We chat to Ibibio Sound Machine's Eno Williams ahead of the band's Rescue Rooms show

It has been a month since the release of Chopping Mountain. Congrats on another phenomenal album, how has life been since the release?

Life since its release has been great! We have had tons of positive feedback and a lot of great press which is exactly what you want after a release. We have done two shows of our tour already and we found it extremely nerve wracking getting the new songs ready and on the road. You write the music, make the record and then you have a huge gap until you are actually on a stage playing the tracks in front of an audience and it is extremely daunting.

Our show in Bristol was a big one but the audience and their energy really made us feel welcome and the songs received the reception they deserved.

We want to work this album for as long as we can too and not straight away think about the next one. We are always writing and making new music, even at sound check we just jam some different ideas and Max [saxophonist and producer of Chopping Mountain] will record the jam and as a band we revisit the recording and see if we can make something from it.

What does this album mean to you and are there any artists that inspired Chopping Mountain?

This album means a lot to us as it was created in a very similar way to our debut, self-titled album. Our saxophonist Max produced this one which is a process that we haven’t really done in over a decade. It made Chopping Mountain really feel like a home grown, family project where we could bounce ideas in our own space and create something we are all really proud of. 

Lots of artists and inspiration are also referenced and clearly influential within this album; a lot of afrobeat, drum and percussion influence was fuelled into the album as we wanted that dancey feel that can be heard in tracks like When You Want to Dance as well as in our collaboration with Dele Sosimi, someone whom we adore and are heavily inspired by. Talking Heads has also been a big influence throughout our music making process but ultimately we like to listen to an array of tracks and try and find inspiration throughout all genres in new music from around the world to keep it fresh.

It has been 12 years since your debut album. Looking back to then compared to now, what do you think you have learnt in making music?

With Max producing the album it really did feel like we went back to our beginning and the traditional African roots with a more Highlife feel. Just going back to the basics meant that we could take our time and trial and error with ideas instead of feeling the pressure of a debut release. It was nice to work with the producers on the other albums too as we could see how theft worked, how they made their own sound and took influence from their practice and applied it to our creativity and how we work.

The tour is well underway and you are renowned for an amazing live stage presence. How does the tour feel this time?

It is really nice this time as it is evenly spaced out with two or three shows a week leading up to our London show, but it is always nice to be on the road, see and revisit places and explore while meeting new and returning fans. Just to share the moment and share the love is what we love most about touring and each time is always different leaving that very welcomed element of surprise.

It also helps with this tour that I love each city that we are visiting.

What can we expect from this tour - and are the outfits going to continue to be showstopping?

Aside from the new songs and revised set we have a few surprises up our sleeve alongside myself doing things I have not done before on such a greater scale! I was just trying on some outfits before this interview to check if they still fit with the added bonus that the guys are upping their style and playing the part that is Ibibio Sound Machine. 

Let's go back to summer 2022, opening for Coldplay at Wembley Stadium. Tell me about that!

I love Coldplay! I find their music really inspiring and I think their bassist Guy [Berryman] discovered a love for our music and had the band's manager reach out to us and ask if we would open for them during their London shows. Chris [Martin] is also extremely involved with smaller artists and world music and loves to give acts like ours a platform on the scale they perform on and that is something we’ll forever be grateful for.

Just playing Wembley was so surreal and the band left us a lovely card with a beautiful message backstage. We unfortunately didn’t get to meet the band as time ran short between sets and they had to take to the stage but maybe another time we will get to open for them and finally meet!

Are there any other big moments that stand out to you?

We are just continuously proud and happy that we are able to make and release music in this difficult industry and challenging times. Every time we are able to produce music and get it out always marks a milestone that we ingrain as a monumental moment for Ibibio Sound Machine. Making the music really is the heart of it and that fact we can stay true to ourselves and people keep coming back and buying the records is something that always stands out to us. 

What unique advice would you give to musicians aspiring to achieve the same success as ISM? 

The key is to believe in yourself, stay true to yourself and don’t stop. It is a hard and long road and results can sometimes feel like an eternity to see but they are there waiting for you as long as you keep going. 

Chopping Mountain is out now on all platforms and available on CD and vinyl. Ibibio Sound Machine are also on tour and tickets are still available and quickly selling for their anticipated return to Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms on 24 October.