X-clusive: Art Brut “Everything I Say Is True”
Eddie Argos, singer for London upstarts Art Brut and the man said to be the new Jarvis Cocker, spoke exclusively to Xfm Online about the band’s new album, single ‘Emily Kane’ and those Jarvis comparisons.
Ahead of their debut album later this month, Art Brut release the single ‘Emily Kane’ this week (May 2) telling the story of singer Argos’ first love and his reluctance to let go ten years since their separation. Though there have been rumours that the story's in actual fact a work of fiction…
“It’s all true,” he insists. “She actually came to see us play at [London club] Fabric the other day. It was really surreal as I’d sung the song so many times it almost had become fiction. But then she was there, and seeing her really freaked me out.
“We had a bit of a chat and it was nice. People keep wanting to touch her though…” Argos continues. “She’s got a new boyfriend of four years now though and I’m not sure he’s too happy, but I’d be flattered if someone wrote a song for me.”
The album ‘Band Bang Rock ‘N’ Roll’ features the painfully, honest ‘Formed A Band’ and the honest account of ‘My Little Brother’. And if you’re spotting a theme, that’s because Eddie maintains it’s all the truth. Apart from the one about the Italian terrorist, of course…
“It’s all on there, it’s all happened to me,” he says. “Apart from ‘Stand Down’. That’s about the Italian guy who spent ten years as a terrorist before chucking it in because he was rubbish. We’re actually working on some new songs already: A sequel to ‘Emily Kane’ and ‘My Little Sister’, cos she felt left out. We might do a whole album of sequels!”
To support the new record, the band will be making an appearance at Glastonbury this year (“On the John Peel Stage – Ace!”) before slaying the rest of the UK’s outdoor events. So by the Autumn, the final burning question should be well and truly resolved.
“I’m definitely not the new Jarvis,” Argos stammers. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with the old one – he’s great. I’m a huge Pulp fan, and maybe the subject matters of ‘Emily’ and ‘Disco 2000’ are similar, but this is getting quite scary.
“[He] probably opened the NME after reading the ‘New Jarvis’ headline and thought, ‘What that c**t?’ It was an awful picture. To be honest, if someone had told me ten years ago I’d be compared to Jarvis, I’d have done a little jig. I’m generally quite an excitable person, and this kind of thing really doesn’t help…”
Art Brut release 'Emily Kane' this week (May 2) while the album 'Bang Bang Rock 'N' Roll' follows on May 23 through Fierce Panda.
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