Back Beat Seattle

The cover of Wales-based Future of The Left’s new album, The Plot Against Common Sense, features a human and penguin holding hands on a scorched earth whilst watching a fiery apocalypse. It’s a peculiar cover, but one that matches the kinky and disorienting music.

Future of The Left‘s The Plot Against Common Sense – cover art by Paul O’Connell

I’m a Future of The Left fan. Standard things you need to know about Future of The Left: The band, formerly a trio, is now a quartet; The Plot Against Common Sense is their third album after Curses! and Travels with Myself and Another; their live shows are mind-altering; also the band’s music is uniquely superior. I have listened to all three albums repeatedly, and perhaps one of the reasons I am a little late in reviewing their new album is because I have been busy listening to it.

And you should listen to it, and their other albums as well, over and over. Absorb the tunes. You’ll get something new each time in their lyrics and sounds. More than many other bands Future Of The Left’s work has individual meanings to listeners, whether you’re feeling love, anger, contempt, or catching some humor or irony in the songs you are not missing the point. You get it because it reflects you in some way. If I were to play favorites with the tracks I might select “A Guide To Men” (history is written by the man who stays acquainted with the thug who has the biggest sword); “City Of Exploded Children” (pleasure gardens kissed by landslides/Underneath the city of exploded children/Underneath the city everything is fine); ”I Am The Least Of Your Problems “ (I am the least of your problems/But I don’t mind), and “Cosmo’s Ladder”(I have seen into the future/Everyone is slightly older). Each track on The Plot Against Common Sense pivots in the brain and stands alone or a solid, provoking part of the whole.

Future of The Left

Review by Dagmar

The week before Halloween, Seattle was given a real treat. Scotland born singer-songwriter, Greg Holden, (on tour with Ian Axel and Chad Vaccarino of A Great Big World) played his first show in Seattle at The Fremont Abbey. I sat down to chat with him just after soundcheck to see what he’s been up to, and why it’s taken him so long to get here.

Interview & Photos by Heather Fitzpatrick

Greg Holden

First of all, welcome to Seattle.

Greg Holden: Thank You. It’s very beautiful here.

You didn’t start playing music until your teenage years. What brought you to music?

GH: For me, music was kind of an escape. I was being bullied at school, and at home I wasn’t having a great time. So I felt like I needed a way to push me into doing something in my life because I wasn’t really doing anything. Someone introduced me to the guitar, and that kind of sparked something inside of me, to know that I wasn’t going to be where I was.

Did you have an alternate career path?

GH: No, not really.

And you’re self-taught on the guitar?

GH: Yeah. My friend taught me three chords and then that was it. I was away.

Greg Holden

You were born and raised in Scotland, but your music found you travelling to London. What was it you were looking for there?

GH: Well, funny enough, I was looking for New York, and London was my practice. It was like my warm-up, because I needed to learn what it was going to be like in a big city before I could go to New York. So, I moved to London first, knowing eventually I’d make it to New York. At least I hoped.

Did you know anyone who was going to New York? Were you following someone there?

GH: No. I always wanted to live there. I actually moved to a town called Brighton in my early twenties. I lived there for a couple years. I was in a band there, and I decided to move to London to do my own thing. I was there for about a year and a half and then I moved to New York; but I wasn’t chasing anybody. I was just kind of chasing a dream, I guess.

New York is a big city. Did you have any idea of where to start?

GH: No. I had a couple of friends that I’d met on previous trips to New York that were kind of my guides, but I fell into a really good scene there. It was the whole Rockwood Music Hall scene. I fell into that very quickly right after I got there. I definitely felt very blessed to be in such good company. It was very inspiring and they pushed me to become a better musician for sure. I was very lucky I fell into that scene because you can go to New York and be very lonely. Thankfully, I didn’t have that experience.

And you’ve been touring quite a bit since you came here?

GH: I’ve done tiny tours the whole time. When I first came to America, I toured with Ingrid Michaelson. I opened for her for about a month, doing huge gigs compared to what I was used to, so that was amazing. But then I never really capitalized on that, I think after it finished, because I was still trying to get used to my life in America. I’ve been touring back and forth to Europe twice a year, but I feel like I haven’t really done much in America. It’s only now that I’ve been getting the opportunities to try and build on something. This is the first tour where I’ve done a string of dates, and it’s great.

Greg Holden

Congratulations on the success of “Home.” (“Home” just went double-platinum this past week.) Can you tell me the story of how that opportunity happened?

I wrote a song in November and December of last year with a friend, Drew Pearson, in Los Angeles and I didn’t really think anything of it. We finished writing the song, and I thought, “well okay.” A few months later when I was on tour in Europe, I got a phone call saying they wanted to use it on American Idol. Honestly, I was confused. I didn’t understand why they wanted to use that song. It didn’t strike me as a song that would work with American Idol. But I guess it did. It was a very surreal experience watching it be played on TV. I was like, “oh my God, that’s my song.” So it was weird, but amazing. It’s changed my life.

You’ve said you don’t want to record “Home” because it’s now Phillip Phillips’ song, but you’ll still play it live at shows?

GH: Yeah. I still play it because I think a few people might still be for it. They may have found me on the Internet because of it. But no, I don’t think I want to record it. It’s his song. It would be a bit weird to step into that. I think I don’t want to do that. I have a lot of people asking me to do it, especially inside my team, but I don’t want to do it.

With its success, are you being approached to do more co-written songs?

GH: Absolutely, which is a great thing.

Are you being approached for songs for you to sing or for other people to sing?

GH: To write songs for other people, which is good. I really enjoy writing my own songs by myself. Especially now, when I’m trying to be completely honest with myself, so I don’t really get what I’m looking for when I co-write. In terms of writing with other people, it’s really good because I can get out of my comfort zone a little bit. I don’t have to be so attached to the song. I know that ultimately I don’t have to sing it or release it. Ironically, every now and again a song will come out, and I’m all, “I don’t want to sing this.” So, it all works out.

Is there anyone in particular that you would like to write with?

GH: I would love to write a song with Ryan Tedder, lead singer of One Republic. He’s written so many huge songs, and I really admire him as a songwriter. He’s a great singer too. I’d love to write with him.

Is there anyone you’d like to write a song for?

GH: I’d love to write a song for Katy Perry, because that would be a pretty nice paycheck. I’d never really thought about that before, to be honest. Anybody I guess. I’d be happy if anyone would sing my songs.

You had such a great success with Kickstarter to fund your last EP, I Don’t Believe You, and still being an independent artist. Would you use that platform again?

GH: No. I think it was an amazing thing. I think it was amazing that people gave what they did, and was an incredible experience but ultimately I would like to not have to ask my fans for money again. I was really, really honored and humbled by the whole thing and I will never forget what happened, but I wouldn’t want to do it again. It’s a lot of work fulfilling everything afterwards, because you spend the money so fast. It was an amazing thing, and I’m really glad I did it, but that was definitely the one and only time I’ll do it.

Greg Holden