Jealous Nostril: Killer pop for hot bots (not really)
Johnny Borrell (Razorlight) and Jack Flanagan (Mystery Jets) have just formed a new power trio with the addition of drummer Ellis D, trying to restart themselves from the core purity of organic rock music. In this unconventional interview, the two J’s talk about their musical vision, AI bots replacing pop stars and playing bass with Nelson Mandela.
Text David Saavedra Photography JC Verona Grooming Corrado Tevere from Manifesto
You must know Razorlight. We’re talking about one of the most successful British rock bands of this century. You probably know Mystery Jets as well, an indie band from Twickenham with a prestigious 20-years career. And you probably don’t know Ellis D, a guy who sometimes looks like a girl, formed part of the Brighton band Strange Cages, and he currently has his solo project. The three of them restarted themselves last year with Jealous Nostril. Just two singles and a bunch of very rocking concerts around Britain are their only cover letter at the moment.
The way of doing the interview was unusual. Unable to be all together in the same place, the journalist sent the questions to the band. Jack and Johnny decided to answer them in audios, asking each other, as if they were interviewers, and showing a fine and hilarious personal chemistry between them. Here’s the result:
(Johnny asks Jack) How did the three of you meet, and how did you decide to form the band?
(Jack) I think Johnny met Ellis, he saw him playing in a gig somewhere, maybe in London. He loved the way Ellis played the drums, and initially he wanted him to come and jam with Razorlight. I believe Ellis stayed up all night the night before on the beach, taking MDMA with some friends, and slept on the beach, and he came, and he did the thing at the rehearsal. Johnny said it was excellent. Johnny and I know each other from a long time, and I remember him going to my solo acoustic gigs and having a chat just before I played, and him telling me he wanted to start a band. He wanted to make some rockin’ music, and he thought I was the perfect candidate to do that. And glad he did. Our first song, “Phase 6”, came swiftly out of that, and we put it out as quickly as we recorded it.
(Jack asks Johnny) All of you have your own projects. Is Jealous Nostril a side band, or is it something more? How are you going to reconcile your different bands?
(Johnny) That’s a good question. I don’t know, I can’t decide if Jealous Nostril or Razorlight is the side project. I don’t have kids, but I imagine if you have, you don’t know who you like the most, which is the favorite. I’m really enjoying both of them. Last week we played a bunch of gigs in the Northeast with Jealous Nostril, in tiny clubs and two days later I was doing every TV and radio show in England for Razorlight back in a high profile world. But to me is the same thing, you know? You just go and play and do your best. I think a band only exists for as long it keeps writing good material. We have a satisfactory partnership with Jack and Ellis, we love writing for this band. I don’t know how to reconcile it, I think we just keep playing it forward.
(Jack) It’s like having two girlfriends.
(Johnny) But a bit less dramatic.
“We’re writing from the body and from the heart, which is definitely where all things should be written from.”
Jack Flanagan
(Johnny asks Jack) What is Jealous Nostril contributing to each one of you, both in the musical and in the personal sense?
(Jack) I think, speaking for myself, Jealous Nostril is definitely occupying the most of primal side of my musical taste. I grew up listening to the sort of music that Jealous Nostril is making. It reminds me of the feeling of being 16 and sing with a drum kit or bass and not giving a shit of what comes out, because you’re just enjoying what you’re playing. We’re writing from the body and from the heart, which is definitely where all things should be written from, and I think that’s something most musicians forget as they get older and more experienced.
(Jack asks Johnny) You have released two songs until now. Are you writing new material? Do you expect to release an album, or will you just keep releasing singles by the moment?
(Johnny) That’s a big and very topical question, because Jack and I are currently having this discussion. We released two singles, but we’ve got ten or eleven songs at the moment, so we could, in theory, make an album, or we could keep releasing singles. At this stage in the time of a band, you just try to get people’s attention. I don’t know what we’re going to do. We might make a live album.
(Jack) I think that’s a good idea. In Huddersfield.
(Johnny) We could do anything. The material is there, and we’re writing more and more. One thing we’ve got in common is that we want to write more, like we’re never quite satisfied. Some people just sit there and say: “Well, we’re done, we’ve got a song”, but I kind of prefer the other way: “OK, we have a great song, but let’s find five or six better ones now.” Just pushing and pushing.
(Johnny asks Jack) It seems you like to reclaim the value of organic rock music, three people playing together in the same room. Do you think young musicians are losing that spirit in the current times?
