Childhood

Conceived drunkenly on the campus of the University of Nottingham, Childhood is a band that are growing up fast. With debut album Lacuna hitting shelves on 13 August through Marathon Records, their guitar driven pop has already seen them support Palma Violets and forge friendships with the likes of Splashh. The four piece of Ben, Leo, Daniel and Jonny, have also just completed their first UK headline tour and are about to graduate into a busy summer that will feature an all important appearance at Field Day and a series of dates supporting indie heavyweights Interpol.

Whilst their credentials may suggest they are reaching maturity, Childhood are famed for their house party like live shows that echo where it all began in a drunken encounter. Before it all kicks off, we chatted to Ben about the upcoming album, partying on tour and being part of the next generation on British guitar bands.

Hi Ben, tell us how Childhood came about?

Leo and me met in Nottingham at University and I forced him to be in a band with me. We played around with sounds, laptops and stuff for a couple of years, doing a few odd gigs around Uni. When we left we properly formed as a band. We met Dom in Nottingham and Jonny back in London. I met Leo when I was really drunk around campus randomly and then I forced him to be in a band with me when I found out he had a guitar in his room. It all went to plan.

Where did the name come from?

That was me trying to convince Leo to be in the band! I didn’t have any songs so I just created this name on the spot. I just went ‘Do you want to be in my band called Childhood?” He was like “Yeah, cool!” I think it was just this random thought that made my idea legitimate.

What bands do you all take influence from?

Lots of alternative guitar stuff from the 80’s and 90’s. We’ve been really influenced by Stereolab and Cocteau Twins from that period. Then there’s a lot of modern stuff as well as lots of electronic music. It’s almost an eclectic mix as it’s very much a group effort. We have difference music taste but it’s based around the same good melody. We’ll have days where we listen to soul and the next day we’re listing to a heavy beat and a weird mix of electronic music. Another day it’ll be all guitar bands. It’s a constant blur of different styles and just pop music really.

You are all good mates with the bands Swim Deep and Splashh, how did that scene come about?

We know Splashh really well. We know Swim Deep too but we probably hang out with Splashh more, or at least on a more regular basis. There were living around here but they’ve moved now. They are good mates of ours yeah. The lead singer used to message us saying ‘I really like your music” and so did we, so when we came back from Nottingham we started going for beers and gigs. It blossomed into a very nice relationship.

How did your UK headline tour go?

The tour was really good. There was a good turn out and we have been partying a lot. It was kind of intense, as we didn’t have many days off so we had to slow the pace.

What was the highlight of it?

I’d probably say Hitchin, which is surprising, as we didn’t think we were going to play there. It was a really good turn out and all the kids were loving it, jumping up and down. They were having a great time so that was really surprising and fun.

Your videos for “Blue Velvet” and “Pinball” make your shows look really rowdy, is that what it’s like seeing you live?

It’s dependent on what the vibe is like. Sometimes we have it where it is more listening and chin stroking, and then sometime it explodes into a big party. It’s never consistently like that but sometimes it really is! It’s a mixed bag but it totally depends on what the crowd are feeling more than us in a way. We try our hardest but if they are up for it, we embrace it.

Are you a band that likes being on the road?

I think so yeah. I do like it a lot. It’s really interesting; especially when you are headlining and can see where you are at but I really like recording. I like the geekiness of it. It depends on what mood I’m in.

You’ve also supported Palma Violets, how was that experience?

We supported them this year again. We’ve known them for ages now. We knew Chilli before he was even in the band so it was going on tour with mates. They’ve helped us out so much as they like gave us their rehearsal space for free. It’s a very friendly feel we’ve got going on.

How has the experience of putting together your upcoming debut album Lacuna?

It was fairly leisurely. We never like to rush anything. Some bands are based around hype and we usually take a little while. We’ve bee making songs slowly and how we were going to record. Figuring out how to get the finances to do it was also a big thing for us. We wanted to do it with Dan Carey (Hot Chip, CSS, Miles Kane). It was quite a natural process and we didn’t think about any time pressures at all. We had a spurt of creativity before we went in the studio and jammed out a lot of it. It was a mix of jamming it live and recoding old songs, which was cool. It’s way more new songs with just four old ones. We wanted that to be the case so it was a refreshing thing for us.

What can people expect from it?

I think it has a lot of songs that encapsulate a lot of emotions. There are a lot of interesting sounds; some slowed down dreamy songs and massive upbeat guitar songs. We wanted to have that balance of intensity and the more retrospective dreamy stuff.

How was working with Marathon Records?

They have been so good sorting everything out. They’ve been really supportive of the entire album and the way it turned out.

Is it going to be a busy summer for you guys then?

It’s going to be a really busy one with festivals. We’re heading out to support Interpol in July and try going to Europe to do a headline tour. We’ll also be promoting the album, as it’ll be out by then. Hopefully it’ll be a year of solid touring and promotion. I am going to be thinking of home by the end!

Childhood’s debut album Lacuna is released on 11 August via Marathon/House Of Anxiety. The band play Field Day festival this weekend - tickets still available here.