LOSTAURA
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 9th November 2010.
Lostaura are an Indie-rock band with a recently released debut mini album "The Hiding Place" garnering a lot of positive reviews. We caught up with the guys to get the lowdown.
How and when did Lostaura originally get together?
Lostaura: Lewis, Dave and Craig used to play shows at school doing Oasis and Radiohead covers, then started writing songs together. Then met Kev and David through our Uni days. We all shared similar tastes and wanted to do something different.. mainly because we were never really good at the covers anyway.
Did you know what sort of music the band was going to play from the start, or has the Lostaura sound developed organically since your inception?
Lostaura: There has always been a familiar feel to the music we write – we always wanted ambience and atmosphere. Certainly our songwriting has progressed both musically and lyrically, you tend to write to convey what is going on in your life...to put across your emotions and feelings...and that's something we think that will always keep changing.
Who have been the band’s inspirations, both musical and otherwise?
Lostaura: The Indie bands we grew up with are the reasons we picked up instruments, Noel Gallagher, Nicky Wire, Stuart Cable. Our mundane lives inspire us otherwise, our 9-5’s, paying bills. To have the chance to express your frustrations and passions musically in front of a live audience is what its all about.
How would you actually describe your sound to someone who hadn’t heard you before?
Lostaura: What's your favourite type of music? It's that plus some ;)
The name Lostaura comes from Flash Gordon...but why did you choose it? Is it simply because you liked it, or is there some deeper meaning?
Lostaura: It’s a classic film and there's a line in the film where Dale Arden (Flash’s bit of totty) turns to Aura (Ming the Merciless’s lady) and says ‘I’m Lost Aura’. We thought it was a great line.. we were gonna be called ‘Gordon's Alive’… but it didn’t have the same ring.
Am I right in thinking the various members of Lostaura live across the UK? How does that work for rehearsals etc.? Are you thinking of setting up a permanent base?
Lostaura: At one point we were spread from Bournemouth to Benfleet. We all now live together in Brighton except for our drummer who is a saint and commutes for the rehearsals. It does mean we don’t practice nearly enough.
When did you start work on your latest release “The Hiding Place”, and how easily did it come together? Was the creation of the album hard work, pleasure, or a bit of both?
Lostaura: It was spread over 18 months. We were constantly writing throughout and felt we could add a couple more tracks to it. It was originally only going to be a 3 track EP. The studio time was excellent as was the writing, the hardest part was picking a name for it and the artwork. We were a bit picky between the 5 of us with things like that. It was originally going to be Brian Blessed's face with a superhero theme, we even worked on launching it with a world record attempt to get the most superheroes in one place but Brian wasn’t up for it.
How do you typically create a song? What sort of processes do you go through?
Lostaura: I don’t think you could say one of us writes a whole song, someone will come up with a structure or a few guitar pieces and we'll work it together from there and Dave will write the lyrics. This means the songs are a true reflection of the band and not just one person.
Is there a story behind the songs, or are they all standalone tracks?
Lostaura: Originally it was going to be a concept album about Flash Gordon. And some fans have even played the songs along to the film and said that hey fit perfectly. Each song has its own meaning too, from sticking by someone you love on 'Beside You' to the subject of euthanasia in 'All It's Worth'.
Do you have a favourite track on the album, and is it the sound or the memories behind it that really make it stick in the mind?
Lostaura: We're really proud of this record as a whole, I think we all have different favourites on it.
You’ve had some pretty damn positive responses to the release so far. Did you know it was good as you were creating it, or have you been surprised by the positive reaction?
Lostaura: Were just trying to keep our feet on the ground and concentrate on giving our best performances of this record at our live shows. The reviews are great and its always nice to receive positive praise.
Do you do anything special or unusual in the studio to get your sound?
Lostaura: We wish we could spend more time in the studio to really concentrate on the finished article but in the time they have the Animal Farm boys always seem to nail the sound were trying to get across.
Are there any pieces of kit you couldn’t live without?
Lostaura: I think a good sound man is key – It can make or break a live show. We've been really lucky on our recent tour to work with some great sound men that can really nail our sound in their venue. The sound guy who looked like Bruce Dickinson from The Snooty Fox in Wakefield is a great example.
Do you enjoy the whole studio/creative experience, or do you prefer getting up on the live stage?
Lostaura: Live – everyday of the week. The feeling of playing songs you’ve written to a group of strangers and getting a positive reaction is incomparable for us.
What is one of your live shows like? What should fans expect from one of your performances?
Lostaura: We've been told we put on an energetic and powerful show when we perform live, and we hope that you can come along and find out.
What do you think of the current musical climate around the world?
Lostaura: At this point in time the charts are full of escapist pop and RnB, and the Cowell machine is in full swing, which isn't good for the current climate, but there are some great bands coming through, Mumford and Sons and Bombay Bicycle Club for instance, it also helps that they have awesome albums too.
With the access everyone has to music now with Spotify and Myspace it's making the major labels think twice before backing a band, as the push and costs of backing bands like Florence and Kings Of Leon is huge to raise above the masses these days. So a lot of very good bands that need nurturing aren’t getting the chance so have to go it alone. Its reliant on bands making revenue in other ways and concentrating on their live performances. Its an exciting time.
Where do you see yourselves 5/10 years down the line? Biggest band on the planet?
Lostaura: We think big – all bands do. You think of Freddie Mercury with 250,000 people in Rio de Janeiro in the palm of his hand, must be unbelievable. But just to earn enough money to do this for a living would be enough, just to live for the band.
Any question you love being asked that I’ve missed? If so, what’s the answer?
Lostaura: Human Centipede
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Lostaura: Back to work, emails are piling up.
Anything else you would like to mention?
Lostaura: You can download ‘Chevron’ for free by sending and email to us at: info@lostaura.co.uk
Thanks again to the guys for their time.
http://www.myspace.com/lostaura
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lostaura/15079252676
