C Douglas: “Being in a band is like playing a game”
The Yorkshireman — who is making a new life for himself in Paris — talks going solo, the debut EP and taking his new sound on the road.
Photo: Charlie Barclay Harris
C Douglas — aka James Clarke — is crafting a new name for himself, having toured and released an album with his former band, THE GOA EXPRESS. Circumstances, like moving country, led the musician to go it alone, and C Douglas was born in Paris, far away from the home comforts of a life lived in Yorkshire.
With debut EP 75019 out on September 19th, we spoke to the multi-talented musician on future plans, performing live and forging a new identity in the streets of Paris.
First of all, what’s your earliest memory of music?
Visually, I remember my mum just always had instruments in the house. So, I guess my memory would just be seeing instruments in the house and being given the liberty to sort of press things and push things and hit things, because I couldn’t play anything. But, yeah, there were lots of things to sort of mess with in the house when I was a kid.
Do you have a very musical family?
Not at all. My mum doesn’t play music. My dad doesn’t play – I mean, they love music. My dad was a big punk back in the day. My mum’s a bit more of a free spirit, but their music tastes don’t align. I mean, it’s probably why they’re not together. But yeah, they loved music. It was sort of down to me to just mess around.
What sort of music did they listen to when you were growing up?
Well, I was raised by my mum, so my mum would listen to loads of like – she’s Irish – so she would listen to traditional Irish music. And she was also a big admirer of 60s music. We watched Nick Cave the other day.
Ah, I saw him two years ago. Really good!
I think that was the same tour, right? We watched it in Dublin and – who’s that really good band with lots of members?
Black Country, New Road?
Exactly. They supported, and they were really good.
Do you remember the first album you ever bought?
Yeah, it was Busted… or McFly. I can never remember, but I think I got McFly and my brother got Busted.
That happened to me and my sister. One of us got one McFly single, the other one got the other.
I mean, I still can’t tell you who sings it, but Year 3000 is a great tune.
That’s Busted.
I probably got the Busted CD then! But, also, it was Santa Claus who gave me that, so you know…
I’m glad it wasn’t just a thing in my family.
We had a Now! That’s What I Call Music every year as well.
So, what’s the difference between going from a band to solo work, and what made you make that decision?
Well, logistics made me make that decision. I mean, I moved country, so that was probably the main thing. I can do most things instrumentally, you know, I can play most things. Being in a band is like playing a game and you’re one of five players, whereas being a solo artist is like you’re playing the game yourself, and you can get really invested into everything. It’s sort of like I’m playing each part.
Do you have more control now?
Yeah, I have complete control. I was working with Steve Cobby, who is a great producer, and I can’t speak any more highly of him, but I mean, in that regard, no, because I was super open to listening to what he had to say. But when it comes to me recording music in my bedroom, then, yeah, no one takes part in it until it’s finished, and they listen to it.
What was the inspiration behind the debut EP?
Lyrically, I think it’s just everything. I don’t write lyrics in a notebook. I don’t write them on my phone. I just find something that I like musically, then it’s sort of a consciousness thing. I keep playing this shit over and over and over again, and then all of a sudden one lyric will come to my head. It’s usually just about life and stuff. I guess that the inspiration for the last tune is definitely about growing up and making lots of mistakes along the way, and just hoping to not make as many mistakes along the way as I did before.
How do you think these new songs are going to translate live when you take them on tour?
I was just in Manchester about a month ago with some friends who wanted to do the live performances. And it was sounding great, we had like three synthesisers; one for bass lines, one for like synth and then one for lead lines. It was sounding good, but obviously, I was going to plan a tour for October — that was the idea — but I feel like I need more time with them before I go and play these songs live. It was sounding really good, to be fair, in the studio.
It must be really different going from playing as a band to now having to go on tour by yourself.
I know, I was debating whether or not I should play some shows by myself because I toured a lot, obviously, with THE GOA EXPRESS, and it was a bit mad. We’ll see. I mean, it’s been a while. I got quite good at being a performer, but I haven’t played a live show for ages, you know? So I know I need to, but again, I feel like I will probably wait until I release another EP before I go on a full tour, because I just don’t feel like it makes enough sense at the moment.
I’ve heard a lot of horror stories about touring.
You gotta get to this place first, which costs money, and then you’ve got to stay somewhere that costs money. If you can accept losing a little bit of money or you’re able to lose a little bit of money here and there, then I think it’s fine, but if you really can’t afford to do that…
If you could experiment with another genre, what would it be?
That’s a super good question. There are some I definitely wouldn’t be very good at. I wouldn’t be good at soul music or reggae. I love these genres, but I wouldn’t be very good. Maybe stoner rock, doom rock, like distorted, very heavy, loud guitars – that might be quite good.
Would you ever do screamo and ruin your voice?
No, I’m too precious. I don’t think my cigarette-induced lungs will allow me to do any screaming. I just don’t really like shouting in general. I find it very stressful.
Some dude over here played Fu Manchu the other day at this camp. We’re all camping, and it was actually a really good tune but, with stoner rock, they don’t scream as much. So I feel like that’s probably why I like it more than metal screamer. It’s just like really big, warm guitars, which I think is quite fun.
Do you have a moment you’re proud of so far in your life?
Maybe moving to a different country, passing my therapy course after six months – I got a certificate for that, which is pretty cool, and [I] actually went to every session. So that was an achievement. I used to play football a lot, and our team won the English Cup, which is also quite cool.
I could tell you the obvious ones, like playing Glastonbury, being on tour and releasing an album, but I think personal achievements can be more important. Last week I rode from Dieppe to Paris on a bike ride. I walked to the Rota Vicentina, which is like a walk from the West Coast of Portugal to the South.
Yeah, I don’t know. Maybe moving country and having to completely establish a new identity, and get to know how to live my life differently and learn a new language, find work, be able to navigate a massive city – I’d say that’s my proudest achievement.
Sounds like you have a lot more freedom now and can do what you want.
I love the UK, but I also love being separate from the UK. Like my world musically and the record label is in the UK, and I think things will progress more in the UK than they will in France. I don’t know, but I think that will be the case. Yeah, I like having distance between it all because I feel like I can really concentrate. I want my artistic life to be my artistic life, and I don’t want to share it with anyone else.
What are your future plans after the EP?
I think the next thing I need to do is to go back into the study with Steve and record EP number two. I have a shit ton of songs. I have like two and a half albums worth of songs, maybe three albums of songs. I already have the material, so I just need to go and record it properly in a proper studio.
Recording-wise, do you play all the instruments yourself?
Yeah, I do everything myself. I always say, if you have a MIDI keyboard, you can literally write, like, entire albums. So you just have a little MIDI keyboard and a guitar and the obvious instruments, and then, yeah, just go from there once I’ve got a song ready on my acoustic guitar.
Lastly, if you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I’d have to listen to something… What’s the word for a song without a lyric in it?
Instrumental?
I’d have to listen to an instrumental record. I think like, over time, the same person’s voice over and over and over again would just kill me. It’d be horrible. Could be like a [Brian] Eno record, [Ambient 1:] Music For Airports or Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. It’s pretty boring, but I’d need it to be something instrumental.
75019 is out September 17th via Golden Lion Sounds.
