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Hey, there he is. THERE HE IS.
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>> HEY, >> [cheering] >> JUST THOUGHT WE'D BRING YOU IN ON A LITTLE DIRTY 303 action.
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I hope you don't mind, bro. I hope you don't mind.
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>> I was going to say, what some filter is that?
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>> That's some boys noise filter right there. What's going on, buddy? I missed you, man. What's happening? >> How are you?
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>> Yeah, I'm doing great. Long time no see, man.
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You've been busy living your life, making your music, doing your thing, and it just seems to me like you found a beautiful balance, man.
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So, you tell us, but there's light in your eyes and the music sounds free, bro. So, congrats. >> Thank you very much. Yeah, I know.
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It's been Yeah, it was a fun record to make and it feels good. It feels feels like me.
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>> It feels like you had to rush it at all, you know?
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It feels like you know, you just waited for the songs to come and pick the right people and really try to to your point enjoy the experience, which hasn't always and isn't always the case for any artist.
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At times it feels like you kind of being pushed into a even with the best of intention and to a creative space in order to capitalize or just to grab something when it's there.
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This doesn't sound like that to me. Is that fair to say? >> No, very fair.
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>> No, very fair. I think coming off the back of 2024, I've spent the whole year touring, playing to arenas of people all over the world, and I just felt like I had like a I felt like a like first time of like belonging and like the the fans were there for me and you know, seeing those arenas full of
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people, it just made me want to I was listening and getting an idea of what they liked from previous albums and just tried to lean into the more of that when I went into the studio and just made me more excited to just get in there and make live music and free music and yeah, and just get in there. It makes me think of what, you know, the
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It makes me think of what, you know, the next tour is going to be like.
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>> I was going to say, I mean, was that tour the tipping point for you or where you really were able to kind of to your point identify who you are today and look at the faces of the people in attendance and know that that's who they've come to see and it's not some kind of crossover effect that you are actually have a clean road map ahead of you to build your own journey now free of any of the stuff love it all or otherwise, you know? >> Yeah. Yeah, I know exactly.
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You know, I think there's trial and error in everything we do creatively.
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You have to you have to paint a few pictures before you get you know, you can get the nice ones but um >> Yeah.
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>> But uh yeah, I know I I think the tour did a lot for me and the success of the last album and and stuff like that just gave me a confidence just go in and stand behind the mic, set up a band, jam, see what came from it and release it.
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It's as simple as that for me on this record and I think I hopefully across the album I think you can probably hear that.
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>> What was the first song do you remember and did it make it onto the album when you sat down you when you got off tour and you sat down and you really tried to apply yourself like, "Okay, I feel something stirring.
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There's music that needs to be get out of me.
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I need to start this process whatever shape it takes."
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And you picked up a guitar or sat behind a piano and you just started to kind of figure something out.
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Did did did the first ideation make it or was it something else?
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>> Um always the first thing that I had. I can't really remember.
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can't really remember. Oh, then it could have been Taste So Good cuz the whole the whole idea was that you know, I can the Julian Bennett and John Rain came out to a few shows on the tour um and just for them to see it live, see the show come alive see the music come alive, watch the faces of the fans, see what they were into and I think the one
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thing the three of us took away from it was we are literally going to stand in a room, we're going to be the band and we're going to jam it out and I think Taste So Good was probably the first thing that we played and when you hear that when you hear that song, it's it just sounds like it it sounds like three dudes in a in a room jamming and that's exactly what it is. >> Can you paint the picture of what that
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>> Can you paint the picture of what that room is like?
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I mean, I think fans of myself as one of them would love to know beyond the idea of three dudes with guitars jamming out a song. What's on the table? What's the agenda?
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What time of day it is it?
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You know, is there a glass of Pinot in the hand or something stronger?
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Like what's going on when you're actually just trying to get these songs out of your system?
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>> Well, we're down in for for that song in particular, we're in Nashville.
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We did a lot of like traveling for this show or this this uh >> album, yeah.
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>> For this album, we were kind of just like bouncing around the place.
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We'd rent a house in We rented a house in Austin.
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We rented a house in Well, we stayed in Julian's house in Nashville.
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We rented a house here in Surrey and outside of London.
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And it's just like having a few beers, jamming, maybe going to There was a tennis court or something.
