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Bat For Lashes interview

March 3, 2010 11:27 am

We chat with Coldplay's Latin American special guest

 

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Coldplay's special guest on the current Latin American tour is the wonderful indie/electro songstress Bat For Lashes (aka Natasha Khan). We caught up with Natasha just before she flew out to Argentina.

 

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Bat For Lashes live in Latin America, from batforlashes.com

 

Hello Natasha, how are you?

I'm good. I'm in a car on my way to the airport to fly to Argentina.

Are you excited?

I'm very excited, yeah. Especially as it's so cold and rainy here. I've been packing all my sunglasses and shorts, which feels quite surreal.

 

Have you been to Latin America before?

I went once, to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, when I was about 20, with my boyfriend of the time. We stayed in Mexico for about three weeks. But I haven't been anywhere else down there.

 

The tour should sort that out.

Yeah, it seems like a really good run through all of those countries. I think there are 10 flights in two and a half weeks, or something. If I like the places, it'll be nice to know I can go back and know what to expect.

 

Will you get to do any sightseeing?

I'm hoping we're going to get the odd afternoon or morning to have a look around. I think we usually arrive the day before the show and then leave the day after. So, hopefully there will be some time. I've brought a really nice camera, so I'm going to take some good pictures.

 

Is there anywhere you'd particularly like to see?

I'm really excited to see the Jesus statue in Rio. But they all seem like places where there's going to be lots of interesting food and markets. If there's any sort of old, crazy buildings, then I'm interested in those.

 

Do you know whether people out there know your music?

I've had quite a lot of lovely emails from South American fans saying that they're so excited about seeing me with Coldplay. I think we released the album there quite recently to try and gather some interest and stuff. But people seem really happy that we're going out. I'm looking forward to it.

 

You played a couple of gigs with Coldplay in the summer. In fact, you were at the one in Paris, which was Coldplay's favourite show of the entire Viva La Vida tour so far. You must've warmed the crowd up well!

Well, I think Flaming Lips probably had something to do with it too! But, that show was a real whirlwind for me, as I had to fly straight to the Mercury Awards the moment that we left the stage. We literally ran off stage, got straight into a taxi and went to the airport. But when we did the other show, at Nijmegen, we actually got to see Flaming Lips and Coldplay, which was really fun. I hadn't seen Coldplay play before, even though I was a fan years ago. It was a good show.

 

When did you get into Coldplay?

I suppose it was mostly the first two albums. Parachutes was a bit of a soundtrack for me and my mates in the first year of uni. And then with the second album, I was actually away travelling. I remember being in Yosemite National Park in America. We'd got on a bus with about 20 other people and driven down from San Francisco into these amazing redwood forests. I made a really good friend and she just loved that album, so we all listened to it a lot on the bus. I really remember that.

 

So, the gigs you did with Coldplay in the summer were in stadiums, just as the Latin American ones will be. Have you played places like that much?

I did support Radiohead a couple of years ago, for a month in Europe. We played some amazing stadiums and amphitheatres. And we played quite a good slot at Glastonbury last summer, where there were about 30,000 people there. I think once it gets about 15,000 people, you can't really tell any more! It just seems like a sea of faces. But we've made the set for these shows quite "up", with beats and stuff. And there are a few piano-y, ballad-y ones which we thought the Coldplay fans might appreciate. Plus, I've got some really colourful costumes and we've got a really beautiful wolf backdrop. I'm just hoping it will all translate and that we'll be able to create some atmosphere.

 

Will Charlotte Hatherley be in your band on this tour?

Yes, she's playing guitar.

 

She's toured with Coldplay quite a lot in the past, when she was in Ash.

Yeah, I think they know each other quite well. Chris came to say hello last time in our dressing room and they seemed like they'd met loads of times. So that's cool.

 

Does she speak highly of the Coldplay touring experience?

Yeah, she said they had a great time and would watch them from the side of the stage. Although she was with Ash and that's kind of an old part of her life now, really. But she said doing the big shows was really exciting.

 

So, you said you've got to fly a lot around Latin America. Are you a good flyer?

Not really, no. Charlotte's actually terrible. She looks like she's giving birth when we take off. She starts panting and screaming and stuff! It's quite worrying. So I've said I won't be sitting next to her at all! Haha! Until I met her I wasn't frightened of flying, but since spending time with her on the planes, I've become more frightened.

 

How were the Coldplay fans at the shows you played in the summer? Were they open to hearing your music?

Yeah, they seemed to listen very intently. I felt like they were quite open to it. And there were some people at the front singing along. So I'm hoping there will be a few fans coming to the front to support at these shows too. And I think if you've been asked by a band like Coldplay especially to play, the fans take that as some kind of recommendation and do take note. Y'know, they're quite into some sensitive, emotive music, so my music is in a similar ballpark, although we're definitely not as big in any way! But it'd be better than playing before Oasis or something, I'm sure!

