“I just sit around listening to Joy Division. I’d forgotten they really are the only band that’s ever mattered.”
BRIGHTON'S OWN HARPER LEE take their name from the authoress of the classic tale of deep south alienation (and GCSE Eng-Lit staple) "To Kill A Mockingbird". Their component parts are multi-instrumentalist Laura Bridge, who also steps out for Kicker, and former Brighter and Hal vocalist Keris Howard, whose guitar lines lit up student bedsits across the land, back in the days when the passing of time was just a journey from SARAHs 1 to 100. We need to stress though that Harper Lee should be judged in their own right as what they are, i.e. the classic wolf in sheep's clothing. For beneath the orderly, melodic melancholy is a lyrical cutting edge that creeps up unannounced and just GETS you. Every time.
"when you need her, but she loves him, so hard it burns, there's no answer that can't hurt" (No Happy Ending)
They popped up for the first time with 2000's "Dry Land" single on the er, superfine Matinée imprint, a brilliant evocation of a windswept and desolate shore, which panicked us into quite justified paroxysms of eulogy after we'd sped back on the tube from Selectadisc (q.v) after picking it up. Pausing only to issue a second forty-five, "Bug", which knocked us so heavily sideways that our respective ribcages still shudder from the bruising, they then gave the world "Go Back To Bed", a début album that shimmered its way through 10 outwardly pristine tracks, though with the feeling beneath the surface never far away: as well as the hidden razor's edge of those first two A sides, it harboured criminally touching songs like "Only connect" (imagine emerging into the outside to be buffeted by invigorating breeze), "Deep dark ocean" (back out on the plains, a measure of sadness, an acre of regret) and the to-be anthemic "Seems to be"...
"tired and yet tongue-tied; excuses and white lies; a waste of fucking energy" (Brooklyn Bridge)
Last autumn, their most recent work, the 3-track CD "Train Not Stopping" cemented their reputation, in our eyes at least. In the same way that Brighter's "Killjoy" suddenly saw them step up an echelon from what we thought was already a pretty lofty vantage point, "Train", with its effortlessly regret-filled lyrics and smooth indie pop swirl, just seemed to switch Harper Lee up another gear, into the UEFA places of all-time alt-pop (don't worry, we are licenced to mix metaphors). It's often the last song I listen to before I get into work in the morning, its honeyed keyboard / guitar mélange soundtracking the walk from the Moorgate escalator and through the raised towers of the Barbican estate. As a tonic for the day it can seem perfect - that last breath of air before plunging your head back down into the yes, deep, dark waters of the world of work.
Anyway. Determined to make sure that our first ever interview was with our very first choice artist, we bothered Keris sufficiently for him to agree to give us an insight into their current landscape. (We guess his fight had just gone.)
* * * * *
so how are you feeling today ?
Fine for a change – still warm from the rosy glow of Brighton being crowned Nationwide League Division 2 Champions at the weekend. Amazing stuff, especially as we also remained the reigning Champions of Division 3 until Plymouth claimed the title on Monday and, as I’m sure you remember, we’ve continued to be the Champions of the 3rd Division South since 1958, having won it in its last year.
Now this may sound a little bit sad and indulgent but trust me, you could not believe what the last 10 years of supporting the Albion have been like.
and what's the weather like ?
The weather is … well, it’s night time and it just looks dark from my window. But it’s not raining. I can say that much.
Only a British fanzine interview would open with a question about the weather.
i read somewhere that you adopted "Harper Lee" as a name because of the way she never wrote another novel … is that true - or is there anything you identify with in "to kill a mockingbird" itself ?
Well I do love the book. I guess I’ve always liked its uncomplicated morality and faith in “good people” - Atticus Finch and Boo Radley are surely two of the greatest heroes of 20th century literature.
That said, the name was chosen simply because I thought it was a great name. We were a little anxious that it might not be a particularly bright idea to name one’s band after a famously litigious writer but it’d be pretty cool to get sued by Harper Lee would it not.
Anyway, Brighter managed to get away with releasing an EP called “Disney” that was fronted by a picture of Winona Ryder. We have a history of these things.
