The Naked and Famous to join Imagine Dragons at Key Arena February 11 + interview

Auckland five-piece The Naked and Famous are set to play Seattle's Key Arena with Imagine Dragons next month in support of their latest record, In Rolling Waves. 

After their wildy accepted 2010 debut, Passive Me, Aggressive You, The Naked and Famous spent two years touring the world and learning from the whole process.  "We came to realize what worked and what didn't in a live environment," explains bassist David Beadle.  

Keeping that in mind, the band went into the studio to record their second full-length release and focused their attention on how each part of the songs would sound live.  "The approach this time around was a lot less based on layering and a lot more on the strength of individual parts.  That is an ethos we've stuck very strongly to in the live environment," continues David, "everything you hear on the record is something you can see and hear being performed by us live."

You can hear the new approach on In Rolling Waves, with its heavier instrumental grooves and lyrics.  "Spending two years on the road also opened us up to new experiences and emotions."  David explains, "These are evident in the musical and subject matter of [the album]."  

With all of the success and hard work that has come since the band started, David says he still has the same expectations from his music career.  "I've always understood the difficulty of working in music. Being from New Zealand does that to you I think. It takes a hell of a lot of hard work, perseverance and belief in yourself and your ideas. Compromise is important and respect even more so."

No doubt about it, the hard work is very appreciated by listeners around the world - and it looks like it will only continue to get better for this incredibly talented band.  

Please enjoy my interview with David Beadle below!

Hi David, how are you doing? What are you up to today?
I'm good thanks! We are in Melbourne and have spent the day doing press and I personally had an afternoon nap.

How was your approach to writing and recording 'In Rolling Waves' different than your approach to 'Passive Me, Aggressive You'?
The approach this time around was a lot less based on layering and a lot more on the strength of individual parts. That is an ethos we've stuck very strongly to in the live environment and everything you hear on the record is something you can see and hear being performed by us live. 'In Rolling Waves' is a lot more insular than 'Passive Me, Aggressive You'. Both musically and lyrically.

In what ways do you feel like you've evolved musically and personally since you released 'Passive Me, Aggressive You'?
As earlier, we came to realize what worked and what didn't in a live environment. Over two years of touring Passive Me, Aggressive You we gained a great appreciation for live performance and what we were all capable of. Also that we could push ourselves extremely hard and learn very quickly. We evolved as performers and musicians. Spending two years on the road also opened us up to new experiences and emotions. These are evident in the musical and subject matter of In Rolling Waves.

When it comes to 'In Rolling Waves', what are you most proud of accomplishing?
The creative process in general for me is something I'm personally proud of. We wrote and recorded passive me aggressive you, toured for two years, saw new things and made new friends. We got off the road and went straight into writing while living with each other still. That continued into recording and mixing and now touring again just over a year and a half later. We still remain the best of friends and for the past two hours I've been bugging Jesse who is on the other bed in this tiny hotel room. He's mad but I think he still loves me.

What's your favorite song on the record and why?
"Waltz". I've always loved the lyrics and it's such a great song to play live. It has a lot of feel and movement to it. It's brooding and deep for me.

What are you learning from spending hours and hours on the road with your band mates?
That we all have a lot of time for each other. Our friends have become our family. The touring party is a group brothers, sisters, mums and dads.

What’s your first memory related to music?
Freddie Mercury's mustache and harlequin catsuit.

How has your idea, in terms of what you want from your music career, changed since you started?
It hasn't. I've always understood the difficulty of working in music. Being from New Zealand does that to you I think. It takes a hell of a lot of hard work, perseverance and belief in yourself and your ideas. Compromise is important and respect even more so.

What's the best piece of advice that you've been given?
Our very first guitar tech said to me "eat when you can". That's the first rule of the van tour. I can now eat relatively healthy on a truck stop diet.

If you had to choose three albums that are your go-to albums, what would you chose?
A Night At The Opera - Queen
Mezzanine - Massive Attack
Blink 182 - Blink 182

Thank you, David!  

For more about The Naked and Famous, please visit their Official Site!