Cheers, Harris. Pleasure.
Keith Jopling:How are you? And whereabouts are you
Yan, Sea Power:in have brightened in my room at the top of the house where I do music and recording and stuff like that. And I'm alright, I'm a bit tired. I've been doing physical exercise, not for the sake of it. I've been moving timber around the garden, trying to build something
Keith Jopling:so not as part of your longevity schedule or anything like that. I'd like
Yan, Sea Power:to go to the gym and stuff. But I just have a sort of combination of laziness and a fear of gyms.
Keith Jopling:Yeah, but I'm with you on that one. I think the fear of gyms thing has hit me as well, since the whole pandemic thing. I haven't been to one for two years. And I don't think I'll ever go back. I can't believe I found the time.
Yan, Sea Power:I've never been to a gym.
Keith Jopling:Right? There are other ways of staying healthy. Anyway, let's start with now I think just because you've made a new record, everything was forever. It's album number 10. Did you think you'd be talking about that? Never. Actually, when
Yan, Sea Power:you said it, I can't believe it. Does it? It's a soundtracks and stuff I guess.
Keith Jopling:Yeah, I mean, includes your two while you've done three soundtracks now than you? I think I'm including the two soundtrack albums. You did the film's rather than the games, but we'll talk about those in a second.
Yan, Sea Power:Yeah. Well, this smart album sounds pretty fair to include. How
Keith Jopling:does it feel because a lot has changed since there's been a gradual process dances should inherit the party was was what, four years ago? Yeah,
Yan, Sea Power:I don't know. I keep reading five. I just go and whatever. I just at the people's sense of time better than my own.
Keith Jopling:Yeah, I mean, I always thinking back to right back to the beginning. 2003 Because I remember I bought the first two British sea power albums as you were, then we'll come to that in a second. But you know, it was very much in the HMV, two for 22 CDs, and there'd be a very small selection of bands. And you were very prominent in all of that, you know, in that merch. That's how I bought the first couple of albums and got to know the band a bit is very different now though, isn't it?
Yan, Sea Power:Yeah, you know, first thanks for buying them. It was a different world. It wasn't that by going out to the shop and buying CDs. It was a different world then musically and the way people took it home and bought and paid for it and different enjoyed in different ways. I don't know how much the rest of the band would share. I always say I thought we were destined to probably do really well. So, really naively, I thought we had something good going. And now I can see the good parts and the sort of the not so good parts of it. But yeah, I thought the world would gently fall our feet.
Keith Jopling:I mean, definitely sent an ambition. Because it took me a while to get going, didn't it? Few years before you released that first record, wasn't it?
Yan, Sea Power:Yeah. It took us quite a few years. But I've met Martin noble as he's known, Martin noble. In reading, he was at university with me. Now, there's probably at least three or four years before anything. You know, I knew obviously my brother for a lot longer. And would he's also from Kendall and he was a schoolmate of Neil's Hamilton, Neil Hamilton. Yeah. So I mean, that's kind of known that but it wasn't until after I've known mine, that we actually got together as the four of us and started trying to make music,
Keith Jopling:that the rest of the band share your ambition for greatness.
Yan, Sea Power:I think they were happy to go along with that idea. I mean, I just was naive in the way that I thought if you sort of genuine like, integrity made something really good. It would just naturally do well. Yeah. But I now know, there's a lot more to it than that. There's a lot more skills and things that you need.
Keith Jopling:Yeah, there's a lot more to it. And there's a lot more stuff this very hard to predict and control. I mean, we're going right back to the been a big bit quicker than I thought I wanted to talk about Green Goddess amongst other things, but I mean, let's come back to that in a minute. But yeah, I suppose you were quite hyped, as well, weren't you in at the beginning, I remember, wasn't at the Sunday Times that called you the best band in the world in 2004. And you're given a lot of accolades for live performance. Well, I mean, look, you're still here. Yeah.
