ROUGH ONLINE In Conversation With Alfie Indra

ROUGH ONLINE:  You told Clash that “Cool People,” was inspired by your experience of being judged at school and wanting to impress despite knowing how shallow these people are. Do you still feel a pressure to impress people that judge you even now since leaving school, or has this changed for you?

ALFIE INDRA:  I think most people feel a certain pressure to impress others, including me. That comes from being brought up in a competitive society. From a young age we are constantly being tested and compared with our peers, it engrained into us. When you make music and put it out publicly you're always going to be judged that's the nature of the industry. I think it's fine to judge the music but not the person. So yeah, I still feel a certain pressure to impress others but I'm trying to control that within my own mind and I think I'm getting better at it.

ROUGH ONLINE:  Do you see yourself getting involved in activism-type work or raising awareness of issues such as “school bullying” perhaps in the future?

ALFIE INDRA:  Firstly I want to make it clear that I've never experienced real bullying. I've never bullied or been bullied and I was always kind of popular at school and had loads of friends so I was very lucky. Cool People isn't really about "bullies" as such, just overly judgmental people that focus too much on popularity and what's cool etc. I'm interested in many types of activism and school bullying is one of a tonne of issues that strike a chord with me. I think a lot is being done about it and although it still goes on I think it's becoming less cool to be a bully than it used to be. I may just be a sheltered country boy in that respect. I grew up going to really small schools where if there was any serious bullying it was usually stamped out straight away. In my opinion, the way to stop bullying isn't by punishing bullies but finding out why they do it and helping them to overcome their personal issues to make them happier and kinder people.


ROUGH ONLINE:  What are your views of the music industry so far? Do you find yourself in situations similar to those you refer to in “Cool People”?

ALFIE INDRA:  To be honest not really. Cool People is more about feeling like a bit of an outsider in social circles. It's more of a quirky song that scratches the surface of a deeper issue without really going into it. From what I've seen of the music industry so far (and I am still at the bottom of the ladder) I feel like it's pretty cut throat. There's loads of rejection involved and you've got to have thick skin to try and make it. I know people who have got themselves really far up the ladder and they all say that there's a lot of luck involved. I see some people at open mics and it's like "how the hell are you not selling out arenas" but I guess we're all just waiting for that big break.

ROUGH ONLINE:  How long did it take you to write “Cool People,” and how was the process in terms of the writing and recording?

ALFIE INDRA:  It took me about a morning to get a rough structure and melody down with a few lyrics most of which I had changed by the end. I took the demo to my producer and guitarist George. We must have tried making the song work in like 5 different ways but it just wasn't right. We left it for a while and George came back to me with that addictive riff in the intro and we knew it was the one. Sometimes when you're writing or producing a song you take it down a path and it doesn't feel right. You just have to keep grinding at it until you get that moment where it all just clicks. That's definitely what happened with Cool People.


ROUGH ONLINE:   Last year we heard a more stripped back, acoustic sound from you on songs like “Stand On My Own,” and “A Song About A Girl I Knew,” and now we’re hearing electro-influenced production on songs like “Red Lights” and “Cool People.” Are we to expect an album any time soon combining these two sounds, or would you say that you’re heading in an electro direction with your music?

ALFIE INDRA:  It's hard to say, I love both styles. Maybe the album would be predominantly electro but with a few hidden tracks or B sides that are more stripped back. I like it when artists do that. That's something to think about when the time comes I guess! At the moment I'm just writing what comes naturally to me and currently, that seems to be more upbeat electro stuff. That could change and therefore the songs I release would change too. Maybe by the time I get around to releasing an album, my sound will be something completely different again.

ROUGH ONLINE: Would you say that “Cool People” has been your biggest musical highlight so far? If not, what has been the highlight for you?

ALFIE INDARA:  far as highlights go I'm not sure. I'm definitely proud of what we have created with Cool People and all of my releases under Keep Me Young. My big achievements are hopefully just around the corner. Ask me again in a year and I'll have a big list for you!

ROUGH ONLINE:  Do you have an upcoming tour or any gig dates lined up to promote “Cool People” and other new material?

ALFIE INDRA:  I've got my first headline show on the 7th of July at the Smokehouse in Ipswich! A really intimate gig in a cool tiny venue, I'm really excited! You can buy tickets on my Facebook page.