It is true that I do love the idea of creating one definitive work of absolute genius then just throwing the towel in. And, yes I did think “Dry land” should have put us in that category – first single and last single, goodnight. Nobody else thought it, unfortunately.
how did the hook-up with matinée come about... was the initiative yours or theirs ?
Erm … it was via Keith Blueboy and Dick Lovejoy … I was looking to put some new stuff out after taking a break for a good many years and I bumped into Keith and Dick at a Sleater Kinney gig (if I remember right) - they suggested Matinée.
I’m not that familiar with the rest of the label’s output – I don’t really know where we fit in amongst the other bands – the ones I’ve heard seem kind of quirky and Harper Lee, in my head at least, aren’t.
I guess it’s kind of odd when your only experience of a label has been a set-up like Sarah where, in the early days at least, there was a real gang mentality, a real shared ethos and sound. I could never see Harper Lee being defined by their label in the same way as Brighter. And I guess that is a good thing.
you're part of a wave of english bands now that are releasing records on united states-based labels. do you ever resent the fact that UK promoters and labels alike still seem to have a huge blind spot for (unhyped) homegrown talent - especially melodic pop talent ?
I’m not necessarily convinced they have a blind spot – Kicker, for example, don’t seem to have any trouble finding UK based labels to release their stuff (or gigs for that matter).
I think the UK may be a little more style/credibility conscious and that may count against some of the more “mature” talents that continue to hawk their wares over in the States. I fear there may be an element of deference that eclipses any worries about the thinning hair, paunches and flaccid old C86 ramblings.
And yes, before you say it, I know my last line could to some extent be turned on me but hey, I’ve agonised many times as to whether I’m too old for doing this stuff now and as to whether my stuff is actually any good … I didn’t release anything for 5 years because I realised I was writing crap and I’m still terrified that if we were to play live people would just look on me as a sad ugly old wanker who’s deluded in the belief that any one actually gives a fuck.
Bands should look like Ash. If Harper Lee ever take the stage it’ll be Laura up front and me under a blanket in the shadows.
on that note, there any plans to play live ? are the reasons that you haven't down to logistics or just not really wanting to ?
on that note, there any plans to play live ? are the reasons that you haven't down to logistics or just not really wanting to ?
Playing live is hard work isn’t it – undoubtedly it means tiresome journeys up to (inevitably) London in rush hour traffic, means sound-checks, and engineers, and waiting around, and not having a proper meal, the smell of stale beer, other bands, loud music all night, not being able to think or talk, nerves, a late night, no audience, or an audience who just chats all the way through your set, and somebody inevitably will say play a Brighter song (no doubt one of the really awful ones) and you’ll just think why do I bloody bother. Oh, and then there’s the bit about looking a “sad ugly old wanker”.
Saying that, I’m not counting out a Harper Lee live performance in 2002.
brighter were one of about 3 bands ever that have made me cry - it was "tinsel heart" that did it. we think harper lee tread a similar um, furrow… are you conscious when you record that people might derive so much from your songs, or have you learned to be quite emotionally detached from them by now ?
I’m always genuinely touched when lyrics connect in that way. Some of my songs admittedly mean more to me than others, a few are very personal, others a bit more tenuous, but it’s always special when someone else finds something there that strikes a chord. I’ve always sought solace in other’s music so I’m extremely flattered if one or two people find some kind of consolation in my own.
I guess I’m a pretty reflective individual and my own stuff has always been cathartic. However, I could never ever pretend to be in anyway a decent lyricist so I have to keep the sentiments simple. That’s all I can do – I’m too dumb for poetry or clever symbolism. Maybe that’s why people connect easier – there are few hidden meanings, you don’t have to work anything out. If my songs were a jigsaw puzzle they’d just have 4 very chunky pieces.
I do find it very hard to write lyrics and have to say I’m not always that proud of the end result. I do think I’ve written some dreadful stuff in my time and have to admit, where Brighter are concerned, if I ever had the time and the means for doing so, I’d track down every copy of “Laurel” and scratch out “Maybe”. I don’t know what I was thinking of when I wrote that song. Awful.
