NAILING the art of sounding like Television and Buzzcocks along with getting signed just ten short days after forming- Charlie Boyer The Voyeurs are something to get excited about. Their debut album Clarietta is interesting by name and nature, bridging the gap between frivolously frantic and psychedelically perfect.
What’s in a name? Quite a lot apparently, as we sit backstage with the band before their Glasgow gig: “We liked the idea of giving the album a name as if she was a girl. So we could be like ‘How’s Clarietta doing?’ ‘Yeah she’s good, man’. We thought that was fun.”
Recording the album in January 2013 with producer Edwyn Collins, the songs were written during the second half of 2012. Charlie Boyer’s personal favourite on the album is track I’ve Got a River: “That’s the kind of direction we are wanting to go in next, that song is a signpost for it, the direction we want to go in.
“Tom from Toy said to his manager Jeff to come check us out. And after half a minute he was sold”
“We loved working with Edwyn. He has loads of ideas and is really passionate. He also works really fast which suits us. He encouraged us to make our music purer and much tighter. If we had produced the album ourselves it would have been a much nosier affair.
“He pushed us into a shiner, lighter thing. In retrospect, I think it was a really good idea.
“I mean I still want to make the heavier, dirtier music in the future. Edwyn wanted to keep it simple, there’s no tricks or anything on there. It’s pretty much us playing in a room and me singing on top of it all.
“When I started the band, the main starting point was The Velvet Underground. A simple rock ‘n’ roll band is what I wanted. Bands like The Ramones and some English psychedelia bands like Pink Floyd played a big part in my influences.”
Signed to Heavenly Records, Charlie Boyer and The Voyeurs found themselves amongst an eclectic mix of buzz bands and talented fellows. Fresh off of tour with the band Noel Gallagher has named the best new band in the world, Temples, CBATV are happy and content with their positioning in the industry: “We are good friends with Toy who are also signed to Heavenly. We like to hang out with them every weekend. It’s good fun to compete with them a little bit too.
“Whenever they have a new song they play it to me, and whenever we have a new song I play it to them. It’s good.”
And good pals they should be, for it was their support slot with Toy during their residency in London that CBATV were signed. After just one gig: “Tom from Toy said to his manager Jeff to come check us out. And after half a minute he was sold. Tom gave him a heads up. That was the Friday night, then we met with Jeff our manager on the Monday. That’s how we wanted it to be. Fast.”
Keeping their ear to the new bands on the scene, Boyer took a shine to band Telegram: “Mark Riley recorded a session with the band Telegram before they had even played a gig. I passed the demos on to Mark Riley and he really liked it so he got them up.
“What Toy done for us, I have done for them. They have a great sound, great poppy guitar and the singer Matt Sanders has a really strong Welsh language and sometimes sings in Welsh.
“You should check them out.”
And what about the rest of the band? “We really like Parquet Courts. Their song Stoned and Starving is really something.”
Like their peers, CBATV want to get back in the studio soon and make the natural progression onto SXSW festival: “We have just confirmed an agent out there in America, so hopefully we will go to play New York and SXSW.
“It would be our dream to play New York. We have never been. We are only just starting out we haven’t been many places yet.
“In an ideal world we would record another album in January and go to SXSW in March.
“If both those things happen, we’ll be very happy.”
