What is your genre of music?
I’d say a mix of rock and punk, occasionally throwing in some other things, too. It’s the natural sounds of us playing, I guess.
How did you come up with band’s name?
I was fourteen and in French class in school, writing a list of ideas for band names and knew instantly I’d keep that one.
For those who are new to your music, give us a little bio about you and the band.
Well, I formed the band when I was at school and have a revolving door policy with members but it’s always a three-piece. Same kind of rock-punk style as when we started. We’ve made four albums and after originally being based around the north of England, we’re now based in London.
You’ve been in the industry for 22 years now, how do you think it has changed?
I like that anyone can release something and have it heard by people, but as the other side of that, there’s now more garbage than ever before.
You recently released your new album ‘In Bed with Medusa’, tell us more about it…
We recorded it in four days with Steve Albini in Chicago and then there are two acoustic songs that we didn’t have time to record there, that I recorded in a hotel room in Transylvania on a 4-track home studio. It’s a darker album than our previous three and of the time I spent working on it, the majority it was just writing the songs. After we had the songs, it was around 6 months later that we went to record it. And the Transylvania songs, another month after that.
What is the meaning behind ‘In Bed with Medusa’?
It was a reference to the lyrics being of an intimate nature and that the way it was recorded is very direct and exposed. Up close and personal.
How did the inspiration come about for the song writing?
At first, I was trying to write honest, very personal songs but I kinda covered what I’d set out to, with that and didn’t want to repeat myself. So I moved onto storytelling. Musically, I was using weird chords and taking it way beyond the types of songs I’d written before.
Do you have any shows coming up?
We were supposed to be playing at Road rage Festival in Sheffield, in March but it’s been postponed until December now. It’s a rock festival with bands and motorbikes.
What else can we expect in 2020?
A short documentary, showing behind the scenes of recording the album, has just come out on YouTube. Beyond that, nothing else is really definite, yet.
Do you have any collaborations coming up with any upcoming artists and would you be interested in collaborating with other artists?
I never really liked the idea of things like that. I think that usually, when bands do collaborations, it seems really far removed from actually having something crucial to express. And if it’s just for the sake of collaborating with someone, I kinda think they’re doing it for the wrong reasons.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry, just as an artist or band?
I think it’s all about what you’re saying and how you say it. So, distilling that down to it’s purest form…
In the creative process, what quote or saying do you always stick by?
If in doubt, throw it out.
