Interview with The Corsairs: ‘Storytelling is the bridge to it all’

York-based indie band The Corsairs are gearing up to release their next single ‘Primetime Television’.

The teenage band, which formed almost a year ago, comprises best mates Ned Swarbrick  (vocals/guitar), Bryn Wade (bass) and Matthew Lilley (drums/guitar), drawing influences from The Libertines, The Kooks, Jake Bugg and The Coral. ‘We had a burning desire to be The Strokes,’ Ned quipped. ‘When we started doing it, I don’t think many people our age (14-15) were going to gigs, we’re a gateway to that. They do bring their parents, the venues all have strict rules, but then their parents tell their friends to come to gigs, it’s been brilliant.’ Their name is an old English word for ‘pirate’, according to Matthew.

Ned describes ‘Primetime Television’ as ‘similar to ‘Jackie’, it follows a story’: ‘It’s about a night out – not that we’ve had (laughs) – that ends with two people fighting in the street. It’s all about people watching, there’s loads of things to write about, just out on the street each weekend. The song is a jaunty romp that tries to capture the essence of the carnage at the end of a Saturday night on the town. Sonically, it’s in a similar same vein as ‘Jackie’, it drives along nicely, but it probably has a bit more space to breathe. It even has a very rudimentary solo, which is very progressive for us, it’s definitely a song to jump around to!’

As the song goes: “He’s falling hook line and sinker. His head kicked in and and a smack in the mouth. Starts conversations with two fingers. Well, that’s one way to get your lights knocked out.”

‘I was listening to a lot of Arctic Monkeys and their song ‘From The Ritz To The Rubble’, I wanted to write something like that’

‘Jackie’ is a reference to their incredibly infectious track ‘Jackie the Know It All’, replete with stadium-worthy, overdriven guitars, which they released as a single in January. The spoken intro sets the scene before the guitar and bass escalate in tandem and the song really kicks off. It’s brilliantly done, with impeccable timing, also vocally, with the huge singalong chorus cementing just how catchy it is. The first part of the song is essentially a conversation between a girl and boy: “He said: “How’d your date go?” She said “Rubbish, but you knew that from the start”. Yeah well he could’ve told you. One step further from breaking your heart.” The rest can be interpreted as an observer’s rolling take on the scene. The changes in tempo throughout the song followed by a hooky key change towards the end pull you right in, reminding you of just how polished it is, confirming everything you love about the track. It’s impossible not to put it straight back on.

It’s easily one of my favourite songs of the year, with echoes of both The Pigeon Detectives and The Kooks but with something else that is uniquely them: Ned’s wry, observational lyrics, which are delivered in an original, cheeky way, make him a voice to remember: ‘I think all of my songs, they could be pinned on something but I don’t think they really are,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘I can imagine this song in my head as two people down by the river. It didn’t have the intro part at the beginning but I was listening to a lot of Arctic Monkeys (laughs) and their song ‘From The Ritz To The Rubble’, I wanted to write something like that. I start with the chords and melody.’ Matthew nods: ‘A lot of the time, we turn up at rehearsal and Ned has a song,’ he said. Ned grins: ‘And they adapt it and make it a masterpiece. We don’t take ourselves that seriously, you’ve got more to lose if you expect it to be perfect.’ Matthew agrees: ‘I think that comes across in the music.’ Bryn nods: ‘The electric ones are really fun to play.’

As ‘Jackie’ kicks off: “Well, Jackie thought she knew it all. She sat there crying in a bathroom stall. Well, the look in his eyes said it all. Well, is it too soon to look on the bright side? I think so.”

Their innate sense of fun comes across, both on our Zoom and in their songs to date, yet their lyrics dig a little deeper; they’re often social commentaries, including kitchen sink dramas, showing a maturity that belies their years and it’s clear that their songs are very story-driven: ‘It comes from picking up instruments later on,’ Ned said. ‘I’ve always preferred writing to playing the instrument. Storytelling is the bridge to it all, it’s therapeutic.’