Yan, Sea Power:I mean, it wasn't the sole reason, you know, we didn't just want to get rich and fly around in helicopters and stuff. We just thought we had a lot to offer. So it'd be natural that people would want to get involved. We saw got hyped, but we weren't really part because there was sort of a scene. Maybe in those days that was arrived a bit after we got going, which was sort of separate from us, but we maybe had like one foot in there. I don't know bands like The Libertines and stuff like that we're doing on the strokes and things. Yeah. Franz Ferdinand and stuff like that. But we were never like, really in there. But we weren't completely the opposite. You know, we were slightly in Oh, well, I
Keith Jopling:suppose. You know, there's guitars, bass drums, and you're making those classic sort of indie rock tracks. So you're in the mix, you're in the mix down? Are you sort of branched out a bit and became a bit more avant garde, so to speak, with soundtracks and so on? But let's go back to to now, I mean, would it be nice to have a hit like
Yan, Sea Power:it when someone's strange and slightly out, formulate something which penetrates into that, and I'm thinking of people like from the 60s at this point, my boss joemeek, Talstar, and things like that. It was about as strange and far out, as you could get was still competing, sort of, from his cellar, or bedroom, with, you know, the big companies and stuff like that, without giving up that sort of original view of the world. You know,
Keith Jopling:I think that's right, though. But then people do like that, you know, they respond to that weirdness. That strangeness a little bit. I think that's been part of your, your success.
Yan, Sea Power:Yeah, we sort of, were confused by and where we want. We enjoy that kind of thinking of breaking through that kind of barrier whilst being ourselves but we also don't make it easy for ourselves and you kind of need to be focused on it. Do one thing? Well, really.
Keith Jopling:The art of longevity is presented with Bowers and Wilkins. Many of the most listened to recordings of all time were created at Abbey Road Studios. Most of those recordings were first heard on Bowers and Wilkins loudspeakers. It's a pleasure to have Bowers and Wilkins supporting our show. But yeah, I'm hearing Green Goddess on radio, really, really enjoying it. I've obviously listened to the album a little bit. It's hard to tell when you've sort of listened to it on a promotional link, but it's not on commercial. If I may say, Well, you've released a few singles. And you know, they do play along as singles. So you know, you kind of you're laughing at that. But
Yan, Sea Power:yeah, that's because it's true because we, we write singles and things and they live alongside these other. It's like, Sega Ross meets queen or something. And we're somewhere with straddling that. A strange combination of worlds. Yeah, it's often goes one way or the other one song basis, but in an album.
Keith Jopling:So the last album I know, well was the previous album dancers inherit the party. And I think I think it's a really great album. I think it's a cracking record. That was a crowdfunded thing, wasn't it? So that was independent released. Crowdfunding, how did it do? I mean, given that it was more commercial a record than you've made for a long time?
Yan, Sea Power:Do you know, I don't know, probably didn't do as well as most people imagine. did okay. I don't know what the sort of boundaries that were meant to exist within? I mean, it didn't the next year, and by any means. We get played on radio six, basically. Yeah. I don't know. We get the scope, scope band a lot. And I guess we are in a lot of ways, because our fans are brilliant. And they've stood by us all this years. Maybe we are told by and I've always hated that description that we're starting to think, essentially, that's what we are. I might as well accept.
Keith Jopling:Yeah, it's an odd one, isn't it? Because I've run a curation website, called the songs familiar. And I've got a page called cult bands, it's quite hard figuring out who you can put on that page without offending them. But I mean, I guess the way you've described it, yeah, you don't compromise really, you know, out to write the hits. But you've got a very loyal core audience, but it's about what you do outside the audience. I
Yan, Sea Power:guess you may be this element that if you create a world of some kind, what
Keith Jopling:I do like that, that's probably going to be one of my suggested kind of secrets of longevity for bands for new bands now, because otherwise, how do you break through, you can't really rely on the mainstream as such? I mean, even if you get played on six, music or radio to what, what does it mean? And yeah, do you have done that? Haven't you, you've created a world?
