W: Zac Lewis. I: Devon Chambers
Adult DVD lost in Japan: Escapism, hating Spotify and the art of being unserious If you know Adult DVD, you’ll know the band loves bizarre and humorous lyrics. One of their most popular songs will have you belting “Bill Murray is lost in Japan”. You’d be surprised to find that the Leeds six-piece weren’t in the country looking for the actor but instead about to play at one of Osaka’s most exciting venues.
I sat down with Harry Hanson (lead singer) and Danny Blackburn (guitarist) outside of Allfo Records, a record shop in downtown Osaka where the band had been playing a DJ set and signing CDs for their Japanese fans before playing a headline show later that evening at Music Club Janus. From the beginning of our chat, the boys' atmosphere and energy was identical to that of their music, laidback and frankly hilarious. Japanese men regularly interrupted our conversation for autographs and photos, one even sat on Harry’s lap.
The band are in an interesting place right now. They recently released ‘Real Tree Lee’, their first single since signing with Fat Possum Records and the lead track from their debut album, which the pair revealed is due out later this year.
Harry shared that he was proud of the record which they have just started mixing and are yet to
name. “We’ve got really good songs on it and we are really happy with it so we hope it resonates with the people”. Danny then joked, “it’s mint, it’s the best album I think anyone’s ever made”.
What makes Adult DVD stand apart from a lot of current music is the irreverence of their lyrical content. Whether it's losing an elderly American film star in a foreign country (Bill Murray); the ridiculous concept of owning a yacht (Yacht Money) or the awkwardness of starring in a porno (Hot Set).
Harry explained why this is: “It’s not Adult DVD if we are getting serious about stuff… we are all quite light hearted people so it was funny doing stuff like that and it’s kind of just stuck and it also means we will never run out of ideas”.
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When discussing why writing these types of lyrics comes so easily to Harry, he said: “It’s because it’s not personal, there’s no song that we’ve written that’s about me… all the songs are just made up stories so you can be confident in it because you're just story telling. I’m not saying I’ve just broken up with my girlfriend so it’s easy writing”.
Amid today’s tumultuous global climate, many bands in the UK and Ireland are creating increasingly political music. The boys spoke on the way in which they use their music and how it doesn’t necessarily need to be a vessel for a person’s beliefs and can be utilised to create positive reactions and support in other ways.
Harry said: “I think with our music, you should definitely speak up and we definitely have the correct views in everything, well just the views that everyone should fucking have but I think musically for us like the whole idea of our band is people come and see you live and it’s an escape, it’s a bit of a release, you can let loose and enjoy it. It’s dance music, so it kind of serves a purpose to escape that but also we shouldn’t be shying away from talking about stuff.”
Adult DVD songs are often peculiar and somewhat nihilistic but as Danny pointed out, many do offer subtle commentaries. “It’s silly and lighthearted but I do think there’s themes to it, ‘Real Tree Lee’ is shining a bit of a mirror at the slightly darker side of what’s going on with conspiracy theorists and that kind of twitter bullshit that's prevalent at the minute”.
The band did however share their frustrations at streaming platforms, particularly Spotify. Harry offered a blunt yet optimistic view on the subject, “we’re very lucky that we’ve always been a live band before a streamed band so now that our shows are busier, we can make money off that but it’s fucking shite what Spotify pay people, it’s fucking ridiculous”.
“You can moan all day, just get on with it, I know it’s shit but at the end of the day your music is still going to come out and people can still hear it and that’s the most important thing”.
Adult DVD will be playing UK festivals over the summer and in October will undertake a full UK
tour.