[The “Maybe” fan club, which we seem to remember included Melody Maker, will be having screaming fits here. And we're not letting him anywhere near our copy of "Laurel"...]
what about politics ? after the subtexts in your former bands' songs ("hope springs eternal", "election day"), do you still derive lyrical inspiration for writing from the big bad world outside ?
I’ve never been able to do political stuff in the way that say, McCarthy used to. I’d love to be that articulate but I’m not. Both myself and Laura are political - an evening with the two of us and a few beers would soon change any preconceptions of us being a couple of fey flower arranging bed-wetters. However, I’m just not very good at squeezing overt politics into songs – that’s not what I do.
I guess I’m a pretty reflective individual and my own stuff has always been cathartic. However, I could never ever pretend to be in anyway a decent lyricist so I have to keep the sentiments simple. That’s all I can do – I’m too dumb for poetry or clever symbolism. Maybe that’s why people connect easier – there are few hidden meanings, you don’t have to work anything out. If my songs were a jigsaw puzzle they’d just have 4 very chunky pieces.
I do find it very hard to write lyrics and have to say I’m not always that proud of the end result. I do think I’ve written some dreadful stuff in my time and have to admit, where Brighter are concerned, if I ever had the time and the means for doing so, I’d track down every copy of “Laurel” and scratch out “Maybe”. I don’t know what I was thinking of when I wrote that song. Awful.
[The “Maybe” fan club, which we seem to remember included Melody Maker, will be having screaming fits here. And we're not letting him anywhere near our copy of "Laurel"...]
what about politics ? after the subtexts in your former bands' songs ("hope springs eternal", "election day"), do you still derive lyrical inspiration for writing from the big bad world outside ?
I’ve never been able to do political stuff in the way that say, McCarthy used to. I’d love to be that articulate but I’m not. Both myself and Laura are political - an evening with the two of us and a few beers would soon change any preconceptions of us being a couple of fey flower arranging bed-wetters. However, I’m just not very good at squeezing overt politics into songs – that’s not what I do.
I do think the personal stuff can be more than just introspection – I’d like to think “Dry land” is a political song as it's about personal honesty, about disappointment, about being able to say you’re lost and you just don’t get it (or don’t want to get it) – I think that’s quite a brave thing to say in these times. But I wouldn’t want to overstate it. I’d like to say Harper Lee are quietly subversive – but I think I may be pushing it.
where did that brilliant graffiti on the "go back to bed" sleeve come from ?
where did that brilliant graffiti on the "go back to bed" sleeve come from ?
It’s a photo taken by the lovely Cassie (who’s also done a lot of the Kicker sleeve artwork). No idea if the graffitti’s still there - if you want to check you’ll need to visit Wentworth Street in London.
are you really "bored with being ignored" ?
A little, yes, but I guess, as a band, we only have ourselves to blame. I do blow hot and cold on the enthusiasm front - sometimes I listen to our stuff and think “shit, we are SO good, what is wrong with everybody, why aren’t we huge”, and other days its just crippling self-doubt.
Whatever, we’ve never really been into “self-promotion” - I’ve always thought that a mite vulgar. We must be a little frustrating from a record company point of view.
is Harper Lee something you concentrate on more when kicker are "quiet" (or in your case, something that got sidelined to an extent when you were touring with trembling blue stars) or are you writing songs all the time ?
Um … there’s no real plan. My own writing comes in fits and starts, which can be a little alarming sometimes as I have dried up for years, not just months, in the past.
Kicker is very much Laura’s main band I guess but I wouldn’t want Harper Lee to be seen as any sort of side project. As we are essentially “studio-based”, it’s not too much of a drain on either of our time. Saying that, TBS [Keris guested manfully for Bobby Wratten’s elegant independent pop quintet by playing bass, and (we thought) bringing a welcome soupçon of “does love last forever ?” stylings to songs like "st pauls cathedral at night"] did start to become more of a distraction than was originally intended and I had to make some sort of choice as I also have a day job and some semblance of a life to weave in each week.
what's next on the release schedule… is there a second album in the pipeline ? (if there is can we suggest "bobby zamora" for a title ?)