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We'd go and hit a few balls.
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>> [laughter] >> We'd come back.
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Literally, we'd have the whole the whole band set up.
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>> What you guys Fleetwood Mac?
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Like who goes [laughter] out and plays some tennis in between vocal takes?
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>> Uh a little bit less intense than Fleetwood, but >> [laughter] >> Okay, fine.
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No inter-band like horrific divorces and high-energy cocaine habits, but apart from that, a lot of Fleetwood Mac energy, a lot of tennis energy.
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I love this >> just good fun, you know, cuz like we I would just get on a mic with I'd have a guitar in my hand, Julian on the drums, John playing whatever synth or bass or whatever.
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And we just We just wanted to make the record as simple as possible, you know, and not add not over-add tracks just for the sake of it.
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It was very much a a basic, you know, the four or five instruments on it a lot of the way through the record. It was just us jamming.
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You know, coming up with melodies on the spot.
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Now, that'd be a good part.
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That'd be a good part for this.
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That'd be a good part for that.
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And then just then get catching a vibe and then writing the lyrics. >> How fun. How fun.
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I mean And also giving you giving all of you things to look forward to, taking a break and then being like, "Hey, you know, why don't we go to Austin and Airbnb somewhere really cool and just spend a week and just hang out and make music fun. That's our job."
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Like that's As Brian Eno says, that's just playtime.
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>> Lit- literally, by the way.
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And because it it can get like, you know what it's like.
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You've been around it long enough.
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You've seen how it works.
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It It You get You go to these sessions sometimes and it's a it feels like a 9-5 sometimes and you're like, "No, that's not how it that's not how it is."
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And we just yeah, we rent these houses.
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We'd stay up till stupid o'clock in the morning making tracks and making beats and stuff like that and then, you know, enjoy ourselves and have a few drinks and write a few songs and that's the way it's supposed to be.
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And definitely I get the best out of myself with that cuz like if you're doing session after session after session, you're kind of going to studio sometimes just going like, "All right, what do we do now?" >> Yeah, yeah, yeah. You've done that. You've done that. You've done that.
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You've been on that treadmill, man.
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And you may end up end on it again end up on it again.
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Look, I mean life is full of twists and turns, but man, to to to keep it present um there's a lot of people around the world who are listening in.
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A lot of people who love you.
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Uh a lot of people who've loved you for a long time.
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Boy, those 1D fans are eating this year.
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I mean it it must it [laughter] must make you laugh to some degree that the four of you have all been tucked away doing your and every single one of you has dropped one after the other after the other after the other this year. It's crazy.
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It's almost like there's some kind of Illuminati meeting happening, which we know's not happening, but it feels super dialed in. It's crazy.
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>> No, it it is nuts that all of us are basically coming at the same time.
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I I literally went to watch Louis in Paris a couple of nights ago. That show was great.
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And hearing his new record live was was really cool as well.
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Um yeah, we're all we're all going at the same time. It's pretty wild. >> How was the show?
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What did he Does he Is he having fun on that tour?
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I mean cuz I caught up with him face-to-face not long ago and it struck me that he was very, very keen to make a very deep record, but then go out there and find the joy in it.
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Has he Is he finding the joy in the music? >> Yeah, I know.
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He's definitely looks like he's having a lot of fun up there.
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Uh I'm speaking to him and I he's kind of in a similar spot to me where he's just kind of like that freedom of like knowing where you are musically and just being able to go do it and then get out in front of the fans who have loved and adored and new fans and stuff like that.
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So it's it's it's pretty cool to watch him get up there and enjoy and and he's singing great and he sounds Yeah, the whole band sounds great. The show looks cool. So, good for him.
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>> It's really cool for all of us to see all of you guys, you know, continuing continuing to establish a life that is your own.
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And it And it's not lost to me that behind you right now, you know, you've got these kind of reminders of of what you've achieved, you know, these moon men and and these like MTV Europe Awards and these VMAs and all these things that sort of come with the with being in the club, you know what I mean? Those rooms are clubs.
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It's like, "Oh, I'm in the club for a night, you know, I guess."
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I'm sitting in a row and I'm If I get up on stage, I'm I'm like I'm right there, you know, this is awesome.
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But like the most important thing to to to which I think we're establishing on this call and over the course of our friendship as we're talking more is that it's about album 30, isn't it?
