Facts & Figures | with Lowline

Lowline are the new british sensation. The new Verve is rising. Nick McCabe's words - make timeless music like no one can at the moment...Music with balls! - make any other review useless. Later last week I talked to the whole band exclusively for Warmer Climes, just before their shows in Hamburg, Germany and Italy - due for september! Looks like the perfect time to catch them in Control Club, the romanian castle of right sounds in Bucharest.

Warmer Climes: Tell me a little about how you guys got together. You know the usual how the band was born spiel that you're probably sick of giving by now.
Sam Clarke: We used to be called Lowlife but after a legal wrangle we had to change our name. To make things simple we came up with Lowline. Me, Robbie & Mikey grew up in the same area and started playing together a few years back when we wrote our first batch of tunes that include our next single. Realising that we wanted to develop our sound even more we drafted in Hewitt as guitarist. Since then we have continued to work on creating our sound which combines rock, shoegaze and dance elements.

How does your creative process work as a band? Is one of you the primary ideas man, or is it a direct democracy?
Andy Hewitt: It is a complete democracy right down to the last note. We all contribute to every aspect of the music we create.

Tell me about the connection between Nick McCabe of The Verve and Lowlife. Have you thought to ask Nick or someone else for a Sound Of Music remix?
Mike Hosker: Nick is a good friend and has joined us on stage in the past. We have a few ideas for collaborations but we are keeping them under wraps for now. There are a few people in mind who we may approach but I will have to keep this quiet until it happens.

How do you see the power of internet and this speed of sound in digital world? Internet hurts or helps the music in your opinion?
Robbie Rush: Both. I think that Myspace is good as it allows fans of music to search and to listen to both their favourite bands and new bands, and for new bands to show their stuff to the world. Unfortunately with the existence of torrent sites etc., free downloads is directly responsible for why so many great unsigned bands remain unsigned, and also why a proportion of signed bands struggle to be make a living.

Do you have a favourite new band?
Robbie Rush: They aren’t new but I have only just recently seen them live so it was a new experience for me. My Bloody Valentine is fuckin' amazing.

What is music for you?
Sam Clarke: Everything. A reflection of your emotions whether you are listening to it or creating it.

Outside will be included on your debut album?
Andy Hewitt: It is hard to say as we haven’t all sat down and discussed which tunes are definitely going to be on there. I would definitely like to see it on there as it is one of my personal favourites.

Lowline's sound is more than a sum of its influences. I'm not quite sure I can put my finger on it, but it's there. What stands out to you as the elements that are uniquely yours? What's in a Lowline song that's not anywhere else?
Mike Hosker: I think that our sound is a combination of extremely different influences for each band member which when combined result in something different. Don’t get me wrong, we all find a common ground with the music that we listen to, but our record collections are vastly different.

What's on your iPod?
Robbie Rush: Most listened to tunes the last time we were driving on our way to a gig:

Brian Jones Town Massacre | If Love Is The Drug Then I Want To OD
Echo & The Bunnymen | Rescue
Holy Fuck | Lovely Allen
My Bloody Valentine | Loomer
The Verve | Slide Away
Primal Scream | Can't Go Back
Queens Of The Stone Age | Go With The Flow