Yan, Sea Power:I think we probably have Yeah, I don't know, when we didn't really plan it very well, we'd have Celtic meetings where things would be discussed, and we very rarely agree on things. The first sort of thing, which really brought us together as a band was, we had a monthly club night in Brighton. And from that point, I guess, we started to try and do that, you know, create a world somewhere a bit different. It seemed pointless to demo the same, especially at the time, when we started, they didn't seem that there was much going on, we often would do something just because it wasn't. I mean, we chose like a weird name for a band, because it's an incredibly meaningful name with a lot of history of, you know, not upon attached to it. And, you know, whereas most people choose a meaningless name, which he can inhabit, and it becomes what band is, which makes, makes a lot of sense do that when you think about it, but it just seemed like it was picked on a lot of times, let's do the opposite of that. Choose the kind of name that no one's gonna, we're not gonna have to worry about an American band somewhere and change our name because this one already exists. Yeah,
Keith Jopling:it got a lot of respect at the time, as a good band name. I remember guy, Garvey, and people either saying, Oh, this is, this is a great band name and a great band as well. So what was it like for you changing the name? So I've read quite a bit of background on why, by all means, feel free to elucidate on that here as well. But I'm also interested in the how, because you say you've kind of created that world and that reputation with a very core fan base. And then when you change your name, like how do you do it?
Yan, Sea Power:Like we've talked about it on and off for a long time, I've thought about changing it as long ago as machinery is a giant. But in those days, I was thinking of it as we might change our name for different albums, and just essentially, completely transform the name into something else rather than, you know, abbreviate it as we have now. So I think we just didn't want to release another record as British CBR is that thing of deadlines and points where they normally sort of focus groups of people are making make decisions at that point, that we've licensed our records, whatever label behind this, and they took care of that, you know, logistically, and on websites and all those things, that must be a pain in the ass to have to do it last minute. And they were fantastic at sorting that out for us. So we decided to deal with the sort of emotional and tax planning time and side of the decision, which was interesting. You're
Keith Jopling:quite a way into it now. So the the social media reaction and all that might have the dust has settled on it a little bit.
Yan, Sea Power:Yeah, the idea was to get out way Yeah, before the article came out, because in a lot of Ways it's not a big deal. Basically, it's just the band changing the name of it, you know, or to get out of the way, because we knew there'd be a bit of a cover for people who have nothing, no interested in, in us, as artists, as musicians, or even aware of us would probably get better involved with it, because it's the word British and dropping it. So then you certainly come this little gimmick in the famous culture wars which are going on, you know, we're not interested in that, which is partly why we changed. Yeah, it
Keith Jopling:wasn't a politically motivated thing. As such, not
Yan, Sea Power:especially, there's a little bit of that. I think it reflects us. So we feel but he used to write a lot of songs about the real world. And so that was sort of political stances fairly clear. But that's not what we're about is about. I think we're much more removed long term thinking than that. So
Keith Jopling:you've you've done it. It's sort of been accepted now, isn't it? I guess we'll see what happens with the with the record, but in your first record out as a c power. Yeah.
Yan, Sea Power:And it's easy to say, I mean, just, I just found it tricky. My mouth at times. There's a lot of syllables and session involved. So yeah, first record was super. Thankfully, I think it's a good one, to be able to change your name on a bad record.
Keith Jopling:Yeah, I would think you've made a really good record. Yeah, I guess you're looking forward to putting out there and seeing what happens and playing the songs live. Have you played those songs live yet?
Yan, Sea Power:Yeah, we have, we were lucky to get out last October. In a small window, when you were allowed out between COVID breakouts. And it was good. That's quite nervous, because it had been a while. But as soon as we all got together, we were in a room and when he starts playing drums, and people start jamming in then things just come back. And it's suddenly you're all doing it again. And it's good.
Keith Jopling:Going back to the creating worlds thing for you live has been a huge part of that. Your live shows a legend really, you know, right from the beginning with the foliage and the wildlife and all of that. I mean, where did the idea come from? How did that actually get going in the first place?
Yan, Sea Power:It mostly stemmed from putting on the club see powers in Brighton with not long been there, we've met American promoter God, Jeff is pretty cool guy. And then the strokes just fade. And that was it was like 100 capacity venue, you know, I mean, he would grab you would grab things, but he was also quite isn't that like an Andy Warhol or someone like nothing's ever, you wouldn't react to anything like us a bit weird, you can't do that. So everything was accepted as suitable. So we wanted to just make something like a special night where you'd go, and you'd think I'm really been anywhere like that before. Growing up, I guess, wanted to reflect, you know, the beauty of outdoors. So we brought some tree branches indoors. And they come in useful, because you can do all sorts of stuff with them. A lot of this stems from my brother, Roy, who was our manager at the time, in some ways helped us form as a band and get together. He was more like, the word manager doesn't suit him. He was as much like another member of the band. And the reason he stopped being our manager was because all the things you meant to do as a manager, he was he just wasn't interested in, you know, thinking about money, our logistics and things, you know, it just wasn't, wasn't bad at all. So he suggested the name originally as well. We went with it. After long discussions.
