LAR EADE-GREEN PRESENTING ELLIS OF TRUST FUND

It was the Autumn/ Winter of 2013 and I was living in a flat above a bookshop, which turned out to have a very leaky roof! We would be rudely awoken by a drip, drip, drip and begrudgingly get out of bed to try and collect the rain drops in buckets, with the water seeming to appear from everywhere. It was around this time that I got numerous tweets from Ellis (AKA TRUST FUND) asking whether he could crash on my sofa after playing a gig. The leaky roof did not deter him! These were the days when Ellis was touring lonesome with a little help from Mat Riveire. Fast forward a year or two and he is now playing with a full band and after numerous smaller releases (including a split EP with Joanna Gruesome) has just released his debut album No One’s Coming For Us via Turnstile Music!

I am very happy to present to you my email interview with Ellis from Trust Fund!

Hello, how are you today?

Eurgh, I’m ok. Can’t sleep at the moment and haven’t really spoken to anyone in 4 days cos feeling quite anxious. My dad reads every Trust Fund interview there is though, so dad if you’re reading this, don’t worry.

You have released your debut album ‘No one’s coming for us’ through Turnstile, which is all very exciting….

Yeah, I agree that it is exciting, and a couple of months on it still feels exciting to me so that’s good I guess. They asked to put it out after it was already finished, which surprised me cos i thought it was maybe not recorded well enough for them to want to put out. But they didn’t wanna change anything and they have been very supportive so far, and have let me choose obnoxious artwork (for this album and for the next album).

Reeks of Effort have released ‘No one’s coming for us’ and your EP ‘Don’t let them begin’ on cassette, as well as you having two tracks on Sick of Hits vol.2 limited edition tape… What do you like about cassettes?

Nothing really? I like them fine, but Max who runs RoE is into tapes, and so it’s his choice rather than mine. I guess to an extent it’s about resisting ‘mainstream’ formats or whatever, and trying to create space for yourself away from that, but I think the format is only a small part of doing that — record store day and stuff maybe shows how you can’t keep a format safe from big label interference cos if there’s money there then they will just come back.

When I saw you play in 2013 you were playing solo with a little help from Mat Riviere and you both slept on my sofa. You now have a band behind you, how did that come about?

I think the band just sounded better than me on my own (Mat is a great drummer so that was always good), and I gradually got less confident about playing without them, and enjoying playing with them so much more.

Are the days where you were travelling to shows by public transport and sleeping on peoples sofas behind you!? What are your top survival tips for doing tours on a small budget?

Nooo that is still mainly what is happening. I think we have stayed in a hotel a few times but it has always felt like a bizarre novelty. i don’t have any advice really, sorry. Just do what you want.

You have been on tour supporting your debut album, how do you and your band normally entertain yourself when you are on the road? Have you got any fun tour stories?

We play Jelaball.

When I saw you in Manchester you were all talking about your stage banter! How is your stage banter coming along?

Umm quite badly I think. Roxy has a thing where she makes a joke about “#TheDress” at every show. I think it is pretty hilarious but either people have never heard of the dress in some cities (including Cardiff and London which seems unlikely), or they have a very short/selective memory. It is usually met by silence.

On your 7 date Feb ’15 tour you travelled from Bristol to Glasgow so I am sure you have spent lots and lots of time on motorways. What is your favourite service station?

They are all the same to me except for Tebay which I dislike.

I did a Health degree and can’t help being a little concerned that bands will struggle to have a healthy balanced diet when they are touring. I can just imagine everyone eating copious amounts of crisps from service stations. What is your staple diet when you are on tour?

Umm I have a lot of M&S salads? And a lot of crisps but crisps make me feel bad. Sometimes I sit in a massage chair at the services but they aren’t on and it’s uncomfortable.

What are your favourite veggie/ vegan places to eat?

In Leeds (where I live now) it is probably Grove Cafe or New Ho Garden. Although what I mainly like from New Ho Garden is things in satay sauce, but my friend Emily told me how to make it and now I can do it myself kinda.

What have you been listening to on repeat recently?

Infinity Crush and also just people talking to help me sleep.

I see that you are on the Green Man line-up!! I went there last year and it is such a beautiful festival. What else do you have lined-up for 2015?

Not much else in the summer, maybe another couple of shows. Then Autumn/Winter will be busy hopefully.

You can get yourself a copy of No One’s Coming For Us here! 

Interview by Lar Eade-Green
Answers by Ellis