Welcome to the first feature of our new music-style section ‘Fashion Note‘. Our new fashion consultant Lois had a chat with the boys from Hurts to see how their style and music compliment each other. Read how they grew into their suits, about who they think is cool and where our Hit The Floor reviewer and Theo are off to on a date!
HTF: Your look and sound they seem to compliment each other very well. Like your style represents your music, is this a conscious effort?
Theo: Well it all comes from same place, yet contrasts each other at the same time. If you just heard the music you would expect it to look the way it does. Thats really important, to create a world for people.
HTF: Fashion and music seem to have gone crazy these days with people like Lady gaga. You have a very classic look, what is it about suits that makes you think it is what it is?
Theo: When we first started hurts that’s the look that we wanted, it gives you pride. When we were beginning hurts it gave us a way of feeling better about ourselves. Looking important in a world where it’s very powerful to look like that.
HTF: Do you own any Savile Row suits?
Theo: Im desperate to get one. I think a need a few more years! All mine are second hand and a bit crap, so I get them tailored. I need to work out what I want first before I can get a bespoke suit.
HTF: Have you heard of Hardy Amies?
Adam: It definitely rings a bell, on Savile Row right?
HTF: Yeah, he was Royal dressmaker for the queen when he was alive. Currently they are Modernising the brand and have created a new ready to wear collection, you should pop in and take a look around! The place alone is beautiful. 14 Savile Row!
Theo: I might come in!
HTF: You should! They make incredibly gorgeous suits, and are ridiculously friendly in there.
Theo: Me and lois honeywill going on a date to look at suits!!
HTF: Back to your music aswell, I feel like it is almost a mix of old and new. Again has this incorporated the suits and the classic style?
Theo: We quite like pop music. In the spirit of the true tradition of it, we wanted to make it emotional. Something people could connect with. Everyones got influences but for us the most important thing was to try and make those influences sound exciting.
Adam: I think what we wanna do also is stand alone. I think a lot of people have difficulty placing us. Elements of our music will remind them of something else. But we kinda just wanna be us. Though we take a lot of influence from bands like dépêche mode. We wanted the music to be classic too, but modern.
HTF: Who are your influences, music and style wise combined? Is there anyone that you have ever thought ‘YES that just goes!’
Theo: Well prince is pretty important in all aspects because his music is incredible. He created visions that are absolutely faultless and he’s a real trooper because he does it all himself. Same with MJ. Stlye wise I like people like David Lynch and Tom Wayne. You know like.. old people! Old people are cool. They dress cool.
Photo Credit: Disorder Magazine
HTF: Do you think in modern days weve lost that sort of classic-ness, like no one really wears suits anymore unless it’s to go to work or for business?
Theo: I think it’s good. It was a tradition of glamour. In the north of England, like Manchester that glamour is still there because girls and guys do dress up on a weekend. Weekend outfits. But its no longer suits, its other things. Its just cool. But suits and shirts are just amazing.
HTF: Talking about the old tradition of glamour. Are there any old like movie stars or music stars from Hollywood that you like?
Theo: All of them! Frank Sinatra! Steve martin! They are all amazingly cool. Cary grant.
HTF: Hardy amies was great friends with Cary Grant. Even more reason to come in.
Theo: This sounds like its going to be an amazing date this lois!
HTF: I also wanted to ask you a bit about your lifestyle, day to day things. Your are obviously really busy with your new release and stuff so what’s your average day like. Where do you go?
Theo: Our lives are completely surreal, kinda one crazy day after another. Day usually begins with a simple hangover and then perhaps 17/18 hours later the day will end. Loads of the time we’re on a plane or on some kind of vehicle, and we end up meeting like 30/40 people a day. It’s fascinating. For 3 years we were on the doll, we couldn’t even afford to go to the pub. We didn’t leave our flat. So everyday now is amazing. Yesterday we were in Germany. And now were here, talking to a telephone on a table! You make a great telephone Lois!
HTF: Haha, thanks! You were talking earlier about when you started Hurts, suits made you feel like you are someone. Does it feel like you have grown into the suit? That you have become that person that you were perceiving?
Theo: Someone else said that to us and it does feel like we have grown into the suits and we now live that life that we dreamed of, maybe we should start wearng tracksuits and well go backwards!
HTF: Oh no youll grow into a chav! When your chilling out, you get home is it like tracksuit on type thing?
Theo: Nooo why would we own a tracksuit!?
HTF: Youve always gotta own that one pari of comfy trousers though surely!?
Theo: Noo. Suits, my trousers are the most comfortable trousers, if you get a good pair you are sorted! Theres no need for trackies.
Adam. Ive got one pair of shorts that were made in 1985 that were made famous by the footballer john barnes. They aren’t very supportive.
Theo: Ive got a pair of shorts but they look like they should belong to Dr livingstone. They are beige and look like they should belong to a German dad.
HTF: Do you shop a lot in vintage shops?
Theo: Yeah when we get the chance. Were very sentimental about clothes. I buy my clothes from a blind woman in Manchester. And there are no price tags on them so what she does is she feels them and comes up with a price.
HTF: On a personal scale. Evelyn is my absolute fave song. What made you write that? Where did it come from?
Theo: Well it’s quite a deep story this, basically about 3years ago I got glassed in the face. By someone not very nice and I was in hospital, I was frightened because I don’t like hospitals and I used to get given like 4 times a day morphine by a nurse called Evelyn and in an open ward. Sweetest girl ever and in the night she would go and on an open ward everyone just moans and screams and it was terrible. So I was like, your name rhymes with medicine, Evelyn! And that’s where I got idea. It’s quite a dark old tale.
HTF: Your whole album is pretty deep. Did you design it like that or would you rather make something that is more poppy?
Theo: We wanted it to be emotional, and deep. ‘Cos thats the only way you can get real feeling into it.
HTF: Tell us about your latest single ‘Stay’?
Adam: Ive got a good memory of this song, ‘cos we stuggled for a few months in this studio in Manchester and I remember the day we finished ‘Stay’ it was such an amazing moment and as we left the studio it was snowing and I went and bought a christmas tree and I had this tree in the taxi on the way home and I knew then our album was gonna be okay cos we had this song.
HTF: Thanks guys and Theo I look forward to our date!
Hurts new album Happiness, which includes Better Than Love, Wonderful Life and Devotion (duet with Kylie Minogue), is out now to buy!
Interviewer: Lois Honeywill
