London-based two-piece Modern Technology released an EP back in January that remains on constant rotation. Described at the time as ” one of those bands that makes you feel, there’s an inescapably visceral pull to the music the like of which is all too rarely found…” (see the full review here), we were excited when the band announced they were heading out on the road to bring their sonic onslaught to the masses. With a strong sense of social conscience and a powerful musical presence, we were happy to have the chance to speak to the band. Read on and get your tickets booked (links at the base of the post).
1. So, let’s start with the inevitable question – could you tell us a little about how Modern Technology came together.
Owen Gildersleeve: Chris and I have both lived in London for over 10 years now. It’s a brilliant city to live, full of creativity and possibility, but it can also be quite an intense and unforgiving place at times, especially when you’re not in a great place. At the time that Modern Technology first came about Chris and I both really needed to vent, emotionally and physically. We’d been jamming on and off before then for many years without things quite clicking, but coming together again at that time, just the two of us, things immediately took a far heavier and darker turn. We realised then that we had something interesting going, playing not just with the riffs but with the emptiness too.
2. Bearing in mind the band were formed around a “a shared frustration of this post-truth society and political unrest”, is the band’s name drawn from what you feel is causing the problem or is Modern Technology a possible solution?
Chris: We were drawn to it’s mundanity — it’s description is something utterly ironic because as soon as something is labelled as such it is already obsolete.
Modern Technology seemed the perfect term to capture a lot of what the band aims to reflect. It speaks to a generation who grew up in the pre-internet age and who are now navigating this very delicate path of hyper-normalisation.
3. There is a (contested) view that personal suffering produces great art and that, by extension, difficult times inspire far more art and music than times of relative contentment. Do you feel there is correlation, or are you of Jeff Tweedy’s view that the notion of the tortured artist is a “damaging mythology”?
Owen: I’m very much for the former as I do feel that tough times spark the need for a reaction – Some hide within it, others feel the need to step out and voice their frustration.
When Modern Technology first started forming it was a really hard time to be creative – The Brexit process had just kicked in and Trump was taking hold of the US – So it was difficult to create anything artistic without it feeling totally meaningless. Because of this Chris and I started discussing the lyrical content and direction of the band and realised that through the music we could try to make a stand in some form, as well as to aiming to give something back to those affected by all of this mess.
That’s when we first decided to give any profits we make off the physical and digital releases to Mind and Shelter – Two fantastic charities helping those most in need at this time. Shelter is doing some amazing work with the homeless and people on low income, which unfortunately has become far too common after years of austerity and benefit cuts. Mind is also doing some incredible work for mental health – An area which has in the past been overlooked, but is becoming an ever growing issue with society’s increasing demands, stresses and strains. Their work also links back to Shelter’s, as a lot of people going through housing issues unfortunately also face mental health problems along the way, so the two charities feel like great close allies.
4. Given that the nature of politics seems to have become reductively based around soundbites, is it challenging, do you think, to create lyrics that have depth and yet, at the same time, expose the inequities of modern society?
Chris: Lyrically we try to find a balance in the writing. We like to leave enough space for interpretation but have enough social commentary that it paints the picture we’re hoping to reflect. It’s important for us to leave that space, as it is in this void where a listener can really put themselves into the music.
We also do a lot with tone, creating a sense of the subject we’re tacking in how the songs constructed. We play a lot with repetition, discordant arrangements and sculpted distortion to try and create different atmospheres the best we can.
5. In a recent interview, Steve Savale of Asian Dub Foundation stated that he didn’t see his band as political, per se, but that, as artists, they were compelled to tell the truth about the society that they saw. Do you view Modern Technology as rather more political in intent, or are you simply reflecting society as it currently appears to you?
Chris: I do see us more of a reflection rather than being deeply rooted in a political agenda. I see us more as situationists — observing, interrogating and dissecting parts that we feel we have a story to tell. I feel it’s our duty, as citizens of the earth to reflect upon society and the various injustices we face.
We live in a deeply polemic time — If you’re judgemental without reflection, you leave no space for curiosity — and any chance of empathy.
6. It seems that there is an increasing number of two-piece bands – far more than, say fifteen years ago, what is the appeal of a two-piece band and have you ever had any thoughts of expanding the line up?
Owen: Well for a starter it’s a hell of a lot easier to arrange a band practice! But also I’ve always been drawn to bands with a really raw and energetic but clear sound, rather that lots of guitar overlays. So a two-piece setup always seems to resonate with me in the way that all the parts have their own space. There’s also a nice limitation to being in a two-piece that it’s enjoyable to embrace, playing with the empty space and pushing the contrast of light and shade.
Chris: Absolutely! There’s a real transparency in being a two piece band — each instrument can be heard in real clarity. When we started playing this way, we really liked the ‘audio arm wrestle’ you get between the instruments, often the bass taking a backseat to more complex drum arrangements. We started adding aspects of spoken word and looming vocals which really started to add richness to the sound.
