Phoenix: "We were so pretentious - we thought we were going to be the next Beatles"

Thomas Mars is an hour away from leading Phoenix into a first, and firsts for Phoenix are continually dwindling. Whether it’s sell-out shows around the globe, headline sets at festivals or the fact they’ve carved out a genre and style of their very own - Phoenix have reached the stage where merely the utterance of their name conjures a world of joyous moments. Tonight marks the Parisians’ very first show in Thailand, another country to tick off on their spanning map of dominance that simmers and croons with the sounds of electro-pop royalty. Not even thunderstorms can stop this party.

‘Ti Amo’ isn’t just another Phoenix record. It’s an album that only they could produce, one that infuses Euro-soaked cosmopolitan juices, a touch of dazzling synth sugar and a twist of carefree abandon that when shaken and served, makes for one refreshing cocktail. Embracing the stunning views that came with the runaway success of ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ and then ‘Bankrupt’, ‘Ti Amo’ is a record that firms itself as a statement - opening a new chapter for a band whose key focus since the very beginning, was making the sounds and moments that they thrive in.

For Thomas, looking back now is a warming tale of closeness and constant reinvention. “In the beginning, it was a primal scream,” he notes. “I went with Deck [D’arcy] down into my basement, and we started playing because we needed to. As the four of us, we built this confidence, like we were so pretentious - we all thought we were going to be the next Beatles. I think that feeling lasted for about a year, just the one pretentious year, where we were just really confident.”