Interview: Other Half @ 2000trees
Other Half by Carla Mundy
By now, you know the drill—wherever Other Half goes, we’re not far behind. With their performance at 2000trees and a press area just begging to be used, we couldn’t resist the chance to chat with one of our favourite bands. If you're not familiar with Other Half yet, you're in for a treat. There’s an embed over there of their brilliant third album, Dark Ageism—go on, give it a spin.
The Norwich-based trio has firmly established themselves as one of the UK DIY scene’s most exciting acts, delivering noisy, raw, and captivating music. We caught up with Cal and Sophie from the band to discuss the creative process behind Dark Ageism, their thoughts on the evolving DIY punk scene, the importance of playing smaller, overlooked venues, what Other Half and Problem Patterns might or might not be up to, and of course, how spotting a red kite flying over the main stage might just be Cal’s highlight of 2000trees.
So nice to see you again, and so soon after the album release. We love it, how has the reception been of Dark Ageism so far?
Cal: All good, it's been really lovely. We haven't had a chance to play it live to many people. So we are relying on faceless people on the internet, but it's all been very positive.
Sophie: The reviews we've read have been encouraging. It’s not just people liking the record, but people understanding the record. I don't know how to say that or talk about that without sounding pretentious.
Cal: For a while, we’d get lovely reviews, but their reference points for what we were doing, or just the tone they were getting from it, wasn't exactly where I'd come from, or what we'd come from when we were writing it. And that's lovely all the same. But this time we were getting reviews, and they'd be mentioning things about the songs, saying things like, "this is what the songs mean?" And in my head, I am going, "yes, that is what the songs mean." Or the bands that they're comparing us to. I'm like, "oh my god, they get it; they are the bands that I have been trying to rip off all this time." So it's been good.
Sophie: We talk a lot about the DIY punk scene and venues as a backdrop to us and the characters in the record. A few reviewers mentioned that we were a hard-working band. I think a lot of what this record is about getting older, and the fact that we have been a band for over 10 years. Reading that was really heartening.
Cal: I hadn't really acknowledged that. We have done a lot and for quite a few years now. And when other people acknowledge it, I realise, "Oh, we have been at this for a while now, and we do try quite hard sometimes."
Sophie: We love writing, recording, and playing live. So it's always going to be a constant cycle of us doing that whenever we can.
Dark Ageism is the end of a lot of the story arcs that you set out in your previous two records, so what’s going to happen next?
Cal: I imagine I will continue to write about all the same old stuff, but maybe I'll just change the character names or something/ But no, we’ve already started writing songs for the next thing and I think they already sound pretty distinctly different. We have done the same for three albums now, which I adore. But putting that finality on that last record is just a nice way of resetting as a band. Oh, should we do some silly stuff now?
Sophie: We're a lot more comfortable with who we are and what we do now. Not that we’ve ever not done what felt right.
Cal: But it does mean now that we're so comfortable that we can just mess around with stuff.
Sophie: Disco punk, here we come!
Cal: Shh, don’t tell everyone that.
With your upcoming September tour, you're going to places like Trowbridge. Was that an intentional choice to go to these places that are often overlooked by major tours?
Other Half by Carla Mundy
Cal: Certainly not intentional other than the fact that we will literally play anywhere that will have us. We've just started booking shows ourselves again, and I did kind of forget about the rigmarole of sending email after email and getting ignored for everything. The joy of it is that we will happily play anywhere. Some of the best shows have been in towns that aren't on the circuit because people just seem a lot happier to be there and really commit to the whole thing.
Sophie: We were talking to someone about that just yesterday with Lincoln, and some of our favourite shows have been in these smaller or less-visited places. Particularly as a band that comes from somewhere, that’s not on the regular touring circuit. Norwich is a great city, but you have to have a reason to go to Norwich. So we know firsthand that people have always loved being at shows or having a space. When we've played places like Ipswich or Lincoln, it’s always been amazing. Maybe we’re biased, but I think people are so much more receptive and excited to see music come through. We love playing shows and will play anywhere. We're playing a thing in the middle of the Norfolk countryside. It's not a public event; it's just like a 200-cap private party.
Cal: I mean, that might be weird, but I am sure it will be lovely.
Sophie: Any opportunity to play is so important.
Cal: Being with booking agents in general, obviously they're going to want to make you bigger and bigger. So they go through the "play this venue, and then we'll play this next bigger venue, and then this next even bigger venue." And honestly, I don't think we could give a s**t about that. We would rather literally play anywhere for anyone. It's quite refreshing to be able to do that.
Sophie: I think it's just as important when people are trying to build their local scenes. It's not just about people putting on shows. Bands have a kind of—I don't want to say duty, as that sounds wanky—but they have the responsibility, as people playing music, to go to smaller places to help build those scenes. To give people a reason to come out and start something.
Cal: It’s just as important as a gig in London.
Sophie: And I think that’s true even if it’s just five people. That's still five people who have wanted to come and see our silly little band, and that means the absolute world. So whether it's five or 50 or 500, all of it’s important.
Your lyrics are very vivid and visual. What is your approach to storytelling?
Other Half by Carla Mundy
Cal: That’s incredibly kind. F**k, I don't know. It's mainly just ripping off lots of other people who do it better than me. But the music I like is specific and gives itself a feeling of time and place. I don't particularly gel well with long-winded metaphors; stuff like that doesn't do anything for me. I like things to be immediate. For example, if you're seeing a band and you don't know who they are, and you're listening to the lyrics, if it's just vague nonsense, I can't hold on to anything. But if someone says something like, "Oh, I've been to that place," or "Oh, that's something that's happened to me," I think that's where I find a lot of joy in lyrics. So I just try and jam that in as much as I can. How about you, Sophie?
