{"id":22978,"date":"2020-03-19T12:22:32","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T12:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/?p=22978"},"modified":"2020-03-19T12:29:19","modified_gmt":"2020-03-19T12:29:19","slug":"interview-we-interview-the-blinders-ahead-of-the-release-of-their-new-album-fantasies-of-a-stay-at-home-psychopath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/interview-we-interview-the-blinders-ahead-of-the-release-of-their-new-album-fantasies-of-a-stay-at-home-psychopath\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview – We speak to The Blinders ahead of the release of their new album ‘Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Interviewed by Aleksandra Brzezicka<\/a><\/p>\n

Hail the new order, The Blinders<\/a><\/strong> are back. After getting their twisted tunes out in the world, followed by months of studio silence, they\u2019ve shed the skins of revolutionaries and turned upside-down on the second album, Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath<\/a><\/em>. Bassist Charlie McGough commented on their new-found fantasies and ways of expression.<\/p>\n

On their debut, named after Manson\u2019s dystopia, Columbia<\/em>, they\u2019re trying to make sense of all the despair and drama in society, they\u2019ve mixed Orwellian<\/a> influences with social commentary to provide an album-size catharsis. Mission accomplished. What now? According to Charlie, a change of direction into looking inwards. That\u2019s what their newest single, Circle Song<\/em>, is about. \u201cThe song is looking at reaching a point in your life where you are at the crossroads. I think it carried to the point we were at. After releasing our first album we got to that point we are, slightly at the crossroads. [\u2026] Feeling slightly lost. Feeling very helpless and feeling empty,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve poured that feeling into the new material. \u201cWe allowed ourselves to be a lot more sensual than at the album we had. On Columbia<\/em> there was more distance, characters and that world of dystopia but the second record so much more original,\u201d Charlie says. The \u2018new\u2019 Blinders are experimenting with keys and piano while sticking to their dark\/pure energy dogma. More sophisticated. Just as devilish.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were sort of pulling them apart [songs] and we realised that there were constant themes and things that kept coming back. All that there was to it, was the feeling of\u00a0 lostness, helplessness and anger. Getting a lot of those songs related to the points in our lives that we were at then and then related them back to the world issues of feeling very lost in them and looking at how global politics were fitting into our personal relationships. It feels like the second album was more of a personal record,\u201d Charlie says.<\/p>\n

Named after the song that never made it to the record in its original form, Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath<\/em>, are less of a concept album than Columbia<\/em> was. \u201cThe first one was heavily influenced by dystopian literature, Orwell and Huxley\u2019s books. We are past that so obviously we dropped looking at dystopia,\u201d he says.
\nThough as lovers of words, The Blinders are still knee-deep in literature. \u201cWith the second album, we were looking towards poetry. There\u2019s one song From Nothing to Abundance<\/em> which comes from a poem,\u201d Charlie says. Re-visiting their heroes and inspired by artists they admire like Steinbeck, Bowie or Dylan, they\u2019ve written their own stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t maybe one book this time. I feel like there were a lot of really different novels. We were picking up bits of narratives from them and looking at how to develop our lines, styles based on those novels,\u201d McGough says.
\nNick Cave\u2019s influence can be heard throughout the whole The Blinders\u2019 discography. So it\u2019s not surprising when asked about the songs they wish they\u2019ve written Charlie mentions Cave\u2019s Bright Horses<\/em> and There She Goes, My Beautiful World<\/em>. \u201cIt\u2019s the hope of those songs. [\u2026] Seeing the troubles of the world but also looking at the beauty of it. Clinging to that beauty and clinging to life. I think if you\u2019ll try to get this kind of ethos in the way you live, in the way you write, that can go quite a long way,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The Blinders at The Cookie 24\/03\/17 by Kevin Gaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite clinging on to the greatest, The Blinders are not blind on the movements of the British music scene. \u201cWe\u2019re always looking for new influences and new records. Now looking at some more electronic stuff which you may not expect us to listen to,\u201d Charlie says and lists his favourite acts right now: \u201cobviously incredible\u201d Idles, Yellow Brain, Document and Porridge Radio (great debut album, check it out).<\/p>\n

Coming from Doncaster, they\u2019ve struggled to find a responsive audience as in bigger cities like Manchester (their current location) where there\u2019s like five great music venues on one street. \u201cBeing in the band is obviously not easy but neither it should be,\u201d says Charlie. Despite the odds, they\u2019ve stolen the hearts of many and got their own \u201clittle sphere\u201d of an audience.<\/p>\n

Grateful for that, him and Thomas, having a pile of unpublished lyrics and poetry, came up with an alternative to the social media platform, The Room<\/a>. Space where they could connect with fans in a way they feel comfortable in. \u201cIt\u2019s something we\u2019re really excited about and something we\u2019ve worked quite a while on. Sharing our thoughts on the songs that are coming out. We\u2019re looking at the ways we can develop that in, making it slightly more of a communicative process where people can feedback, have some sort of Q&A and get involved,\u201d Charlie says.<\/p>\n

Collectives like that are extremely important right now when, out of the sudden, we\u2019ve found ourselves on the verge of Orwellian-like disaster *pandemic, obviously* and the music industry is suffering greatly. \u201cTake it day by day and see what\u2019s gonna happen. People have to look after themselves and look after one another,\u201d says McGough to the fans and fellow musicians.<\/p>\n

