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Mystery Jets EXCLUSIVE: We Were In A Dark Place But Music Saved Us

Mystery Jets stormed onto the indie scene in 2006 and even performed on Top Of The Pops before it was tragically taken from us. Ten years later, we met them ahead of their slot at the BST Hyde Park gig in London and found they are a band who are, despite being practically vintage, only just coming of age.

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Kapil Trivedi, William Rees and Blaine Harrison - we’ll get to Jack Flannagan with the pink hair later - have reached 30 and as if on cue, moments of self reflection and self-doubt crept in, particularly after bassist Kai Fish announced his departure from the band in 2014.

Will told us: “We definitely went to a dark place for a few months after the last record. It was the first time we made a record without Kai (Fish). We found ourselves unsigned and unpublished, which was quite frightening, so financially we were in a sticky situation. We were kind of like, does anybody want us, what do we do, are we still liked?”

So what did the Young Love hitmakers do? They ploughed their musings and fears into writing their sixth studio album, titled Curve Of The Earth and thanks to delicious tracks like Bubblegum and Bombay Blue, they rocketed out of their man-made pit of despair.

He added: “You wake up, you’re 30, your mates are having kids while I’ve just been having the best time in a band. But sometimes it’s almost not real in a way. So that joined us together, and a lot of the songs have that feeling in them.”

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Lead guitarist Will Rees (Credit: Wenn)

“The love of music (got us through) I know it sounds corny. That and the inability to do anything else. We made that choice 10 years ago. It was that whole feeling of ’s**t’. And it’s kind of part of the record.”

Though they have shared chart space with the likes of Coldplay, Mystery Jets aren’t cut from the same cloth and look elsewhere for inspiration.

Will said: “Chris Martin, writes genius pop songs, there’s no doubt about it. Every album they put out there’s a couple of tracks that are hits on it. But taste wise, it’s not what we’re interested in.

“Now is the age of the one man band, or the producer, Tame Impala is one man, James Blake is one man, there’s so many people that can do it all and do do it all and produce beautiful work.“

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Blaine on stage at BST Hyde Park (Credit: Scott Garfitt/REX/Shutterstock)

They’d love to work with Alabama Shakes collaborator Blake Mills and mention talented Londoner Isaac Gracie - who offers a soothing but gravelly voice teamed with heart wrenching lyrics - as one to listen out for.

Kapil tells us the band has visited Japan eight times and touring has always been their genesis.

He said: “We live to tour. Being in the studio for so long, you’re just dreaming of going out there and playing to people, it’s about sharing it in that way. Doing it face to face. It’s the best thing.”

Will added: “(In the early days) we used to sleep in a field, summers we’d just camp out in fields, we’d shop in a supermarket and wouldn’t bother taking any of the food out of the trolley, we’d just eat out of it in the carpark.”

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In 2008 with original bassist Kai Fish, right (Credit: Wenn)

Mystery Jets set off again in October and will show love to “all the places that don’t get a lot of love” around the UK and a date in Paris and Utrecht, says Kapril, for good measure. But first, the drummer is set to marry his one true love on a sleepy Greek island and is surely thinking about the beautiful day ahead.

Well, kind of.

He joked: “We wanted to do plate smashing, I was like, the only reason I want to get married in Greece is I want to smash some f*****g plates. She’s well up for it… We’re just trying to work it all out, it’s a tiny island.”

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Jack, Blaine, Will and Kapil on Saturday Kitchen in April (Credit: Rex)

“It’s a super sleepy place, so we’re trying to sort some s**t out, I think I’ll still be sorting it out on the wedding day.”

We ask whether his bandmates will take to the stage at the reception and perform a romantic musical medley for the newlyweds. In bounds young Jack, who rocks a warm grin, wild hair and an infectious energy and suggests Will should do a cover of Stevie Wonder’s hit Isn’t She Lovely, for his old pal and the bride.

We hope he does.