Stars Of Aviation - Interview

  by John Clarkson

published: 13 / 1 / 2002

intro

The British group, the Stars of Aviation, formed only a year and a half ago, but in the short time since then this Cambridge-based band has already achieved more than a lot of other small, self-finan

The British group, the Stars of Aviation, formed only a year and a half ago, but in the short time since then this Cambridge-based band has already achieved more than a lot of other small, self-financed bands could hope to attain in a lifetime. It has released two EPs ; set up its own label, Grandpa Records and it has also been through a name change. The group's second CD, 'The Greatest Disappointment EP', came out in April of this year. With copies being distributed to the United States, Sweden, Singapore, France, Slovakia and Holland, 'The Greatest Disappointment' has attracted rave reviews and has received extensive airplay on both British and American national and local radio stations. It has also been made Record of the Month on the influential Dutch music website www.popscene.nl. Nearly all of the Stars of Aviation are Cambridge University language students, and, since recording 'The Greatest Disappointment' last September, three out of its four members have, as a part of their course work, spent the time abroad, each living and working in a different country. While vocalist and guitarist Jonny Anstead has been working in France, the band's other guitarist Andy Schofield has been in St Petersburg ; its keyboardist and bassist Nathan Oxley has been in Geneva, and only drummer Tim Jaggard has remained at home in Britain. "When we first formed, Nathan, Andy and Tim were already playing in a band " Anstead explains to Pennyblackmusic, having only a few days before returned to Cambridge after spending six months in Lyon. "They had only had a couple of practices, and I had this song which I had written, and wanted to perform at this song contest, a Battle of the Bands competition. There were about eight or nine of us on stage that night. We were a bit clumsy and a bit chaotic, but after that it went from there." Although the expanded group only came mid-place in the competition, Anstead began rehearsing with Oxley, Schofield, Jaggard, and original bassist Tim Mayne, who remained a member of the band for its first eight months, on a regular basis.The rehearsals went well and the new group, writing a batch of songs and naming itself Florence originally, played its first show a month after forming at a local venue. It recorded its debut CD, 'The Ted Glen EP', two months later. 'The Ted Glen EP', which takes its name from one of the characters in the British children's television series 'Postman Pat', runs to five tracks and was recorded over two days in a studio in Cambridge. Released in January 2000, it is, for a band which had been together just three months at the time it was recorded, a remarkably powerful and assured debut. Its songs , which were co-written by Anstead and Oxley, range in style from folky guitar pop numbers in the manner of David Bowie's 'Wide Eyed Boy from Freecloud' and 'Kooks' to dark, brooding keyboard-driven pieces that are reminiscent of Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips. Anstead's vocals are reflective and melancholic, but, while about the loss of childhoodinnocence and love affairs that have gone drastically wrong, all also exude with a hope that better times lie ahead. A "white label" release, 'The Ted Glen EP' was released on CD-R format only and was sold primarily at the band's gigs. It sold approximately 250 copies before the band deleted it, shortly after the computer which printed its labels broke down. While it was recorded for the purpose of local sale rather than as a demo and a way of getting airplay or a deal, a single promotional copy was sent to the DJ John Peel at Britain's Radio 1 who, four months after 'The Ted Glen EP' was recorded, played its first track 'Songs for the Awkward' on his late night show. The band, delighted by the positive response and interest that this brought, and changing its name at the end of last summer to the Stars of Aviation after it discovered that another group was also called Florence, began work on a follow up. 'The Greatest Disappointment EP', the Stars of Aviation's debut EP and the band's second CD, was recorded in a studio in Schofield's home town of Birmingham last September in the three days immediately prior to Anstead's departure for Lyon. "I went to France the following day" Anstead recollects. " It was really, really tight. I remember at the end of that last day, running to catch the last train out of Birmingham station to my home town of Tunbridge Wells that night , and thinking that I had missed it. Luckily it had been delayed by about ten minutes. I rolled home about Half One in the morning , and then had to leave the following morning to catch my flight." More refined than its predecessor, 'The Greatest Disappointment EP', which has four songs, and is limited to 500 copies, is again reminiscent of Mercury Rev and the Flaming Lips in its sombre beauty. Oxley's intense keyboards are dominant thoughout, evolving and helping to unravel each tune slowly to bring it to a powerful climax. The first three songs, 'Inclined to Fall', 'The Greatest Disappointment of the Year' and 'You Buried Your Face', are all also reflective of Sigur Ros with their occasionally fuzzy guitarwork ; gradually swelling sound and echoing production effects. The last song, the breakneck-paced and lighter sounding 'The Boy Who Held His Breath Too Long', " a live favourite", however, in contrast, is more influenced by Belle and Sebastian. Anstead's sparse, thoughtful lyrics once more remain hopeful of a better future but, often again using a love affair that has failed as a backdrop, also have the singer bravely and honestly examining and facing up to his own insecurities and failings. With this second EP, the band, wishing to develop on the interest that had been shown in the first CD, and to expand its audience outside Cambridge and to an international audience, began to put increasing emphasis on self-promotion. It set up Grandpa Records, while Anstead and Oxley used the six months which the band had apart from each other to develop a list of contacts. "For the last few months Nathan has been working for an air transport authority, while I have been working for a music website in France" Anstead explains. " We have both, therefore, been fiddling around with the internet a lot, and that has meant that we have been able to put loads of time into finding contact addresses and plugging our new CD. By fixing it with the name of Grandpa Records, we have been able to make into something that looks like quite a professional and serious project without it in fact really being any more than just us. It is amazing what you can do, and the way people will perceive things differently if you have a name. It means that they might listen to it while perhaps before they would not have bothered." The Stars of the Aviation have sent some of the copies of the CD as a demo out to larger record companies, but at the moment are undecided whether it is their best option to sign to a long term contract, or to continue to develop Grandpa Records. "We don't really have any ultimate aims, and don't want to commit ourselves to anything that we are not happy about" says Anstead reflectively. "At one level, it would be lovely to sign a deal and to have the money for recording time, which we haven't been able to afford for more than three days at a time in the past. At the same time though, if it wasn't the right thing, then I think we would be quite happy if we could just expand Grandpa a bit, and to hopefully carry on building it to eventually make us enough money for us to be able to put more time into it." The group's immediate aim and concern, however is to play some live dates.The band already has lined up shows in London, Cambridge and Brighton for late June and July, and is in the process of setting up other British gigs for later in the summer. "We've never actually performed a gig as the Stars of Aviation" Anstead concludes. "Although we've had lots of reviews,and our name has got around a bit, and we have had quite a bit of radio play,we haven't ever because of our recent situation played any live dates. Half of our new EP has never been played live before. We've never played 'Inclined to Fall' or 'The Greatest Disappointment of the Year' at a gig . For people who have known us before, that's two new live tracks anyway.Apart from that, we've also got some other new material lined-up, and some other stuff which isn't really ready yet, but which we are working on and that we hope will be ready in time for then." While the group has attained a lot during the duration of the last eighteen months, now, that all four of its members are back together after their enforced absence, the next few months promise to be equally busy. Although it remains to be seen whether the Stars of Aviation will eventually opt to sign a deal with another larger label or to continue to develop Grandpa, the band, with new material in the process of being written, hope to return to the studio soon. With the group's first shows under the name of the Stars of Aviation also forthcoming, an exciting period lies ahead for the band.

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