Keith Jopling:Keith here, thanks for listening to the art of longevity. I hope you're enjoying the conversation so far. Please tell your friends, listen back to the other episodes. And don't forget to subscribe on whatever podcast platform you listen to the conversation. People really took to the live thing. In fact, just thinking about it, it's the simplest thing because, you know, you go and see a band. And I mean, these days, everybody's got a video screen with some visuals. A lot of it's been sort of created by a design company or maybe by an artist, you know, and it sort of adds a little bit to it. But there was the nature thing and also just the fun element, you know, the chaotic element of having a 10 foot bear just wandering around in the audience. And I think people just connect with that thing, you know? Yeah,
Yan, Sea Power:there's no reason for anyone to really come and see us at first we haven't released anything. So we had like the copper family play and there were a vocal family folk band who have seen it been going for over 100 years. So, possibly I was telling you, I think, then we'd have like the 80s, much box B line disaster playing on the same night, little fashion show. And then we'd play in all our shows, and then utter chaos, sometimes really beautiful stuff. Occasionally it went on a bit long, possibly. But it was very experimental, and just noise driven by the end of the show, with just trying to transport people to this magical place where he could try to start again and think about what should we do?
Keith Jopling:Yeah. Well, that's what a live performance should be about, isn't it sort of transcendence. Possibly.
Yan, Sea Power:I think that's, that was definitely what we probably aim for, at least to begin with, and do in a different way now.
Keith Jopling:Okay, how so? Well,
Yan, Sea Power:for a long time used to finish on the Sun lately, which is on the end of a second, but sort of hung the end of our first album, and on the album, it has quite a long end. But it's hard to capture, because it was this idea of the song was that there wasn't an ending. And so anything could happen at the end of it. And it could go from sort of just feedback and drums with a sort of weird aerobics workout to basically Velvet Underground or to go kind of like disco rock, but anything could happen. I've seen videos of it. And I haven't seen many haven't seen that many things like it. Weird element of pumpkin sort of slapstick, at times. But we did that for a long time. And then, after a while, you think, well, we don't want to do this forever. So we will change sort of our answers and what we aim for at the end of it. It's hard to do sort of genuine, free style free music, jamming genuinely reminded way again and again. No,
Keith Jopling:I talked to Tim booth from James about that. They don't quite jam in the same way that you do. But they take every time they play live, it's a different setlist it's, it will be improvised up to a point. And they're sort of taking it to the edge in a way, which I think is very brave. Yeah,
Yan, Sea Power:it's a good way to go. It's not I think it's the only way to achieve mentally of emotion where you need to get to the end of a game from a but it's a reasonable one. And
Keith Jopling:the locations as well have always been a thing. Did you play on the top of the Great Wall of China, by the way? We
Yan, Sea Power:did? Yeah. I mean, it wasn't. It was like David Hasselhoff on the Berlin Wall. It didn't have that level of production. It was fairly symbolic acoustically, okay. And the crowd was mostly made up as well, a vast age range from sort of five to 95. There's probably about 30 people. But we did also play in a forest to a herd of goats the next day after the grapevine that doesn't get as much press
Keith Jopling:probably headline in the goat times. Now as it's interesting that so again, was that just something that you just wanted to do? Or you just tried it and enjoyed it? And felt like that was the way to go? Because, again, logistically, it can't be easy.
