Oliver Sweeney met Marcus Foster just before he headed off on his US tour. He was busy rehearsing at Stable Music’s studio in deepest darkest Sussex so we had a sneak preview of what his fans can expect to hear in 2012.



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Interview

Do you feel pressure to look good and have something that will stand out especially as a man?
Not really I just wear whatever really. I guess women can wear dresses and stuff. Whenever I have toured with women they always try and do themselves up but a guy is just like “Okay we’re on, let’s go!”

Do you and your band go for a certain look?
People in my band just wear what they want to wear. It would be funny if everyone wore the same stylish suit! I guess we aren’t too image conscious we just want to look good and play good.

What do you look for when you’re choosing a shoe?
For years I’ve just been buying shoes second-hand for £10 like brogues that I find at car boots sales, but they only last for 2 or 3 months. Now I’m starting to look for something stronger; I like stamping my feet quite a lot when I’m on stage so I want something that’s strong and loud and I guess something that’s smartish.

How are your Sweeneys?
I feel like a new man! I’ve been into brogues for ages, but I’ve been wearing boots for a while because they’re strong. The Saunders feel good and they look smart. They’re comfy and they’ll be good for stomping around on stage too.

You’re about to tour the US – how are you feeling?
I can’t wait - we have a 6 and a half week tour. We’re going to be doing a lot of driving and the shows should be fun.

Do you prefer performing in America to the UK?
It’s a different dynamic but I like performing everywhere really because it changes so much. I love the landscape across America. I like travelling a lot you know in different places.
Have you got a mixture of shows that you’ll be doing?
Some are small and intimate and some are a bit bigger. It’s not a huge tour size wise but the gigs should still be fun. It doesn’t really make a difference to me whether you’re playing to 500 or 1000 people you still want to put on a great show.

Tell us a bit about The Jimmy Fallon Show?
Yeh we’re doing that on 20th March in New York. It’s going to be my first proper TV show and I’m going to be playing a song with The Roots so it should be really fun.

How did you get that gig?
Some friends have been on the show before and I met the booking agent at a party in September. I think they liked my stuff and my shoes!

Talking of your friends you know some influential people in the industry – is that a good or bad thing?
It’s great, I’m happy that a lot of my friends are part of the creative industry and in the entertainment business. It’s great that we’re all striving to be creative and make and do something good. You can feed off each other and exchange ideas. It’s nice to know that people are in the same sort of boat.

So what can we expect from you in 2012?
We’ve just recorded a new five track EP. It’s half an extension of my last record I put out in September but then it’s also starting to break away; there’s an instrumental track and there’s quite a big mix of different sounds, it’s  a good contrast I think. It feels like the songs all connect in some strange way and they come together quite nicely.

Is there a theme to the songs?
There are elements of someone trying to get out, of being stuck in a town and a place. There are stories of failed marriages. It’s quite dark but it’s quite uplifting at the same time. There’s a bit of spooky stuff going on and it feels like it’s coming from a narrative of some guy in a house in the middle of nowhere. I think he might be a bit of a weirdo.

Is he you?
Ha no!

So where do you get your inspiration for your songs?
I suppose a bit of everything. Conversations with people that I might meet, a book, an exhibition, or a photo; things just form I guess. I drag them out of the sky or from the ground!

How would you sum up your music style?
It’s a mix of blues, gospel stuff and some early soul records, there’s a bit of Madness in there too and I like Prince. A guess it’s a mish mash of stuff!


To hear more of Marcus Foster’s songs go to his website

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