We’re going into the studio at the end of this week to start recording a new LP of undecided length - it’ll hopefully be ready by the mid/late summer. “Bobby Zamora” would be a great title if we could guarantee he’d still be on the Albion’s books by the time the LP’s released. If he wasn’t it’d be a bit of a sore point.
The current working title for the new record is “Everything’s going to be OK”. No question mark you see – wanted to be a bit optimistic, show that we could be a bit upbeat.
what artistes do you find yourselves listening to, this spring 2002 ?
are you really "bored with being ignored" ?
A little, yes, but I guess, as a band, we only have ourselves to blame. I do blow hot and cold on the enthusiasm front - sometimes I listen to our stuff and think “shit, we are SO good, what is wrong with everybody, why aren’t we huge”, and other days its just crippling self-doubt.
Whatever, we’ve never really been into “self-promotion” - I’ve always thought that a mite vulgar. We must be a little frustrating from a record company point of view.
is Harper Lee something you concentrate on more when kicker are "quiet" (or in your case, something that got sidelined to an extent when you were touring with trembling blue stars) or are you writing songs all the time ?
Um … there’s no real plan. My own writing comes in fits and starts, which can be a little alarming sometimes as I have dried up for years, not just months, in the past.
Kicker is very much Laura’s main band I guess but I wouldn’t want Harper Lee to be seen as any sort of side project. As we are essentially “studio-based”, it’s not too much of a drain on either of our time. Saying that, TBS [Keris guested manfully for Bobby Wratten’s elegant independent pop quintet by playing bass, and (we thought) bringing a welcome soupçon of “does love last forever ?” stylings to songs like "st pauls cathedral at night"] did start to become more of a distraction than was originally intended and I had to make some sort of choice as I also have a day job and some semblance of a life to weave in each week.
what's next on the release schedule… is there a second album in the pipeline ? (if there is can we suggest "bobby zamora" for a title ?)
We’re going into the studio at the end of this week to start recording a new LP of undecided length - it’ll hopefully be ready by the mid/late summer. “Bobby Zamora” would be a great title if we could guarantee he’d still be on the Albion’s books by the time the LP’s released. If he wasn’t it’d be a bit of a sore point.
The current working title for the new record is “Everything’s going to be OK”. No question mark you see – wanted to be a bit optimistic, show that we could be a bit upbeat.
what artistes do you find yourselves listening to, this spring 2002 ?
Ever since seeing 24 Hour Party People I just sit around listening to Joy Division. I’d forgotten they really are the only band that’s ever mattered.
Laura’s probably been listening to something very cool and happening. She tends to have her ear close to the ground, not only due to alcoholic collapse or because she can hear “the approach of horses” but also because she gets out more than me (which I guess is why she’s never around to answer fanzine questions).
what are your recommended venues in Brighton (btw for "venues" we mean bars, parks, caffs - just anywhere you like to hang out) ?
Once again, a question that would be better put to Laura but as she’s “unavailable for comment” I’d say, best venue (since the sad demise of The Lift) has got to be the Free Butt … best pub has got to be my local The Engineer in Argyle Road, best park, Preston Park (with its own best café, The Rotunda).
Actually, I really don’t get out that much - you know what Brighton’s like – you live in fear that you’ll walk into the wrong bar wearing the wrong trainers and everybody will laugh and point. And I’m always going to be doing things like that because I’ll never be able to get away from the fact that although I may live in one of Europe’s coolest cities, actually I come from Worthing.
...oh, and lastly, are you doing anything special for the <> ?
In an ideal world I’d like to say we’d be dancing through the streets of London gaily playing catch with the freshly severed heads of the Royal family and all their verminous hangers on. This probably remains a possibility for Laura but it’s more likely that I’ll be subversively in denial about any right royal celebrations and will be carrying out my own form of protest by having a couple of days off, having a few beers and putting my feet up in front of the World Cup. And when England play I won’t be standing for the National Anthem. Up the revolution!
Amen to that. And many, many thanks to Keris. So I was wearing Winona Ryder on my Brighter t-shirt all that time...
