Bec Clark: Hey Joe, it's Bec here from The AU Review, how are you?

Joe Mount: I’m good. How you doing?

B: I’m good thank you. What time have we got you at over there?

J: It’s like 9.30 in the morning. 

B: Cool, so nothing too bad

J: No, well it’s not too bad now; it was bad about an hour and a half ago. 

B: Are you in the middle of anything? What are you usually up to on a Wednesday morning?

J: Well, actually, I’m staying at a friend’s house so I was there, and they had to go to work so they kicked me out, and now I’m just walking along a street. We are going to have a rehearsal later, but now I’m just pacing the streets of London. [siren goes past] There you go, an authentic London sound.

B: [Laughs] You guys have made some significant changes to the line up since the last time you were in OZ, how is it all going?

J: Yeah, it’s great. I guess now we have properly settled into it, so yeah it’s been great. And it's nice to be practicing with new songs, it feels like a nice development.

B: Has there been a big difference since
Gabriel leaving (
Metronomy), because I know he helped out with a lot of the music, or has the new band been bringing a lot more to the table?

J: It’s fine. I guess the thing is, when Gabriel left we had tours booked in and stuff, so we had to change everything quite quickly and couldn’t really sit around and think “ohhh this is really worrying”. Everything happened really smoothly. Anna and Gbenga are the new people, and have added a whole lot more then Garbiel took away. I don’t meet that in a horrible way... 

B: You guys are still good friends I believe, and you’re even producing his new stuff ?

J: Yeah, absolutely.

B: Has the live set changed much now that you have Anna on drums and Gbenga on bass?

J: It's a lot more like a band, having a drummer, and I think it's changed it a little, but definitely for the better. It’s much more of an exciting thing to watch now than it was before

B: Yeah, there are a few bands out there that are a little ‘too cool’, so I think it’s great that you guys are still bringing that performance element to your shows. [in reference to flashing light costumes and past on stage dance troupes]

J: Oh yeah! I think you just realise life is too short, you know, to worry about looking cool. 

B: I saw you just a few months ago at Leeds Festival, and I have never actually seen the flashing lights before. Can you give us the low down on what they are all about?

J: Ahhh yeah. It's funny - when the band first started, we were using all this computer stuff on stage and we wanted to have something just a bit performance-y about the set, so I brought these lights from a shop. These new ones are kind of like a development of that; they can flash and they can do stuff. I suppose they have just been with us since we started. It’s gotten to the point that I’m not sure if they are a curse or a blessing. 

B: They are pretty iconic for you guys now, we expect them at your shows.

J: Yeah. 

B: Can we expect them at
Harbourlife when you come out?

J: Oh yes, absolutely, we couldn’t travel without them. 

B: Are you looking forward to heading back over to Australia for the Harbourlife festivals?

J: Yeah, absolutely. We were just talking about it yesterday when we were rehearsing. Knowing that you will be leaving England in Autumn and you will arrive in Summer somewhere else... It’s pretty exciting, we are all very excited, can’t wait.

B: Yeah, it’s probably going to be scorching by then and [Harbourlife] is in an absolutely stunning location. 

J: Good, like to hear it. 

B: It there a big difference for you guys playing a big festival as opposed to playing a smaller gig to around 300 people?

J: Yeah, it's funny, we have spent the whole summer doing festivals and then the other week we just did our fist proper venue show for while and it's like – well, being behind the scenes at a festival is such a fucking nightmare. Everyone is always running out of time, and you’re rushing around and you don’t have much of a chance to kind of prepare yourself. Then you are playing to people who, some of them might know your band, and some mightn’t know the band and the music, and of them are just testing it out, so you have to work really hard to keep people interested. But all that stuff is exciting, and that’s what’s good about festivals too. But, then you realise, when you go back to a show for your crowd, you realise how nice it is and almost relaxing it is in comparison, because they all want you to be good and they all like your music.

B: And they are really just there for you. 

J: Yeah, but then having said that we really do enjoy playing festivals. They both have their good points and bad.

B: What do you do to get yourself hyped up before you go on stage at a festival. 

J: Drugs. 

B: [Laughs] 

J: Whenever I see music videos of bands doing little huddles and stuff like that before gigs, I’m always like “Are they serious? Do people seriously do that?” I think we just hang around and talk. 

B: After your set do you get amongst it and get out there with the punters?