Yan, Sea Power:It was just like a little thing to do for fun. While we were there. We were meant to be playing a festival. I don't know. It's one guy involved. And then they were like, well, you want to come over for a week. What do you want to do for weeks, it's sending stupid emails of things you might like to do. And then in the end, the festival got canceled. So all we did was the weird things. We didn't really get back to China again after that. I mean, it wasn't our fault. The festival got canceled, it was just cancelled for weird political reasons. And I
Keith Jopling:love that though because that whole kind of the live show the settings, the songs have sort of taken you into that. I mean, it's it's a relatively small list of bands for me I'm and it definitely is. It's music to my ears. It's people like Laura vos, who has been on the show and my morning jacket, and now they make songs that are kind of steeped in nature. I guess that's coming back from your origins in the lakes as it probably
Yan, Sea Power:is. It's a good subject. It doesn't get done very well. Not really, it just means foci or something. Or it gets a bit like mystical, which sort of fair enough, but it wouldn't reflect how we see it. Yeah,
Keith Jopling:I mean, obviously, there's been lots of that in, as you say in the folk world, but there's not that much of it in rock and indie is
Yan, Sea Power:kind of at the sense of a big pitch. So large amounts of time passing and how it affects people are, how they live, you know, coastlines change, and people may from one place to another, so just sort of a bigger picture, whilst also focusing on sort of interesting details and also maybe worrying about what's going on, you know? Yeah. Because nature is sort of soft and stuff sort of describes a nice even thing, but increasingly is just an emergency isn't that? Well, you've
Keith Jopling:written about that, haven't you the impact on the planet with no loss and be and lights out for darker skies and songs or many other songs as well. But then that's affecting bands, to some extent is now I'm in bands are sort of having they're rethinking, touring, playing live, and then a member of foals actually quit, didn't they on the basis of carbon footprint? You also make a living as a band through playing live, because I mean, nobody really sells records anymore to, you know, make royalties. So where do you stand on all of that?
Yan, Sea Power:I don't think our carbon footprint is probably as big as a lot of bands who make a stance about exactly we're driving in the van on the motorway to Edinburgh or something. And we're all in the same van. It's not a bigger carbon footprint, compared to people just go down to work, it's probably less. But
Keith Jopling:from the industry point of view, I mean, do you think that is a an issue to be faced down? Because I mean, Turing's just got bigger and bigger and bigger. Yeah, it's
Yan, Sea Power:certainly for anyone to face, it doesn't matter if you're a musician or whatever. Anyone in the world should be facing this. So yeah, musicians probably should think about it to do what they can. But I think if we thought about it, we would really change or add much by changing anything we do. Because we don't, you know, fly planes across full of gear around the world, really. I think anyone who makes an effort is misguided. I used to think that if you wrote a really good song about him, I asked him I say, you know, a second album by the Sun last and be mentioned, which is a love song for what was the disintegrating and now gone I shelf, which is a good, it's a good rock song, that I thought, that's why I write a song that I thought, I don't really think I'm capable of making any difference at this point. I'm very clear, I'm a very lazy person. Okay, when it comes to
Keith Jopling:the art of longevity is a team effort. show is produced by the songs of Lea, that's me, with Project Manager. It's audio engineered and edited by audio culture. Our amazing cover up by the wonderful Nick Clarke, and original music for the show, is by Andrew James Johnson. Let's come on to the soundtracks. Because I mean, in a way you've you have made a big statement with those soundtracks Manna Baron from the sea to the Land Beyond, which I thought was an incredible film. And your soundtrack was really integral to it. So in a way, you have made a difference. And it's a nice way of again, just doing something different as a band, but what how has that played into your songwriting musicianship, the life of the band in general doing those soundtracks?
Yan, Sea Power:I think it's influenced quite positively. First one was gentleman Rivera, and which was, we basically were given the first one to watch by a fan. And she said, like, this is brilliant. This film, watch it. And we did. After a while I started thinking I love this mission is amazing, but musically, it's horrible. It's suddenly like Errol Flynn, Robin, and riding through the Glen, kind of old workout, a score from Hollywood's kind of vibe. But the visuals seem really modern, and beautiful and powerful. So we just thought, well, we could improve this. And I guess it led to all the soundtracks sort of benches slowly. I mean, fantasy beyond was a collaboration with Penny Wilcock, who was very good at editing all that stuff intelligently. And then she trusted us with the music. And she said a few things, but there wasn't much direction. And then we all got together as long as they happen.
Keith Jopling:How did that collaboration come about?
Yan, Sea Power:So really nice Australian lady getting bad at names. And she just approached us out of the blue and said, well, putting this project together, would you be interested, then because Penny seemed really cool. We sort of tested it and went for it really? And it was meant to be a one off event, rather than a sort of a recording and a release and then maybe, you know, a repeated performance.
