Stonehaven’s Copy Haho have been hailed by many, including Vic Galloway, as one of Scotland’s best new bands. The guys are set to play their first ever tour in Europe with Los Campesinos! and yesterday singer Joe Hearty spoke with Dear Scotland about the upcoming gigs and more. Dates and ticket details follow the interview:
Dear Scotland: Where are you now and what did you do last night?
Joe Hearty, Copy Haho: I’m sitting at my computer in the attic of my parent’s house. Last night I stayed in and worked on some artwork I’m doing for a friend.
…
Copy Haho – Live in London 2009
…
…
DS: Paul McCartney said he got into music to avoid a job – and get lots of girls. What made you get into music?
Copy Haho: Nothing in particular really… I guess it was a growing obsession with instruments in general. I played the piano at a really early age, then violin, then trombone in secondary school (I wanted to play trumpet but apparently my mouth was the wrong shape) and then guitar when I was around 17. I started playing guitar because it was a cooler, less difficult version of the others.
…
…
DS: You’ll be touring in Central Europe in March with Los Campesinos!, where are you looking forward to playing and are there other places you’d like to visit?
Copy Haho: I’m looking forward to every single date of that tour equally. We’ve never visited (let alone played in) a lot of the cities on that tour, so hopefully it’ll be a lot of fun! If there are any budding tour guides out there, please get in touch.
…
Los Campesinos! – Death to Los Campesinos!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc4GethJnBg
…
…
DS: What is your favourite song of yours to play right now?
Copy Haho: At the moment… a new song called ‘Your Accent Changed’. It’s not finished, but I’m having fun figuring it out. Perhaps ‘Demons & Gods’ too, that was the b-side to our last single.
…
…
DS: Paul Carlin from Dananananaykroyd told us a few months ago that he was forming an Eric’s Trip covers band with you. How’s that working out?
Copy Haho: Ah yes! Paul and I are both big fans of Eric’s Trip for sure! Unfortunately I had to move back up north to my parents’ house when we started touring a lot more – so we’ve yet to have a practice. The hard thing about being in a band is not really having all that much time to hang out with your friends (most of whom are also in bands) – but hopefully we’ll be able to get something together soon!
…
Eric’s Trip – View Master
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFNbgL_5xWk
…
…
DS: Do you feel more Scottish when you are abroad, or do you adapt well to new places? Anything you miss about Scotland?
Copy Haho: We haven’t really found that out yet, as this upcoming tour will be the first time we’ve crossed water to play a show! I’m sure there’ll be times when we’ll feel a little out of place, but for the most part, the cities we’re visiting are fairly cosmopolitan so I’m sure we’ll cope.
…
…
DS: What will be your first words on stage at The Atomic Cafe in Munich, the first gig of the tour?
Copy Haho: “Guten tag Munich! Wie gehts!?” I’m going to rehearse a few phrases for each show, but I’m hoping the audience doesn’t expect a full-blown conversation…!
…
…
DS: Are there any Scottish musicians, past or present, that have influenced you?
Copy Haho: Of course! Orange Juice, The Delgados, Ivor Cutler, The Pastels, Arab Strap… some more influential than others, but all very relevant!
…
The Delgados – No Danger
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9NqIOxh1pM
…
…
DS: How do people react when they discover Copy Haho are Scottish?
Copy Haho: I’m not sure, positively I hope! I guess it gives your band that ‘foreign’ edge that people down south seem to crave. A lot of journos have commented on my accent in the past, which does lead to some pretty lazy comparisons… but for the most part it’s something I think we’re relatively proud of!
…
DS: What should the Scottish national anthem be?
Copy Haho: Perhaps somebody could put Ivor Cutler’s ‘Big Jim’ to music? It’s hilarious, in so many ways!
…
Ivor Cutler – Big Jim
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHYkTt_ZlsY
…
…
DS: What is the best after-show experience you’ve had?
Copy Haho: Singing/shouting Bon Jovi at a gigantic silent disco in Cardiff with Los Campesinos.
…
…
DS: And finally, many many years from now, when you finish your farewell world tour, is there one place to where you would like to retire?
Copy Haho: I’d like to retire to the borders somewhere, Lanark maybe? Somewhere with lots of hills…
…
Copy Haho at The Arches in Glasgow, November 2009
…
Photo Credit: Tomas Hermoso