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ARTIST INTERVIEW: KEELEY

Keeley - Beautiful Mysterious


1. Cru cru, what first got you into music?


I first became interested in music when as a child I became obsessed with the first ever hit single to utilise sampling, M.A.R.R.S.' "Pump Up The Volume" which was my first ever favourite song. That prompted me to ask for my first album, and my first personal stereo for Christmas, and through that and listening to the radio I discovered the first band/duo that I loved, Pet Shop Boys, who I still love to this day. Their #1 single "West End Girls" became my next favourite song, a song that ended up having a big underlying influence on the songs I would go on to write, and the sense of place in all the songs.


Then later I discovered The Smiths who I fell head over heels in love with, and who set the course of my life more than anyone or anything else. That seismic eruption resulted in me wanting only to live, eat, sleep and breathe music, and be in a band, and make records, and write songs, and play live, and nothing else. And now here I am doing all those things and nothing else.


1.1. Is "Actually" still your favorite album by Pet Shop Boys?


It's still my favourite album by the Pet Shop Boys, and it's one of my favourite albums of all-time by anyone. It's a brilliant - actually perfect - pop album. It was the first studio album I ever heard, so the bar was set sky-high from the get-go.


2. What or who is your inspiration to create music?


Inga Maria Hauser


3. How do you feel the internet has impacted the music business?


In a very positive way and in a deeply negative way. That's the short answer.


4. Will you tell us something embarassing about you?


I did many jobs in my old life, one of which involved working for a language school where foreign students would travel to my native Ireland to learn English. One of my tasks working for this school was to chaperone classes of students, basically taking them to tourist attractions around Dublin city centre after classes finished each day, accompanying the students to ensure they didn't get into any trouble, ensuring that they all got there and back to their lodgings safely, and paying for them on the school's behalf to attend tours and visit various places of historical interest.


One day, I was leading a large group of 60-70 students to a place called Kilmainham Gaol which is an ancient Irish prison where figures involved in the 1916 Irish Rising were executed. We were standing at a place called Aston Quay waiting for the bus to Kilmainham, but unbeknownst to everyone there I was going through an extremely traumatic time in my life. I was preoccupied thinking about certain things and feeling emotionally exhausted, while still trying to do this job to the best of my ability. While waiting for the bus, I sat down on the kerb to rest for a minute (typically in Ireland there are never any seats to sit on when you're waiting for a bus). I vividly remember seeing out of the corner of my eye a man turning the corner quite far up the street, and walking at speed in our general direction. Out of pure instinct, something told me to stand up immediately. No sooner had I done so, this man, who I had never seen before in my life and who I've never seen since, walked right up to me and without saying a word kicked me extremely hard, in a totally unprovoked assault. It was so sudden, but as he did it (again instinctively) my legs bent inwardly and my knees took the full force of the kick. Then this man calmly carried on walking past me, and disappeared around the corner, without ever uttering a word.


The students, being from Italy, looked totally shocked and I felt very embarrassed. I shouldn't have been surprised because Dublin is the most violent city I've ever been in. I've been all over the world and none of the major cities I've ever spent time in such as New York, Miami, London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona and Athens are anywhere near as dangerous as Dublin. People get violently assaulted and actually killed on the streets there in unprovoked attacks on a daily basis, and the Irish police and government are totally hopeless, they're all asleep at the wheels.


Anyway, immediately after being attacked, the feeling of embarrassment I had felt gave way to an intense and quite extraordinary feeling of complete zen calm, which amazed me at the time. That was the first indication to me of my inner strength and resourcefulness, and my sense of calm under strain which has proved very beneficial over the years. I was going through such inner turmoil at that time, and being attacked in the street by a random person for absolutely no reason that I knew was like a symbolic physical manifestation of awfulness, but the sense of pure calm I felt immediately after the attack is to this day one of the most palpable and memorable (and most enjoyable) feelings I have ever felt.


I was also very conscious in that moment of how lucky I was not to have suffered far worse injury. Because I know that if I hadn't instinctively stood up seconds before this man suddenly approached me, he almost certainly would have launched his fierce kick directly at my head, because I know that if I'd stayed sitting on the kerb his raised boot would've been at the height of my head rather than my torso area. Ultimately though, that's Ireland for you. If you can survive living in Ireland, you'll be sufficiently battle-hardened to be able to survive anywhere. And it's not just me - I can name many people in Dublin who I know who have been attacked for just walking down the road or standing somewhere. I think Ireland is the roughest country in the world, and Dublin is the roughest part of it. It's a fantastic place from that point of view. It's the ultimate battleground - physically, mentally and emotionally, and you have to become absolutely fierce to survive what you will encounter there, it's sink or swim. You're born in Ireland a baby and by the time you leave, if you've survived, you've had to become a warrior.


