The Hospital Club Sessions: Theme Park Interview

- Photographer: Sara Amroussi-Gilissen

When we catch up with Theme Park at Covent Garden’s The Hospital Club, they’re feeling pretty happy with themselves. The band have not only just wrapped up the recording of their debut album, but they’ve also just finished filming tracks for The Hospital Club Sessions – a series of groundbreaking videos filmed using 360 degree camera angles, allowing the viewer to select the camera and stance from which they wish to view the session. In high spirits, we sit down with the band’s Miles, Marcus and Oscar to find out about the process of putting their album together, and to get them feeling philosophical.

Watch Theme Park play ‘Jamaica’ as part of The Hospital Sessions here.

So we’ve heard that you’ve finished recording the album…

Miles: That’s right, and it’s cool to be finished but it’s very sad as well.

Oscar: It was intense, going to the same place every day with the same people for two months. It had a very familiar vibe about it, there was us three, Phil doing drums and then Luke Smith who produced it – he was in Clor – and we had a couple of engineers working on it. So it was a very small, close knit team and we all ate lunch together, joked together, it was sad to end.

Miles: It was sad because it ended in such a rush, we had a last day to finish and we couldn’t go over, we brought in some champagne but the work continued. There was one vocal line, or a whole verse in fact that was written in the last hour before it was over. So because it was such a whirlwind at the end, there was no time to think about it – we just had to work work work.

Oscar: I think it’s good though, we’d have probably been too sentimental if we’d finished ahead of time and been sat around twiddling our thumbs.

Miles: Luke’s plan was that we’d finish two weeks before, so we had the mindset that we were going to finish sooner. It was clever, because otherwise we’d have finished two weeks late!

How did you find the whole recording experience? Did you enjoy it?

Marcus: It was really strange, parts were quite stressful.

Miles: Don’t bring a negative vibe!

Marcus: Well, it was crazy and fun and felt more like two weeks than two months. We were in there six out of seven days a week, making music we enjoyed, so…

Oscar: Without sounding too cheesy or whatever, I think it does take you to certain emotional extremes. Like when you put down a guitar part or something that sounds really great, you just feel on another level, the adrenaline that you have. It’s like scoring a goal in a world cup final, or something like that! But when you’ve recorded the same thing twenty times and your fingers are in a tangle and nothing’s working, it’s a bit demoralising. But the positives greatly outweighed the negatives.

Photographer: Sara Amroussi-Gilissen

How did you enjoy filming your Hospital Club Session?

Miles: It was really nice, actually. It was funny, it was like a gig but a gig that people will be able to listen to forever!

Oscar: It was a big room, we felt like we were on a film set or something, with the cool lights and things.

Can you tell us what the first record you ever bought was?

Oscar: The first credible record I ever bought was Nevermind by Nirvana. Which I actually listened to last week and still thought it was an amazing album.

Miles: I think mine was one of the Oasis ones. Maybe What’s The Story Morning Glory, when I was 7 – I loved it.
Marcus: Mine was either the Verve of Nathan Bedingfield… wait, was that his name? Daniel Bedingfield!

And the last?

Oscar: Mine was the Grimes record, Visions.

Miles: I’m trying to think of something cool… The last thing I downloaded was a D’Angelo album I think, Voodoo.

Marcus: Beach House, Teen Dream was my last one.

Who is your musical hero?

Oscar: I don’t even know… I always liked Johnny Greenwood when I first saw what he was doing. I think he was the first guitarist that I saw that wasn’t an absurd show off, in a ‘I have to and put distortion and crazy stuff on it’ kind of way, he just went off into this strange world. He was wicked.

Miles: I’d say Stevie Wonder.

Marcus: I’d say Jonny Greenwood too.

And who is your musical villain?

Miles: That’s hard! That’s a question that’s trying to stir up musical beef!

Oscar: Does it have to be a person? I think we can all think of ones that are deeply inappropriate!

Where would your ideal home be?

Miles: That’s a nice question! I think I’d like a James Bond villain’s house, there’s a really nice one somewhere in the American desert, but I can’t remember which film it’s from.

Marcus: Do you know the Brazilian Beach House? I’d like to live there.

Oscar: I’m going to crash Marcus’s Brazilian Beach house…

Marcus: There’s room for you in the shed, Oscar!

What is your idea of happiness?

Marcus: Good company, and fine wine!

Oscar: A banquet with my friends after a show. With animals on the floor, dogs and kittens and things!

What is your biggest wish?

Miles: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley! To be mine!

Oscar: I’d really like more than ten people to buy the album

Miles: Mine was frivolous, I want to change!

Marcus: I agree with Oscar, but i’d say 50 rather than 10.

Oscar: And if they were strangers, not just my mum, that’d be great.

Theme Park will release their Two Hours EP on 26 November through Transgressive, and have just announced a new live date at Heaven on 14 March. Tickets go on sale at 9am on 09 November.