Andrew Savage, co-frontman of the post-punk outfit Parquet Courts, released his second solo album, Several Songs About Fire, late last year. He kicked off his UK and European tour last week with a show at YES in Manchester. We spoke to Andrew before the gig to find out how he was feeling about playing the album live.
Angus Wright: How are you feeling about playing the album live?
Andrew Savage: I am really enjoying sharing the record with people, but also showing what the band can do live because they are extraordinary. It’s a joy to play with such amazing and skilled musicians, and people seem into it. I appreciate being able to play differently and use my voice in a different way and in a way that keeps it fresh.
AW: Are you excited to play in Manchester to kick off the tour?
AS: I must have played in Manchester at least a dozen times over the last 15 years or so, and I am glad to be back. Jack Cooper who plays on the album and is touring with me is from Blackpool and a really dear friend. He also played and toured on the first record, Thawing Dawn. It was a pleasure to play with everyone on this album: Jack on guitar, Cat Le Bon, Euan Hinshelwood and Dylan Hadley.
AW: How did Several Songs About Fire first come about?
AS: Jack was one of the most encouraging people for me to do another record. It started with Cate saying if you ever do another record, I would love to play on it and we kind of went from there. I don’t try to start off a record with themes; themes are something that emerge once a record is done. Really it started after the last Parquet Courts record and tour and we kind of decided we were ready for a bit of a break. That’s when it all really kicked off.
AW: What can people expect from the live show?
AS: They can expect for us to play pretty much the whole album and a couple of others from our repertoire. If we play everything, the set is about two hours which we did in New York, but that is too long, so they can expect to hear most of the new ones and some old ones.
To purchase Andrew’s solo music, and to view his upcoming tour dates, please visit his Bandcamp page.
