“Would you like a veggie crisp?” guitarist Daniel Hopewell asks me, sucking on an E-cig as the blue tip lights up, “We’re trying to eat healthy on the road.” Both he and drummer Russell Bates laugh as they stand to introduce themselves with thick, ridiculously charming accents. The small, dark cave of a green room welcomes me with barely enough light to see the expressions on their faces as we chat casually like old friends. Substitute a Diet Coke for a few pints of Guinness, and I might as well be in an English pub. Hailing from Sheffield, England, the Crookes frankly could not be more British. I KNOW, that is horrifically vague – but take one look, one listen and you will have to agree. Rolled up blue-jeans, old-school penny loafers, black button-downs and scraggily hair throw you back to 1960 Liverpool where 4-piece pop bands were shaking things up. Half a century later, it’s hardly a new idea, but these blokes own it, pushing onward with an old-fashioned philosophy of hard work, persistence, and honest commitment to their music.
True to classic brit pop form, the band started on a whim during their university days. “We were basically like, we’re gonna start a band, let’s go,” says Daniel. “There was a street sign outside our window that said Crooks, and I thought we’d make it grammatically incorrect and put an “e” in front of it. There’s kind of a tenuous beat to it I suppose. It wasn’t really a serious name, but we kind of went too far to change it – it’s very disappointing.”
“If there’s one piece of advice I’d ever give to a new band, choose a name that you like cause you might get a minor bit of success and you have to keep it forever,” says Russell. Wide-eyed and hungry, the band set out, writing dissertations in the back of a tour van, barely passing their classes but catching tailwind strong enough to keep them running on big dreams of success. What the Crookes understand now is the time it takes to “hone your craft.” Russell laughs at their musical immaturity in the younger years, as only one member had played his instrument before starting the band. “This was a problem for us because it takes a really long time to not be shit. So yeah, we were amateurs.”
Six years, three full LPs, and hundreds of shows later, the Crookes maintain their sense of purpose. Their commitment to the music, to each other and to the harsh, yet romantic world of living a life where there are mornings you have to ask what city you’re in … well, it’s quite inspiring. “All my favorite bands, and who I think are the best bands, are the ones who’s success hasn’t come easy, and its been built over years and multiple albums; so by the time you get to the stage where you’re playing big venues you’ve got the ability, and you’ve learned your craft,” says Russell. The Crookes’ relentless pursuit of creating and performing the music that they so clearly love is paying off. Renowned English radio presenter Steve Lamacq picked up on their talent early, coining the term ‘New Pop’ to describe the band’s style. “[Lamacq] has supported us from the start, he’s been like our biggest champion,” says Daniel. Today, New Pop has become a movement in the Sheffield artist community, inspiring bands to create pop that is intelligent. “When you talk about pop music in a sort of mainstream sense, I think, you know, it’s almost a bit dirty because it’s considered dumbed down for the masses. But you can still have pop music that’s intelligent… Not just a vehicle to dance, but you are invested in the music,” says Daniel.
Crookes fans, lovingly named the “The Bright Young Things,” are clearly invested. The band feels an intimate connection to their fan base, a commonality amid the music and those who love it that creates a direct relationship between the two. “There is a very common thread that runs through [our fans]. They’re often quite lonely, but often quite intelligent as well … quite passionate.” Fans who know every word, to every song, on every album. “People who buy into it, not who just have a passing interest. I thought ‘The Bright Young Things’ was a nice banner for them,” says Daniel. Unsurprisingly, the band also has very friendly relationships with their labels. Signing with various indie labels scattered around the world including Fierce Panda in the UK and Modern Outsider Records in the US, they maintain complete creative control. Always writing new music on the road, the band was ready to record their latest LP, SOAPBOX, earlier this year. They set out to the Italian countryside to record in a secluded church.
“We just wanted an excuse to go on holiday for a few weeks,” Daniel says jokingly. “We like touring more than being in the studio so we kind of felt like we were on tour. So yeah, we went and recorded in the mountains… I think it fits the album because there’s a lot of religious imagery … It was wonderful. Very romantic, dark, and a bit scary ’cause no one was around.” “To deliberately isolate yourself for a month and a half is really good. You go a bit mad after a while. It’s a bit crazy just being on your own, with what, five other people,” says Russell. “In the studio it’s really easy to get distracted or bored because you’ve got everything there. It was really good because there was nothing, even our phones didn’t work, so all you could do was focus on the music, and that’s a really positive thing.”
The result is an introspective album strung with angsty lyrics, smooth guitar licks, beat driving drums, and the distinct vocal of singer George Waite. Easy listening with a slight tap of the foot, their sound strikes a peculiar balance somewhere between that of the Strokes and Vampire Weekend (generous comparisons, mind you.) SOAPBOX shows growing maturity while still leaving plenty of room to grow, a task the Crookes are willing to tackle. Far from the Italian countryside, on the street outside of Manhattan’s Webster Hall, Daniel lights a cigarette – this time, a real one. He asks if I’ll be sticking around for the show, as if it wasn’t my job. Obligated or not, I’m not going anywhere.
Interview by Wallace Morgan. Follow her on Twitter @window_tothewaL
Photos by Jackie Lee
