With a
four-piece band in tow, rising star Miles Kane is packing out venues across the
UK, and reaches Preston’s 53 Degrees on Monday. Malcolm Wyatt caught up with
him on the phone from Edinburgh...
There’s
a bit of a stir being created about Miles Kane at the moment, this affable lad
from Birkenhead making a big impression on audiences around the UK and beyond.
He’s
certainly put the leg-work in over recent years, with plenty of prestigious
support roles, and lots of big names featuring on his records.
Now the
former Rascals front-man – Alex Turner’s co-driver in The Last Shadow Puppets –
is enjoying his own headline tour.
Miles is
selling out several shows en route – including one at Edinburgh’s Liquid Room
the day we caught up.
The same
goes for visits to Brighton Concorde 2 and Liverpool Olympia, on a tour where
he’s clearly relishing the small venue vibe.
But
Miles also has a couple of big dates with his Arctic Monkeys buddies at
London’s Finsbury Park in late May too.
And he
has a series of further outdoor appearances ahead, including Kendal Calling in
early August then V Festival shows in Essex and Staffordshire.
Furthermore,
he’s all over Europe this summer, with festivals in Italy, Switzerland, the
Netherlands, Russia and Hungary.
But you
get the feeling that – while the music press is carefully tracking his progress
– success won’t change this personable 28-year-old.
And his
live shows suggest there’s plenty of mutual respect with his loyal audience and
his band, as those who saw him recently at Blackpool Winter Gardens will
testify.
Miles is
looking forward to his return to the area, having enjoyed a few previous 53 Degrees
visits.
It took
us a while to get a connection as he was “roaming the streets of Edinburgh”
with his drummer, “the extraordinaire, Jay Sharrock”, who also features in Liam
Gallagher’s band Beady Eye.
Asked if
he was taking in the sights of Auld Reekie, he wasn’t so sure, telling me, “Nah
mate, just strolling around, trying to find a coffee’.
We spoke
about that night’s sell-out and the others already confirmed, and I put it to
Miles that he must be on a creative high at present.
“It’s
been fun – a lot of fun, and you can’t ask any more from the crowds that have
been turning up.”
Did he
enjoy his Blackpool show?
“Yeah.
That was great. Actually, it was the first time we’d played there – like a lot
of these cities on this tour.
“This
whole thing just feels like it’s getting bigger … and broadening … it’s getting
wider … and it’s getting taller!
You
can’t argue with that logic. And I get the feeling Miles can’t be serious about
it for too long. He’s having too much of a good time.
So what
does he recall about previous 53 Degrees visits?
“I’ve
done that venue quite a few times, but mainly as a support. It was one that got
added on quite late, but it should be a good gig.”
Miles
seems to be at the vanguard of a number of fresh new acts on the up – a
relative glut of proper singer-songwriters and honest rock’n’roll or
rhythm’n’blues acts.
“I guess
so, I’ve been around a while though, so maybe this is more like a farewell
tour!
“But I’m
better than all those younger bands. I do have that to my advantage.”
I don’t
think he’s being big-headed. It’s more tongue-in-cheek. If anything, it’s a
justified belief in his own talent.
How does
he get on with his support act, Anglo–Welsh four piece Telegram? And does he
tend to stick around and listen to their set each night?
“Yeah. I
go and have a quick watch. They’re a really good band, and I love their tunes,
like the single Follow. Really cool.”
Miles
cut his teeth with The Rascals, a band that evolved from his first project, The
Little Flames, winning valuable supports with The Coral, The Zutons and Arctic
Monkeys.
He went
solo in 2009, by then having already seen success with Alex Turner in acclaimed
’60s-tinged side-project The Last Shadow Puppets.
The pair
became good mates during an Arctics tour, their 2008 debut album, The Age of
the Understatement, reaching No.1.
In 2011,
his first solo album, The Colour of the Trap, reached No.11, with half of the
tracks co-written with Alex.
Prestigious
guest slots continued, including those with The Courteeners, Beady Eye and
Kasabian, as well as the Arctics.
Then
came last year’s Don’t Forget Who You Are, making it to No.8, its three singles
and headline-making Glastonbury appearances keeping his profile high.
So is
this tour leading to the third Miles Kane solo album?
“That’s
the plan. Hopefully we’ll get something recorded by the end of the year. That
would be great, releasing a new album maybe next year.”
Is this
a good time to try out the songs on your public, seeing their reaction to them?
“Yeah,
and we’re still busy, so that’s the best way, with this part of the tour
followed by loads of festival dates.”
Will it
be nice to have your name at the top of the bill this time around, after so
many top support roles over recent years?
“It
will. The last few years we’ve really connected with audiences, and now we’re
carrying that on - in the interests of getting better all the time.”
On his
last album alone, there were contributions from highly-influential artist slike
Paul Weller, Lightning Seeds’ mastermind Ian Broudie, XTC frontman Andy
Partridge, and producer/songwriter Guy Chambers.
So will
there be guest appearances on the new album, when it sees the light of day?
“Who
knows, man. I’m very close to some of those people now. It’s still early days,
but we’ll continue to do our stuff and just see what happens.”
You’re
clearly on top of your game, with lots of new songs to the fore and quickly
becoming crowd favourites.
“Nice of
you to say. I hope so, man. It’s a strange one, writing songs. Sometimes it’s
very easy, other times a lot harder.
“We just
want to keep this live feel we’ve got. It’s happening out there, so you want that
on your records.
“We want
this rock’n’roll, sexy soul riff we’ve got going on. That’s the way forward.”
Getting
to know all those revered songwriters must rub off on you too, taking on their
influences.
“I think
so. Everyone you work with, it tends to rub off on you. And you learn some more
by listening to records.”
Are
there likely to be a few famous guest slots on this part of the tour?
“No
guests. Not really. Well, I don’t think so, anyway. What are you doing next
Thursday?”
He’s off
again. There’s plenty of swagger with Miles. But a little bit of charm helps
too.
After
all that’s been happening in the Crimea, does it worry playing Moscow this
summer?
“No. It
won’t affect us. We went there a couple of years ago and we had a great time.
“I’m
looking forward to it, and everywhere else.”
All this
time out on the road probably means you’ve missed out on seeing your beloved
Liverpool FC too.
“True. I
haven’t been to a game for a while, but they’ve been very good in my
absence.”
With out
time almost up, I quickly ask Miles about his band, and how it feels to be
trading under his name alone, while there’s clearly a proper group ethic about
it all.
Are his
band – namely Ben Parsons, Phil Anderson, George Moran, and the afore-mentioned
Jay Sharrock – good company on the road?
“The
band are pretty tight. That’s the other thing really. I couldn’t do what I’m
doing now without them.
“I
couldn’t put on such a great show, if it wasn’t for the boys in the band.
They’re a great bunch of lads, and we’ve hit a great stride. Sound!”
And with
that, Miles is away, to finally find that coffee then get ready for another
wild night in front of an adoring audience – starting as he means to go on.
For
ticket details for Miles’ March 31 show at 53 Degrees, head to http://www.53degrees.net/
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