Ireland’s Gavin James is a bonafide superstar. From selling out Dublin’s enormous 3 Arena to racking up Platinum-selling albums and appearances on James Corden’s The Late Late Show, there’s basically nothing that this dude hasn’t done.
Apart from attempting to remain productive during a global pandemic, that is. That’s why we thought that we’d catch up with Gavin to chat about life in lockdown, his new single Boxes, and how on Earth he’s found himself becoming supermassive in Brazil.
Gavin James! How has lockdown been treating you?
‘The same as everyone else, really – I thought I was going to write about 500 albums in the first few weeks and then I’ve just sat and watched Tiger King! It’s getting to that time where it’s not as mad as it first was. Things are getting to be quite normal and I’m not missing the pub quite as much as I was at the start. I am probably talking to my family way more than usual, too and everyone is FaceTiming and Zooming – in a way, being disconnected from everyone has reconnected a lot of people who had lost touch.
We hear that you’re quite the Zoom quizmaster, too…?
‘I try my best, but it’s just pure mayhem! We had 1000 people on last Sunday and as a quiz there is no structure to it. I just ask questions and then do things like run to the toilet and get a loo roll and first person to bring one back wins. I wanted people to have a release from the outside world for a bit, to be honest; I noticed when I did it with my friends how much it helped me and just wanted to do it on a larger scale.
Have you been productive during all this time “off”?
‘I am now, yeah. At the start, not so much, but then I realised there were so many hours in the day that it’s very easy to feel guilty about not doing anything. Lots of mates are complaining about not reading a book or learning Chinese, which they just were never going to do anyway! You just need to take time for yourself and have a bit of a breather – it’s good for your head.
How has Covid-19 changed your plans and affected your year?
‘All the gigs have been cancelled, but they’ll come back around. I decided to release Boxes anyway as people still need music now: if anything, they need it more due to sheer boredom. I’m more worried about my crew – they’ve been with me for nearly 10 years now, and I am trying to think of ways to just help them out. A few lads helped me out with a socially distanced live stream which meant that they had a pay day and can afford rent (or whatever else needs to be sorted) – but, it would be nice to do something else for them.
So, about your new single, Boxes…
‘I’ve been sat on that for ages and was just making sure it was right. It was going to go on my second album, but I wanted to make sure that it was perfect before it came out. I recorded it again just before Christmas and finished mixing it in lockdown.
‘It’s the start of the 3rd album now, which is all over the place (but in a good way)! There’s Boxes, and then there are songs that are Randy Newman-esque. The album is more or less done in my eyes. There will be a few more singles to fill the time until I can really get back out on the road and tour the album, and who knows when that will be!
How did growing up in Dublin affect the music that you’re putting out now?
‘I remember there was always a guitar in every pub. My dad would take me to sessions to play and that was good craic, and I’d busk every Wednesday after school. I learnt how to play live from gigs in Temple Bar – at one point I was doing 15 gigs a week, and I played those shows for about 4 years. I’d throw in some originals and once people started singing my own songs back to me is when I decided to stop playing those gigs.
‘If you’re spending 3 hours a week covering pop songs, there’s at least something drilled into your head about how to write a pop song. Lyrically, I think this time had a massive influence on my own music. Not so much sound-wise, though: I’ve done my own thing with that.
Where are you looking forward to going back and playing once all this is over?
‘Dublin is always a favourite! It’s a hometown crowd and they just sing every word back to you from start to finish. We did a gig in the 3 Arena right before all this kicked off and everyone was just on it from the start. Brazil is quite like that, to be honest – it’s like they study the songs so they can sing them back to you.
Is there any reason why you play in Brazil so often…?
‘I saw the other day most of my monthly listeners are out in Brazil, which is mental! I did a TV show over there last year, and I had no idea how popular it was. Turns out 100 million people watch the show…! I landed back in London afterwards and checked the charts and the song I played had gone to number 1 over there. Then the radio picked up on it, and then Always got picked up by another show and then on the radio, which was great. So, I decided that I’d better head over there and play some more gigs. I get recognised by Brazilians who are living in Dublin from that TV show, which is mad.
How different is it doing shows over there, in smaller venues, compared to in Dublin?
‘The shows differ so much – I even notice it just in the UK. We did the O2 Forum in London, and the next day were in Thekla in Bristol; and then you go to the next gig and there’s 100 people in Leeds. It’s just mad how much it can vary from show to show. On the last tour, we were doing arenas in Amsterdam and Dublin, so we’d built an arena-sized show, and then after those we went to this tiny venue which held about 55 people in it but still had the big show for them.
Quickfire question time! What have you been listening to recently?
‘The 1975! I missed the boat on them and just got into them now! Them and Fontaines D.C.
If you could be in any band in the world, what band would you be in and what would you play?
‘I would be in Thin Lizzy and play the electric guitar!
If you could book a festival, who would be your headliners?
‘Paul McCartney, Counting Crows, Pearl Jam, The Eagles and Led Zeppelin.
And, finally – what’s your dream venue?
‘It was Whelan’s, then it was the 3 Arena, and now it’s probably somewhere like Madison Square Garden…