 

So you think there's a similar thread running between your music and Coldplay's?

Well, what I try to do with writing my music and then creating a band and a show is to put across a real atmosphere, with a lot of magic and mystery and darkness in there. And I suppose there are definitely Coldplay songs that have those similar themes, that are kind of elated but heartbreaking at the same time. We both have some quite sad melodies. And I play on the piano and sing too. So, yeah, I think Coldplay fans will hopefully be open to this kind of music.

 

It must be nice to know that Coldplay are genuine fans of what you do.

Yeah. Chris has been really supportive. He phoned me personally to tell me that he thought my album was absolutely amazing and that I should be really proud. He actually kept calling and asking me to support them, but we couldn't do it because we were touring all the time. So that was very flattering. I feel the same on my smaller scale when I discover bands I really love - I want to bring them on tour with me and help them and give them exposure. So I suppose everyone looks after each other in that same way. And the fact that Coldplay are so big and still looking for that kind of thing is nice.

 

Now, you've got racquet sports in your blood - and Coldplay take a table tennis table on tour with them. So we were wondering whether you think you'll be able to take them on?

I'd definitely thrash all of them. Haha! Cos, yes, my dad is a very famous squash player who coached my uncle, Jahangir Khan, who was the world champion for years. So I should be able to hold my own. But I'm quite competitive, so I might end up hitting someone with a bat instead of playing fair.

 

Chris is the undisputed champion of the touring party. You'll have to take him on.

Oh really? He's much more muscle-y than I am. But then it's about judgement and tactics too. So, yeah, I'm definitely up for a game.

 

Finally, what is your favourite Coldplay song?

Its's probably Clocks, I think. It's got the most memories for me, of travelling and being young and carefree. I think songs become soundtracks to parts of your life and that one reminds me of a quite special part of mine.

 

For more info on Bat For Lashes, head to batforlashes.com

 

 

http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=596

 

 

______________

 

"She looks like she's giving birth when we take off" :lol:

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You played a couple of gigs with Coldplay in the summer. In fact, you were at the one in Paris, which was Coldplay's favourite show of the entire Viva La Vida tour so far. You must've warmed the crowd up well!

Well, I think Flaming Lips probably had something to do with it too! But, that show was a real whirlwind for me, as I had to fly straight to the Mercury Awards the moment that we left the stage. We literally ran off stage, got straight into a taxi and went to the airport. But when we did the other show, at Nijmegen, we actually got to see Flaming Lips and Coldplay, which was really fun. I hadn't seen Coldplay play before, even though I was a fan years ago. It was a good show.

:awesome: THAT was the best show!!! :rolleyes: (and I remember well a certain person in the forum screaming Natashaaaaaaaaaaa at the top of her lungs at the front row XD)

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6musicthmb.jpgJoin the campaign to save 6 Music

March 3, 2010 1:15 pm

Please show your support for this incredible radio station

 

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We are fully behind the campaign to save the incredible 6 Music radio station, which the BBC has announced plans to close.

 

Please show your support by emailing the BBC Trust at [email protected], signing this petition or joining this Facebook group.

 

If enough of us do that, the BBC Trust may yet refuse to approve the closure of the station, which plays a crucial and unique role in the British music scene.

 

Thank you,

 

Coldplay

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She did?! I don't remember that... But this person give you her spot to the front row if I remember correctly :rolleyes:
I know... :heart: So sweet, I'm eternally thankful for everything she did that day.

It was a weird day however. Completely up and down and up in a few hours...

That's the part I don't want to remember from that day.

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:awesome: THAT was the best show!!! :rolleyes: (and I remember well a certain person in the forum screaming Natashaaaaaaaaaaa at the top of her lungs at the front row XD)

Me too! Was that certain person who got a setlist, too!! :kiss:

 

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You two couldn't possibly be talking about a certain french fangirl, right? :wacko:

 

I love Natasha's interview, she sounds so nice and funny :nice:

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Oxfam's tour blog

March 4, 2010 2:47 pm

Catch up with all the latest from the charity

 

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Good afternoon. As ever, Coldplay have taken a representative of Oxfam on the road with them for the current tour, giving the charity the chance to speak to tens of thousands of people about ways to overcome the world's poverty.

Click here to check out the blog that Oxfam's Giulia Biasibetti is keeping during the trip.

 

Anchorman

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This seriously is the best blog ever :wacky:

 

I love Roadie #42 for putting so much effort in it, and making videos for us!

 

OMG the interview with Chris and Jonny is soooo funny :lol: "We're all just working for Will Champion", hahahahahaaaa!

 

What does Chris say in the beginning, something about Radiohead and U2? I didn't understand.

