Bluedot Volume1

eing able to get the Russian stuff, but I made one phone
call and got an absolute treasure trove. I didn’t want it
to be another collection of songs about Apollo because
we’re all so familiar with that, down to the bleeps and
the static; it’s all been used a lot, so I wanted us to do
something new.”
What followed were two years of poring over the
BFI’s collection, as well as sourcing NASA material,
to develop an album that not only tells the emotionally
charged story of an incredible period of history, but
combines it with a soundtrack of pulsating guitar riffs,
sublime songwriting and bandmate Wrigglesworth’s
purposeful drumming.
Part of the process for Willgoose is to achieve balance,
not only in this case with the two sides of the story, but
making sure both the audio and visual elements of the PSB
package are adequately represented: “It feels like a lot
of work, there’s a heavy visual element to our live show;
that and the fact there’s the footage. But I’ve always been
keen that the music is the main thing, and that has to stand
up on its own and it has to be as emotionally resonant
as possible.”
slightly more sure-footed ground now, so we should be
able to relax and enjoy it.”
It certainly seems like a match made in heaven: PSB
with a debut album named after the trio of Reithian BBC
principles and bluedot with their mission statement of
“Observe. Explore. Experiment”, coupled with a full airing
of that perfectly themed second album. After forming
a close relationship with Jodrell Bank custodians Tim
O’Brien and Teresa Anderson since their last appearance,
and once again visiting the site to record the fantastic
video for Sputnik, Willgoose praises the work that has
gone into the festival’s curation. “I think it’s something we
fit into really well, and they’ve thought really hard and
are working to create not just another festival line-up,”
he says. “They’ve definitely put a different spin on it and
changed the focus of it. I’m really excited about playing,
I think it’ll be one of the highlights of the summer for us.”
With so much going into the studio side of the PSB
output listeners might wonder what to expect from the
band’s live show. Willgoose sums it up nicely: “A fair
amount of audio-visual wizardry with some homemade
charm to it and pretty rollicking rock…” he hesitates as
his English reserve gets the better of him. “It’s a loud
show, we definitely step it up in terms of musical intensity,
and, hopefully, a fair amount of humour to undercut the
incredible pretentiousness of it all.”
And with that Willgoose gets back to the pleasantly
controlled temperature of his studio and his quest to reach
even loftier heights with album number three
publicservicebroadcasting.net
WRITTEN BY SAM TURNER
LOVELL STAGE
FRIDAY
“I didn’t want it to be
another collection of
songs about Apollo
because we’re all so
familiar with that”
The Race For Space has recently had the remix treatment
by the likes of Field Music, Dutch Uncles, Vessels, Maps
and more, but it’s not just other artists the duo have
befriended, having also won over the European Space
Agency. “They got in touch with us after the album got
released to say they were really enjoying it, and obviously
I was really glad to hear that,” Willgoose reveals,
excitedly. “We managed to get a tour of their facility in
the Netherlands, which was amazing, to see behind the
scenes, look at a couple of satellites. It was all top secret;
we had to give our phones in. It was like walking round
a big James Bond villain’s lair with men in white coats
walking around.”
PSB’s immersion into the world of space travel bodes
well for their Friday slot at bluedot. It will not be the first
time the band has performed in the shadow of the iconic
Lovell telescope, however, as they appeared at 2013’s
Live From Jodrell Bank series in support of New Order.
Willgoose reveals he was “fairly terrified” on the day. “It
was by far the biggest crowd we’d played to at the time,”
he recalls, “and I was hoping that the computer wouldn’t
blow up and looking out and thinking, ‘God, that’s a lot
of people. I hope they don’t all hate us’. I think we’re on
19 | DISCOVERTHEBLUEDOT.COM