Interview with The Shop Window: ‘My buzz is trying to convey something through a melody’

Maidenstone-based band The Shop Window released their moving single, ‘Sad Eyes’, last week, a track that delves into the meaning of family, with a new release, ‘Out of Reach’, due out later this month.

The Shop Window was formed three years ago and comprises Carl Mann (vocals/guitar), Simon ‘Syd’ Oxlee (vocals/keyboards), Martin Corder (bass/backing vocals) and Phil Elphee (drums).

Mann wrote ‘Sad Eyes’ after a visit to his grandmother, who is an amazing 104: ‘She is a massive part of my life,’ he said. ‘She has always been there to save and guide me, from before my own memories began. The afternoon visit had such an impact that day that as soon as I started to drive home I knew I wanted to write down the last two hours I had just spent with her.’

The song is a both a beautiful tribute to her and a reminder of the ravages of time: ‘I see you sitting in your chair, waiting there, watching time, all you have now is the past. The future has gone beyond your grasp. I showed you photos of your great grandson, how he’s grown, how he smiles, reminds you of when I was young. For a moment, time stood still.’ 

He describes ‘Sad Eyes’ as ‘a song that happens without thinking’: ‘It was rattling around my head on the way home. The moment affected me and I needed to get it out. Everyone has grandparents and misses them, I think this song came out at the right time. Music is tangible and the best escape from everything that’s going on at the moment. I spent so much money on vinyl this year! The best therapy is picking up my guitar, it’s my best friend in all circumstances.’

His grandmother is yet to hear the song and due to lockdown restrictions, he is unable to visit her. ‘I want to send it to her with some reviews of the song that they can hopefully read to her,’ he said.

‘It’s been about finding the beauty in the simple things’

Their next single, ‘Out of Reach’, is about trying to find postivity in what has been an exceptionally strange and difficult year. ‘It’s a summary of what a crap year 2020 has been. It’s been about finding the beauty in the simple things.’

Early next year, they will release their album, The State of Being Human, which will likely consist of 10 tracks, including ‘Out of Reach’ and two previously released tracks, ‘Evacuate’ and ‘Mannequin Lies’.

‘Many songs on the album were written before Corona but they really seem to resonate now, like ‘Calling Out’, ‘Ride It’ and ‘Evacuate’,’ he said.

‘Mannequin Lies’, which they released in April, is a jingly jangly beauty of a song with a big, catchy 80’s-style chorus and with hints of C-86 in the vocals. ‘It’s about dealing with anxiety and it’s where the band’s name came from,’ Mann said. ‘We all put up a “shop window” that we want other people to see but they never see inside the shop unless you open the door to them.’

As the song goes: ‘Looking like a shop window, the mannequin lies. I can see the world from here, closing my eyes, don’t need to step outside or cross the wall. You can see me smile from there, the rest I can hide.’ 

It’s essentially a reflective album and deals with ‘human emotions, errors and troubles’, according to Mann: ‘The album bounces around the things we’re getting wrong. It touches on politics but isn’t very political.’

‘Maybe one line will spill out and mean something and can be the seed for the song’

Interestingly, he typically writes the music first ‘to get the melody and phrasing sorted’ and makes up random lyrics, initially, just to fit: ‘I sing anything and maybe one line will spill out and mean something and can be the seed for the song. My buzz is trying to convey something through a melody.’

Another track, ‘Reflection’, which came out in June, has a similar feel to ‘Out of Reach’: ‘I had the verse music for a few years, with some chords kicking about. We jammed one day and then I went home and wrote the rest. It was about me settling in life, having a wife and son, having that stability after being crazy for a while. It’s about discovering the importance of the little things.’

The lyrics very much reflect that: ‘Easy to obsess about the life you’re going to lead, sometimes forget just to be, soak up the here and now. We know life is too short, love while you can. You can’t start again, you’re a silent star.’

Mann played guitar for Sleeper in the 90’s as a session musician and again last year as a stand in guitarist when needed and was due to do some gigs with them this year before the pandemic hit. ‘We toured together in 1998, then they disbanded and I moved to New Zealand. When I moved back to the UK, we met up after one of their gigs (Sleeper reunited in 2017). I had so much fun playing with them, they’re so lovely to go on tour with.’ The affection is clearly mutual: Sleeper’s frontwoman, Louise Wener, describes him as ‘a super talented guitarist and songwriter, a man with a giant heart’.

Mann has also toured with Kylie Minogue. ‘She’s lovely, it’s the most rock ‘n’ roll tour I’ve done,’ he laughed. ‘She was also signed to BMG at the time (1998). I was asked to audition for the tour, said no at first but my flat mate persuaded me. I wrote some songs for her, including ‘Ocean Blue’ which we co-wrote together at a lake with my dictaphone, just working out the song.’

He cites his key musical influences as Teenage Fan Club, The Smiths, The Cure, C-86 and Close Lobsters (a Scottish indie rock band).

If he could tour with anyone, he says ‘The Stone Roses would have to be on there, they took that indie thing to a level that no-one else has done’. ‘Teenage Fan Club would have to be in there as well as The Smiths but with Lloyd Cole fronting them, that’d be great.’

(Photo from left to right as described by Carl: Syd looking a bit Doc Brown, then myself looking a bit ‘Bad Santa’! Phil on drums pretty much obscured by a beard and hat and Martin looking utterly miserably that he has been forced to dress up on bass at the right!)