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Interview: The Moth & The Mirror

The Moth & The Mirror's debut album, Honestly, This World, picked up a fantastic reception when it was released earlier on in the month. Comprising of members taken from an array of Scottish talent (including Stacey Sievwright from The Reindeer Section and Arab Strap (vocals/guitar), Gordon Skene from Frightened Rabbit (guitar/vocals), Louis Abbott from Admiral Fallow and Song of Return (guitar/vocals) Kevin McCarvel (bass), Iain Sandilands (percussion) and Peter Murch (drums)) the band have been justly hailed as a Scottish super-group. We managed to catch up with them this week for a quick chat about their latest album, and their plans for 2012.

You've got a really evocative band name. How did you guys come up with it?

It's from a bedtime story in a ladybird book my mum used to read to me. It's about a King moth who falls in love with, and decides he will marry, a beautiful Queen moth. Unbeknownst to him it's his own reflection. There is a flash of lightning and the moth disappears as the mirror shatters. He then returns to his forest and sends all of his moth subjects off to seek the Queen anywhere there is light, and that is why moths fly close to flames... It's a cute story. We all liked the moral aspect of it.

Most bands find it hard to find the time to put together a solitary single, let alone an album - all of you are attached to other projects. How on earth did you manage it?

It was a struggle, to be honest. The writing came about over a long period of time. We had to record it in bits whenever we could. We did set 2 weeks aside in the summer and whoever could make it turned up and did their parts. The rest of us played Aerobie outside while we were waiting. There is always free time when you're in a band but co-coordinating everyone's free time to happen together is nearly impossible. I feel that, because it was a struggle, it makes it all the more rewarding when you get to the end and finally hold the finished album in your hand. It really felt as though we'd accomplished something just to even get it finished!

Tell us how you all found each other?

We met through a friend, ‘The boy who trapped the sun’. I knew him and Gordon since they were just wee lads from some touring I did with a band called Astrid in the highlands. Colin asked Gordon, Kev, Murdo (our old drummer) and me to be his backing band. We liked each other so much we stayed together after Colin moved back to the Isle of Lewis. We joined together with another project I had been doing with Iain and became The Moth & the Mirror. Murdo then left to move to London and at that point we asked Louis and Pete to join the band - thankfully they said yes! We’ve been a sixsome ever since. It was all fate, you see.

Talk us through the creative process - does any one-person lead, or is it more or less a free for all?

Every song is a little bit different but they usually start with a simple melody or riff brought in by one of us, then we all get together and the fun starts. We really enjoy knocking ideas around and trying out lots of different manifestations of our songs before we settle on the one we like best.

Your album, Honestly, This World, came out at the beginning of the month. Have you got any plans to tour it?

We're gonna try our damndest!

A lot of people have commented that the album has a definite Scottish sound. Is that something you've set out to do, or just a label that's been pinned on you?

Oh no, I didn't think we did. I think people automatically look for the 'Scottish sound' but it's not something we've in any way striven for. I mean we are all Scottish. It's in our blood. But I always wanted the music we made to be more universal.

Any future releases planned?

Nothing set in stone yet. We're planning another single release and maybe some remixes in the New Year. We've started writing our next album, but that's likely to be a way off from now.

Finally, you've half an hour until a meteorite hits the planet. How do you spend your last 30 minutes?

The clean answer? Something to do with swimming in the sea. Maybe watch one last episode of Arrested Development. I hope they've made the new series before this meteor hits!

The Moth & The Mirror - Fire by abadgeoffriendship

Honestly, This World is out now on Olive Grove Records and available to buy on the band's Bandcamp page or alternatively you can get it on Amazon or iTunes.