Keith Jopling:Yeah, because you did perform it didn't move to the Film, you've performed it live
Yan, Sea Power:within the wildlife many times, we've done other ones which haven't been recorded. We did one not so long ago where it was Polish animations. And it was just one night of the barbecuing. And I wish that we had recorded that it's a different approach altogether. I really enjoy it. I think everyone does is very different approach to making a normal, normal. It's
Keith Jopling:great that you're approached to do that kind of work. I think, again, you know, it's back to what you've created for the band is that people will come to you for that reason. Yeah,
Yan, Sea Power:I mean, I wish more people would come to this, to be honest, I think that she done. I think we're quite good at it. Now. I think we're approaching a point where we can work really well together to do that. Well, what about disco
Keith Jopling:Elysium then, so how did that come about? Because, again, that was award winning. So we're talking about award winning work here.
Yan, Sea Power:And it was two years ago, we wonder no BAFTA for that. And it turned up in the Post this morning. Oh, nice. Yeah, two years. It was. It's heavy, it's heavy. But statue, I mean, not the emotional word. We don't win many awards, sort of, it sounds quite good to find a shelf, but it
Keith Jopling:can't believe they actually do just post those things out. Why did it take so long do you know?
Yan, Sea Power:Maybe pandemic don't know. But that was a that was a very good project. I mean, it was very interesting project from start to finish. Out of the A that was one of the few things which again, came out of the blue. Robert, who was the main writer, just started contacting a new manager, and relentlessly telling him that we needed to do this. And it was obvious, he knew more about our band than we did. He finally came to see us on tour. And he was this giant Estonian who just kept telling us how many words in Britain beautiful, it was going to look. And that would be perfect for him. And we finally thought, Okay, well, we'll try it. It doesn't sound like because it's a game. And we're a bit sort of prejudiced against games. So we were we're not anymore. He got very involved in that. And he was he would always push for something a bit darker, a bit more atmospheric and it was a, it was a very good project artists.
Keith Jopling:How do you make those decisions? As you say, your brother used to manage you? I don't know. Are you managed? Now? How is it a democratic process?
Yan, Sea Power:We basically banked Okay, is a terrible system, because the six of us and it just means a lot of things don't
Keith Jopling:happen. Is it a majority that takes it or does it have to be unanimous?
Yan, Sea Power:It's not really a majority. But then Dave might try and swing it based on my major, by the way. I tried to swing it a bit, but I've tried to sort of like, stage a bit of a kill become a benevolent dictator. At times it doesn't go down? Well, it's
Keith Jopling:always been, I think, the great dilemma of how to manage a band, isn't it? Do you go with the benign dictatorship, you know, the hoe or whatever. And it's pretty clear that it's Pete Townsend band. Now, but it's interesting that you've done your tick, because it's not like these are small projects. Do you undertake to do a soundtrack? I would imagine that absorbs you for a long time? Yeah.
Yan, Sea Power:I mean, sometimes it's easy to want to get involved and play to sort of history of Polish animations. And then you look at them and everyone just goes I like these. Oh, it was like a no, no, no, for the game disability and until we met Robert, and then everyone was like, There's something about this giant system
Keith Jopling:and the guy and I mean, what's that done for you as a band career wise? Do you feel like this is a game soundtrack and award winning one BAFTA winning one reaches a new audience? Do you try and capitalize on that?
Yan, Sea Power:I think it's like a small effort to capitalize, but we're just incredibly bad at it. So we just carry on. I've heard that somebody might just fear it. There's plenty of people who love the game. And I'm not embarrassed to sort of think that they some of those end up liking is because the game actually is. It's a really fun fire out there, basically, but it's got some worth in it. And yeah, I think that the music was a good part of that game. So yeah, that's just a positive. But we were not doing it capitalize on things. We sort of fairly mature as a band.
Keith Jopling:You mentioned when Roy was managing You of course back then he he wrote the book, do it for your mom. It's a fantastic book, but it does lay bare your chaos. Sick approach to things, including finances, amongst other things, I mean, you know, by was it three or four albums in by then? And you were in debt? How do you recover from that? I mean it because there's six of you in the band, right? You know, streaming doesn't exactly pay the big bucks live is quite expensive to put on as well as but especially the way you do it. How do you get by?
