Friends Like These: Jack Antonoff and Claud

Earlier this year, Jack Antonoff set out on tour across the US with his band Bleachers. Playing songs from the group’s riotous and reflective third album ‘Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night’, it marked a triumphant return to the stage.

But despite being thrilled to be back performing live, the tour felt different to previous ones. Supported by indie-pop artist Claud, both artists had to be careful to keep themselves and their audience members safe and avoid COVID, meaning time was often spent in their designated bubbles.

“We just did the craziest tour. We were on tour together, but we were in separate bubbles,” Antonoff explains in the latest instalment of NME’s Friends Like These. “So [Claud and I] interacted in a very distant, strange and infrequent way. It was a fucking joy to be back on tour… but not being able to hang out with the people you’re on tour with sucked.”

The pair first met when Claud supported Bleachers back in 2019. This time around, the rising artist joined Bleachers on-stage to perform ‘Secret Life’ from the band’s new record. Singing Lana Del Rey’s part of the tune, Claud added their own twist to the track. “It was fun, I loved it every time,” says Claud of the experience. “I love that song, it was one of my favourites on the album.”

For their own set, Claud shared songs from debut album ‘Super Monster’, which was released in February. “It was almost like meeting people for the first time,” they say of releasing the record. “It feels really nice, it’s very validating. It’s a reminder that I have an imagination and I’m a creative person. Parts of it surprised people, and there was stuff that made people think about things in ways that they hadn’t before, and it was really exciting.”

Elsewhere in the latest episode of NME’s Friends Like These, the tour mates and musical pals discuss their new records, their first-ever live shows and what motivates them as musicians. Watch the video in full above.