Interview with Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate

Malcolm Galloway (vocals, guitar, keyboard, songwriter, producer) and Mark Gatland (bass, co-producer, additional guitars/keyboards/synths) - Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate

What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

Mark - The first stuff I got into at school were bands like Queen and Iron Maiden…they were two big groups for me, (still are!), and in terms of playing it was that classic scenario of a bunch of friends, (one of whom was Malcolm), forming our first band but they needed a bass player. As I already played cello at school, plus we had an upright bass in our music practice room, then bass was the obvious choice for me. In terms of what I’d be doing if not involved with playing, well, I’ve been working in music shops and guitar shops since I was about 17 and have done so ever since. So the two things are very closely linked.

Malcolm - I started my musical life playing the tuba at school. It is perhaps unusual to have a duo where both halves spent their formative years playing bass parts.

What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

Mark - I love photography, that’s my other big pastime apart from playing music, and a lot of my pictures show up in our artwork in some form. Being a father of 2 boys keeps me busy and I do also like swimming.

Malcolm - I listen to a lot of audiobooks, particular science fiction, science, and history. These often inspire songs.

How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.

Mark - Hats Off has been going about 12-13 years with a line-up in the earlier days that varied anywhere between Malcolm on his own up to about 5 people. For the majority of that though it’s been the core of just Malcolm and me with Malcolm’s wife Kathryn occasionally popping up on flute. As I mentioned before, Malcolm and I were playing in our first ever school band, but after school Malcolm went off to be a doctor for a good few years. I’ve been playing in a multitude of bands ever since, and even though Malcolm and I always saw each other socially it wasn’t until I saw him play at an open mic event in a pub that we floated the idea of getting together again to work on his music.

Where are you based and how did that influence your music?

Mark - We’re both from, and still live in London. How does that influence our music? Personally, I wouldn’t say it influences it directly, but I think having grown up in the capital with the opportunity to go to loads and loads of different venues, both big and small whilst offering as many different genres of music as you think of had a massive effect on me growing up. Whatever music you were into, there was always an outlet to go and see it. Going to see live music remains one of life’s great pleasures.

Malcolm - As teenagers we used to regularly go to classical concerts and opera in London, which I think has had an influence on our music.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

Malcolm - the name is a self-deprecating take on the comment by Schumann about Chopin (“hats off gentlemen, a genius”).

Tell me about your most memorable shows.

Mark - Getting to play Shepherd’s Bush Empire a few years back as part of HRH Prog will always be a highlight for me. Our first big gig, which also happened to be for HRH Prog was in Wales on a big stage and that was also the first time we’d gone out with the setup we use now, ie, just the 2 of us and a laptop. We were pretty nervous before we went on as we weren’t sure what the reaction would be, but we were blown away by the response.

What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?

Mark - I’ve had the chance to play The Boerderij in Zoetermeer in The Netherlands with my other band, (IT), and I would love the chance to return there at some point. But European travel for artists is getting more expensive and harder and harder to organise. Another dream venue would be the Royal Albert Hall, but that’s probably a few years off!

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

Mark - If you mean playing with another band, then it would be great to play a support slot with Marillion. They’re one of those bands that has always meant a lot to both Malcolm and me. If you’re talking about one of those “dream lineup” bands where I’d be the bass player, then I’ve no idea….but either Bowie or Freddie would be on vocal duties!
Malcolm - I’d also love to do a support slot for Marillion one day.

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?

Mark - I say this all the time, but try and play with as many people as possible in as many situations as you can. Especially musically. Take as many opportunities as you can. Be on time. Be nice! As for advice for my younger self, buy a smaller, lighter amp as soon as the technology gets good enough. Your back will thank you later!

Malcolm - Don’t wait until you are ready to start making your own music. Become ready by doing it and learning from mistakes.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

Mark - ‘Lidice’ is always a favourite of mine. I remember when Malcolm played that to me for the first time on a train journey to a gig somewhere and I cried when I first heard it. ‘The Light Of Ancient Mistakes’ always gives me goosebumps at the end. The title track from our new album, ‘The Uncertainty Principle’ is one of my favourite things we’ve done.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

Malcolm: I always enjoy playing Century Rain, it starts gently, then gradually builds up, with a lot of scope for passionate singing and guitar soloing.

Mark - I really like playing the faster, punkier ones live…gives me a chance to jump around lots! So, things like ‘One Word That Means The World (Arkhipov)’ or ‘imtiredandeverythinghurts’.
One that gets requested a fair bit seems to be ‘My Clockwork Heart’.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

Malcolm - I generally come up with an idea for a song, draft something on the laptop, and send it to Mark. If he likes it, that encourages me to put in more time refining it, and he’ll send me suggestions of bass parts and/or additional synths or guitars. We tend to work by sending audio files to each other, until we record the vocals, when generally Mark will take on the vocal producer role while I’m singing. We also work together, both with headphones connected to the laptop, on detailed adjustments to the mix towards the end of the songwriting process.
The lyrics are a very important part of the song for me. They are often inspired by books or audiobooks.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

Malcolm: A recurrent theme for us is the dangers of over-confidence, excessive certainty, and the dehumanisation of minorities.

Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?

Mark - Our most recent single, ‘Between Two Worlds’ was released a short while back in advance of our new album ‘The Uncertainty Principle’ which is released digitally on Bandcamp on March 4th and then on general release across all platforms on May 30th.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?

Mark - We have a launch gig for the album coming up on Sunday 6th April at 1pm at The Camden Club on Chalk Farm Rd along with Ghost Of The machine. This will be an afternoon gig with ‘cabaret style’ seating and we’ll also be hosting a Q&A about the album if anyone wants to ask any questions. We are then travelling up to Kidderminster on Sunday 27th April at 45Live where I’ll be doing 2 sets with both Hats Off and IT!

How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?

Mark - The website is www.hatsoffgentlemen.com where you can delve deeper into everything Hats Off, and join our mailing list. Our Bandcamp page is www.hatsoffgentlemen.bandcamp.com and from there you can order the new album, (plus any of our previous releases!)
Our Linktree to everything else is www.linktr.ee/itsadequate