Savages

De La Warr Pavilion, Marina, Bexhill, Thursday, February 18

SAVAGES’ first album Enjoy Silence was a visceral shock to the system – earning its makers a Mercury Music Prize along the way.

Ahead of an appearance at Bexhill’s De La Warr Pavilion, drummer Fay Milton talks about new album Adore Life, the importance of performing live, eavesdropping on PJ Harvey and why you won’t hear their songs being played at weddings.

The Guide: Does Sussex hold a special place in Savages’ heart?

Fay Milton: It seems like a long time ago, but Brighton was where we played our first gig [as guests of British Sea Power]. I remember the journey we took, Jehn [vocalist Jehnny Beth], Gemma [Thompson, guitarist] and myself, trying to work out how the songs should finish. It’s quite a nice old memory – it’s still one of my favourite shows of all time.

How was the recording of Adore Life different from the first album?

For Enjoy Silence it was about producing a really solid sound – something sonically really lasting as well as the live energy. For the first record we [including bassist Ayse Hassan] needed to be together more, playing live to get that energy across.

We have been playing together for so many years, doing so many shows, we know how we fit together. When we were recording Adore Life we decided to do our parts separately – so we could take them apart and explore them individually.

How long did it take to put Adore Life together?

It took a year from the beginning of writing to the finished record. We have been sitting on it for six months, so we could release it in January. I think a year is a decent amount of time – it didn’t feel too rushed. We were working all the way through the year, several days a week.

When we started on it in June 2014 we were working every day – eight hours a day in the studio for a month. We realised it wasn’t the most productive way - you need to have a life outside music. The creative ideas have to come from somewhere. You need time to let them settle in your own mind – and time away from each other.

Why did you decide to focus on love on this album?

The lyrics were built piece by piece alongside the music. It wasn’t apparent that all the songs were about love until near the end of the process. They melded as we went on – it wasn’t a conscious decision to go in that direction.

Love songs have a certain connotation – we have two ballads on this record, but they aren’t love songs. They’re songs about love.

It’s not like T I W Y G would ever get played at a wedding.

That would be hilarious – maybe I would choose that: this is what you get as a first wedding dance...

It has its own place – it’s a song exploring the different angles of love, without being love songs.

How did the early writing sessions shape the album?

We started writing when we were doing the intensive sessions. We were in a small studio, which has gone the way of most things in London, it’s now a block of luxury flats.

It was a really small space – the music sounded good in a small room, but it was quite a quiet and meditative place. We realised we needed to be in a bigger room to write things that were more Savages size.

So you scrapped those early sessions?

We did – I think it’s always the way for Savages to disappear and come back again in different guises. This way we were able to scrap something – say no more of that – and follow what we are most interested in.

There are some great drum parts for you on this record.

I Need Something New has a really simple drum part, it repeats and repeats. I like things that are simple like that. It started out as a spoken word piece on stage – we changed it around for the record, but not too much. It became more solid and parts found permanent positions. There are lots of nice toms going on in that song.

Why did you decide to showcase the album for five nights in New York midway through the sessions?

The original idea was to do a short tour during the writing sessions – it’s always essential for us to play our songs live to finish them. You get the energy, atmosphere and power of a live performance. It would be quite hard for us to write a song without putting it through that process. It would have been a shock if the finished songs on the album had never seen a live stage.

The problem is touring is a completely different mindset to writing. On the road you’re in survival mode – it’s not the best place to be creative. You’re concentrating on getting to the show, sussing out the venue. When we’re writing as a band we have to be in a soundproofed room – being on tour is not conducive to that.

The idea came to only go to one city – and New York is our favourite place. It’s big enough and vibrant enough to allow it to happen. We had the idea during a lunch break – we pushed it and made it happen.

It’s an alternative way of making a record – like PJ Harvey’s residency at Somerset House last year?

We all went to the PJ Harvey sessions – it was surreal. It was a very conceptual way of making a record [visitors were given timed slots to observe a specially created studio where Harvey was making her latest album The Hope Six Demolition Project]. What I have heard so far from the album is really beautiful. It’s funny that difference between the band in private and the band performing – the public face of a project and what it is like behind the scenes. It’s interesting P J Harvey brought those things together and exposed what was happening behind the scenes. It’s still performing in a sense.

Were you worried about audience reactions to your new songs?

The people who came to our shows knew what the deal was – they knew we could play old songs and everyone would have a good time. It was a mess to start off with, but we soon started to tidy it up. There are lots of videos on YouTube of us being pretty messy on stage, playing a song before we have worked out all the parts. I have a muscle memory that keeps me playing the old songs in time – but we didn’t have that with the new songs. Every night we had to think and play the songs – it was nerve-wracking but we wanted to expose ourselves in the way P J Harvey had.

We did film some of the studio sessions too.

It must be hard getting away from a camera these days?

Absolutely – you can’t pretend, these days it’s really rare not to have a camera pointed at you, even when you’re not doing something interesting. I need to step away – I don’t want my life to be 100% photographs. Video cameras can be a bit much. At the same way it’s a great way to communicate with our audience by sharing videos quickly online. It’s a different way to have a voice.

I suppose it’s hard to be anonymous as an artist these days?

Apart from Banksy who has pulled it off! It’s cool, we are working with good filmmakers all the time.

Are you looking forward to getting back on the road this year?

I can’t wait to get into survival mode – just playing and seeing places. We have been working on our lighting and our sound for the live shows, so hopefully it will be a really solid show – even more exciting than before. Bexhill will be the first with the new set-up – it will be a nice place to start the tour.

Support from Bo Ningen.

Doors 7pm, tickets £15.50. Call 01424 229111.