Iain, Martin, and Lauren from CHVRCHES join Barry and Lord Taco backstage at Bonnaroo on The What Podcast to talk about their previous two trips to The Farm. They discuss how different doing it for the first time versus the third time can be, and recall being watched by Trent Reznor at this year's Shaky Knees.
Take a listen to the episode above, or watch video of it over on YouTube. If you missed it, don't forget to check out The What Podcast's full recap of Bonnaroo 2022 as well.
This is one of three "snackable" episodes coming from The What Podcast this week as the gang reveals all their artist interviews from Bonnaroo 2022. Check out yesterday's chat with Briston Maroney, and wait till Saturday (July 9th) for the final episode from The Farm.
Photo by David Bruce
Guests: Iain Cook, Martin Doherty, Lauren Mayberry
08:40 | The gang from CHVRCHES talks about their first two shows at Bonnaroo. |
The What Podcast, which bands this year that matter.
Going through some of our artist interviews, ours, I wasn't there,
from Bonnaroo 2022 in what we call a snackable pocket-sized episode,
Barry Courter, Lord Taco. We have one interview that's out there,
Briston Maroney. We also have today's, which is CHVRCHES.
I really feel like CHVRCHES was one of the highlights
of the festival. Now, I would have gone it would
have been on top of my list because I love that live show so
much. Barry taco. Do you got the show? Yes. He saw more of it
than I did. Oh, you actually go. Okay. Yeah, it's a little bit
of it. Yeah. But I like them. The interview was terrific. This
was the one I teased a little bit. The last show the bigger
show that we did. We looked like we knew what we were doing. We
came in with two photographers and a sound guy and a whole crew
and they were very nice and met with us inside their air
conditioned trailer. Oh, backstage. Did you trash it?
Yes. So we had a rager as soon as they left taco and I just
tore the place apart. Oh, you know, flipping tables tearing
posters off the wall. It was you should. Yeah. I you know that
we told this story before we told the story before of when I
trashed Bishop Briggs is trailer and I'll totally by
accident. It was not my fault. But I don't know if I told you
but what is it kind of was it never is. She asked for a topo
Chico. I went to open the topo Chico with the whole cabinet
came flying down. It wasn't my fault. It's kind of not how it
went. She was insistent that she was so proud that that she had
the topo Chico. That's what she was loving. She loved her
trailer and she got all the topo Chico she could drink and she
kept insisting you guys need to take one you need to take one.
Well, it was it was not a screw cap. So Brad's like, you know,
the old college you put it on the side of the table and you
hit and you pop and they broke the table.
Oh, the table came crashing down. No, I was opening it for
her. I was being a gentleman. I said, would you like to have a
topo Chico miss miss Bishop Briggs and I went to open it
and then it it broke the place in half and then I was like,
I'll just get you another one. I'll get you another one. And
then I went back to the topo Chico stack opened it. It flew
out of my hand got topo Chico everywhere that the thing and
she just looked down at the ground in a topo Chico covered
ground and a bottle that was sprawled all over spinning
spinning and she just looked at me and she goes just go just go.
Yeah. You're like, just go. I'll clean it up. She said just go.
I couldn't pack up their stuff quickly enough. Just go.
I I so I ran into her in the city a couple of weeks ago and
I I brought that story up to her and she goes, do you know
what? I haven't had a topo Chico since.
They're ruined forever now. She literally looked at me. It's
like I think that was the last topo Chico I'll ever drink in
my life. I have the bottle. It's in my collection of
pottery stuff. Send me a picture of it. I'll text it to
her. That's fantastic. I'll send it to Taka. Well, I need to
include it in the in the video here. Yeah. We'll toss it in
the video right here. It was not one of my finer moments but
it was not my fault. It was a shotty construction of a
cabinet that should not have been breaking just because I
was trying to open a bottle. Okay. Well, she had nothing to
open the topo Chico with. That's true. I needed to be the
big strong man for her. It's pretty funny. She's pregnant
too by the way. She's about to have a baby. Beautiful
pregnant woman. She is. Oh, that's not your fault either
though, right? I would doubt it's definitely not my fault.
I think. She's a I think that there's some women that just
look great pregnant, right? I mean she looks incredible. I
don't mean that disparagingly. She looks incredible. I mean
she just shines. She's got this glow on her. She thinks that
she looks like she's having the time of her life pregnant.
It's the glow. Yeah, she's got it. I love her. I think she's
fantastic. She was great but back to CHVRCHES with Lauren,
Ian, and Martin. They were nice as they could be. We talked
about the heat because she said, you know, here I am
wearing this wool dress and yeah, I bet she was. I bet she
was. I was about to ask what she was wearing because I mean
the big thing about CHVRCHES is she's she's a fashion icon.
Well, and she was I mean they were ready to to go. Well,
pretty much. I think Martin was not. He said, I'll change when
it's almost time but she was beautiful and they were again
David Bruce was with us. I am Bonnaroo and Nate Gale was with
us taking pictures and Dave they went outside with David
and posed for a couple three minutes, four or five minutes.