J: Yeah. When we are travelling around, like in Australia or in Europe, it’s always nice to pop out and say hello to people. 

B: Do you usually get spotted when you're in the crowd? 

J: Yeah, well not that we’re some kind of recognisable celebrities, but it does happen.

B: Have you had any really memorable festival or dance floor moments over the years?

J: You end up with so many. The last time we were in Australia, we did the Parklife tour, and that whole thing was really good. Oh god, I’m trying to think. There is nothing that crazy that has happened recently. Reading, we did Reading festival in the UK this year, and we hadn’t played in England for a while, and you always kind of pick your home country, because there are always more people that still like you. And Reading festival is just amazing; the people are just going crazy. But when you have been playing for a while, you come back and you’re really worried that people are going to not turn up, you know, not watch. It’s just a reassurance thing for me, it’s kind of like – “ah ok, people still like us.”

B: I had a look on your website and you guys have got this teaser of audio and images on a loop, can you give us a glimpse of what else we can expect?

J: Well, this is slowly getting ready for the next album, basically. I guess it is a bit of a hint at the direction and the feel of the next record. When we're in Australia in the next three weeks we’re going to be playing some of the new songs, and hopefully people will begin to get an idea of the new record. 

B: Is there a big change from your older stuff? Are you making any big changes in the recording process?

J: Yeah, I think its got a very different feel to it, but not in a “oh, I hope you like our new direction” kind of thing. I think it feels kind of natural, and I hope it has excited people as it has excited me. 

B: With

Nights Out, your precious album, it was the sound track to an evening more or less. Is there going to be that same cohesion throughout the tracks for your next album?

J: Yeah, as pieces of music, and because of the way they were recorded, this new record feels a lot more together than Nights Out. It has an atmosphere and a sound to it that was not there on the last record. I have been recording it for a while, and it’s kind of coming to the end, and I have gotten to the point where I can kind of reflect on it a little. I‘m happy with it, I’m kind of proud of it, to have a feel and to have an atmosphere.

B: What were your biggest influences musically with this one? What were you listening to while you were recording?

J: Because I was recording in a proper studio - this is the first time I have used a proper studio - I was listening to lots of classic albums, things like Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan and The Beach Boys, that kind of stuff. Proper studio records.

B: So there will be a big difference from your last album. 

J: Yeah, absolutely, but don’t worry.

B: [Laughs] We’re not worried. When can we expect the new album out, I think its call

The English Riviera, is that right?

J: Yeah, The English Rivera. It will be around February or March next year. But there will be new material and new singles and stuff coming out before the end of the year

B: And in between recording you have done a lot of remixes from artists like
Klaxons and
Late Of The Pier, what entices you remix a track?

J: Money. 

B: [Laughs] Is that it?

J: Well, sometimes [laughs]. No, if there is something that you hate you can’t do it, so it has to be something that you think is good, or that you think you can improve. But, by the same token, if you think a song is perfect, or if it’s a band that you really love, you would be a bit wary to remix it because it's perfect, so what can you do? 

B: Are there any artists or songs that you would never touch, either because they are a classic or because you think they are a shit artist?

J: [Laughs] I get asked by a lot of people to do remixes and I turn a lot of them down because I just think the bands are shit. 

B: [Laughs] Who’s that?

J: No, that would be rude by telling you who, but there are certainly people who I think…. Oh, I tell you what, I can give you an example. There is this band called the Sugababes, and they were, like, I used to love them, but they have just gone so shit, and they wanted a remix and I just went “ no”. 

B: Yeah…

J: [Laughs] You got yourself into that mess…

B: [Laughs] Well, I’m not a fan either so I’m glad you turned them down. 

J: [Laughs] 

B: Were there any personal favourites that you have of your remixes?

J: I have been listening to the one that I did of Sebastian Tellier. 

B: Sweet. 

J: The song is called "La Ritournelle", it’s French. Anyway, I have been listening to that again recently, and I like it. It's nice 'cos you do forget about them, so going back and listening to them is something I occasionally do. There is a Lykke Li edit, I did a remix for one of her songs, which I really like.

B: You have even done
Charlotte Gainsborough in the past, which is quite different .

J: The nice thing about remixes is that you can let yourself do stuff that you wouldn’t normally do. I should listen to that one again, I liked that one for a while. 

B: Well, it been great chatting with you Joe, and we will catch you at Harbourlife. 

J: Nice one, thank you. Take care, bye.