mint.ive

Will Holt discusses 80 year olds, ghouls and Nick McCabe with one of Nottingham's most up and coming bands.

It came about from an 80 year old bloke called Ivan we know who's a mint guy, it was as simple as that". Lead singer Will Lillejord is keen to set the record straight. "To be honest I don't really believe there's such a thing as a good band name so we settled on that pretty quickly".

It's refreshingly ironic that a band who, like so many other bands, possess a potentially pretentious name are actually anything but. Settling down in the beer garden of Nottingham's Golden Fleece on a balmy summer's evening, Sandman quickly realises that Mint.Ive have credibly managed to keep their feet on the ground despite their obvious ambition.

The band have been together in their current line up for a year and a half, after Will and bassist Joel, who played together in deceased Nottingham band Elusive, picked up drummer Dan and guitarist Ollie (a.k.a The Ghoul). In that time they've released numerous EPs on minor labels, played alongside the Charlatans at Splendour festival, and become the first ever unsigned band to sell-out Nottingham's Bodega Social Club. However, these feats are merely a glimmer of the top of a very large iceberg of ambition for the band.

"I don't want to be the biggest band in Nottingham" explains Will with a mischievous grin on his face, "the biggest band in London, or the biggest band in New York then yes, maybe, but we certainly don't strive to be the biggest in Nottingham". Recently returned from managing The Music on their UK tour, Lillejord epitomises the spirit of Mint.Ive: unquestionably driven to push the band as far as it can go but at the same time grounded enough to know that the music industry doesn't necessarily furnish the rewards that efforts merit.

"Touring with The Music definitely taught me a lot, watching them play to crowds of two or three thousand each night you can't help but pick up tips for your own performance." Detecting a point is being made here, Sandman asks the band about their views on the Nottingham music scene.

"We've got a lot of friends in this city but in terms of other bands it's not the most supportive place" posits Will. "To be honest we've had a lot more support from bands in Manchester than we've ever had here" adds Ollie in agreement. Lillejord cites the example of the The Verve's Nick McCabe, whom they had met back stage at a gig last year. True to his word from that night, he was in the front row of the band's next show at Nottingham's Junktion 7, hanging out with them after the show until the early hours.

He continues, "There's never been a big act to come out of Nottingham (sensibly ignoring Alvin Stardust's legacy), who have been happy to be labelled a Nottingham band anyway. Spiritualized are in principle from Nottingham but they're not a Nottingham band". That doesn't appear to be something that unduly concerns him however, "To be honest there aren't a great deal of decent bands coming out of Nottingham at the moment, in fact I would go as far as to say Model Morning are the only band that are any good in this city at the moment."

So what are the bands immediate plans? "We're going back into the studio to write some new material over the next few months" answers Lillejord clearly enthused about the prospect of making new music. Although he is the creative force behind Mint.Ive's songs, he quickly points out that their music is a joint effort. "I'll usually come into the studio with a basic song and the lads will add their ideas to it. Not that this process hasn't led to the occasional disagreement." The Ghoul elaborates on this last anecdote, "We fight all the time!" laughs Ollie, "It usually happens in rehearsals. I think the last fight we had was because I wanted a fruit machine in the studio and the lads wouldn't let me have one". "We'd get fuck all done if you did!" ripostes Will again with that mischievous glint in his eye.

It's more obvious than a Richard & Judy show phone-in question that there's a real chemistry between this band. Aside from the numerous aliases they've collectively concocted for Ollie in the hour Sandman have spent with them, there's a constant banter that reverbs between them. "I wouldn't want to play with anyone else," asserts Joel, "we just click and I don't think I'd find that again in another band."

Before parting ways Sandman is curious to know whether Mint.Ive are a band who carry a message in their music? "We do try to say something in our songs I guess," reflects Lillejord, "I guess basically we're trying to say don't be a slave. Don't live to eat, sleep, and work. There's always an opportunity out there if you want to take it." Again a playful grin breaks out across his face as he asserts the band's grounded attitude, "I'm not fucking Bono though!" Mercifully for all of us he's absolutely right.

Interview by Will Holt
Photography by Phil Swift

www.mint-ive.co.uk