Padrini dell’alt-cabaret, nominati ai Grammy, uno stile unico tra dark, gypsy music, teatro di strada e black humor, il tutto condito da arrangiamenti rétro e il carisma del cantante Martyn Jacques: il tour celebrativo dei trent’anni di The Tiger Lillies, trio di culto formato a Londra nel 1989, fa tappa al Miela domenica alle 20.
«Dell’Italia ci piace l’opera – racconta il co-fondatore Adrian Stout – Martyn ha una voce da contralto e le nostre canzoni sono delle mini-opere che raccontano una storia tragica o comica (o entrambe). Negli anni ’90 abbiamo ascoltato molto Paolo Conte. Rimpiango di non essere stato così spesso in tour nel vostro paese, avrei voluto conoscere di più i piatti tipici regionali della vostra grande cucina».
Il pubblico cosa si porta a casa dai vostri show?
«Speriamo sia un’esperienza musicale unica, un concerto che mescola uno stile davvero originale in quanto a performance, con strumenti inusuali e canzoni drammatiche, includiamo canzoni vecchie e nuove, è bello avere i due estremi della nostra carriera in una serata».
Come ci si sente a festeggiare trent’anni di carriera?
«Fin qui è stato un gran bel viaggio, ci sono ancora tanti temi da esplorare nei testi e posti in cui ancora dobbiamo suonare. Suoniamo meglio che mai e penso che le canzoni di adesso siano interessanti tanto quelle dei nostri esordi. Siamo più maturi. Certo anche più vecchi, con qualche noioso acciacco».
Negli anni l’industria musicale è cambiata, che percezione ne avete?
«Siamo sempre stati al di fuori delle logiche di mercato. Quindi abbiamo fatto dall’inizio quello che chi esordisce oggi deve fare: vendere direttamente ai fan, non aspettarsi incassi enormi dai dischi, affidarsi ai live per le entrate economiche, avere una propria etichetta discografica. Facciamo così da trent’anni, altri solo adesso capiscono sia la strada da percorrere».
Lo streaming rende la musica accessibile a tutti: è un bene?
«Penso sia un bene che tutti possano ascoltare qualsiasi band in un istante, l’aspetto magico dello scoprire artisti nuovi non viene meno, io stesso trovo un sacco di roba nuova. Ma dallo streaming non si guadagna, i fan dovrebbero continuare a supportare i loro beniamini comprando cd, lp e magliette. Per questo a fine concerto noi stessi andiamo al banchetto, a conoscere il pubblico: abbiamo bisogno del loro sostegno per realizzare album nuovi».
L’ultimo lavoro “Devil’s Fairground” come si colloca nella vostra produzione?
«È parte integrante della nostra storia, Martyn ha ripercorso i tempi che abbiamo passato a Praga e nella Repubblica Ceca, ha cercato di catturare il sentimento che abbiamo provato suonando in un nuovo paese subito dopo la caduta della cortina di ferro. Il senso di libertà e apertura che si respirava a metà anni ’90 era qualcosa di cui avevamo consapevolezza. Nell’album affrontiamo anche l’orrore del passato in cui le persone potevano essere rinchiuse in una cella solo per aver espresso un’opinione. Registrare a Praga con una giovane orchestra e un grande arrangiatore è stata un’esperienza notevole, potente».
La cosa più bizzarra vista dal palco?
«Martyn tiene spesso gli occhi chiusi mentre canta, ma io ne ho viste di cose strambe… piccole risse, una volta ho scorto l’intero cast dei Simpsons, per non parlare di quella volta che il nostro primo batterista cadde nel retropalco trascinandosi dietro tutta la batteria».
Come si riempie il tempo libero in tour?
«Dormire, camminare, andare alle mostre… pochi giorni fa abbiamo cercato di vedere “Joker” al cinema, ma dopo venti minuti un allarme anti incendio ci ha costretto a interrompere, abbiamo recuperato la sera dopo a Budapest».
È faticoso sostenere i ritmi della tournée?
«Se vuoi vivere di musica nulla è davvero pesante, siamo fortunati a continuare, ci sentiamo apprezzati. Certo dobbiamo sostenere parecchie date, dalle 100 alle 200 all’anno e questo può incidere sulla tua vita privata e sulle relazioni. Il viaggio in sé è stressante, anche se quando arrivi ne vale sempre la pena».
Novità in vista?
