Velvet April 2017 | Page 10

doesn’t know about that… How would you describe your sound? HZ: I find it really hard to pin a specific sound to ours. The Growlers have always been a big influence for you and Tav, and I think that you can hear that in our music quite a bit. Also, old pop bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys definitely play a big part in influencing our melodies. WM: Tav’s always been a massive fan of The Strokes and so have I, and I think that creeps in a little bit. But overall, we like having a lot of varied influences. It enables us to create something that, hopefully, no other band has. Is there anyone else you idolise as a musician? HZ: Paul McCartney - I just love him. I’m even obsessed with his solo stuff. I know that’s quite a cliché answer, to say The 9 Beatles, but I really do love them. WM: The Strokes and The Growlers are both bands with guitar- less frontmen, and that’s something that, although it isn’t always achievable within Fur, I’ll always admire. The Doors have always been one of my favourite bands, and I remember seeing videos of Jim Morrison just rock out onstage without even n eeding a guitar. As a band, you sadly parted ways at the end of last Summer. Why was that? HZ: At the time, we were living with each other, and all we did was talk about problems in the house or problems in the band - we didn’t have much time to chill out, and I think it’s really important that bands realise that your relationship needs to be solid. You need to be able to hang out in a relaxed setting, and not talk about business all of the time. That’s what we do now and that’s why we’ve gotten so close again. I think all we needed was some time apart to realise that we really appreciate each other, and we’ve all matured enough to realise that it wasn’t worth throwing away. WM: We all get on amazingly now and we’re ready to take Fur as far as we can. entirely from those singles, but we’ve expanded on that and found our sound a bit more. We feel comfortable with the songs we’ve written and all of the new stuff ties together. WM: I agree, our sound has developed but it doesn't shy away from Creature and One & Twenty and that Fur sound. We still write pop songs, but mature pop songs. In your new music, can we expect you to further expand on the sound of songs like Creature and One & Twenty, or will you be moving in a different musical direction? HZ: We’ve haven’t moved away Do you currently have any plans for new singles or an EP? WM: We have plans for an upcoming single, and we’re really proud of the song. We’re super happy with it and it’s definitely something that represents us and where we’re at. We’re at the stage where we’re writing enough songs that if we did want to release an EP, we’ve got at least most of the songs, but the single is something that’s happening fairly soon. " We're ready to take Fur as far as we can " Fur's next headline gig is 5th May at Old Blue Last, London - tickets are available OTD Written by Tatjana Harrington-Steward 10