Where Eagulls Swear - Eagulls Interview

Gang Of Four, The Sisters Of Mercy, Chumbawamba, Kaiser Chiefs... we can agree Leeds’ contribution to music over the last few decades has been colourful, if a little sporadic. But with the likes of Alt J, Wild Beasts and the very wonderful Eagulls flying its flag, the West Yorkshire metropolis is firmly back on the rock radar.

“Leeds has always had a fruitful scene and it still does now,” muses Eagulls frontman George Mitchell. “Our rehearsal space was recently turned into a venue. Now, the people that practised there can play in the same room. Leeds is a great place to be for music.”
The four-piece have been creating quite the kerfuffle since unleashing their talents on an unsuspecting public in 2010. Lauded singles ‘Council Flat Blues’ and ‘Nerve Endings’ plus their self-titled debut EP paved the way for this year’s eponymous debut long-player. Described in certain circles as ‘The Cure on speed’ its punk/post-punk/rock mélange resists pigeonholing. Support slots for The Manics, Suede and Franz plus appearances on Jools and Letterman have seen their stock soar even further.
“That was very surreal, being one of the biggest TV shows in America!” says George. “We got to meet Bill Murray. He kissed Tom our bass-player. He’s a funny guy – pretty relentless. He runs around just like a clown, exactly as in his films.”
Other noteworthy shoulders rubbed in the last few months include those of Paul McCartney.
“He was standing near us at the NME Awards... quite impressive!,” says George. “I think Liam (Matthews – guitarist) stole his drink. It was a laugh.”
Such cheekiness is run-of-the-mill for the troupe who have gained a reputation as angry-young-men types. Recently they received quite the backlash for an explosive blog post attacking their contemporaries and the wider industry.
‘TO ALL BEACH BANDS SUCKING EACH OTHERS DICKS AND RUBBING THE PRESS’ CLITS. I AM GOING TO CUT YOUR HAIR CLEAN OFF’ it began and, from there, proceeded in a similar tone. Now deleted and explained as a ‘joke’ the screen has nonetheless haunted the group.
“It’s pretty insane, it’s amazing how things get completely taken out of context. It’s boring actually now,” opines George. “It’s boring that people still write about it because there’s a lot more to write about other than that.”
Moving swiftly on… Following an incendiary Longitude performance their upcoming Irish date is hotly anticipated. What can we expect from the show?
“We really enjoyed Longitude. By the time we come back we may have a few new songs. I’m not promising... but hopefully!”

Eagulls play Academy 2 on October 23