On the road with The Black Keys

The taxi driver seems puzzled as he drops off STFW at Manchester’s Apollo
Theatre where the band’s title is emblazoned across the front in significant red
letters.

“I’ve never heard of ‘em but I can see this great deal have,” he adds, seeking at the
crowds huddled outside the venue as the temperature hits -3°C.

It is 4 hours until showtime and bitterly cold but fans of the blues-rock
duo from Akron, Ohio, are as keen as ever to safe a location at the quite
front.

The Black Keys have come a lengthy way following ten a long time of tough touring.

It has been a gradual upward climb for them and now they’ve witnessed El Camino —
inspired by the Plymouth Grand Voyager they employed to tour in and pictured on
the album cover — become their biggest seller and introduce them to a
mainstream crowd who tonight go wild for their pounding blues and glam
riffs.

“It’s very good getting back here,” says singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach in his
dressing space. “Manchester crowds are generally more wild than anywhere else
in the UK. I don’t forget playing here several instances and acquiring things stolen
off stage.

“We would go off the stage at the end of the set and come back for the encore
and somebody would have stolen my cable.”

Dan begins to laugh in disbelief. “Yes, from my guitar. My lead, you know, and
I was just like, ‘What the f*** are you guys undertaking?’ ”

Released in December to vital praise, El Camino — Spanish for “the road” or
“the way” — went gold last week with sales much more than 100,000 in the UK.
Compare this with the 18 months it took their earlier “breakthrough” album
Brothers to attain that standing and you can see how large they now are.

Their show at New York’s Madison Square Garden subsequent month sold out in just 15
minutes.

Tonight they play the 2nd of 3 nights at London’s Alexandra Palace — in
front of a jaw-dropping 31,000 followers in total to cap off their UK tour. Dan
says: “We’ve not changed but we’ve observed there have been alterations.”

Dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, the nonchalant, sandy-haired singer
doesn’t look like a rock star and is taking the consideration, as he does with
most items, in his stride.

“These greater venues are fun as we can make our shows much more exciting with the
lights and video.”

His bandmate, the giant, bespectacled drummer Patrick Carney, adds: “I am
pals with the Kings Of Leon and they played to 120,000 over two nights at
Hyde Park. That puts factors in perspective.”

Dan says: “But some individuals have received weird. Not my buddies but you’ve just received
to observe your back a small bit far more with some men and women. I am nice to
everyone. But individuals truly take advantage of it.

“I can not really go out like I employed to, both, or just go out since a bar
will be swarming with drunk individuals and it gets genuinely awkward.

“Individuals will say, ‘Just one particular picture please.’ That is how it begins. There is
just one picture and then someone else would like yet another. And when I say ‘No’ I
feel guilty. I truly feel like an a*******.”

The accomplishment of El Camino — which includes profession-greatest tracks such as the
sharp, stomping Lonely Boy, the earthshaker Dead And Gone and glam rocker
Gold On The Ceiling, which noticed them reunite with Danger Mouse (Brian Burton)
as producer and co-writer — has opened new doors.

Pat says: “We are so comfy with Brian that it was why we could also
create with him. There are elements on the album wherever all 3 of us were
tweaking in the studio. It was actually collaborative.”

Dan adds: “And the emphasis was on melody. The songs have been written so the
lyrics came following. They just had to match the box. It really is the initial time I’d
accomplished that.

“It was like the Motown songs. How several diverse ways can you say ‘Ooh, child,
baby’?

“But you by no means get tired of the Motown songs simply because the melodies are so
amazing.”

Close to the time of their first album, 2002′s The Massive Come Up, they were witnessed
as another “White Stripes copy band”, with Jack White going on record to say
he didn’t like them. Not only have The Black Keys outlived The White Stripes
but they’ve place out a lot more studio albums.

Dan says: “We started at the same time as The White Stripes began. They got
well-known ahead of we did and so it was inevitable that we were thrown into that
total thing.

“But we had been so far from it. We had a lot of the exact same influences but we did
not know anyone in that Detroit scene. It feels great now to stand up on our
very own and not have to assume about that any a lot more.

“We are a quite distinct band and we are quite diverse men and women. We present
ourselves very in a different way from The White Stripes and Jack White. It has
taken us longer to be profitable but I truly feel better about wherever we are as
human beings.”

