The Boy Who Trapped The Sun
Colin MacLeod – more commonly known as The Boy Who Trapped The Sun – had been playing gigs for many years on the lowly-populated Isle of Lewis (situated at the Northern part of the Outer Hebrides) before eventually gaining interest from further afield.
After a string of jobs on his homeland, he ventured to London to pursue the music career he had commenced in his teenage years. Thankfully, he was rewarded for his efforts, and released his debut album Fireplace back in July.
Now splitting his time between the two starkly different locations, I meet with Colin before the show at Sound Control on the first night of his supporting tour with Fyfe Dangerfield. Fyfe is doing his sound check upstairs, so we head outside to the not-so-glamorous (but quieter) confines of the smoking area so he can fill HV in on his career to date.
HV: You were born and raised on the Isle of Lewis. Do you feel that its remoteness spurred your creativity?
CM: Yes and no. There is always an element of where you come from reflected in what you do. At first I thought it was a hindrance, but as I got more into [the music scene] it became a benefit to me. When you’re from a big city you’re a very small fish in a big pond, but when you’re from an isolated place there’s almost more interest in you. I mean, everyone’s the same – we’re all guys with guitars trying to do our thing – but when you’re from somewhere like that there’s a bit more mystery, I suppose.
At what stage in your career as a musician did the moniker of The Boy Who Trapped The Sun occur?
I was about eighteen years old. Originally, it was The Boy And Girl Who Trapped The Sun; that was me and my sister, but she retired after singing with Arab Strap! It just came about from a mate, really. He said, “What about The Boy Who Trapped The Sun?”, and that was that.
What were your reasons for moving to London after so long on the Isle of Lewis?
I moved down three years ago and I recently moved back home. I moved down then with the intention of making an album. I had a very specific goal for being in London. I was always quite wary about it – the pace of life – but whenever I go somewhere I always go there with a purpose, and that was to consume as much music as possible and work with as many people as possible. I guess I saw it as a song writing university of sorts; that was my thinking behind it.
Did the move to London seem inevitable in that case? Did you feel that you were at a crossroads with your career?
Yeah, I did. I got offered a publishing deal when I was still back home in Lewis and that was the catalyst. I could’ve stayed at home but I don’t think I’d have got to work with the amazing people that I did, and as a writer I don’t think I’d have got into my own way of doing things. It was definitely a necessary thing to do.
Who were your main musical influences when putting the album together?
Purely for lyrics, Bob Dylan; for trying to push yourself and not be generic. Sonically, I liked ‘home made’ records like Willy Mason’s and the Damien Rice records too. I liked the idea of making something really natural.
Speaking with the track ‘Home’ in mind, did you draw upon both the Isle of Lewis and London during the album making process?
Definitely; the whole culture shock. It’s a very obvious thing to write about but it’s obvious for a reason. I’ve come from a place where you can’t buy a McDonalds to somewhere where there are hundreds of people moving in hundreds of different directions. I’ll tell you the thing that really got me thinking when I first moved to London: I see people on the bus at home and I know who they are and I know where they live; but it really blew my mind that you could go out in London every night to the same bar and you would probably only see the same people two or three times, if at all. You go on a train every day and you don’t recognise anybody; there’s that many people. It’s quite cool though; you can live a different way if you want to. You can be anonymous.
So it actually suited you rather than making you feel alienated?
Yeah, I mean, I always miss home, but the idea of being able to get lost – just deciding to disappear in a place like that – is quite appealing.
Do you feel that the album would’ve differed greatly if you hadn’t have moved to London, and instead signed your record deal whilst living permanently on the Isle of Lewis?
I think the sound would’ve been quite similar but I wouldn’t have been as happy with it. I worked with some amazing songwriters and the experience of writing with such people pushed my own song writing forwards, so if I hadn’t have done that I probably wouldn’t have really thought about the songs as much. Everybody says “it’s all about the songs”, and I’d never really thought about that statement before [moving to London], but you do really have to focus on making every song really good. It seems like an obvious concept, but it wasn’t to me before [moving to London].
What has been your highlight to date since you were signed?
I met Rolf Harris, which was cool! Seriously though, there’s been loads; I keep on forgetting stuff as its all been such a whirlwind, but it’s been a good whirlwind. I’m not a pop star or anything so it hasn’t been that kind of crazy lifestyle. It’s just been getting to play with people I really love, like Lisa Hannigan.
What have you learnt from supporting such artists?
It’s been a comfort that the people I’ve played with have all been amazing musicians and have also been really nice. I’ve been really fortunate. I’ve played with John Butler (John Butler Trio) and for the last few years he’s been a bit of a hero because he’s got an amazing guitar technique. I was in awe of his capabilities as an artist and when I supported him he proved to be a really nice guy.
You wrote some tracks for the album with Ed Harcourt. How was that?
It was a great experience. He’s such a cool guy. He’s such a character though; it’s funny. It makes it a lot more fun with someone like that. He has massive amounts of energy and enthusiasm, so having someone like that who has ‘got your back’ is a very nice thing.
Given the choice, who would you most like to collaborate with?
Jeff Tweedy from Wilco. He’s such a good songwriter; the complete package: lyrics, songs, musicality, everything! I think he’d be a good person to write a song with.
You’re currently on tour, and are label mates with Fyfe Dangerfield. Were you a fan of his prior to now?
Yeah! I’ve seen Guillemots live about five times, I think. I love them. It’s going to be a good tour, definitely.
Would you agree that your album and Fyfe’s solo album complement one another?
Yeah, I think so. It’s nice when you get [given] support slots where you know that the crowd coming to see the main act – I mean, hopefully, you can never tell – like the sort of thing you do. That’s always a good thing. It takes the edge off supporting someone like Fyfe.
The Boy Who Trapped The Sun continues his tour with Fyfe Dangerfield until 3rd October. The album Fireplace is out now on Geffen Records.
No comments:
Post a Comment