Music
Ticketmaster meets… The Orwells
Fresh off stage from another blistering live performance at Reading Festival, we caught up with The Orwells to hear about their festival history and what’s next for the Chicago rockers.
What was your first festival experience?
Matt: Lollapalooza 2006, I saw the flaming lips and Gnarls Barkley with my parents. That was my first time going, my first time playing was South by Southwest and FYF in… 2012? Yeah ‘cause we were juniors in high school, so 2012 was our first year playing festivals and we did South by Southwest and FYF Fest. They’re much less intimate than a club gig, but today was f**king sweet. I mean if you get a crowd like that then you really notice the difference.
Grant: It was a really young crowd
Matt: Yeah really engaging
Any advice for people doing their first festival?
Grant: Stay hydrated. You don’t wanna pass out
Mario: Do it like you’re in your bathroom. Like you in the bathroom before a show when you’re looking at yourself in the mirror, singing really loud. Just pretend you’re at your house or something.
If you were booking a festival who would be your headliners?
Grant: Outkast, Wu-Tang Clan..
Matt: F**king Odd Future, A$AP Rocky.. what the f**k man?! (laughs)I’d have the Replacements reunion, get them up in there.
Grant: Rolling stones, I’d say. Bring them back to life.
Could you guys survive festival camping together?
Grant: What, share a tent?
Matt: Hell no.
Grant: We can’t even share hotel rooms.
Matt: I couldn’t even share a tent with my girlfriend! That’s just too much.
So what’s next after Reading?
Matt: We play Leeds tomorrow, then we’re going to Amsterdam for the first time for a few days, then we’re doing a show in London next week, then Ireland: Belfast and Dublin.
Mario: I need to buy shoes (Looking down we realise that Mario has bare feet)
What happened to your shoes?
Mario: Taken. Taken like Liam Neeson’s daughter!
The crowd got ’em. Maybe I could get some shoes in Holland, the wooden ones? What are they called again? Yeah clogs!
The Orwells play The Black Heart, Camden 28 August and are on tour this November – tickets are available here.
Their album Disgraceland is available now.