The other thing too I love about her is that she's got
this massive voice. I mean her voice is huge and she is a
teeny tiny little pixie. She's very very tiny. She is an itty
bitty tiny little pixie and adorable too. Absolutely
adorable. The sweetest you know but boy she's got that voice.
How that voice is packed into that into her is insane to me
and you'll hear this was their third Bonnaroo right and so
they compared their first two and and and they were just
getting ready when they talk to us for their for the third
which as we you know that's one of the things we love about
Bonnaroo is you get these repeat acts you get to get catch
up with them and and watch it develop and all that but that
was really cool. That was that was one of the highlights for
me. I mean it's work related. Not everybody gets that
opportunity but that was a lot of fun. Also I don't know if
you know this but somebody that we know very very well will
be listening to this episode who is a major major CHVRCHES
fan. You wanna guess who it was? Big time celebrity gonna be
listening to this episode. I don't know. That'd be a Miss
Kristin Korter. She loves I bet you CHVRCHES. Yeah and so I'm
not gonna tell them that this is happening. So if they hear
it, I'm sure this is their sign. This is the closed
caption message to the Jared and Kristin Korter family of
her. Yeah, cool. Yeah, that was a lot of fun wasn't it? You
had seen him and we he asked about that he had seen him at
Shaking Ease. Yeah, I just caught their show at Shaking
Ease. It was fantastic. It was one of the best shows of the
weekend. It's a great show and so anything else before you
wanna get into this to this chat? No, just okay. Look forward
to hearing it and every by the way everything went great.
The sound was good. We got the cord. Yeah. Stop it. Everything
went great. It was very we looked like we knew what we
were doing. It was cool. Uh huh. Well, you're bound to get one.
You're bound to get one. This was the one. Yeah.
Congratulations guys. CHVRCHES is on the What Podcast.
Alright guys, welcome back to the What Podcast. I'm Barry.
Cross for me is Lord Taco. You all know. I'm sure you know
the folks sitting on the couch. We're so proud. So honored to
have CHVRCHES with us. Thank you for having us. Yeah, we're
we're backstage. You guys are staying cool. Getting ready for
your show later. Trying to. Yeah, I don't know. We were
wearing black and wool. Why have I done that? This is wool.
I mean, it looks just terrible. You know, it's funny you
mentioned that. I've always wondered that it's kind of a
it's gotta be a tricky thing for a band, right? Cuz you gotta
look cool. You gotta you gotta dress right. Yeah. You can't
really wear what you would want to wear in this kind of
weather cuz then it's not doesn't fit with the image of
the band, you know. Yeah. I don't know. I'm kind of just at
that point of the tour where I'm like **** it. Wear whatever's
comfortable. You got the shorts on. I get changed for the
show. Wear whatever's comfortable. That's the
Bonnaroo way. You guys, we were talking before we went on the
air here. This is your third time, right? Third time, yes. I
think we were just looked up to double check. 2014 was the
first time and then 2018 we played and Haley Williams got to
sing with us on the song. Well, we got to sing with her. I
don't know where. It sounds bad and then this time. So, lucky
number three. What are your memories of those two shows and
what are you looking forward to for this one? Gosh, it's a bit
of a blur. That's 2014 seems like so long ago. Remember
Kanye was playing that night. Like 2014 Bonnaroo will I'll
never forget because it was the the night that like I injured
my back during the show and I like had the same recurring
back injury for like 10 years after. Like I still have it.
Oh, that's not a good Bonnaroo memory. But the crowd was so
crazy and the show was so crazy that it was like I was just
having a bit too much fun. Wow. And I felt something go, oh
man, that's a bit weird in the middle of the gig. It's like
that doesn't feel right and then the next day I was like stiff
as a board and I couldn't move. So, I'll never forget it.
Taco and I were talking beforehand. He saw you guys what
a couple weeks ago in LA. Yeah, for Shaking Ease. I was there
for you out there and I caught your show there. It was amazing.
Perfect. Another sweaty situation, isn't it? Apparently,
I didn't see but apparently Trent Reznor watched a little bit
of our set. Oh, did he? And I'm glad I didn't know that at the
time because I would have been extra nervous. That would have
been awful had we known he was actually watching us. We would
have made so many mistakes. Then he left so maybe he didn't
like it. That's the scariest thing of all. If someone only
watches a little bit of your set, does that mean that they
hate you? I like to believe he just had commitments. He's a
very busy man. Oh yeah, he was on right after us. Yeah, he was
going to play a show so I guess he had to go and get ready.
That's what we're telling ourselves anyway. What are you
looking forward to? Go ahead. I'm sorry. Yeah, no, I watched
the whole thing. It was great. I'm glad I didn't make you any
nervous that I was watching it. Yeah, if you didn't have taco
left early. Yeah, we were like, no, it's going to be so
embarrassing when we talk to him in two weeks. What are you
looking forward to in this one? Now that you've done it, do
those sorts of things play into, I guess, your mindset or
your thinking? You know what? You know it's going to be hot.
