Tell us about your band?
N: Well before forming Automatic Writing in 2011 I was a solo artist and after doing that for a while I thought it was time to mix thing’s up a bit and start a fresh project. I looked into joining other bands but soon realised I was way too much of a control freak to do that so I decided to form my own group.
J: That’s when he came knocking on my door and although I was dead against the idea at first I knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer and I eventually relented.
N: Yeah take the easy way and give in! Anyway regarding the band name, I seem to remember my girlfriend (who’s really into the occult) talking about Automatic Writing and I thought it was both a fascinating concept and a great name for a band.
J: For the uninitiated Automatic Writing is an alleged psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without actually writing. The words are said to arise from a subconscious or supernatural source. Spooky huh?
What are you working on right now?
N: We’re currently working on a bunch of new songs at the moment. We like to record a whole load of rough demo’s, select the best ones and then flesh them out.
Automatic Writing’s new single ‘Nostalgia For The Future’ is released June 30th.
What was your most successful or most enjoyed gig so far?
J: Our first gig at The Nest in Dalston was really enjoyable. The crowd weren’t sure what to make of us at first but we soon managed to win them over. They were all dancing their arses off by the third song in.
N: We did a great gig in Berlin last year. German audiences really go for it!
How would you describe your typical fan?
N: A beautiful, extremely intelligent person with superb taste in music.
Who writes the lyrics to the songs? Are the music and lyrics written in conjunction, or separately? How would you describe your creative processes?
N: I take care of the lyrics and me and Jamie both work on the music. More often than not a song will come to me almost fully formed and then it’s a case of trying to recreate what I hear in my head. I’ll normally record a demo with just improvised lyrics and we’ll go from there.
J: I’ll quite often act as a filter for Neave’s ideas. For instance when he’s been working on something for ages he’s almost too close to the thing to be objective so that’s when I step in and say whether I think something’s working or not. I can be quite brutally honest but he knows it’s for the best. He doesn’t take it too personally… I hope.
What are your plans for the future?
N: The main aim at the moment is to continue building our fanbase and then hopefully release our debut album. We also want to play some more festivals and put on some of our own events too.
J: Yeah Automatic Writingfest is just around the corner!
Social links:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Autowriting101
Facebook: www.facebook.com/automaticwriting
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/automaticwriting
Bandcamp: www.automaticwriting.bandcamp.com
