Envy & Other Sins Interview.

After a successful year for the lads, Envy & Other Sins play Southampton Joiners for the first time. The triumph at Mobile Act Unsigned has seen the band branch into areas they never thought they would and perform on stages way above their expectations. Room Thirteen caught up with Jarvey (JM), Ali (AF), Mark (ML) and Jim (JD) to discuss stage set up, the competition and those boys Revenue.

R13: So, 4 gigs into the tour, how does it feel to be out gigging again after the break away?
JM: Yeah we’ve been really looking forward to it. We’re quite used to gigging a lot and we spent a lot of time doing it but what with the programme, doing the album and various other things in January, we have sort of been off the scene for a while and itching to get back out.

R13: Is there a bit more added pressure now you have done the show?
JM: We’re in slightly bigger rooms than before. But it’s been going pretty well, very enjoyable.

R13: And playing with the Hoosiers, what has that been like?
ML: Yeah we went straight into a tour with them, it has been challenging but they were brilliant and it was really good fun. They are really nice blokes to play with and the audiences are really enthusiastic. We didn’t know how it was all going to go down and it was really nice to come straight out of the studio and do some nice big gigs. It was good experience because we haven’t really played on stages that big.

R13: Did you get anything from playing with them, such as maybe ideas of what you could do to change your set?
JM: They had massive lamp shades which was cool. They were very appropriate to us. Because we has our measly normal size ones.

R13: So did you borrow theirs?
JM: Well they were already on stage so we just kinda made sure they stayed there!
AF: One thing that was really good as well with the Hoosiers was the fact that so many people were dressed up. They obviously put it as a well known thing and I think everybody there was in a good mood. I mean, we always encourage people to come to our sets dressed up and it seems to be a really good idea.

R13: Awesome. So the album was out Monday. Is it how you wanted it to be or was there a rush with the schedule and the record label to get the product out so early after the show?
JM: To be honest, I think it kinda forced us to work really hard on it and pull our fingers out. It was suprising I found, how much we actually managed to get done. I think we would have liked something to have been on the CD, on the back panel where you take the CD out. It’s just blank, but I guess it’s quite a good place for signing it.
ML: It was kinda rushed but we were all working on different tracks in different rooms at the same time

R13: So your first single is ‘highness’ which is the one that everybody learnt from the show. What’s the next single you have planned off this album?
JM: ‘Man Bites God’, that’s track five.

R13: Do you think it will live up to the expectation of the first because we all know the second single is so important…
E&OS: Well hopefully as popular!
R13: Do you think it’s as good?
E&OS: It’s a different sort of song, I think it’s a bit darker, perhaps not so much an immediate sort of pop tune.

R13: What’s your favourite track to play live?
E&OS: Um, I think it varies from gig to gig but I like ‘Don’t start fires’ and ‘Shipwrecked’, they are bit more epic and rocky. We can really go for it with the build up.

R13: Is there a band that you most want to play alongside?
E&OS: I don’t know. Anybody really that will have us! Well Jim always goes on about not wanting to play with his heroes. You don’t want to play with Ben Folds Five do you?
JD: That’s not me, I really want to play with them! You’ve made that up.
JM: I swear somebody’s changed their tune.
ML: I think Supergrass would be a good band to play with.
JM: They are doing a tour aren’t they?
ML: They are doing a secret tour under the name ‘The Diamond Hoo Ha Men’.
R13: That’s good to know!
ML: Apparently it’s to raise money for Danny the drummer because he’s broke.

R13: ha! But only allegedly right… Okay. Moving on. Random question; What’s the oddest thing you guys have ever had thrown at you?
JM: I had a small stuffed sheep thrown at me.
ML: Did the paper plane say anything last night?
JM: Uh yeh it said Envy & Other Sins on tour through April and a list of our tour dates on it.

R13: But no phone numbers?
JM: Ooh I dunno, I didn’t unfold it. It could have been a bomb!
AF: A very small bomb!

R13: Nice! Right you probably get asked this question a thousand times. Do you guys still get a lot of stick from coming from what has been called a ‘glorified xfactor?’ or are sarcy journalists kinda over that now?
JM: Well no we still get that. I think it’s the first thing that most people probably know about us and we accept that.
AF: Obviously it depends on the publication, I mean with your NME’s of this world are keen to immediately chastise us for appearing on something like that. But for people who look at our website, they will learn something more about us.

R13: When you entered the competition, did you just think, it’s all about getting ourselves recognised?
JM: We had a chat about it and arranged to go on because it’s a chance we might get to play. At the time we had, off our own backs released a set of singles, and we thought it would be a perfect opportunity to get them played on the telly and get a bit of exposure out of it.

R13: Did you expect it to be as big as it was on Channel 4?
JM: We didn’t expect it to be that big and the producers expected it to be bigger.

R13: Did you think you were ever going to win it? Or did you just go along to play?
JM: We didn’t really wanna go and play did we? We wanted… Well we wanted to be on telly, because it would be good advertising for us and that is as far as we thought into it. And even when we got to the final we didn’t think we had a chance of winning. Everybody involved in the show, and them and us thought they were going to win.

R13: It did appear that way with the judges…?
JM: Well everyone was surprised that the Great British public voted for the underdog but when you think about it, it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise!

R13: So, where are you planning on going next, what’s the next step?
ALL: Tunbridge wells!
JM: Well, hopefully we should have the single coming out. And we have a competition with all our sinners to have their idea made into the next video. So, we’ve got a while to pick our favourite and get that ready. And then some festivals in the summer?

R13: What festivals are you looking at?
JM: We are doing the Secret Garden Party, which is brilliant. And a couple of little ones in Brighton.
R13: Aren’t you playing the Great Escape festival in Brighton?
JM: Yep, we’re playing there.
R13: The line up looks really good, almost better than Glastonbury! Did you hear they have had to re-open the registration because the tickets haven’t sold out yet?
JD: It shows doesn’t it, you cant be rubbish consistently and still sell out.
JM My mum will be going then, that will be great!