Cut Copy on label issues

Front man talks of battles for groups

19 Feb 08 - Cut Copy say it is getting harder for bands to retain their creative integrity - even on respected UK indie labels.

The Australian dance trio kicked off their first UK tour in two years on Monday (18 Feb) at London's Koko.

Their follow-up to their debut Bright Like Neon Love sees the band going in a more disco direction.

Frontman Dan Whitford told 6 Music their Australian label, Modular, has been supportive - but he thinks that's an exception.

“It seems like labels in general are getting more conservative, so even to us your small labels seem more like they are conservative," he said.

“So God, if you are on a major you must be like tearing your hair out right now – if you are trying to write. All the things that were so useful about labels in the past are perhaps not there for artists now."

"..if you are on a major you must be like tearing your hair out right now – if you are trying to write"
Dan Whitford

But he added: "Perhaps the more fashionable ones like DFA and Modular have kind of got a bit of an edge, because even being on a label like that is almost a bit of marketing for yourself as a band I suppose.”

Cut Copy teamed up with producer Tim Goldsworthy from DFA Records on In Ghost Colours , which is released on 14 April.

“We hadn’t actually worked with a producer before, so I guess really he was sort of like an objective opinion that we trusted because obviously we love all the DFA stuff," said Whitford.

“He also would keep sort of suggesting just to try things – like different instruments and experiments – I think that was kind of cool.”

Whitford said this album is very different to their debut: “There’s definitely a bit of a disco touch to it but also sort of psychedelic things going on, too, so it still sounds like us probably. But it’s definitely some new territory for us.”

Cut Copy are going on to play Brighton on 19 February and then will take in Sheffield, Newcastle, London, Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol.

Kelly Stooke and Andre Paine