The Leisure Society - The enormous wings of love

Nick Hemmings and Christian Hardy are the heart and mind of the Leisure Society, an English band that, in the space of a single year, has managed to carve out an important place for itself on the British music scene, thanks to the surprising debut “The Sleeper“.

Despite this, Nick and Christian remain two shy, approachable guys, light years away from the iconography usually associated with pop stars, sincerely passionate about music and in love with their band's sound. We had the chance to meet them for an intense and enjoyable chat on a freezing Bologna afternoon, ahead of their debut live show in Italy.

Together with other musicians from the Brighton scene, you're part of the Willkommen Collective, whose founding members include Tom Cowan (Shoreline), William Calderbank (Shoreline and others), Jakob Richardson (Sons Of Noel And Adrian) and, of course, Nick Hemming. How did the idea of a musical collective come about? What does this way of experiencing music mean to you?

Nick Hemming: The Wilkommmen Collective came about thanks to Tom Cowan, an old friend of mine who's from my hometown (Burton-on-Trent). He moved to Brighton just before I moved to London, and he'd often invite me down to Brighton to play in his band, Shoreline. Little by little he started gathering a large group of musicians around the band, and that's how I got the chance to meet interesting people and hugely talented musicians who now also work with the Leisure Society. Basically it's a group of about thirty musicians who develop their own ideas and each play in one another's bands. A very stimulating and creative situation.

Now that you've signed with Full Time Hobby, a bigger label that can raise your profile and support you better financially too, will you keep working with the collective and with the Wilkommen label?

Nick: I suppose that, as the Leisure Society, we won't be working with the label anymore, but our relationship with the collective will definitely continue. We've already got a series of shows planned for April with bands from the collective, and we'll certainly keep playing in the Wilkommen Collective bands we're already involved in, both as musicians and as songwriters.

The Climbers, for instance, another project of yours…

Christian Hardy: Sure. Climbers is the band that I formed with my old schoolmate Tim West, who writes all the songs, even before we started working on Leisure Society, and it's a project we're going to keep going. Both me and Nick are involved in Climbers, and the band is absolutely tied to the Wilkommen Collective. A Climbers album will be out soon on the Wilkommen label.

So, despite the fact that Leisure Society seem to be on the verge of a truly huge success, you're still interested in putting your physical and creative energy into other projects, perhaps ones with less commercial appeal?

Christian: Obviously we now spend a huge amount of time working on Leisure Society, between records, promotion and touring, but it's nice to be able to throw ourselves into so many different projects, as much as time allows. Personally, though, I've had to put off my second solo album, but I don't mind too much, since I feel like the time has come to bring some clarity to my solo work and my music. Having time to sit back and think it all through is a good opportunity to reconsider everything. I keep working on the record whenever Nick's busy with something else, but I'm approaching it with a lot more calm now.

Let's talk about Leisure Society: how did you two meet? I know Nick worked on Christian's first solo album. Did you meet on that occasion or did you already know each other before?

Christian: No, we already knew each other. We're from the same town (Burton-On-Trent, ed.) and Nick was playing in some pretty important bands (Telescopes, Unisex, ed.) even before I started my musical career. He was by far the most talented guitarist in town, and to me, a hopeful young musician back then, he was something of a legend. I'd wanted to play in a band with him for years, but it was only during a period when he was feeling a bit down and discouraged that I got the chance to ask him to play with me. I think it was 2006.

Nick: Yeah, I'd just broken up with my girlfriend after a nine-year relationship, and I was doing a job I truly hated. I wasn't even making much music at that point. We met at a pub, someone's birthday party, and if I remember correctly we were both pretty drunk. So Christian, seeing I was a bit down, suggested I move to London to work with him, and I thought: "Why not?"

Did you already have Leisure Society in mind at the time? Had you already written any of the songs that ended up on your first album?

Nick: Leisure Society started out as a sort of solo project, but it was more geared towards instrumental music and soundtracks. I also worked on a couple of soundtracks for two films, "Dead Man's Shoes" and "A Room For Romeo Brass". Many years ago I'd put together a band with Paddy Considine and director Shane Meadows, an old friend of mine (the band was called She Talks To Angels, ed.), and that's how I ended up recording some tracks for Shane's films.

Have you ever thought about a director you'd like to write a soundtrack for? And what do you think about the idea of making an actual film to accompany one of your albums, the way Noah and The Whale did for their latest record?

