Synth-tastic indie-pop supremos Team Waterpolo – ‘the most exciting thing to happen in Preston since the industrial revolution’ – have been courted by more A&R types than you can shake an exploitative recording contract at. But they’ve finally signed a deal and are on tour promoting their new single, ‘So Called Summer’. The Badger sent Nick Blumsom along for a chat after their rescheduled gig at the Freebutt last Saturday.
It’s been a busy summer for Team Waterpolo, playing at festivals across the UK.
Yeah, it’s been great, it was awesome – the best summer ever, the best summer of our lives!
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
We’re working on some stuff, writing some new songs. Then studio; we go to France in December to record our new album.
Your live sound is a lot rawer than your recorded sound. Do you prefer to play your songs live?
The reason it’s like that is we recorded them all on Garageband, and you can’t get that [live] sound – they come into their own when you play them live. We’re going to re-record them for the album, and we’re going to try and get more of the live element in them as well.
Why do you use decks and not a bassist?
We tried using a bassist, and none of them really worked out… ’cause we either got a slap funk bassist, who’d put slap bass lines in every song, or an alcoholic. Literally! Also, it’s easiest: the four of us get on really well. It allows us to have any bass sound we want, and we can have a hip hop element with a DJ, dropping beats in.
What did you think of NME making you their ‘Track of the Week’ for your first single, ‘Letting Go’?
It was really good. It was a good start to things. I don’t think we realised at the time how good that actually was.
Do you enjoy playing in Brighton?
Yeah, we do – it’s our most frequently visited gigging area. We’ve actually played in Brighton more times than we’ve played in our home town – this is our fourth or fifth time in Brighton. It’s got a big music scene – lots of students and young people, with very good venues.
Where are you most looking forward to playing on your tour?
Preston! And Leeds. Also, we get messy in Glasgow. We get messed up when we go to Scotland, it’s something about the air… we get a bit crazy… we were the second band to ever be barred from a bar, The Boff Club. The first was the Arctic Monkeys, so we’re doing alright!
Lastly, I have to ask: why Team Waterpolo?
We are a team, we get along as a team. Waterpolo has nothing to do with it – it’s nothing to do with the sport! It’s more, sort of, water being a majestic healing element, and polo being… refreshingly minty!
Head over to myspace.com/teamwaterpolo for a taste of what the band are all about.
