In diesem Sommer veröffentlichte die Londoner Band Silvery ihr zweites Album und bewegt sich erneut zwischen David Bowie, den Sparks, Cardiacs, Buzzcocks und den frenetisch-wilden Auswüchsen der Modern-Life-Is-Rubbish-Blur, kurz, machen leicht exzentrischen, mitreissenden britischen Artindiepop wie er im Buche steht.

Silvery-Sänger James Orman in vorbildlicher Beredtheit über seine Lieblingsplatten und die ewige Frage Blur oder Suede?

* Your three favourite Punk singles/songs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgE41B3JQF8

** ‘Hong Kong Garden’ by Siouxsie & The Banshees – I remember including the bass playing on this in my ‘Ham Fisted Musical Moments Top 10’ that Melody Maker published years ago, but I can come clean now and say love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNCTD185opo&feature=related

** ‘Everybody’s Happy Nowadays’ by Buzzcocks – I could’ve had any number of songs by them but right now that’s the one humming in my head (at least trying too – it goes quite high)

** ‘Liar’ by Sex Pistols – easily the best track on what is a great album. ‘Bodies’ too. Great stuff.

* A record that will make you dance?

Depending on your definition of dancing, ‘Ambulance Man’ by These Animal Men still produces massive un-coordinated movement in my feet. And when I’m at a wedding anything by Ottawan.

* Your favourite song lyrics?

The album ‘Sing To God’ by Cardiacs contains so many of my favorites it is impossible to pick one. Their main chap Tim Smith is a genius, not only musically but also lyrically. I’m sure he’d be the first to say that it’s all nicked from other sources, but what isn’t? I’m not convinced they scan well reading them off the page, but in the context of the songs they are heartbreaking. ‘I could walk with angels but I’d rather walk with you’ or how about ‘she is blessed with the mane of a horse and the wings of a bee’. Lovely.

* The best “new” band right now?

Not so new now, but the only band at the moment I’ve actually gone out and bought stuff by is Hatcham Social. Silvery played with them a few times in Holland and Russia and I was absolutely thrilled to find a current band I really really loved straight away. I’m looking forward to what they do next.

* The best song this year so far?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZriX_ITjqsA

‘Choice Notes’ by Alex Winston. I get all my new music off adverts these day. Was Amber Anderson singing about not wearing make up at weekends this year or last? An very attractive lady.

* Blur or Suede – which one do you prefer and why?

This is a much more complicated question that you might think! I remember being aware of Blur during their baggy phase and liking them on a very basic level, primarily because I thought they were the sort of band I *should* like. But I found Suede were much more ‘me’ when I first heard them as ‘The Drowners’ came out. I was absolutely besotted with them between ’92 and early ’94. Blur made a slow resurgence throughout 1993 – in fact I can pin point a Radio 1 live session that summer that finally convinced me they had finally got their stuff together and would eventually overtake Suede who were already beginning to sound tired. I was never a fan of The Jam etc who Blur ‘93 were accused of ripping off so this was all new to me. Mod Punk? I remember calling myself a ‘Britpop’ fan around that time after something I saw in Select magazine way before Oasis ruined it all with their tracksuits. By the time Parklife came along in 1994 I was in full Mod mode. And if I’m honest, looking like a right tit.

I’ve watched both their careers closely over the years after that heyday – Suede really floundering artistically with ‘Coming Up’ and Blur disappearing into their own ego with ‘Blur’ and ‘13’ – and when I weigh it all up I think I’d prefer to sit down and have a chat to Brett rather than Damon. I think that says a lot! Silvery get compared a lot to punky Blur but I was really chuffed when Q Magazine said ‘The Nishikado’ sounded like “Suede’s entire career in 3 minutes”. I took that as a huge compliment. I saw Suede and Blur in 1993 / 1994 and it was all so exciting. – I really couldn’t decide as they are very different bands.

* What was the best gig you’ve ever attended?

I have witnessed some amazing gigs over the years – Cardiacs were always constantly brilliant, whether it was selling out the Astoria on Charing Cross Road or playing secret shows at the old Camden Falcon, Sparks playing Kimono My House at Meltdown 2004 was great – their first time with a full electric band for decades, but it may surprise people to hear that the very best live performance I’ve ever seen was Peter Straker doing an evening of Jacques Brel songs at The Kings Head in Islington. It was stunning. He had a small band with accordion, brass and woodwind and did these songs that I love perfectly. Absolutely perfectly.

* Your favourite movie about music?

I recently finally saw „Anvil“ – I found it a little uncomfortable, like the brutal brother of Spinal Tap. The problems with having lived through that stuff you get a different perspective on it and it’s difficult to view it as entertainment!

I’d say „Velvet Goldmine“, which while being horrendous, was at least TRYING to portray a fascinating era. I can’t watch it without picking holes in it, so best watched ignoring that it is loosely based on the Iggy / Bowie thing.

* Your favourite song by David Bowie?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBezS7ElQJU

Ah a difficult one as it always changes – usually I’ll say the „Sweet Thing“ suite on Diamond Dogs, but in all honesty when I listen to him now I just stick to the unreleased stuff – there is some fantastic material from the 1970 – 1972 era. Bowie and Queen are the two acts I’ve got massive collections of bootlegs of and I will spend hours wading through it all and loving every minute. One song that stands out in the mind this minute is Hunky Dory out take ‘Miss Peculiar’ – done in 1971 with his pal Micky King on vocals. It sounds like a sinister oompah version of Mary Hopkins ‘Those Were The Days’.

* The most overrated band/artist?

Kasabian and their hairy brothers.

* Your favourite song by Pete Doherty?

There is definitely a fascination with his story, but I find the actual music earnest and clumsy. The only stuff I listen to is that earlier Libertines stuff – that demo tape they made at Nomis Studio when they were still trying to sound like The Strokes.

Some of it ended up on B-sides I think. It featured most of the songs from the first album but the recordings and performances are so much better. I liked it when they did the fast stuff – ‘Skag & Bone Man’ is a great example of that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_GIySx0j6A

That said, I think ‘Their Way’ that he did with The Littl’ans is very very sweet although I don’t think he wrote that did he? I like Andrew Avelings voice very much.

* Your favourite german song/record?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm_aut6RDAY

„Stella Maris“ by Einstürzende Neubauten was given to me by a German friend when I first moved to London and I loved it – mysterious and dark but also melodic. I’m not sure what it’s about. „Neonlights“ by Kraftwerk is excellent too – the first time I heard it was while actually performing it on stage as part of a free for all at a friend’s birthday. I was adding ‘robotic ad-libs’ and it sounded beautiful. Honorable mention to for Neu! If only for inspiring Bowie to write ‚Red Sails‘.

* Your favourite record of all time?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln5ss4spIso

Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version Of „War Of The Worlds“. Probably the first record I ever listened to as a child and it’s really difficult to move on from. All human emotion is in that record and I have bought it so many times on so many formats.

Das zweite Silvery-Album „Railway Architecture“ ist in diesem Herbst erschienen.

Auf der Bühne:
* Club NME @ Koko 14th Jan
* HMV Next Big Thing Upstairs @ The Garage 4th Feb

Im Netz:
* MySpace