Ed O'Brien on Pinkpop

Ed O'Brien comes off stage at Pinkpop and finds it reassuring to see the set on television, since up there the amps sound different outdoors and the crowd is hard to read. The band worked hard, he says, and only relaxed in the last third. When about eight record companies wanted to sign them four years ago, they were asked what their agenda was, and scratched their heads. “Well, isn't it all about music?” Four years on the road is not glamorous, and nor is today, “even though there's loads of mud”. When The Bends came out, the band still had the whole legacy of “Creep” and Pablo Honey to live up to. The Dutch radio crew balanced the three guitars so well that, he says, “they can come and do the album with us.”