Part 2
Can you talk about a work, event or performance in your career that's particularly dear to you? Why does it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?
[Chris] There are a lot of great memories of good tours and gigs over the years, it’s pretty hard to pick just one. I remember our first time playing at Salon IKSV in Istanbul. It was the first time we had played outside of the UK. The day before we flew out, we had just finished recording v2.0 which was a big moment for the band and we were ready to celebrate. We were also very skint and very new to the touring life.
I remember going up to Nick’s hotel room and the two of us drinking our way through his minibar having no idea that it wasn’t included in the hotel booking and that we’d have to pay for it before we left. We had a lot to learn and we had no idea of what was to come for the band, we were just having a great time, enjoying the moment and excited for the future.
Another that comes to mind is when we first performed our original live score to the film Koyaanisqatsi. We’d been invited to work on the project for a performance at a venue called HOME in Manchester. It’s almost 90 minutes long with no break, some really challenging sections and tough work to perform.
We said to each other backstage before the first night that if we can make it through this we can do anything. It was a bit of a joke but definitely also carried some truth. Originally, we were only going to perform it as part of the project at HOME but it became something we toured many times all over the world and it’s still one of my favourite projects we’ve worked on.
How do you feel your sense of identity influences your collaborations? Do you feel as though you are able to express yourself more fully in solo mode or, conversely, through the interaction with other musicians? Are you “gaining” or “sacrificing” something in a collaboration?
[Chris] I love making music on my own but definitely feel like I can express myself best when I’m performing with the band. It’s where I feel most at home as a musician. I’ve played in bands since I was a kid (usually on bass guitar as piano didn’t really suit a grunge covers band) and more often than not it’s been more fun and more fulfilling working with others than making music on my own.
When the connection between you and another musician feels right, it’s always a gain. GoGo Penguin doesn’t sound the way it does because of only one of us, it’s because of the combination or personalities, ideas, characters, personal experiences and differences we each bring that makes it unique, something bigger than each of us individually.
[Nick] As a bassist, it’s not as easy as a solo performer, of course it’s not impossible either but personally, I always wanted to be in a band with like-minded people working towards the same goal.
After I joined GoGo Penguin, an old pianist friend reminded me of how I always used to say to him how I just wanted to be in a good band. I think one of the greatest things about being a musician is sharing the performance experience together and with other people in the audience.
When you are involved in a performance where each member of the band is equally as committed and, in the moment, as you are and you feel like the audience are also really invested in it, it’s one of the most beautiful human experiences.
When you're improvising, does it actually feel like you're inventing something on the spot – or are you inventively re-arranging patterns from preparations, practise or previous performances?
[Chris] I think it depends on the track. Sometimes it will be something completely new and spontaneous that I’m aiming for, other times I’ll be working with variations of riffs or themes or working within a rough, abstract sort of plan we’ve prepared when writing the music.
I’m sure to some degree there’ll be repetition even within some of the stuff which feels like it’s being invented on the spot. I think there’s only so much new material which your subconscious can generate day after day on tour that will fit and make sense musically with each track.
On the track “Saturnine” there’s a section where I’ll take a solo and I’ll just see what comes to me in that moment within the boundaries that the structure of the track creates. But then there are tracks like “Last Breath” which feel very different and new in terms of how we improvise together as a band. Nick is improvising melodically on the bass and I’m processing his bass through a synth called the Strega.
There’s an element of randomness in this, of certain things being out of your control and we both have to react to that alongside reacting to each other.
To you, are there rules in improvisation? If so, what kind of rules are these?
[Nick} I believe it was Charlie Parker who said, “Master your instrument, master the music, and then forget all that bullshit and just play.” I think it’s important to know some of the premises of music theory and improvisation, largely to have the confidence to try and go for what it is that you want to say.
However, I think that the best improvisation comes from an inner space of creativity where you’re not thinking theoretically about the process but you’re in a space where you can explore wherever your creativity wants to lead you in the moment.
In a live situation, decisions between creatives often work without words. How does this process work – and how does it change your performance compared to a solo performance?
[Chris] It does happen without words but I think it’s just another version of a common language.
We get to know each other closely as musicians who play together regularly. It’s like when you chat with someone you’re close with and know what they’re going to say before they say it. You can have a conversation and not feel the need to say every word you might have to if you were talking to a stranger.
It does feel like some sort of strange subconscious connection at times and as natural as it can seem when you’ve played together for years, it can still surprise you when it feels like you’re really locked in together.
There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? In which way is it different between your solo work and collaborations?
[Chris] Something I find really useful for being creative is anytime an idea comes to mind, no matter how big or small or whether I think it will be useful or become something bigger, I get it out of my head. I’ll write it down or record it, sketch it on manuscript or just a scrap of paper, or make a quick recording on my phone.
In the past when I didn’t do this, I’d find myself dwelling on that single idea, almost like I was worried I’d forget it, and a lot of the time it wouldn’t really become anything in the end anyway. Once it’s sketched out, my mind is clear for other ideas to come along and then when I have time and my mind is in the right state I can revisit these ideas, find which ones feel like they have some direction to them and begin to develop these embryos of ideas into something bigger.
How do you see the relationship between sound, space and performance and what are some of your strategies and approaches of working with them?
[Nick] Each venue presents its own challenges, and some are a lot easier than others in terms of sound. Big reverberant rooms like churches can be difficult for us but we find ways to adapt. In some rare cases, we may have to leave certain tracks out of a performance because it’s not going to work with the acoustics in the room.
In our opinion, a live performance is a communal experience between the band and the audience. We truly believe it’s a shared experience and everyone contributes to how a performance will go.
We are often mindful of how to shape the set for each performance, and you can usually tell after about three tunes how a gig is going to go. It’s hard to explain but there is a palpable feeling in the room, and you can tell when everyone is absolutely invested in the moment.
In a way, improvisations remind us of the transitory nature of life. What, do you feel, can music and improvisation express and reveal about life and death?
[Nick] I think improvisation is something that happens in a moment and then the moment passes, and it’s gone. It’s the same thing as in life, moments become memories and some memories are of course beautiful, but you can’t experience certain things again ever the same way. In a way it’s sad but also, I think it demonstrates that life shouldn’t always be taken quite so seriously.
Improvising can cause a lot of anxiety for performers. There is a lot of attachment of a sense of self-worth regarding improvisation. Questions come up in the performer like was it good enough? Am I good enough? I think there will be times in life and in music where things don’t always go the way you hoped, and it takes on a greater sense of significance than perhaps it should. Of course, it’s important to care and want to be good but I also think that it’s just a moment in time.
I lost both my mother and brother very recently and it’s given me a sense of wanting to enjoy my life as a musician, always try to be my best self but I also try to remember not to take myself too seriously. We often forget that one day all of this is going to be over.
