Liars: ANGUS ANDREW.

I was lucky enough to be able to ask the brilliant, weirdo frontman and Nick Cave lookalike Angus Andrew of post-punk/art punk/what-punk group Liars a few things ahead of their performance at Dot-to-Dot in Manchester. 

Sisterworld is an incredibly fresh record. It's creepy, I love it. Which elements of your previous records do you think have owed to the production of Sisterworld?

Thanks... I think Sisterworld draws from each of our previous albums in different ways. I feel like each experiment we undertake helps us further down the line - regardless of its immediate outcome. In many ways this last record was a culmination of what we've learnt so far.

Why is it named Sisterworld?

We think you should escape.

The ambience of the whole record is super experimental and contrasts really well with your heavier back catalogue. My favourite track is No Barrier Fun. What's it about?

That song is a direct response to Suzanne Vega's seminal track 'Luca'. I like the idea of writing song's in response to good ones. Like that movie Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead...  or Pride and Prejudice and Vampires. Interesting, i think.

As your music progresses, could it be said that it becomes more genre-specific or do you look constantly for a new sound to accompany each record?

I don't think we look for sounds... It's more simple and natural than that. Each time we finish a record there begins immediately a process of excitement for what we didn't do. Ideas yet to be explored.

Do you find the process slower with each album in comparison the the two-day wrap of your debut record?

The process isn't really slower it's just that we track probably double or triple the amount
of songs we did on the first album. We also have more ideas to figure out - things left undecided that need time to breathe.

Do you ever go back to the cabin in the woods where you recorded They Were Wrong, So We Drowned?

No, not once.

With that album, it told a story. Have you ever thought of turning it into an show of its own, or a film? Sisterworld feels very theatrical and filmic, like you are inside a private show whilst listening to it.

I'm sure that at the time of Drowned we would've been well into that idea. Now, it feels like ancient history. I'd like to see a Sisterworld film though.

Angus, your stage presence is looming, prowling, intimidating. Which performers do you admire?

The ones that can stand still.

What new artists impress you at the moment? Are there any acts you totally don't get?

We don't get a lot of things...  too many to list...  We like Pink Dollaz, Past Lives and Factory Floor.

Are British crowds more timid or more raucous than US ones in general? What are looking most forward to over the summer?

So far it seems British crowds are a bit more timid than the crowds in the US. But we'll see once the temperatures rise.. I think we're all looking forward to it getting really hot and sticky.. I'm personally pretty excited about the 'Murder on the Standon Express.'


Thanks, Angus.


By Alexandra P