Family Time toured the Spanish hotel resort scene masquerading as a covers band to get the gigs. They lied their way in, and on the way out wrote an excellent record of their travels. ‘The Great Abismo’ is a sprawling, all-inclusive debut and now they’re here, itinerary and welcome pack in hand, to tell us about it.
Howdy! How’s life treating ya? What‘ve you been up to?
It’s treating us kindly. We’ve been playing some shows in the UK just after the release of the album, all of which have run smoothly. We’re currently developing some theatrical elements in the show which we’re testing out on innocent concert-goers.
The new album is brill, congratulations lads, what made you decide to release something like this into the world? Has it always been a dream?
Thanks. Well, we’d been writing and recording together for ages when we got to a point where we thought it might be a good idea to call it a day. In a sudden fit of family love, however, we decided to leave everything, take a ferry and go make an album no-one was asking for instead. We played it in hotels for some time and later on played it around London. As a demand slowly developed, we felt compelled to give it a proper release. I’d say making it was a dream, but a bit of a weird one.
How did music enter your lives?
Doing a moonwalk.
So you toured all inclusives, how much food poisoning did you get from all those hot plate meals?
We can’t help reminding the reader that Spain has an excellent offer of cheap food. Unlike other countries, the quality is never at stake.
What were the crowds like?
It varied a lot. Some were eager, others not so much. We covered enough land to get all sorts of tourist demographics. The Russians, in particular, were a tough crowd.
Will you miss Thomas Cook?
Funnily enough, we only found out about Thomas Cook after its demise.
You posed as a covers band, who were you covering? Or supposed to be covering and why?
We just mentioned covers in our many e-mails to the hotels we played. It was obviously the only way for them to pay attention. We nonetheless do a smashing cover of an 80s Spanish hit by El Dúo Dinámico.
The record, in both design and sound, has a cool 70s-inspired aesthetic, what inspired you to take this road?
Well, a big part of the hotel scene in Spain is still enshrined in that era. The 60s and 70s were a time of staggering development in the tourism industry, and the proudly decadent buildings of that era have crowned the country’s coast since. We couldn’t help but include some of that in the work.
You can hear the Spanish influence, especially in the guitar work, was this a conscious effort to reflect your journey into your music?
Not really, but it is part of our musical culture. We don’t think of it as Spanish guitar playing, though.
Finally, what’s the plan now for the lead up to Christmas? Any gigs to look out for?
We’re taking the baby back home. We’ve got a tour of Spain in December, which should be interesting. And we’ll be back, delivering emotionally charged shows after the new year.
Listen to Family Time on Spotify. Read our latest print volume HERE.
