The Wave Pictures Interview

The wonderful Wave Pictures are back in town for their second Long Division Festival appearance. Liam Tyrell spoke to frontman David Tattersall recently. The ingenious, witty lyricist and virtuoso guitarist talks releases, rhubarb & Wakefield.

  

The Wave Pictures were many people’s highlight of the first ever Long Division Festival. You performed at Henry Boons, where you also did a set with Stanley Brinks & Freschard. Any memories of that day three years back and how does it compare with other festivals?

I remember that day very well. I had a great time! It's always a lot of fun for us to play in Wakefield.   

You’ve been back to Wakefield and played a couple of shows at The Hop. This time around we’re really excited about witnessing The Wave Pictures in the regal surroundings of The Theatre Royal.  Does playing a new venue like this give you an extra buzz?

Yeah, I like to play theatres.

Do you prefer playing big stages or do you feel more at home in the more intimate venues like the tiny place Wakefield promoter Gary Cotton and I saw you at in Hamburg?

All different kinds of shows present different opportunities to you. I like the small, bar shows as these tend to be exciting. But I also really like to play seated theatre type shows, where you can go really quiet and play some ballads. I enjoy that. Anything that keeps you thinking on your feet is good.

The band has been busy as usual with some side projects.  You’re working again with Darren Hayman I gather and also have a charity release out in aid of the family of Jason Molina (which features Jeffrey Lewis whom we are also blessed to have here for The Festival weekend). Can you tell us a bit about these records?

We've just finished recording two albums. One as the backing band for Stanley Brinks, and one as the backing band for Hugh Noble and Adam Lipman. We recorded the Stanley Brinks one at Soup Studio in Limehouse, and the Noble/Lipman one with Darren Hayman, at his house. We're just the band on these albums. Hired guns! 

I wrote an article about the Jason Molina album. Anyone who is curious should visit ''The Wave Pictures - Songs Of Jason Molina'' bandcamp page.

(http://thesongsofjasonmolina.bandcamp.com/album/the-songs-of-jason-molina )

They can read what I had to say, if they feel like it, or just listen to the songs we recorded. We didn't know Jason personally - met him a couple of times in total. We were fans of his music first and foremost. I would recommend ''The Lioness'' by Songs Ohia, if anyone wants to listen to some of Jason's music. That's a great record.

You’ve also got a double album in the pipeline. Sounds ambitious but from the strength of the new tracks you aired last time out here it promises much. What made you decide to make it a double and when is that due out?

I never had a burst of productivity quite like this one. About forty songs came out of me in two weeks. We clearly had a double album on our hands. I don't know why this happened. But I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. It wasn't a conceptual decision, this was just the album that we had on our hands to make. Things have never been better in the band - we're enjoying ourselves tremendously at the moment. Maybe that's why it came about. 

The three of you are now London based. You and Franic, the bass player, are originally from rural Leicestershire.  Quite appropriately drummer Johhny ‘Huddersfield ‘ Helm, happens to be from Huddersfield.  As well as that fifteen miles down the road local link I gather you yourself have a Wakefield connection?

I have family in Wakefield. I used to visit every now and again when I was younger.

Any plans to move to Manchester?  Only I hear one time member of our headliners The Fall , Marc Riley,  would like to have you as his resident 6 Music studio session band over in Salford.

Marc Riley has been so good to us. He's such a nice bloke. We'd do a session for him anytime we could. No plans to move to Manchester, nice as it is. I always enjoy a day trip there but I'm very happy living in London at the moment.

Thanks for your time David. Now, you are renowned for your  frequent foodie lyrics.  Any chance you could work on a future rhubarb reference in honour of Wakefield, the capital of the Rhubarb Triangle?

There's always a chance! I like to eat rhubarb crumble and custard every once in a while.