Named after the funfair's perhaps most decadent attraction, Cambridge-based duo Carousels well and truly put the fun into The Old Blue Last's recent 'micro festival' Binnacle, stealing the show in the process. If you didn't catch them then, you may well have jumped aboard at White Heat where they played a show in association with the ever-excellent The Line Of Best Fit. If you've yet to see them, well, you're missing a trick as despite the nerves of novice stage dwellers, the likes of Here To Me and Sleep already sound capable of dislodging teeth. We fired questions at exactly 50% of the band, the Nick Benton-shaped half, to talk teething problems of a different variety, hopes, dreams, and "the repetitive, spinning nature of the music"...
Dots: In amongst all the blips and glitches of the inaugural Binnacle, you could argue that it was whirring old traditional shoegaze, alive and amplified, that outdid all. How was it for you, and how have you found the reaction?
Nick: We were both really nervous before we went on, but we loved it - there were a few teething problems but that's to be expected when it's a debut show. People seemed to enjoy it though, which surprised me as we were playing alongside a lot of electronic artists and I didn't think we would go down well at all...
Dashes: For a live debut, it was fairly fully-formed. How do envisage the progression of your live sound and setup, if any?
Nick: It would be nice to play around with lighting and projections at some point, but other than that, Binnacle was pretty much the live setup I had in mind.
Dots: The sound of Here To Me recalls My Bloody Valentine at their most melodic, or The Jesus and Mary Chain at their most full-frontal. What's the predominant inspiration behind the music?
Nick: It's hard to explain, but I really love music that just rolls along with hardly any dynamics. I like that you can get completely lost in music like that, and I've always thought that there's something to be said about artists that take one great melody or idea and loop it for 3/4 minutes. That takes a lot of confidence. I'm probably more inspired by that idea than any specific bands, although MBV and JAMC are definitely up there...
Dashes: And what's the story behind Carousels? Provided you're not wishing to maintain an air of anonymity, as seems the blog manoeuvre du jour...
Nick: Carousels has been through various different incarnations since I was about 18 (most of which have just been an embarrassment,) but it only really came together in the last 6 months. Lucy and I have known each other for a long time, and I asked her to sing on the tracks because I think her shy, quiet voice really suits the raucousness of everything else. We self-produce everything in our Cambridge flat.
Dots: Your name, befittingly, not only conjures an image of the swirling sonic aesthetic you've seemingly already perfected, but also feels as stark and affecting as your minimal artwork. Why Carousels?
Nick: That's exactly why I chose Carousels as a name. I just think it fits the repetitive, spinning nature of the music.
Dashes: It's becoming increasingly tricky to break through into a public consciousness in music it seems, with an infinite number of bands and artists emerging from the depths of the internet daily. Do you feel well equipped to bash your way into people's minds and iPods/iPads/iPhones etc.?
Nick: Sort of...
Dots: Finally, what hopes and dreams are currently brooding within? Presuming you're not subscribing to the somewhat dubious mentality of Get Rich or Die Tryin'..
Nick: I'm trying not to think too far ahead. I'm just looking forward to playing some more shows and perhaps releasing a single...
Further info on Carousels can be found through their Facebook/Soundcloud and while it may currently be somewhat limited, expect to see, hear, and read a whole load more of Nick Benton and Lucy Wilson in the none-too-distant future.
