When we speak at Rough Trade East during the UK leg of their European tour, what is so brilliantly evident is the love they have for their craft and their almost dovelike wonder at realising the impact of their artistic journey to date. As we close out , I know Nation of Language will be as honoured by this award as we are in giving it purely because they are a family unit who have always taken great joy from their successes, big or small.
One of the very best things about working every day with people who love music is that not only do you collectively swap, muse over and revel in your individual sonic discoveries, but every so often the stars align and a mutual adoration of a singular artist washes over all. This level of endorsement is, safe to say, reserved for only very few bands and since day dot, Nation of Language have been one such example at Rough Trade. What are the origins of your individual relationships with music - can you each describe an early memory of a record or piece of music you fell in love with?
Aidan: I do remember my mum would tell me all the time she was intent on having a child so that she would have someone to sit next to her in the car when she was driving along listening to music. It definitely was foundational. My dad was playing those a lot and I was always dancing round the living room to them. Alex: The Clash comes to mind for sure. I was maybe 7 and I asked my parents what the loudest band of all time was. English Beat as well.
My parents were in a ska band together when they were younger, so they listened to a lot of The Specials , The Selecter , things like that which all made their way into my little growing brain as a child.
Aidan and Alex - you each came to the band via different paths and with varying levels of experience. What made you want to be a part of it? Alex: More than the sound, I think it was the songs. Coming in I think you have to enjoy playing the songs and believe in the songs. If you want to be in a band for a long time you have to believe in the project. Ian: We were talking to someone the other day and we were being grateful that not only us and the band, but the people we tour with, our sound engineer, our tour manager etc, we all get along so well.
