DRESSED TO THRILL

Known collectively as Hurts, the ever dapper Manchester-based synthpop duo has rose in popularity within the last two years with their emotionally charged album, Happiness. Band members Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson gave CATALOG a brief discourse that left us wanting more.

You have a distinct style. Which came first, the dress sense or the music?

Theo: It’s a funny one. We dressed up when we were on the dole, way before we were in the band. It was the only way we could have any dignity. We had no money and we had to take pride in ourselves. It was a miserable period and dressing smartly felt like we were doing something right in our lives.

When we started the band, we wanted to still retain whom we were. It’s all a reflection of our past.

How would you describe your music?

Adam: When we make music, it’s good for us to be honest with people and I think everything we do now, from the music to the way we dress to how our music sounds, is a reflection of who we are as people. It makes us believable to people. The thing about pop music is that it’s very transparent and we wanted to easily convey to people who we are.

Theo: We did it in our own way, on our own. It’s all we ever wanted to do.  To do an act from the beginning to the end that people can relate to. And to have that connection with our audience in places like Singapore or America is the most amazing thing one could ask for.

Who are your musical inspirations?

Adam: I love Silverchair’s Diorama! I’ve never followed the rest of their career but when I first listened to that album, the lush, orchestral arrangements inspired me. It’s a really amazing piece of work.

Your music stems from a period of unemployment; do you think the next album would retain the familiar torment of your present music?

Adam: It would definitely be a different kind of emotion. I don’t think we can be capable of being so sad since our lives have become so different. I think it’s all about exploring different emotions, of which there are many. We’ll continue to tour for the next few months and see how we’ll feel at the end of it.

Theo: I think one thing that is important to us is that we find it therapeutic when making our music. It’s part of our personality. It’s rewarding to do that and people are drawn to our process.

Interview and images courtesy of Topman.

Image courtesy of Farhan Darma.