Pigeon Detectives return with 'Enemy Lines' video - premiere

Exclusive: Frontman Matt Bowman on what fans can expect from fifth album Broken Glances

The Pigeon Detectives (Press Image)

The Pigeon Detectives are back with a very different sound and a new video for their song 'Enemy Lines' which you can watch first on The Independent.

Making a return after the release of their last album We Met At Sea, released in 2013, the band are supporting their upcoming fifth record Broken Glances with a European tour and a gig at Live at Leeds Festival.

Watch the video below:

Q&A with Pigeon Detectives frontman Matt Bowman

What have you been listening to recently?

I’m really enjoying the latest Biffy Clyro album, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have had an unexpected resurgence on my Spotify account and I’m also digging The Dead Naked Hippies which is a new band release on our very own record label Dance to the Radio.

You released your last album in 2013 and a lot’s changed since then... what’s it been like putting a new album out after such a long break?

Making and recording this new album has been very liberating for the entire band. We made a conscious decision to unburden ourselves from the shackles of our previous albums and the expectations we felt that came from them.

We just wrote songs with no agenda or aspirations of radio play or commercial success, and for a whole two years we just kept on writing and writing. There was a real freedom and air of experimentation throughout the whole process and I think we’ve created a piece of work that will surprise a lot of people, but in a good way.

What should fans expect from the new record?

This record is the first one we’ve written that is from the band to the fans. The narrative throughout the songs is a more reflective look back on the amazing journey and adventure we’ve had over the last decade.

Pigeon Detectives fans have been an integral part of the adventure and nods to them and their support are abundant. From a stylistic point of view I think fans should be prepared to hear a record from a band that has deliberated over every sound and every drum beat. It’s gentle in parts and brash in other. It’s a thank you and an apology. It’s an album to enjoy and discover things about on each listen.

You were a massive part of the indie scene around 2007/08 but a lot of similar bands split up or didn’t progress past that point - how did you get past that and why do you think other bands haven’t been so successful?

I can’t comment on other bands, but for us it’s easy; we’re friends first and band members second. The band is an amazing way to do something we love, with the people we love and travel the world for free – why on earth would we ever split up?

What are your plans for 2017?

We’re releasing a new album – obviously! Then gigs, gigs, gigs, gigs!

Oh we’ve also got something huge coming up in May, I can’t say what it is...but it’s a land mark date for the band and we’re not going to let it pass without celebration.

What was the first gig you ever played and what’s been the best so far?

The first gig we ever played was a self-promoted show at a local venue called the Pack Horse.

We charged everyone £1 to enter and it was a sell out! I’ve had so many special gigs and special moments on stage that it’s hard to choose a best, but with a gun to my head I’d probably say when we played the main stage at Leeds Festival as that was a festival I had attended for years as a kid and seen all my favourite bands perform at.

The Pigeon Detectives' fifth album Broken Glances is out on 24 February