5 Minutes of your time: Villagers

Ahead of Deezer UK’s 1st Birthday Party on Wednesday October 10, we had a brief chat with Conor O’Brien who performs an exclusive Villagers acoustic performance. Check out a playlist chosen by Conor below also..

How did you deal with the success of ‘Becoming a Jackal’, were you surprised with the intensity of peoples’ reaction/ connection to it?
I suppose I didn’t really have the time to deal with it. We were touring a lot and generally working pretty intensely, which is a good complaint to have. People really took it to heart which was a nice thing to experience. I guess I was a bit surprised, yes.

The {Awayland] trailer indicates something of a sound shift for Villagers. How would you describe the difference in sound between this and the first album?
This album has more textures in it. It’s so varied that it’s hard to describe. It feels like it travels a bit more than the first one, out of necessity rather than anything else. For the most part there is still a core acoustic guitar/vocal dynamic but sometimes it all gets a bit technicolour. There’s a cinematic vibe to the whole thing too, I think.

There’s a less analogue sound on your new record, (how) will this affect the live show?
Actually, the only synthesizer used on the album is a Juno 60, which is an analogue synth.. but I know what you mean- there’s more beats etc.. it effects the live show in that we’ve given ourselves a shitload more work to do in order to get it up to scratch!! Overall, the live show is a little bit more rhythmically driven I suppose, but not without some tender little acoustic moments.

What’s the most unreal thing to have happened to you since Villagers began?
Probably when Ed from Radiohead came to see us play in London and gave us some words of encouragement. That was pretty unreal because they meant everything to me when I was growing up.. like, EVERYTHING to me. I’ll never ever shake their influence from my music. It’s totally embedded.

Recommend us some new great music you’ve heard recently
I’m digging this new fella Anderson– it sounds completely timeless and classic.

Villagers’ Deezer playlist:

Remember to tune in here from 18:30 (London time) on October 10 to see Villagers perform an exclusive acoustic performance live from our 1st Birthday Party, along with performances from  Slow Club and The Staves.