Interview: Errors - "We've never really worked to a concrete game plan..."

It's nearly two years since Errors gave us Come Down With Me, an album with enough pep in its step to mark the Glaswegian outfit out from the rest of the instrumental math/dance rock crowd. Now they're back with Have Some Faith In Magic – their third LP for fellow Scots Mogwai's Rock Action imprint – and this time they've brought vocals, along with another intriguing box of sonic curve balls, along for the ride.

Michael James Hall recently exchanged emails with the band's Steev Livingstone, who spoke about shaking things up live, soundtracking Football Focus and the joys of touring with Messrs. Braithwaite and co.

Hi there, Steev. Thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Can I start by asking how you would sum up the distance between the new record and your debut EP, 2006's How Clean Is Your Acid House? Is the basic intention still the same?

I don't think there has ever been any explicit intention really. When we started out, we were very young and didn't really know what was going on; now we're all a bit older and still don't really know what's going on! Well, I say that, but I guess we do have more of an understanding of what our place in the world is... I suppose we're a little more informed about how things work these days.

Looking back at those formative years, can you remember what your expectations as a band were when you were starting out? When Mogwai picked up on you, and you went with Rock Action - was that just part of the process you had been anticipating, or did it come as a surprise to you?

It was a big surprise, to be honest. I remember it was pretty much our second show, and they asked us afterwards if we wanted to put a record out. At the time I didn't realise that meant we were signed. We were a bunch of 19 year-olds when that happened, so it's fair to say we've learnt quite a lot since then. I think we didn't really have a plan back then... I don't think we realised what was expected of us, and that eventually we could be in a band more or less full-time. It's happened pretty naturally, though - none of us are what you might call hugely ambitious people. We appreciate that we're very lucky to be doing this, and we are pretty hard-working at the end of the day. But we've never really worked to a concrete game plan in the sense of, say, wanting to be in such-and-such a place by 2011. That's not really how we operate.

From a stylistic point of view, things seem to shift a gear with each release from you guys - how would you react to the view that, in the context of your releases to date, Have Some Faith In Magic is by and large a pop record?

I'm not sure I agree with that assessment necessarily, although I can certainly see where the opinion might be coming from. I guess the use of prominent vocals is the most obvious thing that has changed, and that probably makes this record that bit more accessible because singing features in a lot of pop music... I guess the tunes are slightly more melodic perhaps, but personally I think there are more interesting ideas going on and songs that push towards the seven-minute mark, so for me it doesn't seem all that poppy in a lot of ways.

You mention this being the first time the band has used vocals extensively, so let’s get the obvious question out of the way: do you feel the move has worked well for you?

I think so, yeah.

I recall reading a few years back that you weren't best pleased at having your music labelled post-rock. Is this still the case? Would I be right in saying you feel your roots lie more in dance than in rock?

I think we have roots in lots of different types of music; post-rock isn't really one I'd list, though. I think you'd find that to be the case with most bands who've fallen under that banner. I think with this record in particular we've definitely moved further away from anything that could be described in those terms.

Tell us what it's like touring with your labelmates (and bosses) Mogwai.

They're very funny guys to be around. We always have a good time with them when we're away together. I'm still blown away by them live to tell you the truth... Even after touring with them for a month or so, I don't really get bored of watching them.

How was the Barrowlands homecoming show with them just before Christmas? (Mogwai invited Errors to open for them at the hallowed Glasgow venue during Christmas week -Ed.)

Very good thanks. And strangely very comfortable. I was losing sleep leading up to it because it was a big show for us, certainly one of the biggest shows we'd ever done in Glasgow. In the end, when we got onstage I looked out and saw lots of familiar faces, which definitely helped to calm me down. We played some of the new songs at the show, and I think they went down pretty well.

What kind of set can we expect to hear on your upcoming UK & Irish tour? How are the old and new songs feeling alongside one another? Is forming a live set easy now, given that Have Some Faith... is your third full-length?

We're going to be playing mostly new material, which is obviously a bit of a risk. We'll still be playing some older stuff of course, but we kind of want to move forward a little. Even the older stuff has been changed slightly to fit in with the set we're playing now. We've worked out a way of making the set move a lot more swiftly than on previous tours - the flow seems to be a lot better now, which is great. We're using a lot more equipment onstage this time in order to try and play as much 'live' as possible, rather than relying on the laptop so much.