Sophie: I've always really liked people who are kind of conversational. One of the best pieces of advice I ever had was from my tutor at uni, and she just said, "Write how you talk, because that's how people are going to understand what you're saying." And that meant so much to me. When I first went to uni, people would kind of take the piss out of my regional accent, or my colloquialisms and things like that. But I really like to feel involved in someone's world or feel like I understand what they're talking about. And I think accessibility is key. Accessible language is really interesting to me.
So you and Problem Patterns, clearly love each other. When can we expect the split EP?
Other Half by Carla Mundy
Cal: Shh, they are just over there; they'll hear.
Sophie: We don’t want to interrupt their interview.
It’s okay, they’re coming over here next.
Cal: We actually have talked.
Sophie: We have and we haven’t.
Cal: We talked about joint Christmas cards before we commit to music.
Sophie: We've talked about Christmas covers.
Cal: It’s all Christmas-related so far.
Sophie: That might be a little hint to something that's not been announced yet. Wink.
Cal: We might be doing something with them in December. *insert wink* But genuinely, it's been so nice just to meet a band that we actively get on with and adore. Not that we haven't before, but I think we're kind of weird and hard to get on with. So when we find a group of people that not only deal with that but also...
Sophie: ...are that...
Cal: ...are that as well. It's a really nice thing.
Sophie: Someone said something to me yesterday about Problem Patterns, and I was like, that is exactly it; they've hit the nail on the head. When you watch Problem Patterns, it's like you're watching a punk band for the first time, all over again. I have the shortest attention span in the world, and I would say Problem Patterns are the only band where I've ever actually been able to watch them every single night of a tour. There's just so much joy in what they do, even when they're talking about issues that are so important, necessary, and immediate, and are not comfortable for a lot of people. They still do it with joy, humour, and love. They make me so excited about music and seeing music. It's really nice to be 30, nearly 31 years old, and have been in a band for most of my life, and to meet and find something that still makes me feel very excited and inspired. And also, they're f****ing weird; I love them, and I'm looking at them as I say that.
You’re at Trees all weekend, who have you managed to catch or trying to see?
Other Half by Carla Mundy
Cal: What have I seen that's good? Really liked Los Campesinos!, really enjoyed that. Saw a bit of MOULD this morning, who I'd never heard of before really liked it..
Sophie: CLT DRP
Cal: There was a really amazing red kite flying over the main stage yesterday as well. That was probably my highlight.
Sophie: That was lovely.
Cal: Oh, my God, absolutely beautiful.
Sophie: Empire State Bastard; Inhuman Nature we saw this morning.
Cal: Bits and bobs. What's nice about here as well, I like seeing good bands, but I really like seeing good bands who we’re also a bit friendly with. I get an enormous sense of well-being from seeing friends on stage.
Sophie: Parklife!
Cal: But it’s genuinely really nice just to walk about and see mates on actual stages having a brilliant time. That's been a joy.
It was really nice to see you and Problem Patterns taking turns supporting each other and jumping on stages together; friends supporting friends.
Cal: Oh yeah I forgot to say Problem Patterns! We saw Problem Patterns.
What have you been listening to lately?
Sophie: I’ve been really excited about the Jesus Lizard single that came out. That’s very exciting.
Cal: Nice to have an old band making stuff that isn't s**t, that's nice.
Sophie: There's so many, like, old man bands. We were excited about the Shellac album that came out, RIP.
Cal: We really lean into old white men shtick. I think we need to get out of that. It’s unbelievable that's where most of our listening happens.
Sophie: There’s a lot of Martin Newell I think we've been referencing. I've been going to a lot of Northern Soul nights with my mum recently. I love Northern Soul music so much. It's a very, like little counter-culture, subculture, whole movement of people just about music. I absolutely love going. It's such a solitary act the dance, but everyone's doing it together. But in terms of sonics, I've always loved it because it's so bass and rhythm-heavy. Those bass lines I guess I have always been inspired by because they're always very driving or they're very walking, a real lack of symbol in Northern Soul music as well. And I just love how it's just so immediate.
A lot of my favourite bass lines are from Northern Soul; The Night by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is probably my faviourte bass line of all time.
Other Half by Carla Mundy
Sophie: Yeah! It has really influenced the way I play. Mum and Dad always had Northern Soul on the go when I was growing up. So it's really just been a lot of Northern Soul, a lot of Blur and a lot of Martin Newell. How about you?
Cal: I’m just looking through Spotify and it's just all the same old I've listened to for the best part of 20 years. What have I liked? Like everyone else, I really like the Charlie XCX album. I listened to loads of the breeders, having gone to see them the other day. And I kind of didn't realise how much I adore The Breeders. Pixies have always been in front of them, and actually now I think the Pixies have produced a lot of guff, whereas The Breeders haven't had a misstep the whole time. So maybe The Breeders are the band The Pixies could have been.
Sophie: Also, when we saw them, they just looked so happy to be there. And I think that goes a long way with us when we actually watch bands. They're the bands that I think really move us. The ones where you're like, f*** me, after all these years, you still absolutely adore what you do, and you're just so pleased to be there doing it. Any band that smiles, you know, they influence us a lot.
It’s always a pleasure and a complete treasure trove to chat with Other Half—you never know where the conversation will lead, but it's always fascinating. Dark Ageism is out now via Big Scary Monsters, and you can catch them on their Dark Tourism tour this September.
