In Conversation With #105 - Miles Kane / The Jaded Hearts Club
The Jaded Hearts Club are on a mission to put a new spin on lost classics from the world of Northern soul. Frontman Miles Kane muses upon being a part of the all-star collective; his changing musical influences; and the importance of feeling the buzz.
The last few months have forced a lot of musicians into a bit of a weird situation, how have you been finding it?
Quite good, you know - I’ve just used it as a bit of a reset and to reassess things, and this album [You’ve Always Been Here] was done before all of this anyway, so we’ve been sitting on this for a little while.
We were always going to put it out in October - and we did have a little tour planned around it, but it is what it is. I think you’ve got to just bite the bullet; you can’t just wait to put something out - if you can gig you can gig, there’s no point trying to fight it really. You’ve just got to go with it and see what happens.
In terms of how the album was made, then - were you all physically together during the creative process?
No, I wasn’t actually - Matt [Bellamy] and Jamie [Davis] were in LA. When the project first started a few years ago, I lived in LA at the time, so I was there then, but this time, I couldn’t go over there. They really honed in and did it all and we discussed which tracks we’d record and who would sing what between me and Nic [Cester], and then they just sent them over and I did the vocals here in a few days.
Is this something that you’re not a stranger to then; contributing to music without physically being around everyone when it’s being made?
Well I’ve probably not done that before, but it didn’t feel weird - it sounds weirder than it is but everyone in the band had worked like this before, and it’s kind of like everyone has their own role.
Everyone’s character or musicianship is it’s own little thing, so, you sort of know your role in a way, and you know what to do in this band - I have no sort of guitar duties, I’ve just got to sing - and so I think when we were picking songs, especially specifically Jamie and Matt, they had quite a clear idea of what tunes they were going to take on and so on. All of the songs that I sing are songs that I love anyway, and it was clear which ones I was going to sing and which Nic was going to sing.
Because of that, it was so easy - sometimes it can be the case that the songs may just not be right or might not suit you; but there was none of that, it was all just really simple. I almost took a bit of a back seat. I guess Jamie and Matt had the magnifying glass on it, and I was just putting the icing on it.
Let’s talk a little about ‘Love’s Gone Bad’. What was it like to cover that?
I’d actually never heard of that song, and I’m big into that scene. None of us actually heard it, except Jamie who found it and sent it over.
One thing I will say is that, especially with these old songs, the keys are really high. But when you’re singing the song and, especially with those soul-y motown-y ones, there’s something about when you’re at the top of your range when you’re singing. It makes it harder for yourself but there’s something weirdly good in that. You get something out of your voice and it’s almost like you’re clinging on - that’s really exciting. And maybe if it was live you’d have to change it a bit and drop it, but I’ve done that on a couple of songs previously, and it’s almost like you’re crying or your voice is going to go but there’s something quite magic in that if you can capture it. I don’t know if that makes any sense.
The whole thing that started the project in the first place was a homage to the Beatles, so, from your perspective, is that something that you can see Jaded in particular really holding on to? And the idea of not taking it too seriously, celebrating music, and having a good time?
Exactly that. It’s just a genuine passion that the six of us all share; we have the same influences and share the buzz of it, and I think that the first time we ever got in a room together there was no pressure. It’s just like sitting ‘round and listening to your favourite tunes but you’re playing them instead.
Maybe that ease of pressure is probably due to the fact that it’s just covers, and the hard work is already done for you, so it eliminates that. You’ve just got to deliver it the best you can, really. And everyone in the band is a great musician as well, so it couldn’t not sound good, in a weird way.
What do you enjoy the most about the dynamic about being in this band compared to your solo material or any other projects?
I think it’s looking around and thinking; “wow, there’s Graham Coxon, there’s Nic”, and so on, you know, like “how the f&%k am I here?!”.
But I’ve got to say that I love singing with Nic. I love his voice, when he opens his mouth he’s like a Rod Stewart. It’s this amazing voice that really gets me, at any time. When I first heard the tunes that he’s sang on this record, they just kind of blew my mind.
What is your favourite song on the album or one that you’re most proud of?
It would probably be ‘Reach Out’, the Four Tops cover, because that song reminds me of my mother. And it’s generally just one of my favourite songs ever. Even though I’ve got no involvement on that tune, that would be my favourite.
Going back to how the lockdown period has changed things for you, would you say you’ve used it to be more productive? Did you ever feel the pressure to be more active on social media and do live streams?
For the first half, I wasn’t really doing anything - I was just watching loads of MasterChef and playing FIFA, which I really enjoyed, to be honest! I did see a lot of artists doing [live streams], which is great, but it just didn’t feel right for me; I don’t know why.
I can never really decide what to do with all of that social media stuff, anyway, I’m never sure whether to do something or whether to just do nothing. And that’s still something I’m trying to figure out. It’s something I ask myself a lot.
You did a great cover of ‘The Less I Know The Better’ with Blossoms back in April, how did that come about?
Well I know the band, and we were just messaging one day, and they mentioned that they’d been doing a couple of covers, and they asked me if I’d be up for one, and of course I said yeah. There were a few songs that they were looking at, and they were like: “what about [Less I Know The Better]?”, and I love that tune so I thought, why not? So we just did it and it turned out really well - it sounds great, and I just recorded the vocals on an iPhone.
How have your influences changed? And would you say this change has impacted on your next chapter as a solo artist?
I’ve always loved Northern soul, and I’ve hinted at it, but I think for the first time ever I’m just in a place where I’ve just really followed my gut. I’ve even re-recorded my album that I did in January just to make it more cohesive, and I’ve written a couple of new songs as well. I’ve never really done that - the idea of doing that would have given me anxiety, but I’m really glad I did that just to really push myself.
I’m probably more open to other things now, but the root of it is always the same. I definitely think that the older you get, the more comfortable you get. I feel really comfortable in myself now. I used to be strictly rock ’n’ roll, and with the idea of any modern rock ’n’ roll, or rap, or pop, I’d be like; “oh no, it doesn’t sound like the Rolling Stones”. But now I get more inspired by that kind of stuff.
Do you ever feel the kind of pressure where you’re almost trying to work out how to do something that’s better than what you’ve done before? Or that you don’t necessarily know what to do next?
I think it’s always there, and, I don’t know if it’s just because I’m older now, but I don’t care as much now. I have always had that - I just try not to freak out. But over the last sort of year or two, I can navigate things better and I know how to deal with it. And sometimes it’s not a bad thing, sometimes you’ve got to go through that to figure it out as well, it’s not always going to be easy; it’s all a part of it and I’m sort of used to it now. If it wasn’t there, it would just become boring and easy. You’ve got to go down to go up.
What are you listening to right now?
I’ve been into Maverick Sabre lately - especially his last album. I also got into Michael Kiwanuka’s album, as well as Action Bronson.
Feature by Kelly Scanlon