With arguably the most fervent fanbase of any Derby band, the collective cheer when Cable announced their reunion was audible from Five Lamps to Lara Croft Way. Tom caught up with them in the run-up to their first Derby show in well over a decade.
Hatch'd Magazine: There seemed to be some significant obstacles facing a Cable reunion, including geography. What was the main catalyst for it actually happening? Were you aware of the Facebook campaign started by your fans?
Matt: I didn't know about the Facebook campaign until recently, I'm completely out of touch re: kickstarters or crowd-sourcing (someone should explain it to me), but I guess the offer from Hundred Reasons was a factor. We live thousands of miles apart these days, me in Norway and Richie can't stand being in one country for more than a week, so a reunion looked more complicated and less likely as time went by. It's not something that was ever going to be simple to get going. The HR offer came completely out of the blue in the spring and I suppose it just felt perfect because it's given us a nice long lead up. I guess we all have a few demons from the whole 'Cable' episode (even though it was a very long time ago) so we quickly agreed that any 'reunion' must be fun and hassle-free. Which is easier said than done but the way things have panned out so far has been pretty sweet...
HM: Do Je Suis Animal or Hudson Super Six ever get requests to play Cable songs? How much crossover do you think there is between the fanbases?
Matt: A very very tiny micro-crossover maybe. Cable fans have occasionally turned up at our UK shows, but it's two very different worlds really. I'm sure people can appreciate both but Elin & Anthony are the focus of Je suis animal, so it would be bizarre to get cable requests. We toured Germany last year and a Cable fan did come to see us in Berlin, which was weird and nice. In general Je suis animal's audience consists of strange bookish girls and terrified boys, whereas Cable's shows were only ever attended by strange women & terrifying men.
Pete: Hudson Super Six probably have more of a crossover and so we do get Cable fans at our shows. They've never asked for us to play a Cable song though... but I did always get asked as to whether Cable would get back together - which always went down well with the other Hudson fellas! But that was partly why I knew that if we did do something, there was still a strong interest in the group.
HM: Which other Derby bands from the 90's were your favourites? Did you think there were any under-appreciated gems?
Matt: Twinkie and Johnny Domino were my favourites. I haven't followed their careers lately but I was shocked and amazed to see Moo (Twinkie's vocalist/bass player) pop up on a Jimmy Carr DVD I rented once. I also remember Pete's friends played in a brilliant band called Copium whose agenda was to never play the same chord progression more than once, which seemed pretty noble. I hope they're still going... I'm sure Pete can elaborate...
Pete: I have no idea what happened to Copium, but they were great. It was good to see the Beekeepers back together earlier this year. I think it's the longest I've seen Gary Thatcher (guitarist) vertical in years. The Beyond reminded us all in April that Derby knew how to play heavy metal properly in the early 90s too.
HM: What about current Derby bands? Do you still follow what's happening in the city now / in recent years?
Pete: I love Julie Collings - she is a fabulous singer-songwriter and a joy to watch performing. Her third album just came out and it's breathtaking and heart warming. Lost Alone are doing pretty good. I loved YouNoGoDie and Slow Season are pretty cool.
HM: Particularly hackneyed question alert: would Cable ever consider recording new material? Is such a prospect simply inconsonant to where your lives are now?
Matt: Well of course we're 12 years on, and I do live in a different country, but who knows. I often get fragments of new Cable songs popping into my head while I'm digging through snowdrifts - and maybe the next few weeks will give birth to something new. We've not been in this position until now so we just have to see. To be honest we're just really psyched about the reunion and there's been no discussion about what's beyond that.. I do know that everybody's super busy, so it would take another 12 years to get new material out...
HM: Are there any bands who you saw in their original incarnation and later on a reunion tour (e.g. Pixies, My Bloody Valentine)? If so, were there any notable differences in the way they came across? How different do you think it will feel taking the stage as Cable once more? Do you feel any additional pressure?
Matt: I saw Sebadoh's reunion and they were brilliant.
Pete: I've seen the Pixies a few times since they got back together and they're always amazing.
Richie: I saw the Pixies at one of their first reunion shows at the Coachella Festival in California…they were TERRIBLE! You can't rest on you laurels because you had it good in the past. What we do at these 4 shows lands heavily on the memories of us that folk hold from 12 years ago. You have to deliver. That, I guess, is the risk of reunions.
Darius: I saw the Pixies at Alexandra Palace and, despite what Richie might tell you they were even more godlike than they used to be. Black Francis still has the best blood-curdling scream in rock and I fainted when they played Caribou. Then I got kissed by a nice St John's ambulance man. We've not kept in touch though.
HM: Which records or bands have most impressed you since Cable split up?
Matt: Deerhoof. Consistently reinventing the indie-rock wheel. When Deerhoof played Oslo in 2007 drummer Greg Saunier spent the first two minutes engulfed in a tornado of chipped drumsticks. Immense drumming, set to wonderfully oblique melodies. I do heart that band. I also spend a lot of time listening to The Hospitals.
Pete: I like Deerhoof! Can't remember how I found out about them... maybe it was from Matt? For wearing their heavy metal loud and proud, I'm a proper groupie for Black Spiders. I also like Bad Otter and Slagmeat.
Darius: I'm obsessed with the Lower Dens. I heart them, in fact. Especially the first album. If Cable hadn't imploded maybe we might have developed an ounce of their coolness. Hurray for the Riff Raff are great, too.
To buy tickets for Cable's Derby show, see below.
Links:
November tour dates:
Wednesday Nov. 21st - DERBY - THE VENUE (CLICK TO BUY TICKETS)
Thursday Nov. 22nd - LONDON - CORONET (SOLD OUT)
Friday Nov. 23rd - MANCHESTER - ACADEMY (SOLD OUT)
Saturday Nov. 24th - LONDON HMV FORUM (SOLD OUT)