm at home with my family, doing extremely well. I feel a bit of pressure from the sheer amount of work we're dealing with, but releasing a debut album wouldn't be such a special moment if it were as easy as a walk in the park.

Even though you'd already released so many songs, “Nihilistic Glamour Shots” is your first Lp. How different was it approaching the recording of a full-length?

Actually, it wasn't all that different from what we did with our last compilation (“Young, Dumb And Full Of…”, ed.), which we recorded as if it were an Lp and only later split into EPs, to make the material more accessible and suited to today's culture, which operates and shifts by the minute. The techniques we used and the emotions produced were different, but the research and work ethic were the same. We call “Nihilistic Glamour Shots” the difficult debut album. Some songs were unfinished and James (producer James Skelly, ed.) helped us develop them, whereas for the compilation we already had everything ready. They were two very different experiences, but both made us stronger.

“Nihilistic Glamour Shots” was recorded at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, a place where whole chapters of rock history have been written. What was it like working somewhere like that?

We're used to making every place feel like home, so it took us very little time to feel comfortable. Plus, being two minutes' walk from Bold Street makes you feel right at the heart of Liverpool's cultural life, which we really connected with. James and Rich (Turvey, the album's other producer, ed.) together make up a dream team, our personalities complement each other, so we quickly had fertile ground for recording an album.

Just as I said above. The two of them together form a chord, one of the best, like an E or an F.

Let's talk a bit about the artwork you choose for your album covers. Up until your last EP they were all fairly tied to garage imagery, but something changed with “NGS”, whose cover is quite dark, almost esoteric.

I can understand why someone might see something esoteric in it, but I find that view a bit of a stretch. The fact that we clashed nihilism with satanic imagery is a nice philosophical mess. “Nihilistic Glamour” is a direct attack on soulless materialism and consumerism, so we thought we'd sell our product using the occult and satanism. We've always been fascinated by evil, and Aleister Crowley (the famous English occultist, ed.) and his work have been a big influence on our lyrics and aesthetic.

Take “Disinfect Us”, it's a song that sounds pretty dark, in a way I never would have expected after hearing your EPs. It really seems like with this Lp you've broadened your musical range - did that happen naturally or was it a deliberate choice?

It was natural, it was what we were feeling. It's part of human nature to bottle up anger and dissent, and this record was the moment we let it out. When music is full of darkness it can be really powerful in creating euphoria.

Even though “NGS” is essentially your debut album, you've been playing live for years now, something like over two hundred shows. I imagine the crowds coming to see you live are getting bigger and bigger. Does that intimidate you, or don't you feel any difference?

At first I needed a couple of drinks before performing – I'd spent my whole life playing drums, and becoming the singer, the frontman, made me particularly nervous, especially given how much emphasis is placed today on how we look or how much we weigh. You can lie to yourself all you want, but it's so deeply ingrained in our society that shaking off what's been drilled into us has become really difficult. Anyway, now it feels like we, Cabbage, are doing what we were meant to do. Last summer we played at the LCCC (Lancashire County Cricket Club, ed.), in front of almost thirty thousand people. It's far more nerve-wracking playing in front of five.

You come from a small town near Manchester, a city that has always meant so much for music. How connected do you feel to this city? What do you make of its music scene today?

The scene is really strong. Even just looking at the time since we started making music, Manchester's scene has expanded its boundaries enormously. There are some remarkable bands making their way up, like MOLD, Afghan Sand Gang, Starlight Magic Hour, PINS, The Blinders, Mother, The Piccadilly Rats. Manchester is our city, and I'm proud of my city. Manchester has always been at the forefront when it comes to human rights, multiculturalism and culture.

Is there any new band you find interesting that you'd like to recommend to our readers?

The newest band I know are Afghan Sand Gang, who've just sold out their first record. It's pure kraut-synth pop, glorious stuff.

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