An interview with The Heartbreaks

This Saturday, Morecambe four-piece The Heartbreaks will tour London on their very own double-decker bus. The mini-tour of the capital gives fans an exclusive chance to meet with the band and will feature some very special acoustic sets at participating record stores across the city. The date, 21^st April, coincides with Record Store Day – a national initiative to get people back into record shops and buying music again. The Upcoming had a chat with The Heartbreaks singer Matthew Whitehouse about their debut album Funtimes and the band’s nostalgic philosophy on music.

How long have The Heartbreaks been making music together? 

The Heartbreaks happened a few years ago. It was once we met our bassist, Deaks, that things really came together and we started to feel like a four-piece. 

What has been the band’s high point so far?

Well the CDs arrived today. So it was pretty cool actually seeing them, because it has been a long time coming together and a lot of work… although it’s a bit more green than I might have wanted.

Do you have a favourite city or venue to play?

Europe. We toured with Morrissey, which was amazing. Poland actually, was great. It was an older crowd, you know, and they were this very resilient people who were just so happy and grateful for music and being able to experience it

What can fans expect from your double-decker tour this Saturday?

Um… a cheap marketing ploy. I don’t really know yet; there are still different ideas floating around about it.

So that coincides with Record Store Day, this initiative to get people back into record stores – what do you think record stores can do to draw people in? Because the sad truth is, plenty of them are going out of business. 

Yeah, I know. I went into HMV the other day and they’ve started selling records – they had quite a big selection, but they were all like 30 quid. I mean, who’s going to pay 30 quid for the new Lana Del Rey album or whatever? I think if you’re going to sell records – especially a company like HMV – they need to really pay attention to their pricing, because at the moment it’s just ridiculous. Also, I think bands need to start thinking about the whole product of their music a lot more – the look of it and also B-sides, which are sadly dying out. We try to be really thoughtful about that and put a lot of work into it. 

You’re releasing a limited run of Funtimes on white vinyl. I’m guessing this means you’re a big fan of vinyl – what do you like about it? 

Yeah, definitely. It sounds better. I mean, scientifically, it just sounds better. But also you can see it spinning on the table; there’s that extra level of connection that you don’t get with an MP3. 

What’s the inspiration behind the band’s look? Your videos, particularly, have a very distinctive style.

Yeah, just getting dressed in the dark really. We don’t overthink it; it’s just what we like and I think the style works well. I mean, it is important what a band looks like, but we don’t put too much thought into it.

Will you be playing any festivals this year? 

If anyone asks us! Yeah, I’m up for playing festivals if you’ve got any going!

Hopefully after Saturday the requests will be flooding in!

I hope so! We’ll see. 

Join them on Saturday from early in the morning – stop-offs and route will be announced on the band’s Facebook and Twitter first thing. Their UK tour really kicks off on 5^th May at The Wardrobe, Leeds. The band is back in London at Hoxton Bar and Kitchen on 9^th May. 

Abigail Moss

The Heartbreak’s debut album Funtimes is released by [PIAS] on 7^th May 2012. Find out about their tour dates here.

Watch the video for Delay Delay here: