Reading Festival interviews

James Chapman, aka Maps, will be taking a trip down the proverbial memory lane when he returns to Reading to play the festival.

Difference is, he'll be returning as a bona fide musician whose talent has earned him a Mercury Music Prize nomination for his debut album We Can Create.

Does James think he's got a chance of winning? How will he feel playing a festival he previously visited as a punter?

Listen to the interview with The Session Introducing's Linda Serck here, or read an abridged transcript of the interview below.

Hi James. You're also known as Maps. I had a friend who also once created a band called Maps, but we said 'no don't do that' because it's the reverse of 'spam'!

"Maybe that's the remix album! Yeah I was aware of that fact but I still liked the name so I've stuck with it."

So you're into your cartography are you...!

"Well it kind of sums up the whole vibe of the project. Escaping and travelling away from whatever I guess. It fits the music nicely I reckon."

Now on to more serious questions. You've got a debut album out called We Can Create, and because of that you've been hailed as a bit of a bedroom genius.

"I did the main part of this album in my bedroom, just on quite primitive equipment that I've collected over the years. And yeah it's taken quite a long time to get to this stage.

"I've been doing it for quite a few years and just trying to get to a point where I've got my own sound. It was quite a hard task to do on my own."

And you didn't actually use a computer but some battered old 16-track recorder.

"Yeah it's like a hard-disk recorder, it's pretty old skool but it wasn't like a conscious decision not to use a computer. It's just cos I kind of chose to go that way because I find working with it easier than working on a computer screen.

This makes it all the more impressive that you've been nominated for this year's Mercury Music Prize.

"Yeah that's pretty amazing, I'm still stunned about that acutally. I was totally shocked when I found out. To know that people have connected with what I've been doing for the last years and it's all paying off now. It's a great feeling.

How did you hear you were nominated?

"We heard on the day of the announcement. We were in London anyway cos we had a gig the night before supporting The Bees at the Mermaid Theatre.

"We stayed down and I found out in the morning. The ceremony was that morning so I was told to go to where it was being held to a room full of photographers and journalists. It was all pretty surreal but it was really cool and exciting."

You're up against The Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons, Dizzee Rascal and The View to name but a few - and I know you probably don't want to tempt fate, but realistically how confident are you about winning the prize?

"To be honest I'm not really thinking about winning at this point in time, I'm just glad to be nominated. It would obviously be nice if I did but it's just great to be on the list and there are some great albums on there.

"It's a good show of what's going on in UK music at the moment."

On to the Reading Festival, what day are you playing and on what stage?

"We're playing on the Sunday on the Carling Stage. We're really looking forward to it cos I used to go to Reading Festival quite a bit so we're looking forward to getting down there and playing."

Have you got any particular memories?

"I remember seeing The Chemical Brothers and the Lo Fidelity Allstars in a small tent and that was awesome, but it all gets blurred into one because festivals are a good place to get cheap beer and stuff!"

But it must be quite strange for you to have been to the Reading Festival as a punter all these years and suddenly performing on the stage.

"Yeah it's going to be weird being on the other side of it but I'm really excited about the way things are going at the moment.

"We've done quite a few festivals so far but Reading and Leeds are the ones we're looking forward to quite a lot because  they're really well known and loads of people talk about them."

And I suppose you won't have to camp this time round, you'll be getting the VIP treatment.

"I don't really like camping anyway, when I used to go on my own I used to stay at a friend's house who lived in Reading cos I don't really like mud, I used to stay in a nice clean bed.

I understand you also used to go to Reading University for a brief time.

"I went for a bit - quite a while ago, around 2001, I studied English for a bit. Yeah it was cool to go out there, I've not been out for a while, have you still got Po Na Na out there?

Oh yes, and the Purple Turtle, the After Dark - did you ever used to go there for 80s night?

"Well not 80s night! There's an indie night there, I remember having a few messy nights there..."

Maps will be playing on the Carling Stage at the Reading Festival on Sunday 26 August 2007.