Music
The Hotelier: “I get worried that I’m bumming people out”
Massachusetts The Hotelier may be notorious for penning a sad song or two, but don’t be fooled into thinking they fear change.
In fact, their latest album Goodness showed the band moving away from the security of their breakthrough record, Home, Like Noplace Is There.
“I get worried that I’m bumming people out,” frontman Christian Holden told us backstage in London last month. Adding that when it comes to debuting new songs in a live setting it can be ‘hard to tell’ what fans think straight away. He also acknowledged: “The old stuff is good because people do respond to it and know it, and want to interact with it.”
From what we witnessed at their London show with Into It. Over It. though, the new material is settling in fan’s minds perfectly well.
Read our full chat with Christian here:
How have you been working new songs into your set?
“We’ve been starting with two news songs and while I think [the setlist] is spaced pretty well, I want to start with more energy than confusion.”
As an artist, how does it feel when you introduce new songs to a live crowd?
“I get worried that I’m bumming people out. It’s hard to tell because when people listen to new music they’re generally straight-faced and all of the emotions are happening in their brain. Where I’m the opposite; if I like something I’ll probably be laughing!”
What’re your favourite new songs to play live?
“Sons is probably our favourite collectively and Soft Animals is a pretty cool one, too. We’ve also been playing Goodness, Pt 2 and that one’s pretty cool as well.”
Is it easier to tour when you’ve got new songs to take out?
“Yep! I like playing new stuff and to play as much new stuff as we want once the record’s out, and hopefully people respond to it. The old stuff is good because people do respond to it and know it, and want to interact with it.”
Does your band dynamic change between studio and touring?
“We’re pretty slow in the studio; we’re pretty disorganised. And that actually carries over to stage – we’re pretty disorganised on stage too. We get to mess around a lot when we’re in the studio [but] on stage we already know what we want to do, I think that’s the difference. Generally disorganised in both worlds!”
The Hotelier’s new album Goodness is out now.
