Great Apes: Part Chimp interview

When The Skinny speaks with Tim Cedar, vocalist and guitarist of noise rock titans Part Chimp, he's out and about in London on his bike. Midway through our chat, the nearby traffic sounds become excessive and he takes a moment to find a quiet spot in a nearby public garden. We can't help but notice the irony.

The band formed at the turn of the century and soon established a reputation for being loud. Really loud. Influenced by the likes of Loop, yet understandably compared to the similarly deafening Jesus and Mary Chain, they developed a strong fan base, including the late John Peel, who brought the band in for a live session before they’d released their debut album, Chart Pimp.

Originally members of London noisemakers Ligament, Cedar and Jon Hamilton (drums) were joined by bassist Nick Prior shortly before that band called it a day, and the trio subsequently began playing together as Part Chimp. Iain Hinchliffe (guitar) joined after their first gig to bolster their sound, while Prior was later replaced by Joe McLaughlin in 2004, who himself left in 2006, only to return four years later.

The band played together for over a decade, but at the end of 2011 they made an amicable decision to go on hiatus, leaving each member – Cedar, Hamilton, Hinchliffe and McLaughlin – free to pursue other interests. This came after the release of the band’s third album proper, 2009's knowingly titled Thriller, which included the epic tension-building closer Starpiss. Cedar considered his options, concluding that music was still his vocation, and chose not to venture too far.

“I carried on playing drums in Hey Colossus for a couple of years,” he says, “plus a couple of other bands. I run a studio now too. After being in bands and recording studios for so long I finally cottoned on that this was a really good thing for me to do; to not just make music but learn how to record it. It was good doing creative things with some different people after over ten years with Part Chimp.

“I didn’t really know what to do after we’d released Thriller. My creativity wasn’t oozing out like it used to, so it was some weight off my shoulders when we decided to take a break. But they were productive years off, and we got back together because the time away had got my juices flowing again. When I started working on my own music again it was sounding ‘Chimpy’ so it made sense to give them a call.”

Newly reformed, Part Chimp retreated to a secluded Norfolk studio to start work on IV, their appropriately titled new record, which (like its predecessors) will be released through Mogwai's Rock Action label. “Apparently we didn’t really promote the last record when it came out so it was critical that we didn’t do the same thing with this one,” says Cedar, sheepishly. “I’m excited about it and enjoying playing the new songs. The band is up for it. It feels better this time.”

Their intensity and volume has thankfully not been diluted over the eight years since Thriller was released, and the band’s songcraft is more prominent on this album than in their earlier work. But with all the talk of the noise they make, there is seldom questioning of their curious song titles and puzzling lyrics. “I do love writing lyrics, but I’m not a natural lyricist. It’s always the most painful part of recording a Part Chimp record – ask any of the producers we’ve worked with in the past!” laughs Cedar. “Historically, lyrics haven’t been a big part of our sonic theme; I’ve always said that the vocals are just another instrument for me. When I’m listening to any music it’s all sound for me and that’s what I try to do with Part Chimp. But I do like a lot of the lyrics on this album, even though they’re pretty nonsensical.”

Part Chimp, photo: Steve Gullick

Album opener Namekuji is a case in point. “I’d asked a Japanese friend of mine for the Japanese word for ‘slug’ one day, which is ‘namekuji’, and it resurfaced when we were writing songs,” Cedar says. “It became about a Japanese style myth. We imagined a slug that could invade people’s dreams and it went on from there. It was pretty dark! It’s got some vivid imagery in the lyrics ['Send Namekuji to fuck with your dreams']. I think that I’ll maybe make it into a cartoon one day – it’d be a bit like Freddy Krueger, only a Japanese slug version.”

Back in reality, Part Chimp will return to the road in April. This follows some warm-up dates at the end of last year, which included a surprising support slot for the rather more genteel sounds of the Cass McCombs Band at the Scala in London. “Cass is an old friend,” Cedar explains. “We played that show because he insisted we did so. It seemed like a daft idea but we like daft ideas. The first time he came over to the UK he got a band together with me on drums; we’ve been friends ever since. I love his music as well – it’s nice and different from Part Chimp.”

Typically, Part Chimp tend to be billed alongside like-minded noisy types, meaning they often find themselves mixing in the same old circles. “People do say, ‘It’s always the same bands you play with,’ but I don’t know if that necessarily makes it a scene in itself. It could just be lazy promoters and ubiquitous bands that refuse to split up,” laughs Cedar. “A lot of the people in the bands we play with have been doing this circuit for god knows how long now. We’re all pretty much in our forties so it’s inevitable that those bands are going to carry on playing together, and that’s a great thing. I don’t know if it’s particularly successful for everyone involved but it’s certainly good fun for all of us.”

Among the dates on the schedule this year is Fat Out Fest in Salford's Islington Mill, an event which – like Part Chimp themselves – has slowly developed into something bigger, without losing its roots in the DIY aesthetic: this year's bill also stars Maryland's post-rock veterans Trans Am and dubtronica producer The Bug's collaboration with Dylan Carlson of Earth. After much touring across the continent, Cedar acknowledges that the UK has sadly lagged behind other countries in holding festivals of such an adventurous nature, which underlines the importance of venues with this kind of open-minded booking policy. We discuss the difficulties the Mill has encountered, including the threat of a license review earlier this year. “That’s a real shame because that place is great,” he says. “It’s a nice space and the people that run it are really cool. It’d be tragic if it got closed down like so many other places.”

With the band also performing at Wrong Festival in Liverpool alongside Bo Ningen and The Wytches, it appears that the UK festival scene is slowly but surely catching up with its European counterparts. “For years and years there weren’t these kinds of festivals in the UK,” Cedar says. “But we saw it in Belgium, Holland and France, where there’s a lot of government support for these kinds of projects. If you’ve got a great idea and a bunch of people who can put it together they’ll give you the cash and support to do it.

“Over the years I’ve played at I don’t know how many of these little festivals in Europe, but there was nothing like it in England when we started out. You used to be lucky to get three good bands, so it’s nice to see more people getting support to put strong bills together for these eclectic festivals. All power to it, it’s fucking great.”

---

IV is released on 14 April via Rock Action. Part Chimp play Wharf Chambers, Leeds, 14 Apr; Stereo, Glasgow, 15 Apr; Fat Out Fest, Salford, 16 Apr; and Wrong Festival, Liverpool, 22 Apr

Fat Out Fest takes place 14-16 Apr at Islington Mill, Salford (weekend tickets £65, day tickets £25), fatout.co.uk