‘There’s a split between the heavy ones that people mosh to and this’

They’re not afraid to mix it up either. ‘B-Side’ has a very different feel to ‘Jackie the Know It All’, it’s more sparse, with the acoustic guitar driving the song: ‘It was the first one for the live shows,’ Ned said. ‘There’s a split between the heavy ones that people mosh to and this. ‘City Song’, they mosh to it. ‘B-Side’ is an interesting one, I’m going to contradict myself now (laughs), I don’t want to be so personal about my own life in our songs.’ Matthew looks at him: ‘It’s more poetic in the third person like this,’ he said. Ned nods: ‘People come up after a gig and say the songs have resonated with them, that’s always brilliant. On ‘B-Side’, we were so nervous, we’d just written it. We were so nervous the first time we played it but then, by the end, everyone started singing the chorus back to us!’

Established singers have also given them the thumbs up: ‘Do you know Berri?,’ Ned said. (An English pop singer, also from York, who became known for her single ‘Sunshine After the Rain’). ‘Her daughter goes to school with Bryn and Matthew and she brought her mum down to a gig of ours. She came up to us at the end and said: “You’re alright” (laughs).’

‘We have a different version of everything live, we have an extra bit for ‘Jackie”

Bryn came to music at a very young age: ‘I was 8 or 9,’ he said. ‘In years 5-6, we formed a band at school, an external company came in to do it.’ Ned was a tiny bit older: ‘I was 11 or 13, I didn’t play anything then but my dad taught me at the start.’ Matthew also came to it very early: ‘I started playing guitar when I was 7 or 8, my parents suggested it (laughs). Drumming was when I was in secondary school, it was too cool to resist! I’d never seen a drum kit before. We have a different version of everything live, we have an extra bit for ‘Jackie’. Ned grins: ‘We play it very fast!’

The Corsairs played their first live show just a few months after forming and just three weeks after finding a drummer. They have since gone on to sell-out their own headline shows and act as support for several up and coming artists, such as Andrew Cushin, Tom A. Smith and China Bears. Last summer, they played their first festival stage at the Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta. More recently, they supported Welsh indie rockers Trampolene – their new best mates – when they played at York’s Fulford Arms for Independent Venue Week. ‘We are total Trampolene fanboys,’ said Ned enthusiastically. ‘This was gig nine for us and the one we were most looking forward to by far. Earlier in the week, I totally lost my voice and was in a bit of a panic that we might not be able to play. I tried every remedy under the sun and even canceled our rehearsals to rest up. We’d been waiting three months for this, so were determined not miss it, whatever the state of my vocals. We arrived at the venue armed with a bunch of herbal teas and Fishermans Friends, with the hope of just getting through it.’

It ended up being a night to remember for all of them: ‘There were so many special moments that night,’ said Ned. ‘Initially just being in the same room and watching Trampolene soundcheck was awesome. We went over at the end of their soundcheck, introduced ourselves and got a photo. They didn’t know us, we were just another band, but they were brilliant – as they are with all their fans – they just have loads of time for them. Later in the evening, we played a great set, with vocal issues more or less put aside. Trampolene came down from their dressing room during the set to watch us. When we’d finished, Jack (Jack Jones, their frontman) made a point of coming to find us to tell us how much he enjoyed it, Wayne was super complementary about Bryn’s playing and Mr. Williams was just lovely, it meant the world to us. When Trampolene played, Jack pulled me in to sing ‘Uncle Brian’s Abattoir’ with him, it was just a very special night. “The Corsairs love the Tramps” – we wrote it on the back of their tour van at the end of the night, as a parting message. They saw it when they were packing up and apparently it brought a tear to their eyes. They left some lovely messages on our Instagram, they said: “What a great bunch of lads. You’re going all the way xxx”.’