* * * * *
Laura’s probably been listening to something very cool and happening. She tends to have her ear close to the ground, not only due to alcoholic collapse or because she can hear “the approach of horses” but also because she gets out more than me (which I guess is why she’s never around to answer fanzine questions).
what are your recommended venues in Brighton (btw for "venues" we mean bars, parks, caffs - just anywhere you like to hang out) ?
Once again, a question that would be better put to Laura but as she’s “unavailable for comment” I’d say, best venue (since the sad demise of The Lift) has got to be the Free Butt … best pub has got to be my local The Engineer in Argyle Road, best park, Preston Park (with its own best café, The Rotunda).
Actually, I really don’t get out that much - you know what Brighton’s like – you live in fear that you’ll walk into the wrong bar wearing the wrong trainers and everybody will laugh and point. And I’m always going to be doing things like that because I’ll never be able to get away from the fact that although I may live in one of Europe’s coolest cities, actually I come from Worthing.
...oh, and lastly, are you doing anything special for the <
In an ideal world I’d like to say we’d be dancing through the streets of London gaily playing catch with the freshly severed heads of the Royal family and all their verminous hangers on. This probably remains a possibility for Laura but it’s more likely that I’ll be subversively in denial about any right royal celebrations and will be carrying out my own form of protest by having a couple of days off, having a few beers and putting my feet up in front of the World Cup. And when England play I won’t be standing for the National Anthem. Up the revolution!
Amen to that. And many, many thanks to Keris. So I was wearing Winona Ryder on my Brighter t-shirt all that time...
* * * * *
Anyway, let’s tidy up now. As you’ll see, Keris seems strangely self-deprecating, particularly about his skill at writing lyrics – but the simplicity, as I think he hints, is part of the value… we very genuinely rate him as a top quality lyricist. The point he makes about "Dry land" is interesting - yes, it is a superb song - but at least Harper Lee having, for want of a better word, persevered, means more people will be hearing about their work and in doing so getting to listen to the song and its exploration of well, the disenfranchisement that a lot of us are feeling as we age and suddenly panic about quite what our place is after all. As for the "wham bam thank you ma'am" of releasing one landmark single and splitting up, well effectively that's what Hal (Keris, ably supported by Alex Sharkey's synth stylings) did with the sublime "Election day", which slipped out unannounced on Vinyl Japan in 1994.
Awwww, we wish they'd reconsider on the Bobby Zamora thing... When the Wedding Present released “George Best” he’d, after all, played for an arsenal of clubs apart from Gedge's beloved m********* u***** (though, fortuitously enough, not Arsenal) and spent much of the intervening time propping up bars. Given that Brighton nicked Zamora off the once-great BRFC (1883), and we wouldn't think any less of Harper Lee if they appropriated him too, we think that’s still probably a pretty cool title for an LP, wherever he might go next (ilwttisott is bombarding the Lazio and Inter Milan bulletin boards to take him for a big-euro sum – given that Rovers get 40% of any sell-on). Just think - surely if Harper Lee get in now, he'll have to sue them for image rights once he's playing for England.
Anyway, we're off to find Wentworth Street before it becomes a proper shrine. If it's full of pop tourists clicking camera shutters by the time we get there, we'll know we were too late. ILWTTISOTT
Awwww, we wish they'd reconsider on the Bobby Zamora thing... When the Wedding Present released “George Best” he’d, after all, played for an arsenal of clubs apart from Gedge's beloved m********* u***** (though, fortuitously enough, not Arsenal) and spent much of the intervening time propping up bars. Given that Brighton nicked Zamora off the once-great BRFC (1883), and we wouldn't think any less of Harper Lee if they appropriated him too, we think that’s still probably a pretty cool title for an LP, wherever he might go next (ilwttisott is bombarding the Lazio and Inter Milan bulletin boards to take him for a big-euro sum – given that Rovers get 40% of any sell-on). Just think - surely if Harper Lee get in now, he'll have to sue them for image rights once he's playing for England.
Anyway, we're off to find Wentworth Street before it becomes a proper shrine. If it's full of pop tourists clicking camera shutters by the time we get there, we'll know we were too late. ILWTTISOTT
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