Piotr Balkus: When I look at the photos of Charming Liars, I think: They almost look like brothers…
Charlie Cosser: There’s definitely a growing family vibe in this band. Some of us have known each other since childhood and have grown up together so there’s definitely a brotherly dynamic to our friendships. We are a group of good mates with the same goals and passions looking to make music, travel and have a tonne of fun doing it.
You come from London but you are going to tour a lot in America…
We came out to California armed with a very early demo CD a couple of years ago. A series of meetings over here turned into us blagging a demo deal and then eventually a record deal in the US. After recording the album, we began playing small gigs and club shows in and around Los Angeles. It’s always been a dream of ours to tour this big piece of country so when the opportunity to join the Uproar Festival presented itself we grabbed it with both hands.
Why all English bands want to make it in the States? Why it was your main goal? Is it because of the mythical American Dream?
It’s an incredible challenge for any band of any nationality to conquer such a massive market and I think most ambitious groups are driven by having such goals. We look forward to travelling and spreading our music across America but are also excited at the prospect of other territories especially going back to the UK and playing some form of homecoming show in London.
What makes London the special place in your hearts?
London’s home. It’s the birthplace of this band and is the city in which we discovered and fell in love with our early favourite music. So many incredible memories lie in the backstreets of Camden and Soho where we’d go see our old heroes perform in now fallen music temples such as The Astoria. Londoners truly have a strong passion for music and can go nuts at shows which is sometimes rare to find in a big city full of distractions.
When you will come back to play in London? Any chance to see you there this summer?
This summer we will be on the Rockstar Uproar tour in the states with Alice in Chains, Jane’s Addiction, Coheed and Cambria etc. We are most likely going to follow that with another US run so the earliest we will be in the UK will probably be in the new year but you never know! We are desperate to begin playing there again.
Song “Breake Away” is about catching the moments and not wasting the time. Is that how what Charming Liars are all about?
I think that’s a very big theme that’s present in several songs throughout our album. A few years ago we faced a crossroads in our lives whilst deciding whether or not to continue making music. By now its clear that we decided to follow our hearts and chase the dream which can be a scary decision for anyone as there’s so much risk involved. All people share a fear of failure but it’s about embracing that fear and jumping into the unknown that could set your life on a whole new path and potentially a much better one to the one you were on. No one wants to live the rest of their lives thinking “what if I had tried?”
How you remember working with Randy Staub? What else he cooked well apart from mean steak?
When you watch Randy Staub work you’re watching a seasoned pro. We were lucky enough to be able to sit in on our mixing sessions and talk with him about the various levels of certain parts and he would be happy to listen to our input. Some of which he’d take on board and other times he would explain his choices and justify those actions. It’s important to have that open conversation with everyone involved in the creative process. But at the end of the day it’s really about what feels right. And we had very similar tastes when it came to how the mixes should sound. On the subject of cooking, he once made incredible brisket sandwiches on Ciabatta bread. My mouth is salivating just thinking about them.
What would be your message to the London based bands trying to make it in America?
Don’t base yourself in London! If you’re serious about making it somewhere else it makes more sense to live or at least spend as much time as possible in that country which is obviously easier said than done. Also, make sure you can really play. With nearly every single serious band you see in this country you notice how damn tight they are. You might hate the type of music they play but you can’t deny how well they play it. Finally make sure you are super confident in the music you have. We took a big chunk of time out of playing live to lean how to write and record songs before which did us a world of good. You have to make sure you truly believe in your product otherwise no one else will.
And when you conquer America, what will be the next goal to achieve for Charming Liars?
(Laughter) Well, I think our focus right now is delivering the best show we can wherever we are playing. It takes a little bit of time for a band like us, playing predominantly guitar music, to get mass attention from such a vast and diverse place but we are quietly confident it’s coming.
Thank you for your time, Charlie. And I wish you all the best with your music.
Thank you!
Listen to Charming Liars new album taster called Break Away at https://www.charmingliars.com
