Milburn Interview

• 20th Nov 2005

You pick up an article about Milburn and, after reading three paragraphs about an emerging Northern four-piece full of potential, you notice glaring references to The Arctic Monkeys, The Jam and The Libertines and turn over the page. You’ve not even been polite enough to realise they’re ‘the next big thing’, before you’ve stumbled upon another Northern four-piece, full of potential…

If Milburn had been affected at all from what Joe Carnall, the band’s singer and bassist, later described as “the laziness of the industry to hype music without knowing it”, they’d brilliantly camouflaged all pretension as we began our interview in a behind stage broom-cupboard at Liverpool’s Carling Academy. While Louis Carnall (guitar/vocals) and Tom Rowley (lead guitar) sound-checked to a lonely fan, who, having arrived three hours early for the gig, was desperately trying make himself invisible, Joe and Greeny (drummer) explained where the band’s name had originated: “A friend of a friend, whose surname was Milburn kept eggin’ us on and on; we needed a name and it just stuck, but we can’t do anything about it now”.

“We started out about four years ago, just learning to play instruments and getting confidence playing covers,” says Joe; a heavy, endearing, Sheffield accent belying a youthful eighteen years. “You look back and think, ‘Why did I play that?’ But you can’t regret an apprenticeship, I mean most bands now can barely play songs, never mind write them”.

Alongside learning their trade, the band amassed a significant hometown following and when asked if their music addressed this shared Sheffield folklore, or related to a wider, social commentary, Greeny replied, “It has to be Sheffield really, because that’s what’s still in front of us. To ignore it or pretend it’s different would be lying”. Joe adds, “themes relate to every big city, but there’s a comedy in character, and place and in story”. Liverpool earns such mention as a destination for escape in 'Brewster', a breathlessly upbeat free download from the band’s website; “Fuck that”, says Joe, when challenged if he’d mention the city to earn a favourable applause from tonight’s audience, “I can’t see us even playing it, we only get half an hour”.

It is fine testament to the band that their repertoire has extended beyond a limited playlist and they have been able to explore a wider catalogue of songs during their current nationwide NME tour. Earlier in the year, Milburn toured as support for The Arctic Monkeys, “it was brilliant; packed venues, great venues, can’t complain whatsoever and because we were on first, we could go and get pissed afterwards”, said Joe. Greeny continued, describing London Astoria as the highlight of a hugely successful journey, “As soon as we came on the crowds were bouncing, and when we began, the noise and support kept coming and coming. It was huge and just so loud that if wasn’t for the Astoria, I don’t know if we’d have happened”.

Rather than viewing the NME tour and its smaller venues as anticlimactic, the band’s optimism and genuine endeavour was both evident and impressive. Joe said, “You’re doing your own thing so it’s a bit more special. It was fantastic with the (Arctic) Monkeys but it’s better to be doing it on our own now. Journalists were beginning to say we’d only been tagging along and not giving us fair credit, but when you’ve grown up with the same lads – even started a band before them, it’s real good to have left that whole bandwagon talk behind”.
A similar maturity is apparent in Milburn’s scepticism to be led into controversial responses and knowing glances or suppressed giggles accompany more democratic answers regarding the Kaiser Chiefs, the north-south divide and The Libertines.

“You create your own sound from a massive spectrum of influences and put it all down in your music without knowing it. To pinpoint certain bands though, The Jam were inspirational because of their energy, storytelling and attitude, and maybe The Specials, but I wouldn’t know how many artists are subconsciously drawn into a Milburn song”, says Joe. He laughs as I ask what CD was the first choice this morning; Greeny replies with meticulous thoroughness: “First of all was The Prodigy, then a bit of Motown. Blondie was on in the van, and Elvis Costello most of the way up”.

The eclectic array of contemporary and established artists have created a musical inspiration diverse and unique. Milburn’s sound is fresh, challenging and immensely marketable. The integral role that musical downloading played in creating such a market was explained by Joe: “You can’t deny it, the (Arctic) Monkeys are a prime example; the web’s been waiting for a band to break it and they’ve shown how far it can go. We played a gig in Nottingham last night that should have been low key, but it was mental with crowds knocking down barriers, and that’s all down to the website”.

He continued, dispelling any doubts that modern bands had manipulated such a facility, “I think it’s something out of nothing. Music has always been about using what’s available to you to reach as big an audience as possible. If you’re good then you’ll get a response and you shouldn’t have to justify that”. It is undeniable that songs like Lipstick Lickin’ and Send in the Boys are as addictive as the girls and haunts Milburn sing about; equally as irrefutable is that within a short time the band will achieve the response it most certainly earns.

With another two hours remaining before curtains-up, I left the venue to move the Micra away from double yellow lines and Friday night crowds. The eager fan from earlier had been joined by a handful of others and now waited patiently, almost love-struck at the bottom of the stage.

Interview by Glyn Edwards