Gig preview: Post War Glamour Girls at Long Division festival, Wakefield

Post War Glamour Girls' cauldron of Nick Cave macabre story telling and unwashed distorted riffs, have been a staple of Long Division festival for years.
Post War Glamour GirlsPost War Glamour Girls
Post War Glamour Girls

A ‘one to watch’ band that have become ‘the band to watch’, Post War Glamour Girls singer and guitarist James Smith took time out for their preparations for this year’s festival, to talk new albums and collaborations.

You have a long history with the Long Division Festival, what are your favourite memories of playing there?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

One of our favourite shows ever, not just at Long Division/Wakefield was the Theatre Royal show we played in 2014. Everything about it, the setting, the sound, the people in their seats... It kind of sealed the deal for us.

Are local festivals more fun to play due to performing with your peers and label mates?

I’m not really the biggest fan of festivals, to be honest... That said, if I could see anyone this year it’d be Mi Mye, who are my peers, my label mates, and most of all, my friends, so yes.

Which bands have gained your attention at the Long Division Festival?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bill Wells and Aiden Moffat in 2012 at the Theatre remains one of my absolute favourite shows, one of the best I’ve ever seen.

What brought about recording a live album, and what surprises do you have in store for fans attending the session?

Well, it was kind of in the works since last year but we wanted the time to do it properly. We said if we do it, it would have to be a coherent, sequenced record in itself like our studio records and so we’ve done that. We’ve rearranged songs with an extended line up, we’re doing songs which pre-date Pink Fur and we’re doing songs which will be on our third studio record but in different formats. We’ve also picked two very cool covers and I’m excited for people to hear them.

Historically the Long Division live session recordings have been released on vinyl. Your vinyl always are quite unique and colourful, will we see this carried forward to this release?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Well we were asked on colour scheme for the sleeve and I think we’ve picked black and white, so probably black this time...

If you could curate your own festival, who would you have on the roster?

Miles Davis, Can and Patti Smith would headline the main stage. The Fall, Wu Tang Clan, Cocteau Twins, Neil Young, Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra, Nina Simone, The Jesus Lizard, Gil Scott-Heron and Broadcast would all be on there as well. We would open the comedy tent.

You have become adopted as a Wakefield band, how is Wakefield seen elsewhere as a creative city for music?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I have a ton of love for that place. Long Division and WAH WAH records and Philophobia music... It’s so important, and I know how hard it is to make things like that work, especially outside of the major cities. I grew up in a town that draws a lot of parallels with Wakey, and I saw it try and fail to provide and sustain an alternative to an ever dwindling crowd, I guess by moving away I was part of the problem... So to the people that stick around in Wakefield doing great things... They have our undying support and they have our eternal respect.

Any upcoming studio releases planned?

We are heading to Scotland the day after we record the live album to record our third studio album ‘Swan Songs’ on a farm with Lee and Jamie from Greenmount.

If you could collaborate with any current local act who would it be?

I’m hoping to do a live collaboration with Cattle for something from the third album, I haven’t asked them yet. Hopefully with six drummers... I’ll see what they say next time I catch up with them.

Post War Glamour Girls appear at Long Division Festival in Wakefield on Saturday. For details visit https://www.musicglue.com/long-division/