Taking Brit Pop sky high
People In Planes take Brit Pop to new and unconventional places
Speaking to People in Planes lead guitarist Pete Roberts was as relaxed as their music. Before I was able to ask any questions, Roberts put the conversation on hold and the phone bill began to grow as the band was currently working in Seattle.
“I'm just sorting out this sandwich right now which I just got from a really nice deli,” Roberts explained.
The band — Gareth “Gaz” Jones (vocals), Kris Blight (bass), John Maloney (drums), Ian Russell (keyboards) and Pete Roberts (lead guitar) — met at school in Wales at a young age and got together playing in the schoolyard at lunch.
Before they were out of high school, the guys had a demo put together and were signed by EMI in the UK.
According to Roberts, they never really dreamed of being in a band. They were just young guys trying to figure out what to do with their lives. One day something clicked inside of them, and they made it happen.
“There was this sort of specific turning point when the Brit Pop thing happened,” said Roberts. “Supergrass really inspired Gaz [Jones] and I to start a band.”
Growing up in Wales, Roberts and Jones were inspired by many bands in the throws of the Brit Pop scene. They came from all over the U.K. But one Welsh band from the North, Super Furry Animals, impacted PIP in a big way.
“[Super Furry Animals] were pretty much the best band in the Brit Pop scene,” Roberts stated. “I think they pulled it off the best, pushing boundaries. That was a huge inspiration to us.”
As most kids who come from a small town do, People in Planes definitely had aspirations of getting out of their hometown in Wales. And as unconventional as the formation of the band was, the first leg of their career was even more unique.
Originally going by the name “Tetra Splendour”, they were signed quite young after sending their demo to EMI, but in a corporate shuffle, the band was dropped. Not at all shaken after leaving the label, the guys were still hungry, and eager to get back in the game.
“I think that event of being dropped by someone was probably one of the most inspiring things to happen to us,” said Roberts. “Everything happens for a reason. I guess this [People in Planes] was the reason.”
Tetra Splendour became People in Planes, and keyboardist Ian Russell came aboard. Before long, the newly incarnated group was signed by the New York based record label, Wind-Up Records.
The U.K. being a much smaller country than North America, there were much fewer radio-stations, and even fewer music magazines. So when the magazine New Musical Express (NME) made life difficult for PIP, the possibilities for the new band diminished.
It would not be a stretch of the imagination to say that the NME's negativity towards the band had something to do with them getting their start in the U.S.. However, Roberts does not think that it is so cut and dry.
“There were frustrations there, and the U.S. had better opportunities I guess,” suggested Roberts. “We've been really successful with people digging our sound over here, but I don't think that there's a way to say why it happened one way or the other.”
Wherever their career took off, and for whatever reason, People in Planes were flying high after the release of their first album, As Far As The Eye Can See. The title was symbolic of their feelings of having been cheated by the record company out of becoming who they were meant to become as artists, as well as a commentary on some people's shortsightedness.
Their next album, Beyond the Horizon — due in stores soon — is a about the development and progression of the band.
The single “Pretty Buildings” is a very unique song in that is was composed somewhat backwards. It started off as just a piano line written by Jones, but took a while to develop.
“It was Christmastime in 2006, and we were all sitting around having a bit of booze when Gaz [Jones] decided to start playing the melody on the piano,” recounted Roberts. “There was sort of a magic moment really when we all realized that it was something special.”
As pivotal as that track is to the upcoming album, Roberts sees the title itself as a significant part of the album as a whole.
“It's about our perception of the world. It all ties in quite nicely with what we think People in Planes is about. It's the concept of the future and what the future holds.”
So what does the future hold for this up and coming Brit band?
After the release of Beyond the Horizon, the band plans to head back home to the U.K. to tour, and they are very excited about it. Back in 2006, they toured only in America, and did no promotions in their home country. They even did a small Canadian tour, which Roberts described as “amazing.”