I’ve always said we will keep writing and performing music as long as there are more people in the audience than on stage. As long as the promoter and the sound engineer stick around, we should hopefully be ok.
7. How did your association with Cruel Nature come about?
Owen: Cruel Nature have been on my radar for some time after years of putting out great music. So when our EP was released I reached out to Steve and sent him our record to have a listen to – not really in the aim for anything to happen with it, more just as a ‘I like what you do, here’s our stuff’. To our surprise he came back saying he loved it and would we like to release a limited edition cassette. It was a massive compliment coming from him, and being linked with the label has definitely helped the reach of the EP. Also the format is perfect for the record, in its tactility and obsolescence.
8. One aspect of modern technology that is heavily contested is the nature of the internet and its relationship with music. On the one hand, without the internet, we wouldn’t be having this discussion; on the other hand, it is that much harder for an artist to be heard simply because of the sheer overwhelming amount of music out there –what are your views?
Owen: For us it’s very much a love hate thing. Modern technology and the internet are the cause for a lot of the stress, anxiety and feelings of inadequacy that people are currently facing, with social media really affecting everyone in a bizarrely narcissistic way that seems to have become quite the norm. But on the flip side it’s also a tool which helps people to connect and has really helped us as a band to reach out to people and spread our music. So it’s a very conflicting thing and the source for a lot of the frustration and angst in our music.
Chris: Overall technological advancement is a great thing, we just unfortunately aren’t developing fast enough emotionally to deal with it. Technology has a cruel ability to accelerate all of our insecurities — and with real poignancy — as it’s inherently us who subjects ourselves to it. Technology is merely the vehicle — we have always had the keys, but we seem to have left them locked in the boot as we hurtle towards an inevitable crash.
With a huge rise in mental illness with direct attributions to the over-use, over-sharing and over-indulgence that technology affords — knowing how to navigate the many technological touch points is really delicate task. And one where we seem to be inventing new structures that somehow make it worse.
Overall it has become much harder to cut through the noise. The sheer saturation of what is offered personally leaves me a little numb. Time feels like such a precious commodity and navigating that saturation becomes a chore. This is where trust becomes so important. A trust in what you’re reading, listening, watching — consuming in every possible aspect helps steady the platform — and helps me to direct my attention at the things worthwhile.
9. With the EP having received some fantastic feedback, do you have plans for a full-length album or another EP any time soon?
Owen: The feedback from the EP has really taken us by surprise to be honest – We’d spent so long behind closed doors not sharing it with anyone that when it finally went out into the world we just assumed that would be that, we hadn’t really contemplated that people might actually enjoy it!
We’ve been back in the studio writing this past few months and already have a couple of new tracks we’re excited about. Whether those lead to an album or EP we’ll see, but I’m sure a few will pop up in our upcoming shows so make sure to check them out!
10. What are the long term goals of the band?
Owen: I think just to keep making music and enjoying what we do. The band has always been a place for us to vent, let off steam and be a haven from day-to-day life, so as long as that continues and we continue to enjoy what we do I’ll be happy – Everything else that comes our way is an unexpected and exciting bonus.
Chris: We’ve been chatting about how MT can go beyond being a band into other physical manifestations so look out for that too…
11. You’re out on tour soon – what can fans and newcomers to the band expect?
Owen: We really enjoy the process of playing live and put everything we have into our live shows. So expect to see two guys riding the fine line of total euphoria / absolute exhaustion.
Chris: Two men in their thirties desperately trying to keep their cholesterol levels down so they can make it through a set.
12. Any final words?
Owen: We’re putting on a big charity fundraiser show in London on June 28th with our promoter pals Total Cult. As mentioned earlier we’ve aimed to raise money for charities Mind & Shelter through our EP sales and so we thought we could go a step further, bringing together a bunch of friends we’ve met through our music to put on a big show and hopefully raise some more money for those that need it most.
The lineup includes the amazing noise-punkers Bruxa Maria, Newcastle sludge beasts Lump Hammer, and writer / spoken word artist Christopher Nosnibor, who’ll be joined in a one-off collaboration by noise artist Cementimental aka Tim Drage. DJs from the Hominid Sounds label and NTS’s Black Impulse show round off the night – you can listen to the line-up, alongside some top Hominid and Black Impulse selections on our Spotify playlist.
Tickets are available now from Eventbrite and Dice and you can find out more about the show on the Facebook event page, here, After that we then move onto Leicester to play at show withe the brilliant promoters, The Other Window, and then finally to Brighton to team up with the excellent Pascagoula – It’s going to be one hell of a weekend!
Details for the Brighton show can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/631517607318793/?ti=ia
Details for the Leicester show can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/events/349323732381470/?ti=ia
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