In a year of fantastic album releases, The Antlers’ 'Burst Apart' is up there with the best. Sensual, bleak and introspective, yet lush and compelling, it lights up the darker corners of your psyche with its soulful electronics and Peter Silberman’s haunting, soaring voice. Fans will be treated to a one-off midnight performance of the LP from start to finish at Islington’s independent Screen on the Green cinema in August, and in anticipation of this special night, we caught up with Peter for a quick-fire round of questioning.  

WHAT'S…

…cooking?
Dinner at my parents' house.  I came up to visit them for a night.

…the thing that makes you smile?
Lots of things.  Summer, right now.

…your favourite sound?
Faraway thunder getting closer.

…your earliest memory?
My 4th birthday, sitting at a table I could barely see over.  Right before my family moved further upstate.

…the worst thing about being on the road?
It's hard to keep in regular contact with people.  Tour's kind of a time-warp and you don't realize how much time has passed until you've been home awhile.

…the most beautiful place on earth?
The house I grew up in.  It's an old farmhouse with a bunch of fields behind it.  I've seen a ton of really beautiful places in the world after so much touring but this is still my favorite.

…the last book you read?
Sirens Of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

…the best thing about being in The Antlers?
Daily disbelief that this is my job.

How are you feeling about the response to Burst Apart?
Proud and relieved.  I love this record completely and am so happy other people do too.

One of the songs is called ‘Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out’ – do you have any recurring dreams? 
I used to have that recurring dream of my teeth falling out, I guess when I was more wound up and anxious.  These days I'm way calmer and my dreams don't really make a lot of sense.  When I'm on tour, I end up dreaming about tour, which is confusing because it becomes less clear what's real and what's a dream.

Tell us about your show at Islington’s Screen on the Green.  
Small shows are fun.  We don't get to do many of them these days so it's a cool way to do something different, for us and for fans.  And any time a show sounds strange and unusual, we're pretty excited to do it.  We hope we get to play in a planetarium someday.

The Antlers will be playing London’s Screen on the Green at midnight on Wednesday 24th August, 2011

Text by Laura Foster