Entertainment Editor Stacy Walsh
London based Liu Bei have just released their
beautiful shoegazey three track EP Goodness.
Their stunning track “Fields” features
Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell.
The band just had a string of February dates,
playing to glowing reviews. NME has
described them as “expansive and cinematic”.
If you like the sounds of Mazzy Star, Slowdive
or Wild Beasts then you need to listen to Liu
Bei.
I spoke with Richard Walters about how Liu
Bei kicked off, the Goodness EP and how
Rachel Goswell came on board to do “Fields”.
How did it all kick off for Liu Bei?
I’d been making music by myself for a long
time, and for mostly touring solo too. I got so
sick of that, of being out on tour with no
company and actually decided to step away
from live music and concentrate on writing for
film/TV something I’d been doing for a while
anyway. A friend in London convinced me
otherwise, introduced me to some amazing
musicians and the rest is (recent) history.
How would you describe Liu Bei’s sound?
We wanted to make something that was
musically emotive and epic, but without
pulling any punches when it comes to melodic
hooks… Shoegaze is a term that’s been
mentioned a lot when talking about Liu Bei,
and that’s something I can live with.
So Liu Bei’s EP titled Goodness came out
this month. Could you tell me a bit about
the EP? How has the reception been, so far,
for the EP? We at Pure M got an early
listened and it’s an EP that really stood out
to me, the tracks are beautiful.
Thanks, so pleased you liked it. We recorded
the EP in London, moving between The Pool
Studio in Bermondsey and the basement of our
house in Hackney. It features 3 songs Goodness, Fields and a San Felu remix of
Knotweed. It gets every element of what we’re
trying to do tied up in those 3 songs… Loud,
quiet and weird. “Fields” has a guest vocal
from Slowdive singer Rachel Goswell – this
made us all very happy and fanboy-y. The
reception has been really wonderful, we
couldn’t have asked for more support.
How long did it take to make Goodness?
Who produced and mastered the EP?
The recording was sporadic…we started in
September and eventually got to a happy place
mix wise in November. We produced the EP
ourselves. It was mixed by San Felu and
mastered by Tim Debney at Fluid, London.
How did Rachel Goswell come on board to
do “Fields”?
I’ve been a Slowdive fan for a long time.
Rachel and I have been in touch for a while –
an ex manager of mine produced the first
Slowdive record. We’ve talked about doing
something together for a while and this song
just felt like the right moment.
Do you have any projects in the works or
any future recording plans at this time?
We’re just working on the next set of tracks
now… I hope an album isn’t too far off.
Could you give me some insight in to Liu
Bei’s songwriting process?
I started working differently with Liu Bei. In
the past, I’d always felt the need to write
melody and lyric together, sat at an acoustic
instrument… I had to sweat it out. Inevitably,
this often led to lots of frustration and writers
block. For these songs I’ve started working
around one element first, a keyboard line or
beat or drone, and then building the melody
and lyric around that. I take the half finished
ideas to the others and we build it up together.
How did you decide on the band name Liu
Bei?
It came to us via the radio. Liu Bei was a
Chinese warlord and we heard a documentary
about his legend when we searching for the
right name. He sounded like a legend and that
was good enough for us.
Who came up with the music video concepts
for “Goodness” and “Fields”?
Our close friend London filmmaker Jake
Dypka made the “Goodness” video. We share
a mutual love of samurai films. “Fields” was
made by another good friend, Matthew
Cooper. Both talented devils.
Do you have any upcoming tour dates
planned? How did the February gigs go?
Any chance of an Irish date?
February tour was fantastic, but far too short.
I love playing in Ireland, so I’m hoping we
will make it over this year.
Musically, who are your biggest influences?
So many. For me personally, London has
played a big role in my songwriting recently…
I’m not a natural city dweller and the city
seems to have irritated and inspired in equal
measure. Musically, it’s all over the place and
ever changing.
Since the Rachel Goswell collaboration
went so well, who else would you like to
collaborate with?
Oh, so many artists! Lots of voices, too many
to name. I’m really keen to incorporate some
unique string and choral arrangements into the
album…there’s a number of composers I’d
like to rope in there to make something rare…
Edmund Finnis, Aaron Dessner, Rob Moose…
Any last words?
I’m all about the French exit… I like to just
slip off without saying anything.
Follow Liu Bei on Twitter for regular
updates @liubeiwins and check out the
Goodness EP on Soundcloud
https://soundcloud.com/liubeiwins
23