Splendour Festival preview: In Conversation with Editors

LeftLion: Well, I guess we should start by talking about the recently announced big news – Surface, Echo & Sound, your new album dropping in October. When did you first start working on this project and what were the goals that you set out for this latest studio offering?

Russ: We started it in May 2025, so just over a year ago. Funnily enough The Rush, which has just come out, that one we did this time last year. It sums it [the album] up really, with how it sounds. We just got back into a room and played as a band because, as time goes by, you just don't do it so often. I know that sounds weird, but when you're in the touring world, you're just playing the songs that are already completed and rehearsed. Then even when you go into a studio, everyone's got their lives and families, so you have to try and schedule it around that. 

But this time, we just wanted to spend a lot more time in a room together. So, we hired a place for four months and then just worked Monday to Friday. Just playing around and finding that energy that you get from when you write a song just as a stripped-back thing. Because that's what I think translates when people hear it from the other side.

Absolutely, I'd say the two singles you've released so far - Call It In, which is obviously the spiritual title track, and The Rush - both immediately feel like classic tracks within your discography. How did those two songs come together, did you know early on that those two would be the singles?

Tom [Smith, Editors’ frontman] had the demos, he sent them through and we knew that they had got hooks in already with the vocals. So, then it was our job to try and get a bit more energy with the riffs, leading lines and all those types of things.

Call It In was a funny one, because we had a different version of it. As we went to record it, and even when Tom was singing it in the studio, we thought that was going to be the final version - but it just wasn't working, so we had to scrap it. We then had to go back and just play it ourselves, just a driving bass and the drums. They are still Editors' drums, but with more space in them for the segway bits.

Both those songs are a bit more The Police, Thin Lizzy… that kind of classic rock, which I guess is a bit rarer for us to doff our cap to! But we do listen to a lot of things like that - Tom Petty and REM too, those were all in the melting pots of influence for those two tunes.

Based off those two tracks this album already feels more rustic, especially compared to EBM, the electronic record that you made last time with producer Blanck Mass. Was that a conscious decision after he stepped away from the band, or was it just how the songs came together?

Yeah, they go hand-in-hand, I think. We love Ben [Power, Blanck Mass], what he's done and the writing he did with EBM - it's got its place. You know, we might do something else at some point, and it might be a different thing where we play together in a room like we have just done, and then Ben adds his textures and things like that later. Or if he wants to get in and do a different vibe, then we're open to it. 

But for us, just playing together with a guitar, bass and drums and figuring out the song - that was a reaction I guess to a digital record where everything's just programmed in on synthesizers. It's quite rigid and tight, and we definitely didn’t want this album to feel like that.

It comes across that way as well with the energy and looseness in those singles. It’s great you’re still making new music; a lot of 00s-era bands now are doing the big anniversary tours. Have you ever discussed or been approached for one of those?

Yeah, they've come up! I've been to a couple as well; I went to see Interpol do Turn On The Bright Lights a couple of years ago and a few others I can’t remember. They've been alright and I don't hate it but, for us, we never shy away from those songs that we played back in the day anyway. So yeah, I think we just didn't want to go and do it to be honest.

You never know though, I prefer it when it’s an anniversary of how long the band's been going. I mean, we've been going a while now - 24 years! So maybe the 30-year anniversary we will do an Editors’ greatest hits tour. But we don't shy away from that older material, so right now it doesn't feel like a necessary thing to do.

I think the bands that do that as well, often they've got that one defining album - whereas I think with you guys, it is more of a full discography. 

Yeah, definitely. Whenever I go through our catalogue - because we've just been designing the set list for the tour - it's like, what should we play off all of these? We play about 40 different Editors’ songs, and then you tick them off the blackboard and go: “No, that's not going to make the set.” And then obviously sometimes they work out the other way. 

But yeah, we don’t have the seminal album where it's like: “that has to go on it, all the time.” You know, there's a few misses on everything and some good bits on other things too.

Well, a lot of good things I would say! So now that you are over 20 years into your career, what is it that still drives you to keep creating?

Oh, we're institutionalised! *laughs* 

When I go to the job centre it's like, what have I done since I was 18? I’ve just played bass – I’m screwed! *laughs*

But yeah, you just get the buzz, don't you? It's an absolute privilege. I mean, we went through two years of COVID where you can't do your job and I did miss it. Going out, playing some shows, seeing friends, all that type of stuff… that's the important things in life.

When you're soundtracking someone's life as well, we get some nice comments about how the music's helped in places, and you do realise that your work's been validated. Once we've done a song, it’s then for the people and it becomes something else, which is quite poignant – it’s a cool thing.

Before we get onto Splendour, I noticed you're also doing quite a few European festivals this summer including three in Belgium, a country obviously very close to your heart. From performances I’ve seen on YouTube, your music seems to sometimes resonate more with European crowds than it does domestically. What would you put that down to - is it just that Editors’ sound is more fitting to the style of music that they gravitate towards over there? 

Maybe. I think they like alternative guitar music more than the straight-up guitar music that I guess we'd have in the UK. There's definitely things that work in the UK and not in Europe.

I think the thing was that we went over and played there at the time when we were blowing up in the UK - a lot of other bands didn't, they just stayed in the UK. Whereas we were playing Ally Pally, and then the next night going to play a club in Germany to 300 people. But we had the attitude that you’ve just got to get on with it.

Then we were given the opportunity in 2012 to headline Rock Werchter [a 90,000 capacity festival in Belgium] and that was a defining moment for the band. With everything that had been going on, it solidified the new lineup and now we're still doing it today.

So yeah, I don't know - there's never been a definite answer. I think hopefully with the record coming out, we'll remind people that we are a British band and that we're still here.

Looking ahead to Splendour Festival then, you've obviously been coming to play in Nottingham for as long as you've been going as a band. Your gig at Rock City next year, I looked it up and it will be your sixth show in that venue alone. Have you got any fond memories of playing in Nottingham over the years? 

Oh, it's always a great show that place. The Midlands obviously has been our home and so we just always love going back to play that venue. It's just historic, isn't it? That was one that was always on my list of tour dates, when I used to go see Rage Against The Machine or someone, I would be looking out for (Wolverhampton) Civic Hall or Rock City. It's just a legendary part of the circuit. 

And at Splendour you’re topping the bill with Snow Patrol – are you excited to be playing with those guys?

Yeah, we go back a long time with Snow Patrol - they were one of the big supporters of our band when we first came out. We got to know Gary [Lightbody, Snow Patrol frontman] and Nathan [Connolly, guitarist] really well early on, because Jacknife Lee [producer] worked with them on their records, and then did An End Has A Start for us. 

So, there was the Irish link-up and we've been friends with them for a long time, so it's nice to share the stage. Again, they've got some great songs so it should be a really good evening. It's a shame [Splendour] is not happening again, but we'll be glad to do it - we'll go out with a bang.

Editors will play the final ever Splendour Festival on Sunday, 19 July 2026. You can get limited 2-for-1 day tickets for the festival now via Alt-Tickets here. The band will also release their new album Surface, Echo & Sound on Friday 30th October 2026 and play Rock City in support of the record on Monday 8th March 2027. You can get tickets for the Rock City here.

@editorsofficial