5. How is your perfect day?


Being on tour with my bandmates, driving from one location to another and mainlining brilliant music on the van's stereo the whole way. Then arriving at the venue, loading-in, setting up and soundchecking before hopefully getting to get out for a few minutes and explore the city or town we're in and maybe grabbing something to eat before going back to the venue, going onstage and playing our set opening for a bigger band (thus playing to a bigger crowd). Most importantly, being immersed in the precious purpose of playing music, blissing-out, rocking-out, and feeling truly alive under those beautiful flashing coloured lights with the glory of creative noise pouring out of our amps and our arteries. Then, clearing the stage as quickly as possible and dashing to the merch table to sell our records, sign stuff and meet the cats who saw the show. That's quite honestly my perfect day. And I want to experience it on as many days as possible.


6. What memorable responses have you had to your work so far?


So many. First, getting to open for so many legendary artists live. In the last 12 months, my bandmates and I have gotten to tour with Echobelly, Miki Berenyi Trio, The Darling Buds, Terrorvision, Folk Devils, Alain Whyte and members of The Smiths and Morrissey's classic solo band. Second, the honour of Miki providing me with quotes about her opinions of our albums to appear on the promo sticker on the front cover of the records. Third, having the perfect team of people around me, from our manager Nick, to my producer Alan, to my bandmates Luke and Andrew, to our booking agent Sarah Thereze at Midnight Mango, to our label Tiny Global Productions, to all my friends, fans and supporters at radio and elsewhere. Fourth, having a song I wrote ("Echo Everywhere") remixed by Tim Brown of The Boo Radleys (and it's an amazing remix too!) Fifth, walking into brilliant record stores in England such as Piccadilly Records in Manchester, Rough Trade East in London and HMV in Bristol, and finding our records in the racks alongside many of my favourite albums! Sixth, getting to play a live radio session on WFMU in New Jersey to an estimated audience of 300,000 people. Seventh, hearing songs I've written played on various BBC stations by legendary broadcasters such as Steve Lamacq, Radcliffe & Maconie, Riley & Coe and Mickey Bradley of The Undertones. Eighth, getting such a lovely reaction playing to the biggest concert audience we've played to so far which was 1100 people when supporting Terrorvision for the first time at the largest venue I've ever played at, KK's Steelmill in Wolverhampton. Ninth, having people whose music I love such as Badly Drawn Boy, The Boo Radleys, The Darling Buds and Miki Berenyi of Lush/Piroska/MB3 invest in my and our music, and actually tell me they like it, which is something I appreciate so much. And tenth (because I might as well round this list off to a Top 10 eh?) being chosen to play the Shiiine On festival in Somerset in November alongside bands I love such as Echo and the Bunnymen, Kula Shaker, Embrace and The Lightning Seeds.


7. Do you see yourself as a music nerd?


No. I see myself as a very passionate person. I believe music is the greatest thing in the world, therefore I think it warrants the maximum possible engagement with it, the fullest possible immersion. So I'm completely consumed by music, but no more than I think is justified. The term "music nerd" I find unfairly dismissive, one that disrespects the wholly justified passion that music lovers feel for music. I think far more highly of someone who feels such a pure passion and lives their life in accordance with that pure passion than the sort of people who have no more than a surface interest in music. So to my mind, it's not the "music nerds" who ought to be belittled, it's the opposite, the non-nerds.


8. What album do you replay the most?


Probably "So Tough" by Saint Etienne. An extraordinarily evocative, wonderfully cinematic and quintessentially very English record imbued with a uniquely beautiful mood. There's nothing else like it in the entire pantheon of pop music.


9. What's your favourite movie?


"Withnail & I". The greatest movie ever made. With the finest wines available to humanity!


10. Do you agree with the Pigeon?


If the Pigeon is saying that anyone reading this should invest in our new album "Beautiful Mysterious", then yes, I very much agree with the Pigeon. Blissoutdontmissout!















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