More on: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.

Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly is gearing up for the release of his second album 'Searching For The Hows And Whys'.

The follow-up to 'Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager' is out on 3rd March, and Martin Guttridge-Hewitt caught up with Sam Duckworth for chat about his producer Nitin Sawhney and the new album.

With the release of 'Searching For The Hows And Whys' coming up, how different do you feel before a second album, in comparison with your debut?
I think that the debut was a collection of songs from a period of time that spans many more years than the second. 'Searching...' was written from scratch, which was nice to be able to think "I’m writing this album now", whereas 'The Chronicles Of A Bohemian Teenager' was made up of songs that I had toured with and written at various times. I suppose there is a bit more pressure now. People's expectations do grow, and I always think that there is room to improve. People say "the first album sold X amount of records", and will look for an improvement on that, so yeah, it is quite nerve-wracking.

How would you best describe the experience of working with Nitin Sawhney?
I mean, 'Beyond Skin' is pretty much my favourite album. The first time before we worked together I was incredibly scared - very nervous. But we clicked very quickly in terms of ideas - he instantly understood. It was good to work with someone different to myself, yet with a similar attitude towards production.

Your live performances have created quite a stir and developed an impressive reputation, are there any gigs that have been particularly memorable?
Glastonbury was obviously memorable. We have probably had better technical shows, but the atmosphere there is particularly amazing. Playing London Astoria on my 21st birthday was also really special, and Manchester's Academy 2 - I love the intimacy that you get from the smaller shows.

You have openly discussed how the new album deals more directly with issues that are of importance to you. Do you feel you had more opportunity to do this having already established yourself with 'Chronicles'?
The new album had a different tactic to the first. Whereas 'Chronicles...' was more about ideas, with 'Searching...' I had to focus more on the whole record, and make it more direct - more to the point. In that it is a bigger representation of who I am now.

Subjects such as racism, mental illness and modern consumerism are addressed on 'Searching...' - do you think that there are enough artists with political agendas?
More than there has been for a while. It's becoming more and more acceptable, I think, to have more than just your music. There is a stronger link again between music and important issues, and there are more artists involved in issues. I don't think it has been this strong for a while. We are seeing, and should hopefully continue to see an increasing number of artists that are concerned about real problems.

You have worked with Damon Albarn's 'Africa Express Project' and make regular appearances at 'Love Music, Hate Racism' events, are there any specific actions by the people who you have worked alongside that have inspired you?
It inspires me that people are taking these actions, such as charity events. There is a long heritage of punk fighting racism. People running things like 'Love Music...' inspire me. Seeing their passion for what they are doing makes me think "I wish I could get more involved".

There is undoubtedly a very personal element to your music. Part of 'Searching...' was written on tour, whilst you were surrounded by people, and it was edited in your home. Do you think these environments help you to create work of a more personal nature?
I don't know. Different things work for different people. Whenever I had a spare five minutes I would sit and write some lyrics down, these reflected what was going on at that time. I am not one of those artists who can sit down for an amount of time in the studio and just write. I would not be able to work like that.

You have cited the racial attack on your father, who is of Burmese descent, as a major driving force in the increased elements of activism in your music. Which emotions were the most important in giving you the ability to channel your energies into your music?
Weirdly, I find it is just simply extremes that help me. You're on tour and you haven't slept well in days, it creates a blurred feeling in you. If you're too focused it can be counter productive. With my father, certainly anger helped me want to break down barriers, but on the whole it is the various extremes that help me to make my music.

What changes would you like to see happen in this country?
Personally, one of the main things is that I now live in East London, and 'they' are pumping money into it, ready for the big spectacle that is the Olympics. There are so many estates on which the people living there are not seeing any of the money. The distribution of wealth is unfair. There are basketball courts being built costing £10 million, and down the road there are parks in disrepair, and facilities falling apart. Distribute some wealth to people whose lives will still be there three weeks later, that's what I would like to see now.

Do you feel you are given enough control over your productions when signed to a major label (Atlantic)?
If you are with the right label it should not make a difference. I don't believe that there is any correlation, positive or negative, with the label and the end product. My relationship with Atlantic is one that allows me to maintain good control over my music.

What albums would you choose to listen to, if it meant you could never listen to another new album again?
Just a second, I'm just looking through my CDs... 'Beyond Skin' by Nitin Sawhney, 'United By Fate' by Rival Schools, 'OK Computer' by Radiohead, 'Parklife' by Blur.

Now that your workload is increasing and your touring schedules becoming more hectic, are there any parts of your life before you were signed that you miss?
Freedom to spend a day doing nothing. I can't remember the last time I spent a day in my house doing nothing. Sometimes you need a bit of normality. Don't get me wrong though, the benefits of what I do far outweigh the negatives.

Martin Guttridge-Hewitt

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