Yan, Sea Power:Well, it's been a long time now, there's been, I think, mostly, we probably just don't ask for a lot from life in terms of money. At times, you get the idea where it's quite good. But mostly I've been, you know, mostly it's, the music was more important than having a nice house or flat or something. So it just might be as you get older, that sort of becomes harder, probably. We were on that tool curve, where like he said, he bought the first two CDs, and then people just stopped buying soybeans. And then everything changed and we just carried on, basically, we're making would be worthwhile and be better than having a nice car. But you can't
Keith Jopling:drive anyway. So that's fine. But you make it sound like, you know, I mean, I know you're sort of destined to it, I suppose. And that was also written about in the book, you know, you've just committed to it. Your dad, who was at at the time, became your biggest fan, and just dove straight in, you know, he just understanding how the music business work, they even did sort of competitive analysis on other bands. But I mean, I think you've carried on. But it's been more than that. Because you've had the soundtracks live, you're an amazing band, you're making better records, is sort of something a lesson in longevity really, which is why I was really fascinated to talk to you. You know, the longevity story, as I'm sort of looking at it is based on the statement that I read from Brett Anderson of suede, there's four stages, the stratospheric rise to the top, the crash down to the bottom, the Renaissance, and then the Enlightened period where you just know you're in it for the long haul, and you steadily work through it.
Yan, Sea Power:We might exception that is, you know, proven ambitions rule. I don't think we've had that story. Narrative drive. I think so it hyper Anderson is a gentleman. Yes. Well, I
Keith Jopling:definitely did. I mean, you know, you might have done, but it's almost better that you didn't, you know, it's there is an alternative path. Right? And I think you've, you've taken that alternative path.
Yan, Sea Power:Yeah, it's a rare, rare path.
Keith Jopling:Would you break through in today's music business? Do you think?
Yan, Sea Power:Possibly, I don't know. I can't imagine what it's like to be in a band now. I think it's got a there's a lot of positives are not totally negative. But everything that's going on, and I I think if someone does something interesting, now they've got a fantastic opportunity to do something with it, and do well. Yeah. Most people sort of go down the boring route. But then I can't imagine weeks, I thought, I just accept that we started when we judge that was the world and this is the world we're in now,
Keith Jopling:you know, does fascinate me, because there are some really great bands. And it's taken a long time for India to come back around which it has, I mean, it's sort of you could say in these the new rock, but there's plenty of guitar bands, as you say, some of them are very young, there's a lot of them, and quite a few of them are really good. And in fact, you know, sometimes it's been a long time in, in the making for them, you know, yard act, put that album out a couple of weeks ago really liked that album only found out that they've been at it for 10 years. So it's sometimes it's not overnight success, but I do worry about longevity on their behalf.
Yan, Sea Power:Depends what the data is now, if you're if they're brave, and they have some interesting ideas, they'll be alright. I listen to them. I actually listen to the album. Just everyone's been talking about. Yeah, I was hoping to soaringsem would make friends and I was quite enjoying it for a while. I thought it's good. And then I listened to Billie Holiday. And then I put Billie Holiday on. And I just thought I wasn't actually enjoying that music really? This is amazing.
Keith Jopling:Yeah, well, I know what you mean there as well. You know and as you said earlier, you kind of you put a record out and you're competing with with all the world's music as well and there is some very very good music in the world and I mean catalog is is made a comeback in that respect. But look, I know. Yeah, no, no, we don't have too long left. I wanted to ask you about the future. Really? Do you think ahead and what's next?
Yan, Sea Power:What's next. So traditionally album wise, I don't think I saw this out of this kind of the last record, or the start of anything new something is gonna happen. Which makes sense with the name change, as well. I always say it's a sort of fine tuning or best of, I think in a good way, if that's possible to imagine getting the best of our incidences over the years and the things that we really believe in and trying to make one album of that before we even move on to something new. Or just stop. And it's not easy for a band like ours to survive, or to keep doing stuff. And I'd rather go out on a good record. I don't know if we're very honest, roll, very good friends, and we'd work well together. But I'm not sure if some point you should stop.
Keith Jopling:I think it's to be celebrated. Because you know, in the history of rock music, there's been so much crash and burn that in a way you know, you are just a breath of fresh air that where you have kept going and kept on getting better as well. So yeah, it's been a real pleasure to talk to you young. Thanks for coming on. I wish you all the best look forward to seeing you play the album and good luck with it.
Yan, Sea Power:Is thank you all the best to you as well. See you soon.
Keith Jopling:See ya bye