Playing in two of the biggest electronic indie bands in the world is no mean feat, but for Al Doyle, shifting between Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem is pretty routine. PEDESTRIAN.TV caught up with the multi-instrumentalist recently to chat about Hot Chip’s latest record, A Bath Full Of Ecstasy, and who he likes playing with more – Chippies or LCD?
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After being in both bands for nearing on two decades (he joined Chip in ’03 and LCD in ’05), Al gives a very diplomatic answer on what band is more fun to play live with. Laughing, he tells me that while they’re both “extremely loud bands onstage and both a pretty raucous experience“, the two bands couldn’t be further away from each other when it comes to playing live.
LCD is very much…there is a sort of binary law going on onstage which is ‘it’s either right or it’s not.’ and you have to be very aware of what you’re playing all the time, even though it’s quite stupid music. There is a right and a wrong in everything that you do.
Whereas Hot Chip, I mean there’s at least three or four people onstage; Rob, Alexis, Leo, and Joe to a certain extent, who will just play not even the instrument that they would have been playing originally on the song, just completely improvised elements to the music.
So it definitely gets very far away from the recording and with improv, show to show it can change quite rapidly.
Check out Al’s xylophone paired with a nice white wine in this clip, I love it.
Having the ability to play in two bands that could very easily be on the same concert’s billing brings two different kinds of joy to Al Doyle, both in absolutely nailing a perfect LCD set, and exploring creativity through improvising most of a Hot Chip set.
So those two things bring a different kind of joy; there’s actually truth to what I’m saying. There’s a joy to getting something right, and knowing that you’ve got it right, and having it acknowledged that you got it right, and there’s also a tremendous joy to being free, and coming up with something in the moment.
That whole joy that comes from improvisation, which is not allowed in the LCD situation.
(Hot Chip’s synchronised dancing/turning to the chorus of ‘Flutes‘ will always be my favourite, not sorry about it.)
Now that Hot Chip’s seventh (!!!) studio album A Bath Full Of Ecstasy is with us, does this mean we’ll get the feverish, improvised, nobody-playing-the-right-instruments celebration that is a Hot Chip live show back here in Australia?
Yes, there is a chance. That’s all I can say for now. [The Sydney Opera House gig] was really, really cool, and something that we all remember – actually we were just talking about it the other day. But yeah, I’m sure we’ll make it down in some form or another in some way or another very soon.
Until then, get your ears around Hot Chip’s latest album right over here, it’s perfect Friday afternoon bangers to get you pumped for the weekend and has a high enough tempo that you’ll keep warm dancing to it.
Hot Chip will be coming back down to Australia next year as part of Golden Plains festival in Victoria, and a cheeky little headline tour as well.
