FIGURE 9 ARE PREPPING FOR SITG ON A DIET OF CLASSIC R&B AND BRITNEY
It would not be unfair to say that Figure 9 had a pretty stellar year in 2015. The London electropop trio catapulted themselves to the top of the charts with their single 'King'.
They played a cracker of a gig at Splendour in the Grass last year, even though some kind of logistical fuckup meant their gear was still in Canada. They're back to blow that performance outta the water up in Byron Bay this weekend. They're also playing at the official Brissie pre-party tomorrow night, in what promises to be an excellent affair.
We caught up with frontman Krishna Deshpande, and he’s mad keen to get onstage and make 2016 even better than last year.
P.TV: Are you prepped to come to Australia and play at Splendour?
Yeah, we're as prepped as we can be. We're very excited. We play on Sunday and we've got a few shows before then.
Your show in 2015 was pretty massive. Reckon you can top it?
Actually, yes. No doubts there. Last year we had a bit of a kerfuffle with our gear, and it didn't make it. We made do and it was a great show, and the crowd was massively supportive and wonderful, but this year there'll be no fuck ups. That's a guarantee. We're planning for a mindblowing show!
What actually ended up happening with that? Whose gear did you use?
We borrowed a MIDI keyboard from... someone. I don't remember who. We plugged it into Emre's iPad and used that for a synth. We used a live drum kit that we borrowed from someone else. We had a few things on track we could play. Mikey played a bit of electric bass. And that was that. Opening a show by apologising is never a great start...
But it can only get better from there, right?
Exactly!
2015 was obviously a massive year for you guys – obviously 'King' was massive for you, you played at Wembley... what has that been like for you?
I'm still processing it, which I guess sounds a little weird to say, maybe. But every time we do something totally mental I remember that two years ago I was basically playing to five people at a time, and that only makes everything even more overwhelming. But fun! Super fun. My life is completely different. Emre and Mikey and I don't get on anymore, though. You know what they say about close quarters.
Look, I always pull this one out, and it's sometimes hard to get it out on the spot, but what was the craziest thing that's happened in this past year?
Ask me at a different time and I'll probably give you a different answer, but right now... In the two weeks leading up to our album release we were gigging quite heavily and really in the thick of it for promo. The weekend it came out we played four countries in two days, which was just insane - we were in Germany for a festival and immediately after we finished we got on this chartered plane to Ireland for another show that evening, and while we were on the flight we found out that the album was definitely going to be #1. So we were just totally out of it with jet lag popping champagne on a chartered plane, and... Yeah. I think that was the craziest thing that happened this past year.
Do you prefer to play arena/stadium shows or festivals?
This is similar to the studio vs. live shows question, but it's harder for me to answer. On the one hand I love festivals because you often get quite dirty running around getting to see everyone and frolicking in mud, and it's a bit of a big party. But on the other hand at your own shows they're your shows, do you know what I mean? The focus is on you, and you get to do cool stage stuff like shoot cannons of glitter and have cooler lights and get propelled onto the stage in a lift. I'm a very narcissistic person, so I guess if I really had to answer I'd say that I prefer our arena shows. But they're both wonderful.
Are you writing any music at the moment?
We were a bit here and there, but we've scrapped a lot. Right now we're focusing on touring and stuff, but once we're finished this autumn we'll start writing properly.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I've been listening to stuff like Nelly, Monica, and Kelly Rowlands. Old Britney tracks. Kind of mainly old R&B stuff.
Britney has a new track out today. Someone gave it a spin in the office.
Oh my god, you're right! I need to check that out. Where has my head been?
Once you’re done in Australia, where are you off to?
We're going to Japan to play Fuji Rock. Then we’re going to Canada and America, then we go back home. It's gonna be pretty wild. I think my boyfriend's coming along with us for a bit of it, so I'm quite excited about that.
Man, we’re looking forward to seeing you.
Thank you! You too. See you there.
It would not be unfair to say that Figure 9 had a pretty stellar year in 2015. The London electropop trio catapulted themselves to the top of the charts with their single 'King'.
They played a cracker of a gig at Splendour in the Grass last year, even though some kind of logistical fuckup meant their gear was still in Canada. They're back to blow that performance outta the water up in Byron Bay this weekend. They're also playing at the official Brissie pre-party tomorrow night, in what promises to be an excellent affair.
We caught up with frontman Krishna Deshpande, and he’s mad keen to get onstage and make 2016 even better than last year.
P.TV: Are you prepped to come to Australia and play at Splendour?
Yeah, we're as prepped as we can be. We're very excited. We play on Sunday and we've got a few shows before then.
