Cat Jordan spoke to Miles Kane about touring, the writing process and, the creative inspiration behind his music video Nothing's Ever Gonna Be Good Enough as he releases his fourth studio album 'Change The Show'.
After some initial difficulty getting through (international phone calls never work perfectly), when asked, Miles says that he’s done “quite a few” interviews so far. As a huge fan of Miles, I felt it was essential to tell him how his music as part of duo The Last Shadow Puppets (alongside Artic Monkeys superstar Alex Turner) was some of the first I listened to in my early teen years. I remarked that, “'The Age Of The Understatement' was one of the first albums that I actually enjoyed listening to, that wasn't like music my parents would put on in the car, or music that I just heard on the radio. That album had a huge impact on my life, so I really want to thank you for that.” Miles agreed that it was a great album, and after telling him that I saw the duo perform back in 2016, Miles asked how old I was when 'The Age Of The Understatement' came out, quite enjoying the fact that I would’ve been only 8 (and 16 seeing them perform), thinking it was “incredible”.
Miles’ new album 'Change the Show' is packed with great tracks, with a stand-out being Never Get Tired of Dancing. Asking about his writing process, he said: “That song, actually, was written with my friend called Simon Aldridge. And we were in the studio one day. We were doing this other song. And then we had a few days together to do some writing, and we went out after the second night and we got obliterated, and we ended up back in my house and we were just blasting Motown music.
We moved the table out from the living room, and we closed all the curtains. And so when we got to the studio the next day, we were hanging. And we were like, "I've got no ideas and I'm frazzled." And I knew that were both the same. We were in a mess. And then we said, "Do you remember last night when we moved the table into the other room?" And then it... So we were like, then start as a joke, we were like, (singing). And then, so we just wrote that song. And so that chorus is literally what happened the night before we wrote it. “ When I asked whether this track proves that he can still be productive with a hangover, he laughed and said “Sometimes”.
The album is filled with fun, eclectic songs that sound as if they were made to be played out of a jukebox, and like Never Get Tired of Dancing, single Nothing’s Ever Gonna Be Good Enough is also a fun listen. As Miles’ favourite track from the album, I was interested in knowing more about the creative direction of the video, which features a mini Miles and Corinne [Bailey Rae, who features on this track]. Miles said: “Yeah. I mean, I love that song and I love the duet. With that video, I have to give the credit to Lisa Clarkson, who was the director. She had the song and said, "It's almost like it's quite childlike or something. It's kind of like playful. And so she sent this mood board of all these really cool references of kids at fairgrounds, and it's almost like a nursery rhyme. Lisa said, "Oh, wouldn't it be cool if there was a little you and a little Corinne and it's love story between them"
So it was all her idea, really. And it turned out really well. I think it matches the song perfectly. Because it's like a bit of a risk... but I just had a feeling in my gut. She convinced me so much that it'd look cool, and her idea was strong, so I gave her that chance and she didn't let me down.”; the video does a great job of telling a story.
"I think as soon as one foot hits the stage again, it's like the muscle memory kicks back in. It felt really cool"
Luckily, Miles already got to have a taste of post-lockdown gigs and festivals, performing at Victorious festival back in August 2021. When asking him if they feel any different in his post-lockdown era, Miles admitted that “I mean, we only did a few, so I feel like I couldn't really get in the swing of it again. It just felt like I hadn't even had a break, to be honest. I love performing anyway. And I think as soon as one foot hits the stage again, it's like the muscle memory kicks back in. It felt really cool. Do you know what I mean? But I've missed it again. It's like I had a little taste then I haven't had any gigs since then, so I'm just like, "I can't wait for next year." I need it for my own mental health. And now the tours coming up and I can't wait.”
Brooke Combe will be supporting him on his UK tour, which takes place in May. Asking him more about Brooke, he said “She's a great new artist and a great new singer, and I absolutely love her. I just think she's just a unique artist, and she's so young and she carries herself in this mature way. And I mean that in the most complimentary way. She's assertive of herself. And her songs are just getting better and better. I just really feel she's got a bright future and her career is really going to blossom. And become a real great artist. You know when you just have that feeling about someone?” Asking if they’d ever work together, Miles replied “Yeah. Well, we did a cover together of this Bobby Womack song, of an old tune that we released. I think there's a video online of that. And yeah, I'd love to. I'd love to do some writing with her, for sure. Definitely. Yeah, I think she's cool as fuck.” Miles was an absolute pleasure to interview, so be sure to check out his album 'Change the Show, and to see him at Rock City on May 13th.
Cat Jordan
Edited by: Joe Hughes
Featured image courtesy of Miles Kane via Facebook. In-article videos courtesy of Miles Kane via YouTube.
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