While you\u2019ll be blasting The Blinder\u2019s through your home-speakers, they\u2019re getting ready for revolution 2.0. \u201cWaiting to get back out there, waiting to record and waiting to play live. Can\u2019t wait to see how people take it. Hopefully, people will enjoy it and receive it well. Fingers crossed,\u201d Charlie says.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath<\/em> is out on May 8th,\u00a0pre-order it here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Event page for their gig at The O2 Academy in Leicester on 23\/05\/20<\/a>. Please note – most gigs are currently being cancelled because of coronavirus, please double check before setting out.<\/p>\n

If you would like to share this interview, please help us by using the share buttons below instead of a screen print – thanks!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hail the new order, The Blinders are back. After getting their twisted tunes out in the world, followed by months of studio silence, they\u2019ve shed the skins of revolutionaries and turned upside-down on the second album, Fantasies Of A Stay At Home Psychopath. Bassist Charlie McGough commented on their new-found fantasies and ways of expression.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":22997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[289,293],"tags":[256],"class_list":["post-22978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-289","category-interviews","tag-alternative"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/85211022_2531896780416974_7845513401215221760_n.jpg?fit=800%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p73uhX-5YC","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22171,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/review-sorry-at-the-cookie-tuesday-4th-february-2020\/","url_meta":{"origin":22978,"position":0},"title":"Review – Sorry at The Cookie, Tuesday 4th February 2020","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"06\/02\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I\u2019m sorry for anyone who missed Sorry this Tuesday at The Cookie. They\u2019re the hottest femme-fatale available, here to steal your hearts. In the whole political and f*ck Brexit trend in the British alternative scene, Sorry, in a truly The Velvet Undergroundesque style, are just not bothered. Instead of commenting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2020"","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2020\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_3012.jpg?fit=992%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_3012.jpg?fit=992%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_3012.jpg?fit=992%2C667&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_3012.jpg?fit=992%2C667&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14767,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/life-at-the-shed-15th-june-2018\/","url_meta":{"origin":22978,"position":1},"title":"LIFE at The Shed, 15th June 2018","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"21\/06\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"with Earls and Vulgarians Tonight's show was organised by Juicebox Live and The Shed. Reviewed by Keith Jobey There's an old punk ethic that has been around since punk started which is 'if you want something doing, do it yourself'. Forty plus years on its as relevant today as it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2018"","block_context":{"text":"2018","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2018\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/35283711_10156560248994581_9081344293079089152_o.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/35283711_10156560248994581_9081344293079089152_o.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/35283711_10156560248994581_9081344293079089152_o.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/35283711_10156560248994581_9081344293079089152_o.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3598,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/the-last-dandys\/","url_meta":{"origin":22978,"position":2},"title":"The Last Dandys","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"15\/02\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"31 January 2014 The Soundhouse The Dirty G's, The Bobcats, The Last Dandys There is a buzz about The Dirty G's just now. Stu Crown said: Forget about that knob on your amp going up to 11 - these guys pretty much turn it all the way round! A very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2014"","block_context":{"text":"2014","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/history-of-leicester-music\/articles-from-2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Stu-Crown.jpg?fit=600%2C585&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Stu-Crown.jpg?fit=600%2C585&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/Stu-Crown.jpg?fit=600%2C585&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":22878,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/interview-we-interview-twin-atlantic-ahead-of-their-show-in-march-at-the-o2-academy\/","url_meta":{"origin":22978,"position":3},"title":"Interview – We interview Twin Atlantic ahead of their show in March at The O2 Academy.","author":"Kevin Gaughan","date":"25\/02\/2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Ross McNae takes us behind the scenes of recording their latest album Power and tells an 80s synth pop-infused story of falling back in love with music and making it for yourself in the commercial reality. Emerging from Glasgow pubs, Twin Atlantic took the best Scottish alt-rock sounds on the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2020"","block_context":{"text":"2020","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2020\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2079.jpg?fit=1000%2C641&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2079.jpg?fit=1000%2C641&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2079.jpg?fit=1000%2C641&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/IMG_2079.jpg?fit=1000%2C641&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5083,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/thatwasnovember\/","url_meta":{"origin":22978,"position":4},"title":"ThatWasNovember","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"17\/11\/2014","format":false,"excerpt":"1st December 2014 That Was November Our look back at what we saw during the month of November 2014. For record reviews, see our page Listening Post November. Saturday 29th November The Shed: \u00a0two gigs, upstairs and downstairs and each with a really good line-up of bands and artists. On\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2014"","block_context":{"text":"2014","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/history-of-leicester-music\/articles-from-2014\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Tom Bem","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Tom-Bem-3-300x259.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13111,"url":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/august-2017\/","url_meta":{"origin":22978,"position":5},"title":"August2017","author":"Trevor Locke","date":"19\/08\/2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Live music events for the month of August 2017","rel":"","context":"In "2017"","block_context":{"text":"2017","link":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/Music\/2017\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Sarah-Bird.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Sarah-Bird.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Sarah-Bird.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22978"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23005,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22978\/revisions\/23005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.musicinleicester.co.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}