Your show in 2015 was pretty massive. Reckon you can top it?
Actually, yes. No doubts there. Last year we had a bit of a kerfuffle with our gear, and it didn't make it. We made do and it was a great show, and the crowd was massively supportive and wonderful, but this year there'll be no fuck ups. That's a guarantee. We're planning for a mindblowing show!
What actually ended up happening with that? Whose gear did you use?
We borrowed a MIDI keyboard from... someone. I don't remember who. We plugged it into Emre's iPad and used that for a synth. We used a live drum kit that we borrowed from someone else. We had a few things on track we could play. Mikey played a bit of electric bass. And that was that. Opening a show by apologising is never a great start...
But it can only get better from there, right?
Exactly!
2015 was obviously a massive year for you guys – obviously 'King' was massive for you, you played at Wembley... what has that been like for you?
I'm still processing it, which I guess sounds a little weird to say, maybe. But every time we do something totally mental I remember that two years ago I was basically playing to five people at a time, and that only makes everything even more overwhelming. But fun! Super fun. My life is completely different. Emre and Mikey and I don't get on anymore, though. You know what they say about close quarters.
Look, I always pull this one out, and it's sometimes hard to get it out on the spot, but what was the craziest thing that's happened in this past year?
Ask me at a different time and I'll probably give you a different answer, but right now... In the two weeks leading up to our album release we were gigging quite heavily and really in the thick of it for promo. The weekend it came out we played four countries in two days, which was just insane - we were in Germany for a festival and immediately after we finished we got on this chartered plane to Ireland for another show that evening, and while we were on the flight we found out that the album was definitely going to be #1. So we were just totally out of it with jet lag popping champagne on a chartered plane, and... Yeah. I think that was the craziest thing that happened this past year.
Do you prefer to play arena/stadium shows or festivals?
This is similar to the studio vs. live shows question, but it's harder for me to answer. On the one hand I love festivals because you often get quite dirty running around getting to see everyone and frolicking in mud, and it's a bit of a big party. But on the other hand at your own shows they're your shows, do you know what I mean? The focus is on you, and you get to do cool stage stuff like shoot cannons of glitter and have cooler lights and get propelled onto the stage in a lift. I'm a very narcissistic person, so I guess if I really had to answer I'd say that I prefer our arena shows. But they're both wonderful.
Are you writing any music at the moment?
We were a bit here and there, but we've scrapped a lot. Right now we're focusing on touring and stuff, but once we're finished this autumn we'll start writing properly.
What are you listening to at the moment?
I've been listening to stuff like Nelly, Monica, and Kelly Rowlands. Old Britney tracks. Kind of mainly old R&B stuff.
Britney has a new track out today. Someone gave it a spin in the office.
Oh my god, you're right! I need to check that out. Where has my head been?
Once you’re done in Australia, where are you off to?
We're going to Japan to play Fuji Rock. Then we’re going to Canada and America, then we go back home. It's gonna be pretty wild. I think my boyfriend's coming along with us for a bit of it, so I'm quite excited about that.
Man, we’re looking forward to seeing you.
Thank you! You too. See you there.
wait what???? what bf was krishna talking about??? WHERE ARE THE RECEIPTS?
ughhhh he just gave an interview with pedestrian tv about sitg and he mentioned that his boyfriend was coming on tour with them. EMRE IS THE ONLY OPTION HERE. i'll post it in a sec.
do you actually like the worship video though? it's so gross. gyrating in a car park in short shorts and a pink jacket is so not who i thought krishna was... he's turning into a caricature of a gay man and i can't support it. how can you respect that kind of work?
he's doing what he wants to be doing, and if you actually watched the video and weren't such a cunt you'd see that there are levels to it. it's not like he made a porno. wow. anyway he's allowed to do what he wants with his body, which is what he's always done, so you can't be a fan of his if you're shocked by that and also don't approve of it...?
We've been getting progressively darker and more mature with our videos. Our music is written from my perspective, which is a queer perspective. It's important for me to be able to capture the different shades of things, or at least as many shades as possible. Sexuality and gender and identity are complex subjects no matter who you are, and no matter how firmly you identify as one thing over another, and being able to work with such brilliant people like Ryan and Matt has opened me up to opportunities. I don't want to stagnate. We've received some criticism that our videos are a bit too much for our audience, especially Worship and Desire, but we've received such massive support from our young fans, and I don't think they want to be patronized. I don't want to patronize them. I think they're ready to be challenged, and more than that to finally see representations of relationships and individuals that they can really identify with. It's been so beautiful to see them connect with our work that way, and to know that there is a space for this.- Krishna for Dazed
