Hello Eric Pulido, the guitarist of highly regarded psyched-out folk rock band Midlake. You’re probably sick of being asked questions about how you sound like Radiohead and how your new, very good album is like Pentangle for the iPhone generation, so we’re going to do a themed interview that I may have just made up an hour ago. We’ll call it Last Things First, and all the questions will be about your last something somethings… Yeah.
Sounds good!
What’s the last song you listened to?
Let me think… I have this jogging playlist, I’ll just get it up. Mulgrave Street by Amazing Blondel. They’re an awesome late 60’s/early 70’s British psych folk band. I set up a Pandora radio account recently and hopped from band to band til I discovered these guys.
Good jogging music?
Hmm, well I think I jumped from 80s dance pop… A good mix!
Where was the last place Midlake played?
We played Little Rock, Arkansas. They were our first dates in over two years, playing these smaller clubs to get warmed up and, y’know, remember how to be a live band again.
Ah, so this is a studio album?
Sort of. I mean this time around we all tracked together and recorded live together than on older records, so the transition’s been pretty smooth.
What’s the last thing you heard someone say about Midlake?
Oh wow, actually. I just read an email conversation this morning from this fan who emailed to say he’d just had a baby with his wife, and they called it Roscoe, and asked if we’d shout out from the stage in Manchester for them.
At least they didn’t call him ‘Van Occupanther’
Haha, yes, that would’ve been worse.
Who’s the last person you wanted to punch?
Everybody in the band. [Pugilistic noises in background]
What’s the last band you listened to and thought, ‘shit these guys are better than us’?
Hmmm. Radiohead, I guess. Constantly. I mean, we listen to stuff like America and Fleetwood Mac and stuff that we can obviously never better, but in terms of modern bands I guess people should take notes from Radiohead, there’s so much to pick from.
You brought up Radiohead! I would say that this album is far less comparable to Radiohead than the last one.
Sure, we’ve got a different template – I suppose that most bands are effected by Radiohead in some way today.
What’s the last stupid thing you did?
Pissing off my wife.
Midlake are onstage when a roadie runs on and whispers in your ears that the world is going to end in 5 minutes. What’s the last thing you’ll play?
Well, it has to be a cover, and it has to be… ‘The End of the World As We Know It’.
Any last words?
Here’s to 2010!
It’s been a pleasure, Eric
Midlake’s spectacular new album, The Courage of Others, is out on Bella Union on the 29th January. It should be the last album you buy this month.
Words: Daniel Gray
