Flamingo Pier on ‘Woven Together’, Creative Freedom and Bringing Their World to the Stage
Flamingo Pier began with a practical ambition: make music they could play at their own parties in Hackney Wick. More than a decade later, that idea has grown into a world encompassing records, international tours, a Waiheke Island festival and a live band that brings their music well beyond the DJ booth.
For Luke Walker, Dom Jones and Brad Craig, those different sides of the project have never been separate. They have shaped one another, bringing new collaborators into the studio and new possibilities to the stage. It is a fitting backdrop for Woven Together, their second album and the first they have written, produced and released entirely on their own terms.
“We like to say woven together in life and on the dancefloor as it feels much bigger than the three of us now,” the trio explain. “We’ve created some pretty epic memories together over the years, the people we’ve met and collaborated with through the festival and parties all have an influence and leave their mark on us.”
The album arrives five years after their debut LP, following a run of EPs and extensive touring. That cycle had kept Flamingo Pier moving, but left little room to explore ideas without an imminent release or show on the horizon.
“We wanted to clear the schedule for this project and just write with no real plan or deadline in mind. We left a lot of tracks and ideas on the cutting room floor and whittled it down to the best of the bunch.”
Working independently gave them space to follow ideas that might not have suited a particular label. It also brought the less glamorous responsibility of deciding when the record was finished.
“There was a moment where we had to pull our heads in and say ok lets finish this thing! Otherwise you’re just forever tweaking and sitting on a bunch of half songs.”
That freedom is audible in the singles. ‘Cool Nights’ carries an Italo shimmer, ‘No Excuses’ pushes forward on piano-led energy, while ‘Glowdown’ takes a slower route. Rather than forcing those starting points into a predetermined sound, the group relied on their shared process to bring the songs together.
“Those tracks in particular were started by one of us and finished by the group, so while the initial spark pulls it in one direction, once we each lay our parts down it ends up feeling like Flamingo Pier.”
A consistent live drum sound, recurring synths and Luke’s mixing helped establish a common thread. ‘Be The Same’, meanwhile, draws from Outkast and Timbaland, particularly the drum production and spacious arrangements of their era.
“The hip hop records from that era just sound so great so we wanted to pull some of that feeling into an FP track.”
The album was made primarily in Auckland, where the pace of life offered a contrast to the London environment that helped establish the group. Although Flamingo Pier do not consciously write to evoke a particular place, their surroundings inevitably affect the conditions in which music is made.
“The city also has 53 small volcanoes so we’d sometimes walk up the ones close to the studio and get a view of the city and ocean. It feels like you’re on the edge of the world here and it can seem very quiet, especially after living in London.”
That relative quiet gave them room to focus on a longer project. The album also brings the three founding members into closer focus than some of their earlier releases, while retaining the contributions of musicians within their wider community. Lou’ana sings on ‘Be The Same’, Elijah White plays drums on several tracks, and regular percussionist Issac Chadderton contributes congas and bongos throughout.
Those relationships reflect the way Flamingo Pier has grown. The parties led to the music, the music developed into a live project, and the festival continues to introduce people who become part of the records or performances.
“People we meet through the festival end up playing on our records, or opening an interesting door for the live band that we wouldn’t have found otherwise, so it’s pretty interconnected at this point.”
With Woven Together complete, their attention has shifted towards the stage. The record’s emphasis on live drums, musicianship and shared performance gives the trio a new opportunity to show audiences what Flamingo Pier can be beyond the studio.
“This record really shines when played with a live band so we’re hoping to connect with people more in that way. It’s also opened up our sound in some new and interesting ways so I think there's some more depth for us and our audience to explore there too.”
For a project that began by making records for its own dancefloor, the next chapter is about bringing more people into that experience. Woven Together draws on the relationships and creative freedom Flamingo Pier have built over the years, while leaving space for the music, and the community around it, to keep growing.