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Roadie #42 - Blog #113

March 4, 2010 5:45 pm

In which Coldplay bow to pressure and play Shiver

 

So we're three shows in and what belters they've been.

 

Buenos Aires had the task of getting us back on track after a lengthy break. I can't deny I was nervous before the gig. The scale of the show and all that goes into making it happen had become much more apparent having had five months to forget which buttons to press.

 

With that first show done, I wandered around the bar afterwards chatting to a very relieved band and remarked that it had been a solidly good first night back. "Yeah, that one was a banker," commented Jonny Buckland. If the first show back had been a wobbly one, the nerves would have multiplied, but a great first show back meant that we were very comfortably back in the saddle and the confidence was restored. Thanks folks!

 

My lingering memory of the Buenos Aires show is likely to be the low flying aircraft that seemed to buzz the stadium once per song as they came in to land in the neighbouring airport. They seemed perilously close to our lit up art balloons - but it must have made an incredible sight for the passengers with window seats in the starboard aisle. The fireworks, perhaps a little less so.

 

Actually, that reminds me... the other lingering memory of that first show will be Bash running across the stage rescuing the sparkler bucket at the end of Violet Hill. As always, the fellas had started the show walking on in silhouette waving sparklers. As ever, they dushed them into a bucket of sand to let them burn out as they started the gig.

 

Slightly different in Buenos Aires, was the fact that the bin was made of plastic and was gently melting through the first two songs, filling the stage with stinky fumes. Will shouted down his special mic that goes only to mine and Bash's ears. "The bucket's on fire". I'm sure there's a Kings Of Leon song in there somewhere....

 

Next up, Brazil. I joined the fellas for a spot of sushi on the first night in Rio. Outside the hotel was quite a crowd of lovely folks who were so overjoyed to see the fellas that they stood on the kerb below and sang the entire Coldplay catalogue up to the open windows above. Will in particular, remarked upon how impressive some of the polyrhythmic clapping had been. Only in Brazil....

 

We were joined at dinner by the lovely Bat For Lashes folks (affectionately dubbed by Franksy "the old bats"). Not only are they a remarkable band, but wonderfully good company to boot. The evening progressed and there was talk of karaoke. Regular readers will know that this is my cue to ask where the Gents is and then run through the nearest exit yelling for a cab. I headed back to the hotel pondering that outside the hotel were a bunch of fans singing Coldplay songs, whilst members of Coldplay were out in town talking about going out to sing someone else's.

 

Actually, talking of said fans, here's Chris and Will leaving the hotel. It was a gauntlet of flashbulbs, but all very good natured. They also seemed to all want to hear one particular song....

 

<object width="400" height="533"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9846640&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9846640&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="533"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9846640">Rio2</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/coldplayyalpdloc">Coldplay</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

Well you only had to ask....

 

<object width="400" height="225"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9907188&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9907188&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="225"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9907188">Shiver</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/coldplayyalpdloc">Coldplay</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

It poured down at the Rio show. The crowd though, more than made up for it. Clocks, in particular, seems huge down here. The piano riff began, the lasers burnt into the sky and the entire 40,000 or so folks bounced up and down in unison as if they'd become one huge trampoline-d mass. They were loud, they were passionate and it was a phenomenally good night.

 

Before the show in Rio, I grabbed a couple of the fellas to chat about how it feels to be back out here. For some reason, I get less respect than regular interviewers. I bet Alan Whicker never had this kinda trouble....

 

<object width="400" height="227"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9906519&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9906519&server=vimeo.com&show_title=0&show_byline=0&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="227"></embed></object><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/9906519">Latin America interview</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/coldplayyalpdloc">Coldplay</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

 

By Sao Paulo, I was beginning to flag, I have to be honest. Maybe I'm not drinking enough water. Maybe I'm out of practice at this touring thing. As ever, I'll hold my hands up and say I've got an easy ride compared to some folks. The schedule on this run is pretty brutal and it's gig-travel-gig-travel up until our first two-nighter in Mexico. I predict some messy folks that night...

 

Spirits were lifted not only by the enthusiasm of 60,000 of Sao Paulo's finest, but also by the Birthday of a young Mr Martin. Will led the singalong from the C-stage and there were drinks and festivities in the bar late into the night. By all accounts, Chris and his dad were actually the last to leave. Good work fellas!

 

It's all whipping by at a rate, but it beats working for a living!

 

R#42

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love, love, love!!! :heart:

I quite literally got shivers (well, at least goosebumps!) when Shiver started up and the crowd reacted. :wacky:

 

The interview was also awesome... I love getting to see these little bits of them on tour!

 

@Sirhc- Chris says they're back to being the poor man's Radiohead, which is better than being the poor man's U2. :D

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