Pete Brewis and his brother Dave are the erstwhile driving force behind the highly praised, Sunderland-based band Field Music. Wheel caught up with Pete to talk about his — again — highly praised solo project The Week That Was, their current tour, his future plans and the power of pop.
Interview by Matt Rowe
It’s not a bad time or anything is it? No, No, it’s fine. I’m just off down the pub actually.
Ok. So, The Week That Was — what now? What can we expect in 2009? We’re looking to play The Week That Was along with School of Language [brother Dave’s recent venture] and Field Music songs all mixed up together for live gigs. Also, to record more stuff as Field Music from now on.
Is this it then for The Week That Was? Nothing beyond the current album and upcoming tour dates? The Week That Was is doing some gigs here and in the US. We’ll maybe do another tour, and if it’s feasible, we’re looking to play the festivals this summer. I’m a bit worried actually about playing on a big stage in a field. The album’s more of an intimate, night-time record I think — plus I never know what to do with myself on a big stage.
How do you think the Americans will take to it? The Week That Was has influences from that part of early 80’s British pop that didn’t cross over to the US. Will they get you? It’ll be interesting I think. We’ve had really enthusiastic reviews for the album so we’re relying on hooking into the real hardcore Anglophile audience there — the people that know all Peter Gabriel’s stuff or who have every XTC album. The music has nothing to do with all that fake-authentic Americana music that I find so irritating and boring. I expect the people that like that won’t like us.
Have you always gigged the album, just as the album, in the order of the tracks? Yes, we always gig the album in order the same way. But we’ve gigged I think with four different line-ups of musicians so far and each change has made it sound different. And we’ve had different instruments as well from gig to gig. I mean, I always knew we couldn't reproduce the sound of the record — it’s quite lush. When we’re live we go for a more muscular sound, but the changes have kept it interesting.
Have you ever put yourself on shuffle to see what happens? God No! That would be scary. It’s bad enough doing it as it is when I do know what’s coming.
In 20 years you could do one of those classic album gigs and support yourself as Field Music or some other incarnation. We used to do that when we began. There were really only three bands in Sunderland and we all used to support each other and play gigs when the audience was just the other bands.
The story the album tells is about press and public reactions to an imagined kidnapping and is said to be based on a Paul Auster-like thriller plot. Did you write the story? Is there a The Week That Was screenplay on the way with a ready-made soundtrack? It would be a pretty bad screenplay I think! It’s just a two-page outline of a story. I was on tour with the Futureheads and we didn’t have to do our own driving so I just sat down and wrote out this story in the back of the bus. I’d been reading a lot of Paul Auster at the time and wanted to make something like those novels, which are really easy to read but really hard to understand.
When writing the album did you write and record the songs in order — to keep the story going? No! I knew where the songs should all go, where they all fit on the album, but I didn’t do it in order — now that would be brilliant. That would be a concept!
In a previous interview you mentioned you were trying to work out what a pop song should be — are you any closer to your goal? I’m still trying to work it out. I don’t actually think that pop music’s about melodies or sweet chord structures in certain keys. I think it’s much more about the rhythm and the beats and I want to get that together with stuff from Bartok, Schoenberg and the like. What I’m trying to do now is look at early Twentieth Century atonal and serial music to understand how to make pop songs out of these sounds. I have no idea what it’s going sound like.
Are there any bands doing the same sort of thing as The Week That Was? Do you measure yourself against anyone? My brother — his band. I was jealous of that I think, that’s why I made this record. I'm not really tuned in to the popular music scene in the UK at the moment; it's too close to home for me to get excited. I find it’s older bands that give me a sense of place — I recently discovered Punishment of Luxury. Also I like a few US bands but I'm not sure we'd see ourselves as doing a similar thing. Deerhoof are always good value and I like a lot of the Chicago bands on Thrill Jockey. I've just heard the new Extra Golden record which sounds great.
Mojo described The Week That Was as the 8th best album of 2008. Can you think of seven albums you’d put alongside yours? Well, in 2008 I wasn’t listening to a lot of music made in 2008, but I’d put my brother’s album, School of Language, up there. That was bloody brilliant.
Thanks Peter. Enjoy the pub. I will. Thanks. 
The Week That Was!
www.myspace.com/theweekthatwas
School of Language!
www.myspace.com/schooloflanguage
Field Music!
Interview © 2008 Wheel Me Out. No part can be used for any purpose without prior consent. Please contact editorial@wheelmeout.com
