The Japanese House has brought her gang to Latitude 2017

Festivals aren't just about seeing loads of bands. They're about mates too. That's how Amber Bain is doing Latitude 2017, getting her gang together for a weekend of Henham Park bonding. Most people don't have to play a properly brilliant set on the BBC Music Stage as part of their festivities, though. We grabbed her to talk about her festival plans, Latitude memories and that much anticipated debut album from The Japanese House.

How are things going? How does it feel to be back at Latitude?

It’s weird because we’re playing the BBC tent, which is pretty insane because I’ve seen loads of people I love there. I remember watching people come out of the gate near the press tent being like, ‘Who’s that?!’ Then on the way here I was walking through that being being like, ‘Looool’. I just did some photos, and I’m really scared I’ve got a tick because we just did photos in the ferns. I’m just anticipating Lyme disease.

So a really good festival experience?

It has actually been really nice. We set up our tent; we set up my girlfriend’s tent, one of those big bell tent things, which we put up really quickly. Our catchphrase is ‘For the good of the group’. Have you seen Girls? You know the series before when Marnie organises a girls’ trip to re-bond? That’s basically what this is. Hopefully, this won’t end in the same way, with us all just screaming each other. We did just scream at each other though. I was like, ‘Guys you’re not helping me choose my outfit!’ They were like, ‘Yes we are! We said we like the chords’! I was like, ‘The chords look shit!’

Are there any acts you’ve seen here before that were landmark moments for you?

I saw Beach House on the same stage as us, that was really good. I saw The 1975 on the Lake Stage, which is quite funny. That would have been four years ago. I’ve seen loads of people. I’ve seen James Blake here every time he’s played. He makes me cry; it’s so sad.

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Photo: Sarah Louise Bennett / Dork[/caption]

[sc name="pull" text="I think it’s going to be quite a weird album actually."]

How does it feel now you’ve released ‘Saw You In A Dream’, do you feel like you’ve grown as a live performer with the reaction from crowds?

Every festival’s different, but Parklife was quite cool, because there was a lot of people there. We were on the Main Stage, but from where I was standing it didn’t necessarily look like that many, then when I came out I was like, ‘Ooooh’, and I realised there was quite a lot of people. There’s definitely been a rise in audience levels. I also think actually playing, I’ve got a couple more band members, and it’s a lot more full sounding.I’m really bad at practising my instrument, so the only practice I have is when we’re playing shows. Otherwise, I’m like, yeah we’re fine. So playing so many shows, you get really good at keeping it in your muscle memory.

Do you think with ‘Saw You In A Dream’ you’ve found the direction you want to go in for the album, or are you still open?

I think we’re still open. The stuff that I’m working on now for the album; there are some songs that are… I don’t want to say ‘old school’, but like guitar, classic songs. That kind of style. There’s still a lot of songs that are very electronic. I’ve written an intro for a song that’s a string composition, I guess - I don’t really know what I’d call it. At the moment it’s just on Logic string, but once I get real strings, I think it’s going to be pretty insane. It sounds like a cheesy Disney soundtrack, or like something from The Notebook. So real classy. I think it’s going to be quite a weird album actually. I’ve not really thought of it like, ‘I need to get this kind of song for the album’, I’m just adding all these songs together like, ‘Ooh, weird’. Is this going to fit?

You can read our report from The Japanese House's Latitude 2017 set here.