I’m always interested in how bands react to the use of their music in other media contexts. Can I ask you how it felt to have 'Mr Milk' (from the aforementioned How Clean Is Your Acid House? EP) soundtracking the Channel 5 idents? What’s your overall opinion on bands having their songs used in such a way?

I'm pretty happy with it really. It's a good way of getting more people to hear our music, so I think that can only be a positive thing. It's funny how much people still refer to that advert in particular, since it was a long time ago now at this stage. I guess it was maybe a bit strange then because we were a new band, and that seemed like the sort of thing that only happened with more established acts. Our music tends to be used quite a lot on football highlights shows, and that can be pretty funny - that's our only real connection with that world, since none of us know anything about football! I'm not really precious about our music being used in that way... There are maybe some companies we wouldn't like to be associated with, but I think if it helps our music reach more people then I'm all for it.

What influences feed in to the music you make? And, by the same token, are you perhaps starting to hear your own influence becoming apparent on any new bands?

There are lots of influences, particularly on the most recent record. It's been a period in my life when I've been listening to the most music both old and new. Like many people, I like to visit mp3 blogs daily and keep relatively up-to-date with modern music; but at the same time, I'm also discovering stuff from the past that I wasn't aware of before. I guess a lot of German music from the late '70s/early '80s influenced us leading up to recording Have Some Faith.... I prefer not to mention specific bands, as I think it can sometimes interfere with the way people respond to our music. As for us leaving our mark on other acts, I can't say I've really noticed anyone who I could say has obviously been influenced by our music. It is nice, though, to get messages from bands we like who tell us they cite us as an influence.

Who would you pick as promising bands to listen out for over the next year or so?

I guess right now I'm really into the stuff that US label 100% Silk are putting out. A few of my favourite records from last year are on that label - Innergaze and Pharaohs being two of the most memorable. I'm looking forward to what they're going to release next.

Early reviews for Have Some Faith In Magic are very positive, which you must be pretty pleased about. Can you resist reading reviews? Or do they not really matter that much to you?

I read practically all of them as it happens, since they get sent to me by our press people. I think it's pretty healthy to do so, as long as we don't get too bogged down with them and start changing the way we feel about the record. It's very encouraging when we receive positive press, as it helps to justify us making records. If the reviews were consistently bad I think we'd maybe have to start thinking about where we were going wrong, but I think most of the reviews so far seem to be saying things that I agree with.

Are you the sort of band that likes to start planning the next record as soon as the current one is in the bag, or are you content to focus on touring and maybe taking a bit of a break before looking at writing again?

We're always writing material - whether or not it ends up being used on future releases is unknown at this point. I think I'm at my happiest when I'm working on new tunes, so even if we're away on tour or on a break it will probably be what I'll be doing anyway, because it's what I naturally like to do with my time. It's nice every now and again to take breaks as well, though. A lot of the tunes we write just after an album is finished can end up sounding like the record we've just made, so they often don't get used for anything.

Finally, a lot of your songs (to these ears at least) tap into a kind of 'epic pathos' feeling that it seems only Scottish bands can truly master. Why so epically sad?!?

I reckon it's more bittersweet than sad, to be honest. I think there is certainly this dark thing with our music, but it's often juxtaposed with optimistic melodies or sounds. I wouldn't say we've made a particularly sad-sounding record this time around, but obviously we have our own unique attachment to the songs and everyone is going to interpret the songs in different ways. The notion that our songs sound unmistakeably Scottish has been brought up before - and I'm not really going to deny it, seeing as we are a Scottish band after all. I guess there's maybe an atmosphere that you only get up here, much the same as people making music in Jamaica have their own specific atmosphere or mood that influences their work. It's definitely an interesting subject, how specific environments can affect the music people make. I think even moving the recording setup from my living room into my bedroom affects the outcome... Things like lighting and the amount of space available, as well as factors like room temperature and whatever objects or items of furniture happen to be present, are all bound to have an effect in some way.

Have Some Faith In Magic is released next week on Rock Action - the band have some nice pre-order bundle options available on havesomefaithinmagic.com. Drowned In Sound have the obligatory pre-release stream for your listening pleasure, along with a pretty nifty mixtape feature. Single 'Pleasure Palaces', meanwhile, is out now on both digital and limited-edition 7" formats. Check out the Rachel Maclean-directed video above, and grab yourself a free Brassica remix of the track over at Mixmag.

Errors are set to head out on an extensive UK & Irish tour next month, with support coming from fellow Glaswegians Remember Remember. The band also have a hometown headline show at The Arches lined up on May 11. Go here for a full list of dates and ticket links.