Editors' Tom Smith Worried About Being Forgotten by 'Transient' Fans

If you ask Editors frontman Tom Smith what he feels is the best moment his band has experienced, the singer doesn't reply that it was when their third album, 'In This Light and on This Evening,' followed its predecessor to No. 1 on the UK charts last year.

"It was an amazing feeling when that happened," Smith tells Spinner about hitting the top spot. "As a band, we've had many cool moments. You can count playing Glastonbury or something like that, but to me, the best moment in any band's career is when you sign a record deal. So, when we quit our jobs in Birmingham and got in a s----y van and started playing to 30 people a night, surviving on no money, having a record deal and being on tour, that is still the most amazing thing."

Despite the band's success since signing in 2004, Smith admits that he still has insecurities about being forgotten by fans. "It's been the most successful record we've put out," he says of 'Into This Light.' "The first two records built the foundation, but you never know. The record buying public can seem a bit transient these days. You think, 'I wonder if people have forgotten about us.'"

One thing that's helped him feel more confident is a turn away from disposable music culture and the digital download single of the last decade. The resurgence of the EP and full-length album formats is a trend that helps bands achieve longevity outside of one-hit wonderdom.

"The majority of people who buy or download music from the Top 10, the top of the charts stuff, they don't want to listen to more than the hit song," Smith says. "But there are people who are scared of the album format dying away. People are rebelling and digging their heels in and saying, 'No, we love albums.' To a lot of people, the idea of sitting and listening to a whole album is an old-fashioned concept, but part of the public is going back to that way of listening."