You know the crowd's going to be into it and ready to see
stuff. Do those things? Do you think about those sort of
things in a place like this? I think now, yeah, I mean totally,
but now instead of being truly terrified as I might have been
like in the early days, it's more just excitement now, like
nervous energy, but the good kind of nervous energy where
when we first came around, things happened really fast. So
we found ourselves on these stages that, you know, maybe we
would have considered to be too big for us or maybe I thought
personally, everyone is an imposter, you know, but we did
a lot of growing up in front of people. Yeah, but now I'm just
when we when we think about tonight, it's just fun. No, oh
my god, not the same feeling as 2014. It's interesting you say
that I talked to Kane Brown, who's a country singer from
Chattanooga, and he said basically it's almost like
sports where you hear the you know the game slowed down the
first year or two for him. He just wanted to get on stage and
that was it. You know get through it and he now he he
wants to make jokes and talk and enjoy and think about it.
Is that kind of what you're yeah. Yeah, I think we were
just I guess it's interesting because it's coming around to
10 years of the first album. So it's been nice to kind of
reflect on that time period a bit and be like huh we were
just like terrified the whole time. So yeah, it's nice to be
able to think about it a bit differently and be terrified
about different things. We were talking about the years and
you guys this is your third. It's you know my 17th one of
the things we love about coming to Bonnaroo is to be able to
see bands multiple times as they grow and progress and all
that. So it works both ways. I guess is well. Alright, tacos.
You have any other questions? I know you guys are on a tight
schedule. Yeah, no, I'm just looking forward to your show
tonight. Yay. Thank you and thank you guys for having us.
Thank you so so much. Thank you very much. We really
appreciate it.
Thank you.
A consequence podcast network exclusive CHVRCHES on the what
podcast Barry taco. Nice job because the pictures look great
too by the way if you haven't checked those out, I guess we'll
social them the what underscore podcast or is it the underscore
what podcast I never remember the what underscore podcast on
Twitter and the what podcast on Instagram and everywhere else
like share subscribe rate review. It's all very helpful.
Good work gentlemen looks great now Barry. I will say the
pictures are great, but you look a little underdressed next
to her. You look a little you know there's times in life.
There are times in life when you have a chance to look back
and rethink some things and at that time in in my life, I was
concerned about only the heat got it and I wasn't thinking
about what it's gonna look like for the rest of eternity. What
did I tell you? I look like a giant Keebler elf.
This Keebler elf really smokes a lot of weed. The bandana is a
big part of Bonnaroo for me because it keeps the hair out
of the way and it keeps me dry. See this is the problem. I actually don't agree with this strategy Barry.
Why would you cover up the money maker? Do you see me wearing a hat at Bonnaroo?
No, but see and it's again I'm rethinking it now. Now that
there are cameras involved, I'm gonna have to find a different way.
Plus you have such a head of hair. You don't ever want to tame that.
Secondly, if you put it under a bandana, wouldn't it just make it hotter?
No actually it felt brutally good. Interesting.
Hair and makeup. If you're just listening to this on the audio version, hop over to YouTube and come check out
Come See Eelf Urge on the live podcast.
I swear to god if we don't get a photoshopped version of you and Keebler the elf, I'm gonna be so
mad. I demand that. I demand somebody make that photoshop.
Please god. It is what it is. I saw it and it looked like a giant elf.
Anyways. Now wait a second. Would a giant elf considering an elf is an elf, would a giant elf be a Barry?
Maybe. I don't know. Full grown? I don't know. A full grown elf is a Barry.
A full grown elf. Not a baby. A Barry. But speaking of artwork, I kept running into Aaron Carlson at the farm.
He was one of our patrons. We had him on the show. He was the one that drew that masterpiece for the contest.
He just went into MS Paint and sketched out you and Barry.
And then I was just like a Canna Miller Highlife. Well your favorite beer.
Yeah. Yeah. That's fantastic. So what was he doing there? Whipping up another piece of art?
What was he doing on the fly? Was he printing t-shirts? What was his gig on the farm?
I don't know. Well it was just weird. I kept running into him.
Just by chance. No it's not hard to run into people when you're basically at a family picnic.
I ran into a lot of people. There's 50,000 people there and you keep running into them.
I mean I saw it. I ran into them every single day it seemed like. In different places.
That's great. Different shows. You know walking backstage. I think he had one of the platinum wristbands on or something.
Wow. Wait did he do platinum? I think so. Maybe. Yeah.
I would like to find one of the four or five people that did platinum this year.
I'd love to hear their experience in my campsite.
Yeah I want to grill them for stealing our real estate. That's a good idea.
Yeah. I wanted to see if they felt shame. I hope they appreciated it.
It's like when somebody breaks into the house just to hang out at the pool.
I hope you're enjoying it. I really hope you're enjoying what we built with our hands and our labor.
Seriously though if you did platinum and you're listening, reach out. I'd love to talk to you.
I'd like to know what was good, bad, whatever about it.
And if you do it again. Because that's a big price to...
Yeah. Say no so that we can get our campground back.
No kidding. Eliminate platinum. That's our new thing.
Move platinum. Move them back to the hill or another hill.
Alright there you go. CHVRCHES on the What Podcast. We'll see you soon.