Good Trip, Bad Trip: Public Service Broadcasting

"You funky electronic divas!"

Travel broadens the mind, or so they say.

Public Service Broadcasting have made travel the theme of their second album – yet it's space travel which seems to inspire them.

Recognising that the UK didn't quite manage to take part in the 60s space race, the band set about imagining an alternative dimension in which the march of technology was dominated by a British soundtrack.

Utilising all manner of found sounds, samples and funky retro-futurism, Public Service Broadcasting's second album 'The Race For Space' is due to be released this Monday (February 23rd).

Ahead of this, Clash invited the band to take part in Good Trip, Bad Trip – touring tales unearthed…

– – –

Best Trip…
I really enjoyed our first visit to New York in October 2013 for CMJ. It felt like we’d achieved something.

Worst Trip…
We had a fairly disastrous trip to Switzerland that involved far too many gin and tonics, a 3am van call, a lost bag containing gig and merch fees for the previous 3 shows and a customs fine. Our soundman didn’t remember rolling out of the van at a services in Italy and lying in the car park for ten minutes moaning. It happened though.

My favourite foreign venue…
I’m really looking forward to playing the Bowery Ballroom in New York, and also had a chance to go to Webster Hall there – that’d be an amazing place to play, if extremely unlikely. In Europe I really like Vera in Groningen – unconventional but really friendly and welcoming. Also Loppen in Copenhagen, in Christiania, was an experience.

We’re surprisingly popular in…
Mexico! Yes.

Best or worst exotic foodstuff…
We were big fans of the food in Mexico when we visited Guadalajara – although it did, shall we say, leave its mark on two or three of us for the next week or so. The van was not a pleasant place to be for a while there. I have a core of steel so was, of course, unaffected.

The most interesting individual I've met on the road…
I really enjoyed our encounter with a woman in Brighton the other day. She came running up to us after the show, yelled ‘you electronic funky divas!’ and instantly embraced us all. She was ace.

Worst on-tour injury, accident or infection…
Probably that week in the van after Mexico. As the only unaffected party, I was particularly unhappy with the atmosphere. Also Wriggles dislocated his shoulder the day before a show in Frankfurt once, which wasn’t much fun for him. He soldiered on, though.

My essential travel item…
Ear plugs! Boring but essential when sharing rooms in noisy hotels with cleaning staff who get up far too early in the morning.

– – –

– – –

Photo Credit: Dan Kendall

'The Race For Space' is out on February 23rd.

Buy Clash Magazine

Get Clash on your mobile, for free: iPhone / Android

-
Join the Clash mailing list for up to the minute music, fashion and film news.