Last 12 months, the band won 3 Grammys (for Very best Option Album, Very best
Duo/Group Rock Vocal Overall performance and Greatest Recording Package) and “donned
tuxedos, had fun then snuck out after 20 minutes,” says Pat.

“There is so considerably very good music in the US and there is just a modest section that
gets recognised at the Grammys.

“I never have any patience and I cannot bulls*** myself by sitting via a
Justin Bieber song. I am not interested in that s***. I am an adult and
truly I never know who the f*** listens to Justin Bieber.”

Dan, 32, and Pat, 31, initial met at Akron’s Firestone High School but had been
in no way actually pals.

Sporty Dan was a large college soccer star, even though Pat was a self-confessed geek.

They formed the band right after each dropped out of college but said their
connection was only a musical one particular instead than based mostly on friendship. That came
later. They admit that they seldom hung out with each other in the early
days.

Today, they know how to give each and every other area. Interviews are performed
separately and Pat says: “We get along but we know when the other is tired
and grumpy. Then you lay off.”

Their last album, 2010′s Brothers, was inspired by the brotherly bond they
created in difficult instances.

Then, Dan advised SFTW: “The title refers to our bond as mates, buddies and
supporters. Pat recently went through a turbulent period in his lifestyle, going
through a rough divorce and becoming in a depressed state of thoughts. It truly
tested our partnership but in the end we grew to become closer than ever.”

Now, Dan says: “It was a bad time for Pat but then it was also a poor time for
me. But we carried on the identical and produced new music.”

When Dan made a solo album — Maintain It Hid in February 2009 — without having Pat’s
understanding, it showed their partnership had broken down at the time. Pat
formed one more group, named Drummer, who released their debut album Feel
Very good With each other later on that year.

Pat is now engaged once more and looking forward to the finish of the tour when he
and his fiancée, Emily, will head off to Mexico “for nine days of sitting on
the seaside and reading books”.

Each guys say they appreciate existence on the road and locate it less difficult to rest than they
do when back property in Nashville exactly where they the two now dwell (the album was
recorded at Dan’s Easy Eye studio there).

Dan, who is married with a 4-12 months-previous daughter, Sadie, says: “When I go on
the road to perform it is type of a holiday. Sadie is a minor bit young to
understand what I do but she came to a show last 12 months.

“I came off stage, gave her a kiss and then went back on for an encore and she
lost it.

“I reckon she will rebel when she is older and get a job and wear a suit. But
I don’t care about what she does or who she is into when she is older. She
is as well sweet and can do what ever she wants and I’ll be pleased.”

But good results is some thing The Black Keys have never ever been shy about wanting.

Dan says: “Things used to p*** me off and I’d moan about it. Like ‘Why are not
we up here on the bill? Why aren’t we taking part in a increased festival slot?’

“I don’t know. I am glad it took us this lengthy simply because we appreciate each
possibility that we’ve received. Every single stage up we feel better about it. I really like
our audience — that they are all so distinct. Outdated and new fans across the
board. The shows have got greater — but progressively, so it’s lessened the blow.”

Final 12 months they cancelled exhibits in Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, citing
exhaustion. Dan says: “We just didn’t want to go on tour. Travelling to the
other side of the world. A 24-hour plane flight. We weren’t prepared for that.
We felt poor.”

Pat adds: “We realized what our limitations have been. Then we essentially stated, ‘F***
this, we will just go right up until we cannot go anymore.’ That ultimately occurred.
We just burned out. That is when we went into the studio.

“Now, we variety of have some pretty strict rules that we attempt to adhere to about
touring — like three weeks on, three weeks off. It is not about saying no to
specified interviews. Our management know not even to ask. And I experience that I
am a happier particular person if I can step away from anything for a whilst.”

Maintaining every little thing fresh follows in their musical technique too.

The two say they “want to do something different once more” for album number eight
and that there won’t be one more Blakroc album — their 2009 rock/hip-hop
mash-up collaboration album with Mos Def, Q-Tip, RZA and Raekwon.

Pat adds: “Damon Dash leaked a video without asking. We have some things accomplished
but perhaps we like to switch issues up a great deal. A continuation of one thing we
started many years ago is not really that intriguing.

“We just like to keep hunting forward.”

The Black Keys play London’s Alexandra Palace tonight and tomorrow.

Music – The Sun

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