Blaze of Glory - Arcade Fire Interview

Arcade Fire have always had a DIY, almost punk ethic. I wonder if it’s still possible to operate that way when you’re headlining Glastonbury, having number one albums and being nominated for all sorts of awards, including this year’s Oscars for the Her soundtrack.

“On an artistic level, we couldn’t operate any other way,” proffers the band’s Tim Kingsbury “No one outside the group has ever given their input on how we should sound, unless we choose somebody to ask their opinion. But between the six or seven of us at the core, we already have pretty strong visions of how things should be and it’s enough work hashing that out among us that we would be pretty adamant about not having an outside influence. That affects the whole show, the way that we perform, the way everything looks: we choose who to collaborate with but it generally all comes from us. In that way, I think it is a punk rock spirit. We’re defiantly ourselves, for better or worse.”
Their level of achievement, however, has had an effect, he acknowledges.
“The fact that we’ve been together 12 years... it’s amazing that we are still a band and still the same people, and the success has enabled us to keep going in that way. I don’t know if we were still in a van whether we’d be able to keep it up. So I think our [popularity] has enabled us to maintain some kind of momentum. But it has changed things in that recording an album like Reflektor or The Suburbs takes much longer. We have had a lot more experience in the studio, our production ideas have evolved, we’ve learned a lot. From the touring and playing together, we’re a much better band than we used to be. Technically, so we can play music that we never would have been able to play before.”
We’ve all read various descriptions of the band dynamics, where it’s generally acknowledged that all members are reasonably equal, but that, in reality, husband and wife, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne are the leaders. So is it a benevolent dictatorship?
“It’s complicated,” he admits. “Win and Régine are the main driving force. Without them, there never would have been an Arcade Fire. But were they to insist on certain things, the band would fall apart fairly quickly, so there’s definitely a balance. Everyone has their own role. It’s always evolving and changing, and we respect that. Every year, as we grow and get older, life changes. I wouldn’t say it’s a dictatorship. Then, I wouldn’t say it’s a democracy. It’s more personal than political.”
Having seen their extraordinary Glastonbury headline set, we were struck by how ‘We Exist’ seems to have taken on a life of its own as an anthem for the LGBT community…
“Win came up with the lyrics for that song in Jamaica. There are laws there against being homosexual. I don’t know if it’s become an anthem or anything: that’s sort of where that song comes from,” he reveals. “It’s about feeling free to be who you are and not having to hide it for some stupid, hateful reason.”
Finally, does he still have ‘pinch yourself’ moments, like playing to 160,000 at Glastonbury?
“For sure,” he grins. “For me, the basic fact I’m playing music and making a living at it... I can’t quite comprehend that! I honestly didn’t aspire to do that... well, on some level I must have. I never assumed I would be able to do that. In fact, I always assumed I wouldn’t be able to.”

Arcade Fire’s new single, ‘Normal Person’, is out now