«Abbiamo pronti ben tre album da far uscire l’anno prossimo, stiamo arrangiando qualche lavoro per il teatro e ci aspettano Colombia e Messico».
Elisa Russo, Il Piccolo 10 Novembre 2019
You’ll be in Italy soon… what do you think/know/like/dislike about our country/culture and do you know of any italian artist/bands?
We do like opera, Martyn’s vocal range is countertenor so we get compared to opera a lot, and our songs are mini operas in that they tell a story that is usually tragic or comic (or both). Italian food is great and it’s always been a regret of mine we have toured much in Italy so that I can try more cuisine from different regions. Musically I don’t know many Italian bands, though we did listen to Paolo Conte a lot in the 90’s.
What can fans expect to see at your Trieste show at Teatro Miela on November 10th? What experience or impact would an audience member take away from your live show?
We hope that people, coming to our show get a unique musical experience, a concert that mixes a very original performance style with unusual instruments and dramatic songs. We are playing new and older songs and it’s great to have both ends of our career in the same show each night.
You’re celebrating your 30th Anniversary, how does it feel?
Good, it’s been a great journey so far, there are still many areas of life to write songs about and new places to perform in. I think we are playing better than we ever where and the songs are as interesting as the early ones. We are much older though. The aches and pains can be annoying.
So, you’ve been in the music business for several years. Did your view of the music world change over the years compared to when you started out?
We have always been outside the music business our whole career. I think the way we have been doing what we do is the way that most bands have to operate now, selling direct to fans, not expecting huge income from recorded work, mostly getting by from live performances, having our own record company. We have been working like this for 30 years, everyone else now is just recolonising that’s the best way to sustain a band. Because we work in theatre and music I didn’t think we ever wanted to be a band that just played only concerts.
Do you think all the latest trends like streaming, downloading and the fact that music is instantly accessible to anyone have benefited the scene or took away from its magic?
I think it’s good to be able to hear any band, any time, I think the magic of finding a new band does still exist, I find new stuff all the time that I would never hear if not for streaming. Fans should still support the bands by buying cd, lp or T-shirt’s at gigs. We didn’t make money from streaming. That’s why we go out after every show to meet the fans and sell merch. It’s essential to us making more albums.
Devil’s Fairground has received amazing and outstanding reviews and critical acclaim so far. How do you see this album fitting in your broader body of work?
It’s part of our history, Martyn looked back at the times we spent in Prague and the Czech Republic and he tried to capture the feeling of playing in a ‘new’ country just after the fall of the iron curtain. The sense of freedom and openness that existed in the mid 90’s was something we were very aware of. Also the horror of the past where people could be locked up for speaking out was something that we discuss on the album. To record it in prague with a young orchestra and a great arranger was a very powerful event. We have made a few live albums with orchestras and it’s always wry exciting as it’s so powerful when it all comes together.
What was the weirdest thing you’ve seen from the stage?
I’ve seen a few fights break out of course. One time we had the entire cast of the Simpsons in the audience, that was odd. Another one was our first drummer playing a drum solo, which was him sawing the leg of the chair he was sitting on. As he cut through the leg of the chair he fell down off the back of the stage and took all the drums and microphones with him as he disappeared. Martyn and I were very concerned but also laughing uncontrollably. Martyn keeps his eyes closed onstage so he has missed a few sights over the years.
Being on the road, what do you like to do with your free time, if you even get any?
Sleep, walk around, go to galleries. The usual stuff people do if that have spare time in a city. We tried to go to the cinema a few days ago to see Joker but there was a fire alarm after 20 minutes. We will try to go tonight in Budapest.
What would you say has been the hardest part of your musical journey so far? And the best part?
There is nothing that hard I think if you enjoy playing music for a living, we have been very fortunate and people still like what we do. The hardest part I guess is the number of shows we have to do to keep going. It’s a lot of work and we have been touring solidly for 30 years playing over 100-200 shows a year. It’s takes its tole on you and your relationships. The travelling is also hard, it’s not much fun getting to each venue and country, though it is worth it once you arrive.
The best part is being able to make something that people really appreciate, and being in interesting places.
What’s happening next, is there anything upcoming and in the works already?
We have 3 albums ready to realease next year and a few newtheatre projects that are being arranged now. There is also some interesting travel plans, Colombia and Mexico are coming up, and there are lots of places we haven’t visited yet.
Elisa Russo, Il Piccolo, Trieste – Italy
