Interview: Pull Tiger Tail

Carling Academy Liverpool  26th March 2007.

Photos By Sarah Jane Pooley

 

Marcus Ratcliff (vocals/guitar)
Davo McConville (bass)
Jack Hamson (drums)



Sarah, our photographer and I are waiting in Pull Tiger Tail’s dressing room backstage at the Liverpool Carling Academy. We ponder of how well spoken the boys might be. What with them still in sound check and finding out The Dykeenies are also playing tonight, in all the excitement we decide to nip to the loo before the interview begins.

As I knock on the door with a laminated ‘shower and toilet’ sign stuck on with melting blue tack, someone shouts, “yeah hang on” from the other side. Non other than Sam Duckworth, aka Get Cape. Wear cape. Fly. walks out of the steamed room, smelling super clean. “Ooh hello love, look who it is” I say automatically as if he needs to check his identity. He looks at me a bit miffed says “hi” and shyly wonders off down the corridor. I will later see him in the street; perhaps I can rectify the stupid first encounter? No. Of course not. Instead I trip up on a paving stone. Note to self: try a little harder not to talk to famous faces as though I know them very well and am merely catching up whilst waiting for a train. Far too northern and un-cool it seems. (This even applies to meeting the casts of Holyoaks/Coronation Street/Emmerdale in a queue in Boots).

And so, back to work. Pull Tiger Tail, the band Sam handpicked to be on this tour, arrive to find us sitting in their room. They introduce themselves and we hand shakes (well spoken indeed if you were wondering). They offer us beer. We accept. I forget to drink mine. Slightly unsure of why I do not function like a normal person outside of Manchester.

Hi guys, thanks for talking to us. Do you want to tell us what you’ve been doing so far today? Everyone ok?

Marcus: We played in Glasgow last night. Our friend had a bit of trouble. We didn’t get to bed till 5am.

What happened?

Davo: Just some guy tried to start something. But Glasgow’s cool, we have friends that live there.

How are you finding the tour?

Marcus: It’s been great, we just finished the myspace tour too.
Davo: You have to love it, you have to treasure these moments and never forget what you’re doing.

You were at Goldsmiths; were you aware of the famous musicians it was home to before your arrival? Why did you all go to the same university together?

Marcus: Famous musicians weren’t a conscious thing! We’ve been friends for a long time and all got into Goldsmiths through clearing, we knew we wanted to go to London because it’s a big city and it was a good university so it was an obvious choice.

Will you finish university now the band is taking off?

Marcus: I want to finish. I’ll go back.

Is this just like a massive gap year then?

Jack: Kind of, we went to uni as mature students really, we were 21 but Goldsmiths had a large mature student population so we fit in. We didn’t want to go in to halls and be old - I couldn’t handle that! So we got a house together.
Davo: in answer to your question, we put it on hold because we knew the deal was coming up.

What do your parents and tutors think of you leaving to be in a band?

Jack: My mum wants me to finish my last year so I’m going back.
Marcus: I was doing both music and university badly, which wasn’t good. So I tried at both and then things started happening with the band.

At what point did you realise something was actually going to happen?

Jack: Really soon. We got signed in less than 4 months. Literally before our third gig we had legal people on the phone asking who was taking care of us. We were like “How on earth do you know us? How did you get this number?” It was bizarre.
Devo: It did happen fast. It must have been like “they’re too loud for small venues, we need to get them playing bigger places!”
Jack: I’m a loud drummer! It was strange at first because we used to be this basement band, just playing in our house.

That is pretty quick, do you think it would have happen so fast if you weren’t in the capital?

Davo: Yes, I know the guy who spotted us drives all over the country, Manchester, Coventry, wherever. Plus with my space it’s so unnecessary to be in London.
Jack: It was never about going to London to get a record deal. Ever. We went to study. Where we’re from (Stratford Upon Avon) there wasn’t much to do, we wanted to experience a city.

How does it feel, seeing your name in publications like the NME? Do you still get excited?

Marcus: Yeah, it’s cool.
Davo: It’s amazing because it’s such a personal thing for us, it means something and now that’s how people know us.

Is it surreal sometimes, doing this for a job?

Marcus: It can be, we’re still getting used to doing interviews even.

What inspires you to write your lyrics?

Marcus: That’s so personal, I mean things I wouldn’t tell anyone. And that’s why they’re songs; it’s a way to express everything, to get it all out.

You’re touring with Blood Red Shoes after this current tour; want to namedrop some talent for 07?

Marcus: I say Marvin, Hadouken!
Davo: Sleeping States is incredible. He’s so into his own music, not in a bad way, he’s just so into it and it’s totally amazing.

Now you’re getting well known, who’s the most famous people/person you’ve met?

Davo: The killers at the NME awards, although we weren’t allowed in actual awards, at the party afterwards. And the people from The Mighty Boosh, that was cool.

Really? I went to a Mighty Boosh fancy dress electro club night recently. I went as ‘Robots in Disguise’ and wore loads of make up…. no one really got that I was dressed up.

Davo: Oh no! This one time Jack and I were driving back form Spain and the only CD we had in the car was ‘Robots in Disguise’ we listened to it over and over and over till we had to buy some more CD’s.

You’re known for being interactive with you’re fans, giving out tiger masks etc what’s the weirdest thing you’ve been given? Did you make use of it?

Davo: No one really gives us anything! It’s like when people write songs with a certain objects in, the fans inundate them with what they’re singing about.

Why don’t you make a wish list and slowly add them into your songs to get everything you want?

Marcus: That’s good idea… maybe we will!

Chose your favourite breed of tiger to wrestle each other. Why would your choice win the fight?

Marcus: What! I know mine. (whispers into Sarah’s ear ‘Bengal’)
Davo: Siberian.
Jack: Don’t know…aren’t they all the same? What are yours?
Marcus: It’s a secret!
Jack: Why?
Marcus: So you don’t steal it!
Davo: (to Jack) Say Jamaican.
Jack: No! Tigers work alone anyway. We don’t favour types of tiger or encourage the fighting of different tigers!

We have to wrap it up there as they have another interview straight away. So there you have it, political correctness for tigers and everything. Pull Tiger Tail are living in times which will undoubtedly give them some of the best memories and experiences of their lives. They claim not to have formed a band because they were all amazing musicians at the start - although they’ve found their sound now – but rather because they knew they wanted to do it together. Hotly tipped for 07, they’re already in great demand, supporting Razorlight on an arena tour isn’t bad going for a ‘basement band’ after all. The refreshing thing about PTT is the obvious close friendship they retain. Not only are they living the dream but they’re doing it with each other and that, it seems, is just as important.

Kelly Murray

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