Pulled Apart By Horses Interview

This October, UK rock band, Pulled Apart By Horses, will return to Australia for an East Coast tour. Live and loud is the essence of every show, with an order of chaos that can blow minds. With the release of third album, ‘Blood’, they are continuing to make a noise while embarking on wider musical and lyrical themes. Here, we speak to guitarist, James Brown, about the new album and their expectations of the tour.
Hi guys, how’s life treating you? How have you been enjoying your British summer so far?
Yes, we certainly have been this year! We’ve been playing festivals every weekend, enjoyed a little tiny heatwave here in the UK (for fucking once) and been hard at work writing new material for our next record which is going super well at the moment. Could always do with some more sun here, but we’ll just wait ’til October and borrow some of yours for a couple of weeks.
Let’s go back to the beginning… You were all in separate bands, and then formed Pulled Apart By Horses, so how did you all find each other?
It was all quite weird and came together literally over the course of a week. I was busy running a record label and events business and was wanting to start playing in a band again; I managed and released Tom’s (our singer) old band (Mother Vulpine) which eventually came to an end. I put some messages out to our drummer (at the time) over a local forum as I noticed he’d finished playing in his old band and met Rob (bassist) though my ex-girlfriend all in the space of a week. Then a few days later we were Pulled Apart By Horses. Fucking nuts to think about it actually [Laughs]
Since forming, your music has been described as “manic art-punk convulsion” and “awesome ear-bending post-hardcore rock”, but how would you describe it? What sound do you strive for when you head into a studio or onto a stage?
I can’t really put a title on it or include it within a genre as it’s always changing. It’s definitely guitar music but it’s been hardcore, punk, disco, but essentially if you did need to coin a phrase it would have to be alternative rock. But that sounds boring so I’ll say exploding prick punk pop. We don’t strive for anything on a stage or studio, we literally just do what feels natural to us which is why we’re still together now and enjoying it, I guess. Once you start pinning hopes on conveying certain sounds, images, looks or replicating others, you become a prick. Nobody likes a prick.
How has your sound or process changed with new album, ‘Blood’, if at all?
It’s basically evolved, it’s in no way a massive departure from previous records, but you can certainly hear a change. We took it upon ourselves to take some time out and write/record ‘Blood’ over the space of a year rather than rushing it and I truly think you can hear that in the songs and vocals. It feels a little bit more grown up but still remains true to what PABH is about to me.
You’re going on tour in Australia this October, it’s not your first time Down Under, what was the craziest thing that happened last time?
Last year, we were over for Soundwave Festival. We had a few days off and went cycling up the Gold Coast after a heavy night out drinking. The next day I was on a drip with sunstroke. Bloody Brits abroad!
How can someone in the crowd get your attention during a live show?
I usually spot people who are dancing. In fact, I kind of look out for people dancing. You always get people jumping up and down which we always notice and love, but when you see somebody dancing it’s just plain amazing to watch from stage.
What sort of things are you keen to get up to in the cities?
Simple; drinking and eating in Melbourne for me! Oh, I really want to go see the Opera House in Sydney and I’m also very much looking forward to having dinner with Tony Abbott.
What’s in the pipeline before and after Australia? Where else are you heading to on tour?
We have a big show headlining the Thursday night of Leeds Festival and another festival in Switzerland this month. This tour will probably be the end of our current touring ’til the next record, so we’ll be hard at work straight after this making the new album. We don’t know who we’ll be doing it with or where but over the next few months it’ll all be come clear.
Pulled Apart By Horses Australian Tour Dates