The Rakes! Right! Cool!

The first time I saw the Rakes was at the O2 Wireless festival. Well, kind of. I didn't go, but apparently they did (as they played a set and all), and I made the voyage to the living room to turn on Channel 4-not for the bands, but for the lovely host Simon Amstell. Amongst the expected awkwardness of all of Simon's interviews, they aired the Rakes performing '22 Grand Job' and I watched delighted in the perceived neurosis of frontman Alan Donohoe. Nothing by them had excited me before, but their live show seemed one to behold so I took note when their Glasgow Gonzo date was announced (not that I wouldn't have attended anyways as Test Icicles were supporting).
All I knew of them was 1. they had a Danish member, and 2. he had a hair cut resembling Alex Krapanos as the press often pointed out.
So I went down and decided that Alan could very well found his own aerobics religion. Also, all their songs that sounded boring on disc, sounded a lot better live. And the frantic petting of other band members' hair was a nice touch. Still, I wasn't moved to talk to them as they made their way around the Barfly before and after their set.
But since we were both stood at the bar (or rather crouched and stood, as I was collecting change for bus fare from the floor because I'm cool) and I so enjoy speaking about my favorite country Denmark, I stood up and struck up a chat with Lasse. Amidst a cloud of white skinny jeans that had come to collect around us in a few short seconds the chat became awkward. And not in a Simon Amstell way. Can we cue crickets?
So yeah- a concert is a totally appropriate atmosphere to have a political discussion in.
I can't help it, I am just obsessed with the socialist elements of their government.
Saw them headline over White Rose Movement at the QMU a few months later and then snapped them over the weekend.
Shortly after they arrived decked out in summer outfits of shorts and shirts, we got on the bus, drove across the street, and had lunch for a half hour inside before doing photos. The conversation ranged from the new Rocky movie and a debate of whether it's in post- or pre-production, Robocop and Afghanistan, and then when asked to recommend the best viewing material I totally blanked on Snakes on a Plane! That is all I ever talk about! I did sing the praises of Stephen Colbert.
They eat healthy, and keep the bus relatively neat, asking my opinion on the latter. While Matthew and I talked with chimes from Lasse as Jamie changed in the back, Alan made salad in the corner, repeatedly asserting "Right!" and "Cool!" to himself. I love him.
Before we headed out onto the street after Matthew proclaimed his desire to shop, we discussed Be Your Own Pet, which elicited the question of whether they've gotten old after Jamie said "they sound like noise," The Young Knives, and Klaxons, while I wondered out loud how Vice hasn't burned out on them.
We went to Old Town Music where every musician shops when in town-from Franz Ferdinand, to the Rapture and just about everybody else and where they took turns playing the banjo for the first time.

We then took some photos outside. Matthew was quite concerned with the lighting and what appeared in the background of the shots, which was a welcome change, though we did however miss out on a mannequin shot I had planned as he was concerned they'd have squinting eyes based on where the sun was in the sky. He wanted to do non-London looking shots as 'all the photos look like that' (though I think the Cobrasnake achieved the opposite). They all went back in to buy the guitar after asking me twice if I was coming back for the show that night, for which I had already been placed on the guest list the day previous. Why am I not 21?
Other point of interest is that their canceled March US Hard Fi tour was never confirmed on their side and they have no idea how it got to the level of it being promoted as such.
Odd fact: Their tour manager's name is Martian (pronounced in parenthesis as Martin)

Alan doing the claw at the QMU show:


Fuck I can love London- especially when Lethal Bizzle can't stay away from indie rock acts. This video scares me into uncomfortable laughter. Especially around 1:35:

Decide to love Alan. Decide to ask yourself: "If only he had a head band." Maybe decide that his cult would be so much better than Scientology:

'Ausland Mission' The Rakes MP3