To kick off, fill us in on what you’ve been doing since we last spoke.
Oh God - so many things! I’ve had a lot of non-Bispatial stuff going on really; the day job, film-making, some side projects with Madsen and Phatso Brown and a whole load of stuff with Sure.
So you’ve been keeping busy then! Tell us more about the film-making.
It’s nothing huge - I did a 12-week course which taught me about script writing and editing, directing actors and on-screen action and editing. I really enjoyed it and best of all, we made a short film which was premiered at Cinema City in Norwich at the end of September. That was fun - seeing your own film on the big screen!
Is this an area you see yourself moving into more and more?
Kind of. I mean, Bispatial in and of itself has always encompassed different mediums. Obviously there’s the music, but there’s also the photography for the CD covers, the sleeve design, the website and now hopefully, short-form videos. It’s long been a dream of mine to have a ‘video album,’ you know - where each song has it’s own video. The Eurythmics did it some years back for ‘Savage’ and it was fantastic.
Sounds interesting. So, back to the music - you’re just about to play live again...
Yeah, it’s just over 2 weeks away and I’ve still got so much to do to get ready. I’m doing 8 songs and I’ve currently only got 4 ready so I’ll be well busy over the next fortnight, recording backing vocals, programming tracks and making some last minute changes no doubt.
Have you finalised your set list?
Pretty much, yeah. There’s some old stuff in there, a couple of new tracks, a cover and a remix! If by some miracle I get time, I may swap one or two tracks but I don’t want to rush and do a sub-standard song just for the sake of it.
Having played live before, how do you feel about performing this time?
Alright at the minute! No doubt I’ll be a nervous wreck on the night. Actually, I’m really looking forward to it. I am a bit worried at the moment but only because my tracks aren’t finished. Once they’re done, I can concentrate on my performance, which is what I’m most concerned about.
Following his debut appearance last year, which was immortalised on the “Grace” release, Bispatial is due to play live again on October 30 at Synthetic - London’s monthly electro night. Paul gives Bispace the low down as he prepares for the big night...
So will this be more of a theatrical performance than your first live appearance?
No, not really. When I say performance, I mean what I do with myself when I’m on stage. I’m quite self-conscious and not particularly physically confident; I know the music will be fine and I’m actually quite confident about my vocals. It’s just the lack of ‘spectacle’ for want of a better word. There’s only me on stage - no backing singers, no dancers - so I’m always worried that the audience will find it boring to watch. I mean, in one way it’s good; people will only have the music to concentrate on and that’s what it’s all about after all.
It’s been over a year since your first gig. Will we have to wait that long to see you play live again?
Oh, I hope not! I really enjoyed playing live last time and I’m dying to play more. Trouble is, finding venues that are open to this type of music. There’s a massive live scene here in Norwich but it’s predominantly guitar-based. I have been chatting to a few other bands online and hopefully might have sorted out a couple more gigs for early next year.
Will this gig be recorded, much like last time?
Yeah. It seems a bit self indulgent I know, but I see it as a sort of record of how I’ve progressed. It’s good to look back and see how you’ve changed, it helps you to improve and learn from your mistakes.
So what are your immediate plans following Synthetic?
I’ve been quite busy of late, producing tracks for Sure so I’ve gotten quite behind with my own stuff. My plans are to record an ep of 4 songs, which will be a kind of side project but a sort of taster for my album. Following that, I’ll be working an another short film which I made last year but still needs editing. After that, I shall start programming the music for my album - the songs are all written, I just need to record them!
October 2008
Bispatial will be playing live on Thursday 30 October 2008 at Synthetic, The Cavendish Arms Ballroom, Hartington Road, Stockwell, London SW8.
