With Kylie Minogue guesting on their debut album and a crazy opera singer in tails on board for the live show, singer Theo Hutchcraft tells us how Hurts are putting the pride back into chart pop.
How are things on the fame roller coaster at the moment?
Well, it’s great to be working towards something. When we started Hurts, it was a terrible time. We had no money, we were unhappy and we were really insecure. At least all of that has set us up to appreciate everything that’s going on now. We’re not eating noodle sandwiches anymore.
You’ve always worn snappy gear. Where did you get your stage clobber before you were signed?
We’re still wearing a lot of the same suits. We couldn’t afford anything new – so they’re all second-hand, tailored to look new. But that came out of going to the welfare office every Wednesday and saying, ‘Hello, I’m a loser. Please give me some money.’ If you’re dressed really smart, you come out of it with a little dignity. You need every ounce of pride going at that point. Also, it helped that we looked a bit like coppers. Nobody ever started on us.
So, what you’re wearing now, you’d be wearing most days at 11am, interview or no interview?
Certainly. A pair of black trousers and a grey shirt. Tucked in, of course. I need to be ready for the day. I can’t just be lazing about! If you don’t tuck, your day starts to fall apart and you end up not focusing. Once you stop tucking in, your whole world starts falling apart.
That explains what happened to Shane MacGowan. Are you proud to be a straight-up pop act?
We try to write pop music, definitely. I’ve no real desire to make inaccessible fringe music. Pop makes the world go round. Having never made music before, when [keyboard player] Adam and I got together, we thought we could either learn to be proficient by spending four years noodling about, or we could make really good pop music. British pop never used to be as inane as it is now. Great acts – like Bowie – have always had something unique and are still celebrated. It hasn’t always just been Taio Cruz. Music like ours just needs to be heard and given a chance.
For your live shows, you’re joined by a very dapper opera singer. Did you hold open auditions?
Not exactly. I took my nan to see The Pirates of Penzance in Yorkshire one night, and it was the most frightening rendition you could possibly imagine! One of the men in particular was just insane, and Adam and I just decided to try to get him involved. He’s a fascinating man. And he comes with his own penguin suit.
Hurts’ debut album, ‘Happiness’ is due out next week on RCA. www.timeout.com/music