‘1066 (The Battle of Fulford) literally happened out there and is getting covered up’

‘City Song’ has a similar vitality to ‘Jackie’, with Matthew’s drumming once again serving as the backbone: ‘It started with a riff, I don’t even know if I wrote that,’ said Ned, looking at the others. ‘I had a few phrases but it started off very different to how it ended up. I wrote it on an acoustic guitar in Bryn’s front room! Matthew’s really good at arranging things.’ Bryn agrees: ‘We didn’t realise how thin it was without the drummer,’ he said. Ned continues: ”City Song’ is basically a live recording, just three instruments – guitar, bass, drums – and a vocal, so nothing fancy, no over dubs, not double tracking. It’s live and raw, it’s basically one, two, a massive slide down and you’re off and away, all in it together for better or worse. With those kinds of songs, it’s not about being subtle, it’s a bit like riding your bike down a hill without brakes, you enjoy the thrill but you just hope it’s going to end well!’

It’s a song about how their city of York is changing and not for the better: ‘There are quite a few lyrics about taking down terraces and putting up luxury flats – I can see that from here,’ Ned said. ‘We’re on the outskirts of York, this one was built in the 60’s. 1066 (The Battle of Fulford) literally happened out there and is getting covered up.’

That comes across in the lyrics: “‘Cos you’re down in the city. Where they took down terraces and put up luxury flats. Don’t you think it’s a pity, that you see through your rose tinted glasses and all that?”

One of the biggest challenges for this brilliant young band is finding venues in which to play, given that many venues won’t admit people under the age of 16: ‘There aren’t many places where we’re allowed to play because of our age, it’s been a slow road trying to gain people’s trust,’ Ned said. ‘Because of our age, they assume we’re a bit naff (laughs). I used to be one of those people but listening to more new music and playing has helped me broaden my horizons.’

‘I’ve tried to be as blunt in my storytelling as Pete Doherty and Arctic Monkeys’

Other influences also feed their way into the band: ‘We’re all into indie rock and we like The Kinks,’ Ned said. Matthew nods: ‘You and Bryn are very similar. I’m big into folk and funk and instrumental stuff. It makes all the drumming more interesting.’ Bryn agrees: ‘I really like The Libertines, The Kooks and Pink Floyd,’ he said. Ned gets very animated: ‘I’m a huge Libertines fan,’ he said enthusiastically. ‘It’s a big part of the reason why I wanted to support Trampolene – they’re on Pete Doherty’s label. I’ve tried to be as blunt in my storytelling as Pete Doherty and Arctic Monkeys. I love how he (Doherty) met Frédéric Lo in a village in France.’ (Doherty released an album last year with French musician, composer and producer Lo called The Fantasy Life of Poetry & Crime.)

Their dream line up could actually be turned into a festival: ‘We’d do a The Last Waltz style gig like the The Band from 1978 with The Corsairs being the backing band for a bunch of legends, preferably all filmed by Shane Meadows,’ said Ned. ‘There are so many to choose from, but here’s a few: Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers (Wet Leg), Grian Chatten (Fontaies D.C.), Jake Bugg, Stuart Murdoch (Belle and Sebastian), Luke Pritchard (The Kooks), Jack Jones (Trampolene) – poetry interlude, Julian Casablancas (The Strokes), Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Carl Barat & Pete Doherty (The Libertines) and George Harrison with Billy Preston on keys.’

I ask them which musicians they’d most like to grab a drink with: ‘I’d grab a pint with Alex Turner, he seems like quite a nice guy, maybe from a couple of years ago,’ Ned said. ‘He’d have a few stories up his sleeve!’ Bryn has other ideas: ‘Jarvis Cocker, he’d be fantastic craic, he’d have a lot of stories!’ Matthew is trying to decide: ‘Someone from Queen, Roger Taylor or Freddie Mercury,’ he said. ‘To ask them how they did it, what’s the magic touch? They’re amazing. Freddie is a one in a generation talent. They’re one of the biggest selling bands ever, those songs still stand the test of time.’

(Photo from left to right: Ned, Bryn and Matthew.)