Bombay Bicycle Club have announced details of their new live album, ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose – Live At Brixton’. The album was recorded on 8th November 2019 at the band’s sold out Brixton Academy show, celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album. It will be released on 11th December via Mmm… Records + Caroline International. I caught up with drummer Suren de Saram to talk about the new live album, Bombay Bicycle Club’s  three year hiatus and the music wizard Jim Abbiss. 

‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose – Live At Brixton’ is set for release during a time when no one can see shows. It is quite a blessing to a lot of people. It’s a moment in time that people can remember how great it was as well as hopefully look forward to the return of shows. Suren explains it was a special moment for the band as well.

“We did play a very short run around the UK at the end of last year, celebrating the 10th anniversary of our debut album. We sometimes occasionally record our shows. We usually do, just to afterwards make notes to see how we can improve with that kind of stuff. I think we recorded a couple of nights on our tour, one of which was the Brixton gig. At the time we didn’t record it specifically with a view to putting out a live album, but it turned out to be a really special night for us. Listening to the recording afterwards we were all really happy with what it captured. It did capture exactly how we see ourselves as a live band, that kind of raw energy that personally, I’m not sure we’ve ever fully captured on one of our studio albums. So basically we were so happy with the recording and then, started talking about releasing it and you know with the way everything’s gone, this year, seems like a great time to be putting out a live recording to remind everyone what a gig actually is. That’s basically how it came about.”

Bombay Bicycle Club were due to embark on an extensive European and North American headline tour and numerous festival headline appearances this year. This live album is a really great way for fans to experience the bands wonderful sound. After returning from a three year hiatus the band were not expecting to have to take another year off.

“Yeah, absolutely. it’s been a difficult year. It’s been a super difficult year for literally everyone but I think it could have been worse. We came back from a few years hiatus towards the end of last year. We managed to do some gigs, end of last year and we managed to do a UK tour, at the start of this year, after we released the last album. It could have been worse, we could have just announced our comeback and then immediately, the pandemic and gone into lockdown right away so at least we managed to do some gigs. Yes, it is a real shame that the album campaign got cut short after two months.I think we were just getting to grips with exactly what was going on and I don’t think we were really in the right headspace to be writing new music but now we are getting our heads down and we figure the best way to use this time is just to start writing new material which hopefully we’ll be able to get out spring or summer next year. Then we’re trying to reschedule some festivals and the headline gigs that would have happened this year, for the end of next year, because we’re a bit hesitant to do it earlier than that. So, hopefully new music at some point next year to help propel those dates for a second offer next year.”

Upon its release in 2009, ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ was met with acclaim and cemented a barely-out-of-school Bombay Bicycle Club as key players in a thriving indie music scene; an unpredictable new act and a rapidly rising one too. I wondered what comes to mind for Suren when he thinks back to that album and its making.

“When I think of that album I think of very hectic live shows, with our mates when we played in London obviously not so much around the rest of the country but we just had our mates jumping up on stage shaking tambourines completely out of time and essentially ruining the gig a little bit. I think of that time as being like a crazy ball of energy, I suppose and yeah obviously over the years, we’ve I suppose, refined ourselves a little bit, especially our live shows, it’s changed quite a lot. So yeah, I think of that time as just a little bit hectic. A lot of sweat. Just generally a little bit messy, you know, in a good way.”

The band have come a long way since then and yet tracks like  ‘Always Like This’ is still an undeniable live favourite, however the band never felt the pressure from that album’s success.

“It’s interesting because I don’t think we did at all. That album debut holds a special place in a lot of people’s hearts and I think people have come to really love that album, but upon releasing it, it’s not like it completely exploded. I don’t think any of us thought that was the album that sort of broke us, if you want to put it that way.The whole career of the band – album to album – has been like a gradual build. So, No, to be honest, we didn’t feel much or any pressure really to follow up that first album. We did quite a smart move releasing essentially an acoustic album as our second album. After releasing that no one really knew what to expect from us. We kind of gave ourselves, complete creative license to come on and do whatever we wanted after that. So, to answer your question, no it didn’t feel like any pressure. I see that first album as being a bit more of a slow burner and people have connected with it as time has gone on. “

The band had been developing and crafting their sound with each album release gaining momentum so when they decided to take a break it was quite a shock to people. It was a brave decision to just stop the band. I wondered if there was anxiety around what the consequences could be. Everyone’s mind can panic when you have been doing something for so long, the fear of being alone, trying to do something else or even that if you return to the band it won’t be the same.I wondered how Suren coped with this or if he had any worries at all.