Christian: Yes, we do think about it, but it's not a priority for us right now. Maybe one day, but it would be hard to say which director or which film we'd want to score. As for the idea of shooting a film ourselves to accompany our songs, I'm not sure. It's a nice idea, but I think we should keep focusing on our own profession, which is being musicians. There are plenty of great directors out there, and I don't think we should pretend to be directors ourselves. We're better off sticking with songs for now. No doubt about that.

The first single taken from "The Sleeper", "The Last Of The Melting Snow", was a considerable success, getting heavy airplay on several British radio stations (Radio 1, Radio 2 and the BBC itself). Guy Garvey of Elbow fell in love with the song and became a supporter of your music. Did you ever think about collaborating with him?

Christian: We had thought about a collaboration, so much so that after writing that song we actually sent it to Guy Garvey. We thought it would be great if someone else could sing it. We'd even thought of Neil Hannon…

Nick: I sent the song to both of them, but in the end I didn't hear back from either. Maybe it turned out for the best, though. Guy Garvey has told us many times how much he appreciates us, anyway.

Is it true, as the legend goes, that Nick was looking for someone to sing the high notes in the songs he was writing because he wasn't happy with his own voice, and that's why he asked Christian to join the band?

Nick: Absolutely, yes. Christian sings beautifully in a much higher register than mine, and I think that's exactly what I was looking for. It's the right combination, and it's the vocal sound I was after, one I could never get with my voice alone.

A question about the name you chose for the band: The Leisure Society is the kind of society Keynes envisioned - the so-called "leisure society" - in a future where most civilized countries would see a decrease in work and an increase in free time. Society, however, seems to be heading in the opposite direction to what Keynes prophesied: we're actually seeing a steady rise in time spent on work at the expense of leisure time. Music seems to be the one small-yet-big pastime that fortunately still manages to survive amid the daily frenzy and stress. Do you believe in the therapeutic function of music, in that sense?

Nick: Oh, yes. Keynes believed that the increasing use of machines would soon free people from a lot of tasks, so that before long everyone would have plenty of free time. In reality, things obviously turned out very differently. As for music, I really do think it's like that.

Christian: Definitely. If you think about London, where we both live, everyone walks around with an iPod, earphones in their ears, almost as if each person were trying to build their own personal "leisure society" inside their own head.

Nick: The ironic and funny thing about this name is that, when I came up with it, each of us had our own day job and had to work nine to five, while still being very involved in music, so we never actually had any free time, any moments of leisure. Music was our one true moment of leisure.

Now, though, are you able to devote yourselves entirely to music, or do you still have to split your time with a "regular" job?

Nick: Fortunately, largely thanks to having a deal that lets us earn income from royalties, for some time now both of us have been able to give up our day jobs and devote ourselves to music full time. I, for instance, finished my job in May. Other musicians in the band are luckier, since some of them already work in the music field anyway. But either way, it's a goal we've only reached quite recently.

Your debut album is called "The Sleeper", which is also the title of that Woody Allen film where the protagonist is cryogenically frozen for many years and, upon waking up, can no longer make sense of the society he finds himself in.

Nick: Yes, the idea comes from that film, from the fact that I got so absorbed in the music and in putting the album together that, by the time I reached the end, I almost felt like I was that character from the film.

You can also look at it from a sonic point of view: if someone had been frozen for thirty years and, waking up now, listened to your album, they wouldn't be shocked at all - after all, the latest musical trends haven't influenced you nearly as much as those from 30-40 years ago...

Nick: Yes, that's absolutely true. More than punk or grunge or any other contemporary genre, my main influences go back to the Beach Boys, the Beatles, of course, and the Kinks. In particular, Brian Wilson's arrangements, his orchestrations, have been a huge influence on the way I write music.

Christian: Besides, we only use "organic" instruments, no computers or sampling. There aren't even any synths on "The Sleeper". Maybe on the next album there'll be a bit of electronics somewhere, but always very sparingly. That's also a somewhat old-fashioned attitude, perhaps.

Which brings us to the next question. In recent years, in fact, Britain has seen a proliferation of bands with a broadly similar sound: airy melodies, traditional instrumentation, delicate feelings and elegant harmonies. Bands like Noah and The Whale, Mumford & Sons... a kind of new folk movement. Do you know any of these bands? Do you feel in any way part of a scene?

Nick: We know the guys from Mumford & Sons, they're genuinely nice people. But I really don't think we're part of any scene, and I don't think anyone else would say that either. I'd say instead that it's more a matter of shared influences. We probably all love the Sixties and love playing traditional instruments. The same thing is happening in the United States too, for that matter, with bands like Fleet Foxes who, albeit in a different way, share with us the same love of arrangements, organic instruments and vocal harmonies.

