Marsicans stopped off in Matlock over the weekend and performed a very intimate gig. We managed to speak with the lads before their set and spoke about Vinyl sales, Spanish men in hostel rooms and also about their old music teacher!
You have released your Absence EP since we last spoke, and it is your largest release so far, so please can you just summarise the reaction you’ve received?
Its been great, with the bonus tracks, we’ve added extra dimensions to what people thought it was going to be. So, to get compliments on them are great as well. It’s been our furthest reach in terms of radio response. BBC Radio 1, Radio X as well and also we got onto New Music Week on Spotify.
What was the response like on Spotify?
Spotify is where most people listen, it certainly snowballed, when one playlist includes you, others do that as well. We got on one in Netherlands and we were racking up 1000’s of listens a day. It’s the future of listening.
There is a couple of remixes on the deluxe version and also a string quartet version of Far Away. Where did this idea come from?
I think its classic Marsicans trying to live above our station, we always have great ambitions that we always try and achieve something truly unfathomable. We had ideas of us playing with a strings quartet or a brass section. We actually contacted our old music teacher from school and he was really keen for it. Overall really fun. Hardest part was trying to find people who played strings!
As a band what’s the favourite song you like to play on stage?
I’d still say absence purely for playing live. As a band I think we would agree on Absence. We played in London and when we started that song people really connected with it, especially now this is our first tour where people will have heard it.
What is the top 3 things of being on tour?
Meeting people who aren’t just fans but people like Spanish guys in our hostel room, or people working the bars. Secondly just travelling places, being away from home and seeing new places. Lastly it’s a toss up between Maoams, we all love maoams on tour and then we have a great time playing football in car parks when we’re travelling!
Lastly, how important are vinyls when it comes to selling your music? Popular? Worth it?
They sell a lot more than a digital EP! From our website we get a lot more vinyl sales than online sales. Gigs are a 50/50 on CD’s and vinyl sales depending on money. If someone is seeking it out online then it’ll be more vinyls, but at gigs it’s probably because CD’s are easier to carry. Vinyls are a very expensive way of selling music because of the manufacturing process. We managed to get a bursary to help with 12” vinyls which was just incredible.