“It was a mixture of things, there was definitely some anxiety for sure. Looking at it from the outside it probably looked like a very strange time to put a stop to the band temporarily. When we decided to go on a break we didn’t know what the future would be at that time, we had no plans to ever get back together again. For all we knew that was essentially it as far as the band was concerned. Yeah, looking at it from the outside, it probably seemed like quite a strange time to put that stop to it. The last album, before we went on a break, ‘So long, See You Tomorrow’, was nominated for Mercury Prize, Novello Awards, it definitely reached the biggest audience of any of our albums up to that point. It went to number one in the UK aswell.So, yeah, that album was amazing for us. But then, from the inside, we just needed time, we needed to experience life outside the band really once we finished touring that album. We started the band when we were in school. We went straight from finishing school into doing the band and the four of us had never really lived life without the band. So we thought it was really important for us to grow individually, a couple of the guys were clearly itching to release some of their own music, which they did. Personally, it took me a little time to adjust to the band not being there at the start of the hiatus because obviously you know it’s a big part of your life and identity so to suddenly not have that felt pretty strange. I eventually fell into the mode of working as a session musician playing with other artists which at the end of the hiatus can look back on that and think those years were super beneficial for me personally and I think it’s the same for everyone in the band, we definitely grew as individuals. We have come back, much more mature with a refound energy, enthusiasm and love for the band.”

The live album follows the release of the band’s fifth studio album, ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ earlier this year. The album peaked at #4 on the UK album chart and garnered widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike.‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ is a great title especially for all the madness that has gone on this year however when you delve deep into the albums themes one realises the title is timeless. It reflects something everyone has experienced at one time or another, finding comfort in something when everything else has gone wrong.

“It was the title of one of the songs on the album and when we were brainstorming – it looks like a morbid album – to us it’s actually a very optimistic and positive title to do with having music as that kind of solace and escape from anything and everything really, whatever’s going on in someone’s life, or our lives collectively. It did turn out to be weirdly kind of prophetic, which is very relevant. Obviously we didn’t see any of this coming. We just liked the idea of music being that escape that we all have whenever sh*t hits the fan.”

Bombay Bicycle Club merge a lot of styles on ‘Everything Else Has Gone Wrong’ but what stood out to me is the album is a slight return to the more guitar heavy days with some electronic flurries. I wondered if revisiting ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ influenced the creation of the new album in anyway

“It’s more to do with the album “So Long, See You Tomorrow”  Jack ( Jack Steadman ) he’s the main writer and singer in the band, a lot of the stuff that got introduced sees that kind of heavy use of sampling. Then if you go and listen to the album that Jack made as a solo artist under Mr Jukes. he really goes off in that direction. So I think Jack kind of got that out of his system so to speak with “So Long, See You Tomorrow” and with the Mr Jukes album. Then, when we regrouped, we started writing..and they were just naturally more kind of guitar focused. I think we quite like the idea of going back to our roots a little bit, we went off on various tangents over the years. Yeah, I quite like the idea of returning home, so to speak.”

Seen as it’s 10 years since the bands debut album. Suren tells me what advice he would give his younger self embarking on his journey with Bombay Bicycle Club

” I think we were quite smart in that we took our time with things. I know that sounds crazy because we recorded our debut when we were 18 and recorded EP, when we were kind of 16/17 but we consciously stayed grounded and did not allow ourselves get carried away. We waited to sign a record deal, until after we’d finished school when we were 18 and as I say, everything has just been sort of a gradual build at least that’s what it felt like to us over the years. There was never a moment where we signed a huge deal and were all looking at each other being like, ‘come on, this is it guys, like gonna smash it’. We’ve never had that moment, like never you know, had a number one single where we were like, ‘yeah, this is gonna break us’, Even “So Long, See You Tomorrow”  that got to number one in the album charts, we’ve just taken everything in our stride, and any success that’s come our way we’ve felt like we’ve earned it, I suppose, and very grateful for it.”

“So what advice would I give – I’d say just take your time. There’s no rush, stay grounded. Don’t get carried away. Don’t get caught up in your own hype. Just work on honing your craft, becoming the best musician you can be in terms of the instrument you’re playing, or in terms of songwriting. Some of the earliest recording sessions when we were working with Jim Abbiss, he’s the producer, he’d just done the debut Arctic Monkeys album, just after the time that we were with him when we were 16. That was a real learning curve.It was a really interesting experience. Our first day he was like ‘ What on Earth have I got myself into’ because we’d never been in the studio before. We kind of let nerves, get the better of us. But, yeah, in hindsight that was a very valuable learning experience. So, yeah just take your time to learn your craft and there’s no rush, basically.”

A lot of young bands when they’re starting off they think when they are going into a recording studio everything is going to be natural. To know that Bombay Bicycle Club were a bit nervous going in is something that will give budding artists a lot of comfort.

“Yeah, absolutely. I think we have those recordings lying around somewhere when we were 16 with Jim first. We set up in the room and we ran through a few songs, initially just to show them to him and…in the end they are like a complete mess. It’s four very over excited and nervous kids and he had to whip us into shape very quickly just in the space of a few days. Obviously in the space of a few days you don’t change drastically but yeah he really used that time to kind of kick us on, and to work on what we need to work on.”

‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose – Live At Brixton’ is a real gem which showcases a band without boundaries. Bombay Bicycle Club can take three years off and return fresher and more dynamic than ever. The album captures the magic and raw psychedelic indie sound of the band superbly. It the perfect album to tantalise the senses and ease the cravings until the next blast of Bombay Bicycle Club shows

‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose – Live At Brixton’ is set for release on  11th December

Author : Danu