For a British magazine, you recorded a beautiful cover of "Something" by the Beatles. Are they among your guiding lights too? At first glance their influence on you isn't all that obvious...

Nick: I think it's almost impossible to claim you haven't been influenced by the Beatles. After all, we've all heard their songs everywhere since we were children. Their music is always in the air, and inevitably it stays in everyone's head.

Apparently Brian Eno said that Leisure Society are one of the few bands he's listened to with real enthusiasm lately, and that "The Sleeper" is a wonderful album. He also came to visit you in a recording studio. What happened? And do you think a collaboration with him might be possible at some point?

Christian: In the studio with Brian Eno we basically just ate cheese and drank beer, and had a chat. He complimented us and told us he really likes the sound we've managed to create on our own, and that probably the best thing we can do is carry on by ourselves, without outside influences or the constraints of a producer. After all, I think our music is really defined by our own arrangements and by what we ourselves think is the best shape for our songs.

Our next album will definitely be produced by me and Nick, just like "The Sleeper", with no outside producer involved.

How long will we have to wait before hearing your new album? Clearly you're still very focused on "The Sleeper" right now...

Christian: Actually we've already started recording it. Whenever we get the chance, we start writing and recording. But you can never really say how long it might take. It would be great if it were ready by this summer and could come out in September of this year, but it might end up being next year instead.

Nick: As soon as we get back from this tour we'll be back in the studio, and we're really excited about the idea of working on new material. We'll also have a bigger budget, and the next album will feature a lot more instruments than the previous one.

What's your relationship with the internet? OndaRock, being a webzine, is really interested in understanding how musicians relate to this new medium. Our compilation "Ondadrops", which Christian took part in with a track (under the name The Boy Hardy), has already been downloaded by 3,500 people (now over 5,000, ed.) and visited by more than 15,000. Do you think the internet is an effective tool for spreading your music?

Christian: If my next record sold 3,500 copies I'd be absolutely thrilled, and I'd thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

Nick: I think the internet is an amazing way to have direct contact with your audience: putting your songs up on MySpace and hearing what people think of them can be really interesting and useful, even though I've never had much courage when it comes to entrusting my songs to the web.

Christian: Besides, it's also a democratic world where everyone has the same chances and can get their music heard. It's no longer just the artists backed by a big record label who get to be known, say through radio play — anyone who writes good music gets their shot. It might not be great for my income, but it's definitely good for music itself.

And what do you think about downloading?

Nick: When we first recorded the album, at least three weeks before it hit the shops, it was already available for download on at least ten different websites, and thousands of people had already downloaded it — I admit that got me down a bit at the time. But in the end, success came anyway, sales included. Maybe with a few more hurdles, but it came.

Christian: Then again, maybe we sell a few less records, but certainly a lot more people get the chance to discover us, and so they come to our shows. So in the end, we stopped worrying about it.

How do you write your songs? Most of the tracks on "The Sleeper" seem to be written by Nick, but I've read that the whole band is involved. How do you go about it?

Nick: Usually I start writing on acoustic guitar or ukulele, and then the words come, and gradually everything else follows. I play what I've written for Christian, we work on the lyrics, the vocal harmonies and the keyboard parts, and then we record what comes out of that. Only then do we bring the result to the rest of the band, who can step in to develop the individual instrumental parts and fine-tune the song. I work on the ukulele pretty often, and a couple of the tracks on the album were actually written on ukulele — I find it a more immediate, instinctive instrument than the guitar.

Do you have any musical training? Did you study music and can you read sheet music?

Nick and Christian: No! Neither of us has a music degree. We're both self-taught, whereas several people in the band studied music at the conservatory, and both our violinist and our bassist are classically trained musicians with diplomas.

A question I like to ask every musician I have the pleasure of talking to: Bob Dylan once said you can tell a good song by whether it still works played on an acoustic guitar. I know you love elaborate arrangements, but do you think that statement holds true for your songs as well?

Nick: I know what you mean. And certainly, if you hear a song played on just guitar and voice and it already works like that, it means it's a good song. That said, my love for arrangements remains as strong as ever.

Christian: Actually, Nick and I started out simply with two guitars and our voices. There must be some recordings like that lying around somewhere...

We'd really love to hear something from those recordings...

Nick and Christian: Never say never - it might happen sooner or later.

Thanks to Alessandra Reale and Lorenzo Righetto for their invaluable collaboration

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