Published on 6th June 2007.

International Trust

When it came to getting a Q&A with Leeds Music Scene there was only one man they could turn to – the guy that misspelt their lead singer’s name and alluded to the fact that he’d like to stone their heads in...

Is it just me that keeps wondering quite who it is that keeps reading that interview with The Kooks? It's almost definitely just me (and the boss) that keeps track of the top 10 articles on LMS (purely for statistical reasons you understand) but that sort of band are not quite what I associate with the crux of this site. What I think of is local music for local people. What's more there are some fantastic local bands about at the minute and I'm beginning to think that International Trust deserve to be included in that list. Their recently released second single 'Talk Of The Town' is another belter, the title track has the sort of chorus that loops around your head, taunting you, leaving you wondering whether you'll be forced in to shouting it out loud just to get it out of your head. Their songs aren't just catchy, they're a fucking epidemic.

So when it came to getting a Q&A with Leeds Music Scene there was only one man they could turn to - the guy that misspelt their lead singer's name and alluded to the fact that he'd like to stone their heads in. Interview by Nick Rowan.

Lets start at the start. How did International Trust get together? Would you use the term "supergroup" yourself?

Neil Hanson (singer): They're all my mates, they have been for a while, I wanted to have a really fun band with no bad attitudes and these lot were all perfect for it. The fact they could play a bit was a bonus. We're not a supergroup, we're a fucking ace group.

The new single (out now, available via MySpace) is 'Talk Of The Town'. New label, new sound, all change then really?

Not really, new label though yeah, the last label just gave us a one single deal (for which we are eternally grateful) so we needed another one to put the next record out. All the ones I spoke to were clueless so me and my mate set up Red Lace. It's much nicer having total control. As for a new sound, we've only been going since September so it's a bit soon for that.

Did you read the review on This Is Fake DIY comparing you (somewhat unfavourably) with Blink 182 and Feeder? Personally I thought it was a bit off the mark. Would you ever consider posting an online reply to a reviewer disputing their opinion?

I have seen that yeah, it's totally fair enough, one dude's opinion isn't it? One of my big pet hates about Leeds music is bands who cry when the get a bad review. Live with it. It's hardly the end of the world. So no, we won't be coming to blows with the reviewer.

What's the reaction been like in general? It seemed to me like 'Bruce Lee' was fairly well received. And just so I know for next time, what's the description you fear most?

The reaction we've had so far has been amazing. We've achieved an awful lot in such a small amount of time, but we've only just started. There's lots more fuel in the tank. Lots more ink in the pen. Lots more spunk in the pipes. Bruce Lee has fired our profile up massively, everyone knows it and the majority of gigs we do are class and well received. We're selling records all over the world already and that's massively pleasing. As for a description, that's your job sir. Doesn't bother us.

I've yet to have the pleasure of the International Trust live experience. I'm guessing you guys are the heads down, concentrate on recreating the records type, right?

Quite the opposite really. We like to have a party on stage. There's nowt more boring than a band who play everything note for note to the record. We involve the crowd a lot and pull the songs about a bit if the urge takes us. There's usually a fair bit of Jägermeister kicking around too. There's no muso shit in this band.

Your MySpace blog suggests the recent tour didn't quite go to plan. Any tall tales to tell / lessons learned?

Well, I think the main lesson we've learned is to maintain communication with the venue in the weeks leading up to the gigs. To find out on the day that 2 gigs had been cancelled and no one had bothered telling us was annoying, but shit happens, you can't cry about it too much. It's a nasty business, you need to be strong to get anywhere. We're stronger than Geoff Capes with 20 telephone books in front of him.

What's up and coming for International Trust? I see you're playing Futuresound. You in on the fix?

Piss off, I have not had sex with anyone in the Futuresound office for a long time. And for the record, anyone who reckons we are in cos they're our mates can go bollocks. The last time we played for Futuresound we behaved like dicks all night and pissed off their representative immeasurably. I really don't think they'd have let us in the competition unless they thought we were worthy of it. But yeah, we're doing that and really looking forward to it, we've got an unhealthy amount of Leeds gigs coming up, hopefully a few festivals, then we're gonna do a new record in late summer and get it out in the autumn, then we'll get back on tour. This time next year we'll be millionaires.

From your lyrics (especially Show Me The Money), it would seem you're not overly enamoured with the current state of the music scene. What do you as the main pitfalls for aspiring bands? Or are the aspirations part of the problem?

Well I could go on for hours about this but I won't. The whole business is fucked from bottom to top. There's way too many bands for a start, you should have to pass a quality control test to get a licence to be in a band I reckon. Most people who work in the industry are dicks - agents, labels, press etc - they all think they're more talented and important than the bands which is clearly shite. And there are STILL too many cokeheads with ponytails making decisions that affect people's lives. I love it though, I never want to do anything else.

A few of your rank used to write for LMS but seem to have retired. Have you recently discovered any bands / tracks that you would recommend?

Well yeah, me and Drew promote gigs regularly in Leeds so we get to see a lot of bands on the first rung of the ladder. We both agree on a band called Chinese Finger Trap, they're pretty special. I've been digging a band from Halifax called The Debuts, they're a bit My Bloody Valentine/The Sundays sort of stuff, much more exciting than most of the sub Oasis/Nirvana/Arctic Monkeys/Libertines toss that's emptying venues left right and centre.

Would you like to take this opportunity to trash talk some local bands (bearing in mind it might shift a few extra units)?

No thanks, we're nice boys.