Limerick band M O S C O W M E T R O will release their ‘Spirit of A City’ EP on 11 April, just a day after headlining The Academy 2 this Thursday. But before all this, M O S C O W M E T R O’s Sean Corcoran had a chat about influences, their “10×10 metal box” rehearsal space, and European tour plans.
RM: Where did the name Moscow Metro come from?
SC: It was on the wall in our rehearsal space, it was either a song title or a lyric, something about suicide bombers on the Moscow Metro. We rehearse on the second floor of a storage warehouse on the dock road.
The room is a very cold 10 by 10 ft metal box that shakes when we play so the name seemed apt for the environment we were creating music in. I found that the environment we create music in has an adverse effect on the music we produce and the mindset we possess when doing that.
RM: How did you all meet?
SC: It’s hard to remember clearly. I had been in a band with Barry previously and after that I just kept working on my own material. I wasn’t really looking to start a band again, so there was no one actively seeking to create a band. We just met each other, started playing and it went from there, could have just as easily never happened.
RM: What artists/musicians influence your style and songs?
SC: It varies really, I would say we have our core influences, like the Joy Divison, Echo and the Bunnymen. The National, The Jesus and Mary chain, The Cure, and then some outer influences which may not be as discernible.
Namely, I could tell you Ryan Adams has most certainly influenced aspects of the writing, and certain works by , The Can, Guided by Voices, even the Prodigy and Radiohead but it depends on whether you are talking about lyrical influences, guitar or bass influences, structural and dynamic influences or inspiration.
Its wide open really, some people hear David Bowie in our music, but that may be them hearing a Bowie’s Warsawa influencing the Joy Division and in turn influencing us, but I am not sure. Its a question that requires a very detailed answer to be answered efficiently, I can give you a general answer, which is kind of obvious to anyone with a good knowledge of music.
RM: What was it like working with Owen Geaney and Rob Kirwin on the EP?
SC: Apart from the fact that we are never happy, it was great experience. We learn a little bit more about ourselves every time we go into the studio and we plan to return to studio very soon with that experience internalized. We like to be heavily involved in studio decisions so working with the right people is important to us.
RM: Do you have a gig rider/requests? or If you had one, what would you have?
SC: Rebel red ale, Irish whiskey, beer.
RM: Is there a particular story behind single ‘‘Spirit of A City’’?
SC: ‘Spirit’ is the first song we ever wrote together. The lyric in the first verse ‘We are the future, and you are the past’ could define the song, both lyrically and musically. Spirit contains contrasting elements of uplifting hope and haunting despair.
We try to talk about our surroundings in our songs and spirit does exactly that, the city is the stage. When you live in a city you see a lot of different kinds of people, sometimes you can feel a certain tension between them. Every city in the world has two different faces, two opposing forces, the future and the past colliding, that’s the songs definition.
RM: You’re playing The Academy 2 on April 10, what can people expect at the show?
SC: People should expect to see a great band.
RM: Do you prefer intimate gigs or performing at the likes of Electric Picnic, Body and Soul and more?
SC: We love the Roisin Dubh, Whelans etc, but big sound systems suit a big sound.
RM: Where can people get their hands on your EP?
SC: Soundcloud and at our gigs, maybe some stores soon, like Tower Records.
RM: What’s next for Moscow Metro?
SC: After our show in The Academy we will be doing some more shows around Ireland and then we are touring Germany. We will be playing some clubs and festivals in places like Nuremburg, Berlin, Dortmund, Mannheim. Then after that we will be back into studio to record and release our second EP.
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Limerick band M O S C O W M E T R O will release their ‘Spirit of A City’ EP on 11 April, just a day after headlining The Academy 2 this Thursday. But before all this, M O S C O W M E T R O’s Sean Corcoran had a chat about influences, their “10×10 metal box” rehearsal space, and European tour plans.
RM: Where did the name Moscow Metro come from?
SC: It was on the wall in our rehearsal space, it was either a song title or a lyric, something about suicide bombers on the Moscow Metro. We rehearse on the second floor of a storage warehouse on the dock road.
The room is a very cold 10 by 10 ft metal box that shakes when we play so the name seemed apt for the environment we were creating music in. I found that the environment we create music in has an adverse effect on the music we produce and the mindset we possess when doing that.
RM: How did you all meet?
SC: It’s hard to remember clearly. I had been in a band with Barry previously and after that I just kept working on my own material. I wasn’t really looking to start a band again, so there was no one actively seeking to create a band. We just met each other, started playing and it went from there, could have just as easily never happened.
RM: What artists/musicians influence your style and songs?
SC: It varies really, I would say we have our core influences, like the Joy Divison, Echo and the Bunnymen. The National, The Jesus and Mary chain, The Cure, and then some outer influences which may not be as discernible.
Namely, I could tell you Ryan Adams has most certainly influenced aspects of the writing, and certain works by , The Can, Guided by Voices, even the Prodigy and Radiohead but it depends on whether you are talking about lyrical influences, guitar or bass influences, structural and dynamic influences or inspiration.
Its wide open really, some people hear David Bowie in our music, but that may be them hearing a Bowie’s Warsawa influencing the Joy Division and in turn influencing us, but I am not sure. Its a question that requires a very detailed answer to be answered efficiently, I can give you a general answer, which is kind of obvious to anyone with a good knowledge of music.
RM: What was it like working with Owen Geaney and Rob Kirwin on the EP?
SC: Apart from the fact that we are never happy, it was great experience. We learn a little bit more about ourselves every time we go into the studio and we plan to return to studio very soon with that experience internalized. We like to be heavily involved in studio decisions so working with the right people is important to us.
RM: Do you have a gig rider/requests? or If you had one, what would you have?
SC: Rebel red ale, Irish whiskey, beer.
RM: Is there a particular story behind single ‘‘Spirit of A City’’?
SC: ‘Spirit’ is the first song we ever wrote together. The lyric in the first verse ‘We are the future, and you are the past’ could define the song, both lyrically and musically. Spirit contains contrasting elements of uplifting hope and haunting despair.
We try to talk about our surroundings in our songs and spirit does exactly that, the city is the stage. When you live in a city you see a lot of different kinds of people, sometimes you can feel a certain tension between them. Every city in the world has two different faces, two opposing forces, the future and the past colliding, that’s the songs definition.
RM: You’re playing The Academy 2 on April 10, what can people expect at the show?
SC: People should expect to see a great band.
RM: Do you prefer intimate gigs or performing at the likes of Electric Picnic, Body and Soul and more?
SC: We love the Roisin Dubh, Whelans etc, but big sound systems suit a big sound.
RM: Where can people get their hands on your EP?
SC: Soundcloud and at our gigs, maybe some stores soon, like Tower Records.
RM: What’s next for Moscow Metro?
SC: After our show in The Academy we will be doing some more shows around Ireland and then we are touring Germany. We will be playing some clubs and festivals in places like Nuremburg, Berlin, Dortmund, Mannheim. Then after that we will be back into studio to record and release our second EP.
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