Breton Interview

There aren’t many bands that do what Breton do. The five-piece from London have recently released the deluxe edition of ‘War Room Stories’, a brilliantly crafted album with themes of battle and war. But while the records are great, it is their live performances and imagery that have given them a huge loyal following. Making a career out of touring, Breton have been travelling Europe and North America endlessly with their fusion of electronic and indie music. Talking to us as they travel to their next gig, we wanted to find out more about this live band, the Breton experience and their craft, from lead singer and songwriter, Roman Rappak.

Hi Roman, how are you?
Good, thanks. Just driving to our show tonight.

You’ve been busy on your European tour; where are you at the moment? Can you describe the view?
Swiss countryside, which is really stunningly beautiful

You revisited Berlin recently where you actually produced ‘War Room Stories’; do you have any favourite haunts or areas in the city after spending so much time there?
There are a few clubs that we went to like Renate, which was basically a massive old mansion, with loads of different rooms and types of DJ. I also heard there was a labyrinth in the cellar.

Did the history and culture of Berlin influence much of ‘War Room Stories’?
I think the fact that it’s a city that was historically spilt between different stories, eras, and ideologies means you get an exciting atmosphere of being able to be part of lots of different things.

It’s a beautifully crafted album, which you’ve just released as a deluxe edition with ‘Titan’ and ‘Parthian Shot’; were the additional tracks ones that just didn’t make it onto the original?
Those two tracks were a new addition, as we wanted to include some B-Sides that we had originally brought into those sessions, as well as a hint towards some directions we would take if we released another record.

You’ve claimed that ‘Parthian Shot’ is the most cinematic thing you’ve made for ages. What do you mean by this? Did you do anything specifically to give it that cinematic edge?
As a track it feels as though there is some real sense of visual atmospheres. There are field recordings, which we felt really fit with the mood of the track, and the themes of the lyrics.

You manage to blend electronic production with a guitar indie band; how did you discover that you could make these two sounds work?
We have always tried to maintain a balance with the two, because we love electronic music, but have always enjoyed the energy of live instruments being played by humans. I don’t think there really is such a thing as “non electronic” if you’re making music today.

A live show of Breton seems to be such an experience that garnered you your original following; what can fans of Breton expect at a live gig if they’ve never seen you before?
We have a short film for each track, which is a way of making sure the impact of each song live is completely different from listening to an MP3.

You pride yourselves on your live shows and making a career out of touring, which you recently spoke about with regards to the use of Spotify; do you make music for live purposes and how does this affect your recording process?
The second record was much more live in terms of the production. Even when we used electronic elements we re-recorded them being played by the musicians in the band so that it wasn’t just a series of sequenced loops.

As you tour so much, what do you miss about the UK when you’re away?
I miss being able to write every day, because despite being able to write on tour, you can’t really get lost in a piece of music just sitting in a hotel on your laptop.

What venue has stood out for you recently?
In Katowice we played in a huge disused ceramics factory, which was absolutely mind blowing. It’s a part of Poland that used to be an enormous industrial sector, but now is changing into something else.

Do you enjoy the travelling that touring involves and seeing new places? Which locations spring to mind from 2014 that left a lasting impression?
We played in Melbourne, which was beautiful, and then saw some unforgettable places in the US like Detroit and Vancouver. We also played a show high up in the Alps for this snowboard festival that was pretty mental.

Do you take inspiration from anyone else’s live performances, past or present?
We saw Woodkid play a few times over the festival season. His show is incredibly well put together and very well executed

Do you give yourselves a break from touring during the Christmas period? What is a Breton Christmas like?
Christmas will be about seeing family for most of us. There are a couple of projects lined up for before Christmas, which should be really exciting to work on.

Thanks, Roman!

Listen to Breton ‘Parthian Shot’ below:

By Charlotte Mellor