We had a chat with Irish indie-rockers The Academic at Barn On The Farm Festival about performing on The Late Late Show, high-fiving Example in Spanish hotels and supporting The Strokes in Hyde Park:
How would you describe your music for people who don’t know you?
It’s got loud guitars and catchy hooks with a crunchy buzz… It’s basically a musical mix of John Hughes and Quentin Tarantino!
What do you think of Barn On The Farm?
It’s really chilled! It’s nice, because it’s the first festival of the summer where we’ve gotten to stick around and enjoy the music during the day. We usually just play our set and get the next ferry back home to Ireland, but this time we’re going to be hanging around all day. We were on at midday, so it was definitely the earliest show we’ve ever played. I was just shocked that there were people there!
You’re playing a few other festivals this summer – are you excited?
Yeah, we can’t wait! We’re playing Boardmasters and Y Not Festival, and we’ve already done Bushstock in London. We’ve just played a show supporting The Strokes in Hyde Park, too. They’re probably the band we share the most common ground on within the band – we all have our different influences, but we’re all huge fans of The Strokes, so to have the chance to support them was absolutely fantastic.
What’s your favourite thing about playing festivals?
Trying to win over the crowd is always fun. Not everyone knows you, whereas if you’re doing your own headline shows then people tend to have heard at least a couple of the songs. Festivals are more of a challenge, but in a good way. I think the fact that you’ve got less time to set up and prepare means that the set is a bit more ‘rough and ready’, too.
When can we expect to hear your debut EP?
We said last year that we were going to do an EP, and then we… We’d originally done an EP and tracked a few songs, but then we started getting better in the studio and decided that we could make a better one. The latest song we’ve put out, Different, was the first song that we’d put out that we were really happy with. There will be an EP soon, but we’re not sure when. We can’t wait to put it out.
You performed Different on The Late Late Show – how was it?
It was amazing. It was our first time on TV… Wait, no, that’s not true! Stephen was on a children’s quiz show on our state broadcaster back in Ireland! Performing on TV is a completely different ball game. It’s a very different vibe, because it’s a lot more ‘proper’ and reserved. Everybody there was just like ‘Do. Not. Screw. Our. Show. Up’, and I was terrified. It was amazing, though.
What made you want to start making music?
We come from a very rural area of Ireland, so there’s not much to do if you’re not good at sports. We’ve been playing since we were about thirteen – Matt and Stephen are brothers, so they sort of grew up playing music together, and then we all came together eventually. It’s been like climbing a ladder – we started off playing in a shed, then we played a few small gigs, and then it all just kept growing from there.
Who are your main influences?
Gosh, all sorts… We’ve all got a lot of different influences. Some of us are huge Motown fans, some of us are massively into heavy rock, and some of us love the Pixies. We’re all different.
Out of every song ever recorded, which do you wish you’d written?
Matt – Mine would definitely be Wouldn’t It Be Nice by The Beach Boys. It’s just so… Masterpiece-y…
Craig – Yeah, what The Beach Boys do with chords and key changes is insane. I’m gonna say What’s Goin’ On by Marvin Gaye.
Stephen – Either Here, There and Everywhere by The Beatles or The Tracks of My Tears by Smokey Robinson.
Dean – I don’t even write songs, so I’d be happy to have written any of them! Maybe This Guy’s In Love With You by Burt Bacharach.
Out of all of your songs, which is your favourite?
It changes all the time. You write a new song, and then that’s your favourite, but two weeks later you write a new one and it all starts again. For me, it differs from gig to gig. Live, at the moment, it’s a song called Why Can’t We Be Friends. It’s a big heavy rock song, and it’s not available for you to hear just yet. It’s just a very fun song to play. I like playing Different, too, because if people have listened to us and decided to come and see us then that’s the song they’ll probably know. It’s always nice to see people react to it and enjoy it.
What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you while you’ve been on tour?
Dean and Stephen got to high-five Example in a Spanish hotel at half past five in the morning. That was pretty odd… Playing with Pixies was very surreal, too. We were in the backstage area, and Matt’s the biggest Pixies fan you’ll ever meet, so he nearly fell to the floor when they walked in! Craig had an embarrassing moment with Black Francis, too – I asked him if they gig in America a lot, and he was just like ‘well, we’re from there’…
Can you describe each other in three words?
Okay! Let’s pick a word each…
Craig = Slick-backed, melodic, chill.
Matt = Picky!
Stephen = Curly, fuzzy bass.
Dean = Efficient and engine. He’s so efficient he doesn’t even need three words!