Manière des Bohémiens

Rob: We've had a busy one, we played for the Great Nottinghamshire Bike Ride on Sunday. We were invited down by Dean Jackson from the BBC to entertain the cyclists as they rode past. Lots of fun - I can't really think of anything better to do with a Sunday morning. We also played at a pub in Lincolnshire, and we played at one of our favourite venues too, the Hand and Heart.

Mark: That one was great; it was our first gig with Matt back, he just got back from India, so it was nice to have the band back to its full outfit. And with three guitars, well that's always going to be a plus.

 

Rob: We're missing my brother Roger, who's our rhythm guitarist, Matt's brother Jonny who plays accordian, Elliot our lead guitarist, and Matt who plays rhythm/lead guitar.

How would you describe Maniere des Bohemiens for those who haven't heard you?
Mark: We go for a gypsy jazz vibe, mixing 1930s French music that was popularised by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, with a lot of Romany music, Eastern European stuff. Rob, Roger and I  have Eastern European roots, so it's nice to be able to pay homage to that.

What's the best gig you've played recently?
Rob: Well all three this weekend were fantastic, but when we played at The Social for Homemade Cafe's 5th birthday, that was our first gig there since the Hockley Hustle which was when everything started taking off, so that was great.
 

Mark: The atmosphere's great at the Social - at the Hockley Hustle we had people swinging from the rafters and dancing on tables. It was proper gypsy debauchery.

So what can people expect from your gigs?
Mark: High energy. I think the reason we enjoy such a nice following is because our music appeals to pretty much everyone. I think we got described once as 'the perfect band to rave to with your grandad'! It's great though, we can go out to a different crowd every night and get people tapping their toes and dancing.

Tell us about Nottingham Contemporary's Cafe Bar - you've got a residency there, haven't you?
Rob: Yeah - for us it's a place where we can try out new ideas to a crowd that really appreciates that kind of music, the audience is always really good. We feel like there's a bit of prestige getting to play somewhere like that.

Mark: Especially since we're the only band with a monthly residency at the moment. We're really lucky.

And you also host a jam night at Fade...
Rob: Yeah, it's on the first Monday of the month, from half 8 'til about 11. Anyone who wants to come down and have a go at playing some gypsy jazz, whether you're a beginner or more advanced, everyone's welcome. If people want chord sheets beforehand so they can practice, they can email us on Myspace..

Mark: We've had some great instruments play with us - we had a tuba a while back! Not sure there are that many gypsy jazz tubas out there...

It seems quite important for you guys to get involved in the city's music community and get people involved in what you're doing…

Rob: Most definitely, we do want to get well known in Nottingham and I think it's the best way to do it, to really get involved. We're looking to do collaborations and all sorts; we just really, really love playing music and as well as playing as a band, things like the jam nights are our favourite way of doing that.

Mark: The way we got started playing music was jamming at parties, so there's always been a social element to it for us. I don't think I've enjoyed playing any other type of music as much as this, just because it's got such a sociable attitude behind it.

What other Notts bands are you into?

Rob: Well, I should really mention I play violin in Captain Dangerous, so I divide my time between the two bands. Other people I've been working with are the Idolins and Lisa De'Ville, and me and Mark will soon be working with Andy Wright [AKA We Show Up On RadaR]. We're hoping to do a bit with Motormouf at the Riverside Festival soon.

Mark: I need to return a favour as well; there's a really talented singer/songwriter who's done a lot of pushing for us called Sam Bennet, who's part of a project called Navajo Youth, and he also plays with Sharp Knees.

 

Almost everything you play is improvised. Is it difficult to pull off? Does it take a while for you all to get in sync?

Mark: Well, improvisation is an art. There have been thousands of people before us that we can learn from. As we got more comfortable as a band we can kind of predict what everyone's going to do, and it's amazing just having that free license to play whatever the hell you want and put your own touches on a song. It's great to get everyone in the band improvising, because it means that every time we go out on stage it's a different show, and the audience can always get something new from it.

 

Rob: That's what keeps us on our toes really, and what makes us really enjoy every gig because we're not turning up each time and playing the same stuff - we're just making it up as we go along. It's making music in its purest form, I think. It's so much fun.

 

Rob: I'm really starting to take it seriously now; I'm definitely going to write some original music. Obviously it'll still be full of improvised stuff, but the tops and tails of the songs will be our own. Probably leaning towards doing some more European-influenced gypsy music, Romany stuff.

Mark: The sort of thing that we tend to play at the end of a set, dance-y music. It's kind of a wedding based tradition, that sort of music, the sort that you play later on when your gran's pissed and everyone's dancing.

Your new EP sounds great. Any stories from the studio?

Rob: If we'd been there a bit longer we might have a few more stories, but we were only there for five hours! We recorded at Paper Stone Studios with Sam Brown, and personally it was the best experience in a studio that I've ever had.

Mark: ...apart from that dodgy kebab we had half way through. It was just really relaxed. We did the whole thing live, all sat in the same room where we could see each other. I think he really captured the live element that's so important to us - I hope that comes across in the recordings.

 

Rob: We're hoping to get an album out by the end of September. Hopefully, it'll be available in most record shops if the distribution goes to plan. Everything else is on iTunes, or you can get in touch on Myspace, or just come and see us play and try before you buy!

Any upcoming gigs we should know about?

Rob: Yes, we're supporting Quantic at Rescue Rooms on 8th July, we've got our regular slot at Notts Contemporary on 10th July, and the Hand and Heart on 27th July. And we're playing the Influx Waterfront Festival on 31st July down at The Canal House. And then we're doing the Riverside Festival on 7th August  from 5:00-6:30, and we're hoping to do some collaborations for that one.

 

Mark: Anyone who plays an instrument, come down to the jam night at Fade, first Monday of the month!