Rolo Tomassi Interview

Rolo Tomassi: Sheffield’s finest. If they like it or not…

Sheffield has a rich musical past, ranging from Tony Christie to Human League, Def Leppard (you can’t deny the brilliance of a one-armed drummer), up to Pulp and today with 65daysofstatic, and most recently Rolo Tomassi. Rolo are not only one of the most exciting prospects kicking and screaming their way out of Sheffield, but the UK as a whole. So with the saucy, discordant genius of Hysterics, a mission statement of a band willing to challenge themselves and keep us mere listeners forever guessing what’s around the corner; what is next for Rolo? I spoke to keyboard player, James from Rolo Tomassi, recently about what its like starting out in Sheffield, and how the next album is shaping up.

Jonny: What was it like being a new band in Sheffield? Was there much of a scene when you were starting out, or did you have to work hard to get noticed? Also, are there any particular venues in Sheffield you like/liked playing?

James: When we formed our band, Sheffield has a really healthy DIY scene. Maybe its just nostalgia but shows seemed to be better locally back then. There were venues like the Cricketers which always had a really cool atmosphere but because of music licensing laws that particular place had to shut.

We actually didn't spend too much time playing Sheffield regularly when we started out. It was a conscious decision to play out of town as much as possible which I believe in the long run totally worked in our favor. Although its a big place, everyone involved with music in Sheffield seems knows each other so in terms of meeting new people who could help us out in seemed a little redundant to keep playing the same places over and over.

Jonny: How has been working with a label like Holy Roar, who seem to have a lot of like-minded bands on their roster?

James: At the moment, we're actually on Hassle Records but in the past we put out our self-titled EP and a 7" with Holy Roar. Working with them was fantastic though. We met Alex and Ellen just before or maybe just as they were setting up the label in really good circumstances. We played a show in the living room of their old house in Birmingham. it was an amazing night and really got our relationship off on the right foot.

Being involved with the label since/during its inception and seeing how much its grown has been an absolute pleasure. We're proud to be counted among their roster considering some of the amazing artists they've put out and continue to put out.

Jonny: How is the new album going? Are you consciously pursuing a new direction, or do you feel its a natural progression of the band? Also, how was Diplo influenced/affected recordings? How was it been working with him?

James: The new album is currently being mixed and the recording process went really well. We were all really happy with the songs we had going into the studio and at this current stage we're really happy with how they've come out. I think in terms of how it sounds, its a natural progression from Hysterics, our first album. A years worth of touring the first album definitely gave us a good idea of what we wanted to change about the songs, knowing that we'll be touring this release hard as well.

Working with Diplo and Ariel, the engineer for the album, was a great experience. In the past we've always recorded really close to home so after initially getting over the novelty of being the other side of the world, we settled into a good pattern of work and built up a good working relationship with the people we were working with. I think that being from a different 'scene' or whatever you want to call it, Diplo brings a fresh set of ears to what we're doing. He's worked with a lot of different artists who would maybe usually require different production techniques than we would have used on us being a rock band.

Jonny: What tunes are your favourites to drop in a DJ set?

Jame: Like I Love You - Justin Timberlake

I Drink The Wine - Murder City Devils

Heather Im Dry - Dolby Anol

Tired of Sex - Weezer

Amongst many others!

Jonny: Do you think the changing dynamic of the music industry is challenging you as a band? Or do you think it has made things easier?

James: Recently I've been trying not to think about 'the industry' because everything is pretty fucked at the moment with illegal downloads, poor tickets sales to shows and a lot of labels just hemorrhaging money and going under BUT I think that the current climate just makes a band like us work harder. Thats not to say we wouldn't work hard at what we do otherwise. The sad truth is that if we don't stay constantly active and stay in peoples faces that we could easily fall in amongst the many cracks that are appearing. I think a lot of bands really struggle to write a second album and get it out quickly so they can carry on touring but I think we've managed to do that so we won't be disappearing anytime soon.

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In a world where X-Factor and Britains Got “Talent” are watched with religious fervour and Piers Morgan’s opinion on music counts for something, its massively refreshing to hear a band who clearly don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks, and instead are happy to mix with like minded bands, and operate without the fat cats of the major labels who think Lady GaGa is revolutionising music and the return of Robbie Williams is something to be excited by. And they are from Sheffield. Bonus.