Martin Pelland: The Dears

by Joanna Orland & Isla MC

Following our hugely successful interview with The Dears back in February, we decided to check in once again at Roskilde to see how the past few months had been for them. We had seen them live the previous week at the O2 Music Wireless Festival and were seriously impressed with the performance they gave.

It was a bit disconcerting trying to interview the band this time round. The main reason being, nobody was really sure who was supposed to be speaking with us. We had run into Martin whom we had interviewed before. Had a nice chat and catch up with him (on unofficial terms), and by the time we realized he was the one scheduled for us, he had punked off to find the rest of the band backstage. Eventually we caught up with him, but as things were quite hectic, we decided to keep it brief. Short, sweet and to the point.

So, here are a few choice things that we learned when we finally tracked him down. And by the way, the reason we spoke so much of Canada is that it was Canada Day. And of course, The Dears are from Canada (as is Loose Lips producer Joanna, eh):

1. Canada is a place where everyone has a chance. Martin is quite proud of this fact. The government is keen to export Canadian culture and creativity, to provide freedom for everyone. Just recently, they have legalised gay marriage, which provides a benchmark for the rest of the world to follow.

2. Martin sees himself not just as a resident of Canada, but as a resident of the world. (This interview seemed to be more like talking to the president rather than a musician. It was even conducted across a desk with Martin looking very authoritative, arms crossed and everything)

3. The Dears have been touring for a looooong time and are continually writing new material with a plan to begin recording in August. They are very much looking forward to getting back into the studio because they are EXHAUSTED!!!!

4. The secret to The Dears is that no matter how stretched they are, they can still inject their performances with energy and enthusiasm. “People think they can book us tons of shows and we’ll always perform well. It’s kind of like as soon as we jump on stage it’s… ENERGY.”

5. Martin is dabbling in journalism himself, reporting to a very important Montreal paper on all of the festival coverage he’s soaking up. We even caught him backstage with his camera and voice recorder in hand, interviewing the organizer or Roskilde. Sneaky little bugger… Ah, what it must be like for him to be on the other side for once…

6. Martin would’ve liked to check out Black Sabbath for his dad who is a big fan. Unfortunately, The Dears were dashing off to the next city for the next gig. A never-ending saga. But a good one at that!