(Jack) I do and I don’t. I think it’s happening but I thought for a very long time that the only thing that existed was people in their bedrooms with laptops making beats and using synthesizers and then creating a band around them. That thing it’s out there, but at the same time there’s all that niche communities of people that we don’t see. I’ve seen in Brixton a band of 19-year-old girls that sounded like The Velvet Underground, which is fucking terrifying, quite revealing thing. There are like cottage scenes out there. I still know bands that go drinking to The Hawley Arms in Camden, and they are 20 or 21, love The Libertines and wear leather jackets. I think it is more diverse now. It’s less like there’s a great band and lots of people go to see them at a club and wear the same clothes as the band. It’s like watching Netflix, there are a lot of different things to consume and never really get attached to anyone because you can always go and watch another.
(Johnny) Yes. It makes sense. Depressing.
(Jack) Very depressing, but I also think there are people organically rocking.
(Johnny) I just did that journalist thing of putting the word in your mouth. You said it was very depressing, and now we’re going to have the headline with Jack saying he is depressed by all young bands (LOL) We can imagine it’s exciting!, isn’t it?
(Jack) Yeah, it’s exciting… and depressing at the same time (LOL)
“The world’s fucked, man. It’s so fucked, so, so, so fucked… If you’re a musician, what you need it is to talk about it. I think it’s horrible that many musicians who are famous don’t say what they mean anymore.”
Johnny Borrell
(Jack asks Johnny) How are your live shows going? Which are the best things about playing with Jealous Nostril?
(Johnny) Oh! The drugs and the sex and the rock and roll.
(Jack) I’d say none of. (LOL)
(Johnny) Well, I love to play in a three-piece. It’s just a funny little thing, I never stood on my left-hand side of the stage before, I’ve always been in the middle, and I really like it, I’m really learning how to be in the stage for that bit. It’s also very different because I’m playing guitar all the time. I’m actually a really good frontman without a guitar, but in this band that’s never going to happen, so I kind of learning how to do it with the guitar all the time. In Razorlight we take big breaks with the guitar, it’s more a noise carrier. But this time I take breaks with singing because there’s a guitar solo or that kind of stuff. It’s great, I’m playing lead guitar for the first time in my life, and I got a new one as well, KT Tunstall gave me a guitar for Christmas, she’s the queen of rock and roll. Fantastic. Now I fell just like Johnny Thunders.
(Johnny asks Jack) What other music plans have each one of you for the next year?
(Jack) Well, we’re discussing it and I think we’re going to try to work out the best format. The songs are being written quickly, not written on speed (both joke about the sentence), and in the meantime we write some more. I think just practicing the craft of songwriting is the main thing, for me is more exciting than playing live. To me, the best thing is to play three people together in the room and write music. I get more kicks from that than playing in front of people
(Johnny) So you don’t care about your fans (LOL)
(Jack) Exactly, I hate fans (LOL)
(Johnny) So, you say it. Right! I should be the journalist, I’m the confronter!
(Jack asks Johnny) We know you are very socially and politically concerned, and specially in things like climate change. How and why would you say music and musicians can best contribute to fight against this kind of issues?
(Johnny) The world’s fucked, man. It’s so fucked, so, so, so fucked… If you’re a musician, what you need it is to talk about it. I think it’s horrible that many musicians who are famous don’t say what they mean anymore, and they just pretend they don’t have an opinion on things. But, on the plus side, all of those bullshit fake musicians are getting replaced by AI bots, so in about ten years we won’t have to put up any of them. Maybe in five years. They are going to replace all the fake pop stars that don’t write any music and don’t play any instruments. When more AI bots, the happier I’ll be.
(Jack) Me too. I also think that I’d like to get in board writing these songs for these AI bots, it’s something I’m interested in. I’d like to be king of the bots. A couple of records. Yeah. I can write K-pop.
(Johnny) Hot Bots.
(Jack) I’d write killer pop for the Hot Bots.
(Jack asks Johnny) Johnny, have you met Nelson Mandela? How was the experience?
(Johnny) I met Nelson Mandela twice. It’s amazing. I was quite smashed the first time, it was a confusing moment for me. Second time I was more together, I have a little chat with him, it was quite funny. I asked him if he wanted to join my band. He said: “Yeah, man, I only play bass!”. I said: “Carl, you heard the man. Get the fuck out of here, we’ve got a new bass player!”. I think he was joking, which it was a shame.
(Jack) I think Nelson Mandela was a shitty bass player, anyway.
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