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Isn't it about album number 30?
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Isn't it about getting to that place where you can live a life in service to the music that's in you?
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>> For me, it's all about that, you know, just keep just keep doing it.
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As long as the the fans keep wanting it, that's all I want to hear, you know, I I love doing what I do.
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It's the I feel like as I said to you before, like the older I get, the more aware, the more grateful you you be you become, the more you take it all in and um and I'm just loving this like I wouldn't say it's a challenge, but I'm just loving the evolution. >> Yeah.
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>> The challenge of the evolution, if you like, like watching it just or what's the next thing?
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What's What does What does 30 3-year-old Niall sound like?
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What does 36-year-old Niall sound like?
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And And that actually makes me really excited.
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Um Yeah, and I feel like the the way music is these days, it's getting more It's becoming more live.
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Um especially in the pop sphere and and and I'm really enjoying that because it's something I've been waiting in the wings for, you know, I've wanted to make the live as sound an album as possibly could and I just didn't think at the time music was doing that.
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So, it's it's kind of It's nice to be in this position now where I can just pick up a guitar and jam with the boys and that's the record. >> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. Exactly.
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I mean, that's that's clearly who you are in your heart and soul is that person who just has that very, very close relationship with your instrument, your songs, and with golf, as well.
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>> [laughter] >> Um how's your handicap?
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>> Oh, it hasn't been great.
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I picked up a club recently after four or five months away from it with the bad winter we had here, and it was it was like swinging sledgehammers.
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I'd no idea what I was [laughter] doing.
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>> It's the most heartbreaking game I've ever tried my hand at.
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You know, I I literally had one good day at the driving range where I was hitting some pretty consistent sort of shots, and I and I and I swing in the club well, and I was taking good lessons, and I said, "Okay, I'm ready to go out on the green and do a couple of holes."
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And my and my teacher was like, "I don't know if you are."
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>> [laughter] >> And he and he and he took me out there.
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I was like, "No, I'm going to be fine."
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And it took me like 15 minutes to get round one hole.
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I mean, he was he was spending his entire time on a golf cart chasing my balls, man. And wait.
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>> [laughter] >> Woah, buddy.
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>> How did you How did you not drop a pause in there?
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That was so It was so ready for that.
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But no, seriously, he was just chasing my shots around left, right, and center, man.
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It's It's a It's a fun >> We should go and play it.
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We should Let me Let me Let me teach you. >> Would you teach me? >> Yeah, I'll teach you. I'll take you out.
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We don't live too far from each other. I can do that. >> All right, man.
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I'm going to come and find you.
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We're going to play this song called "Little More Time." And um >> Yeah.
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>> You know, I love this song.
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I'm so glad you're sharing it with everybody as a representation of the body of work in itself, but we're here to find out what you love about this song.
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>> This is my favorite song in the album.
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I don't know what it is about it.
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It gives me like a It takes me back to when we wrote in the studio.
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I wrote it with Steph Jones and Rocky Block. And we're in Nashville.
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I just love that feeling like this could collapse on its face or it could be the biggest song in the world, and it wouldn't make a difference to me.
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I just have this like You know when you just you have you make something and you're just like so proud of it straight away from first listen.
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Yeah, this song is this song is like this song is basically about me not wanting to leave my house, you know, and having these roots for the first time and and just wanting to spend more time here a little more time if you like.
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And yeah, and I just love the the kind of 90s jam feel it has to it.
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And yeah, it feels loose and I love singing it and it just it just makes me feel really good.
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So I'm very proud of this song.
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I can't wait for everyone to hear it in its totality.
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I think it's just come out.
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So I'm pretty sure it is.
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>> minutes old and we're going to play it right now on the show.
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It is so such a joy to see you so content but also as curious and restless as ever man.
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That is that is the balance and congratulations.
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The brand new album Dinner Party June 5th.
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Thanks for touching base with us on the show man.
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Please come see us when the album comes out.
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You know, the door is always open but I love hanging out with you in person and talking. And uh >> You too, man.
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>> Yeah, I don't know what you signed up for on my golf swing which you are fans.
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>> [laughter] >> But but you made the commitment. I'm coming to find you.
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Now it's so good to see you.
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We love you here at Apple bro. Take care man. Have a great day. >> See you, mate.