Manchester, United

L+T: So do you like touring or more of the songwriting and recording side of things?
ER: I don’t like sitting in a van all day.
TM: I like the gig.
ER: Yeah, I like playing, but getting around is just fucking boring. We’ve been playing the same songs for like a year and a bit, so I have the real urge to make new stuff.

L+T: What do your parents think of all of this?
TM: They were really bad at first because they didn’t see it as anything lucrative and thought I was just gonna waste a lot of time and live in their house forever. But now I think they’re really excited and happy for me. It’s really nice.
ER: I think my parents, too, respect the way we’ve been doing things in terms of establishing yourself independently—or rather, as independently as you can. My dad’s self-employed, but he’s worked for people. So, he’s always like, ‘You don’t wanna be abiding by someone. Just do it for yourself if you have the opportunity.’ Unfortunately, a lot of my friends back home are just doing shit they don’t care about, like working at the mechanic down the road from where they live. We could be doing worse.
TM: It’s really weird doing this stuff because when I see my friends, they’re not really sure what to say to me. And they think that I’ve changed or they treat me like I’ve changed. And I’ve not, I don’t think. And they, like, say things with their teeth clenched and I’m just like, ‘What’s your problem?!’ But that’s always some people. They’re like, ‘Oh yeah, buddy. Traveling around the world, eh? Bet that’s good.’ But then I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ And then they’re just like, ‘All ol’ boring stuff—nothing like your life.’ I don’t know. It’s weird. But that’s only dickheads.

L+T: Being from Manchester, United or [Manchester] City?
TM: United.
ER: Nahhh. There’s a team called FC United, like a breakaway club. I support what FC United are trying to do—just making football for people rather than making money. You have to be a fucking millionaire to be able to go and see [Manchester United play]. Like, the season tickets are so expensive, they’re so hard to come by.
TM: I’m gonna go see one of the first [Manchester United] matches of the season at Bolton Wanderers. It’s gonna be good, because it’s like 20 quid.

L+T: Who are your favorite players?
ER: Zidane. Always.

L+T: Did you see the Zidane documentary that [Scottish band] Mogwai scored?
ER: That was the reason we were trying to mix our album… we were mixing it at [drummer] Joe [Manning’s] computer in his bedroom and basically it sounded like fucking shit. It was like, ‘There’s some good songs on this, but you’re destroying them.’ So we got a professional to do it—we got Paul Savage, who mixes Mogwai. That’s why one of the reasons watching that Zidane film, [the album] sounds like it does.