Beyond that, we'll just have to wait and see.
Speaking to People in Planes lead guitarist Pete Roberts was as relaxed as their music. Before I was able to ask any questions, Roberts put the conversation on hold and the phone bill began to grow as the band was currently working in Seattle.
“I'm just sorting out this sandwich right now which I just got from a really nice deli,” Roberts explained.
The band — Gareth “Gaz” Jones (vocals), Kris Blight (bass), John Maloney (drums), Ian Russell (keyboards) and Pete Roberts (lead guitar) — met at school in Wales at a young age and got together playing in the schoolyard at lunch.
Before they were out of high school, the guys had a demo put together and were signed by EMI in the UK.
According to Roberts, they never really dreamed of being in a band. They were just young guys trying to figure out what to do with their lives. One day something clicked inside of them, and they made it happen.
“There was this sort of specific turning point when the Brit Pop thing happened,” said Roberts. “Supergrass really inspired Gaz [Jones] and I to start a band.”
Growing up in Wales, Roberts and Jones were inspired by many bands in the throws of the Brit Pop scene. They came from all over the U.K. But one Welsh band from the North, Super Furry Animals, impacted PIP in a big way.
“[Super Furry Animals] were pretty much the best band in the Brit Pop scene,” Roberts stated. “I think they pulled it off the best, pushing boundaries. That was a huge inspiration to us.”
As most kids who come from a small town do, People in Planes definitely had aspirations of getting out of their hometown in Wales. And as unconventional as the formation of the band was, the first leg of their career was even more unique.
Originally going by the name “Tetra Splendour”, they were signed quite young after sending their demo to EMI, but in a corporate shuffle, the band was dropped. Not at all shaken after leaving the label, the guys were still hungry, and eager to get back in the game.
“I think that event of being dropped by someone was probably one of the most inspiring things to happen to us,” said Roberts. “Everything happens for a reason. I guess this [People in Planes] was the reason.”
Tetra Splendour became People in Planes, and keyboardist Ian Russell came aboard. Before long, the newly incarnated group was signed by the New York based record label, Wind-Up Records.
The U.K. being a much smaller country than North America, there were much fewer radio-stations, and even fewer music magazines. So when the magazine New Musical Express (NME) made life difficult for PIP, the possibilities for the new band diminished.
It would not be a stretch of the imagination to say that the NME's negativity towards the band had something to do with them getting their start in the U.S.. However, Roberts does not think that it is so cut and dry.
“There were frustrations there, and the U.S. had better opportunities I guess,” suggested Roberts. “We've been really successful with people digging our sound over here, but I don't think that there's a way to say why it happened one way or the other.”
Wherever their career took off, and for whatever reason, People in Planes were flying high after the release of their first album, As Far As The Eye Can See. The title was symbolic of their feelings of having been cheated by the record company out of becoming who they were meant to become as artists, as well as a commentary on some people's shortsightedness.
Their next album, Beyond the Horizon — due in stores soon — is a about the development and progression of the band.
The single “Pretty Buildings” is a very unique song in that is was composed somewhat backwards. It started off as just a piano line written by Jones, but took a while to develop.
“It was Christmastime in 2006, and we were all sitting around having a bit of booze when Gaz [Jones] decided to start playing the melody on the piano,” recounted Roberts. “There was sort of a magic moment really when we all realized that it was something special.”
As pivotal as that track is to the upcoming album, Roberts sees the title itself as a significant part of the album as a whole.
“It's about our perception of the world. It all ties in quite nicely with what we think People in Planes is about. It's the concept of the future and what the future holds.”
So what does the future hold for this up and coming Brit band?
After the release of Beyond the Horizon, the band plans to head back home to the U.K. to tour, and they are very excited about it. Back in 2006, they toured only in America, and did no promotions in their home country. They even did a small Canadian tour, which Roberts described as “amazing.”
Beyond that, we'll just have to wait and see.
