Since the webzine was set up we've managed either through email or face to face to get some cracking interviews, here's a selection from 2007 including TD Lind, Mr Shy, Vib Gyor, Rob McCulloch, Black Light Theatre and more! From 2008 there is from Russia Punk Tv and then from Scotland Viva Stereo. Then from 2009 theres The Race and Shortwave Fade.
Questions for Shortwave Fade
Q1, Who are Shortwave Fade & where are you from?
Ben Allen (Guitar / Synths) Richard Herrington (Drums) Chris Holloway (Vocals / Guitar) and Robb Shepard (Bass / Vocals). We’re all from Leicester (the centre of the universe!)
Q2, The debut album ‘Deletia’ is out on March 9th, what’s it like and where does it get it’s title?
(chris) The title comes from a Douglas Coupland novel called ‘Generation X’. The word ‘Deletia’ is a computer term meaning to delete everything. (Ben) In terms of what it’s like, I think it takes you to unexpected places, it’s structured together very well, not just 10 songs thrown together (chris) I think it’s like a good film, you need to draw peoples attention at the start, tell an interesting story and end it in a way that leaves people feeling like they’ve been entertained, that’s what the album’s like (Ben) it’s a showcase of what we can do as a band, there’s a mix of dark and poppy stuff plus a few epic moments too
Q3, You’ve released it via Slice the pie. Can you explain why and how slice the pie works as we’re lead to believe it’s a new concept in the music industry and an alternative to the traditional labels.
(Robb) it’s about the power of the music buying public, and not as controlling as a label might be. Artists have complete control over what they release. (Chris) Scouts get paid to review tracks and buy contracts in artists up for financing, if you can raise £15,000 from your fans you get the cash and off you go to record your album. It’s been called the stock market for songwriters, I think that sums it up quite well!
Q4, If you had to pick a musical genre in which to pigeon hole yourself which one would you go for?
(Robb) Tron-Rock, part 80’s , part futuristic, part rock!
Q5, In fact your press releases contain a quote from Time Out stating your sound as ‘Widescreen dream rock’ do you like / agree with this?
(chris) I think that’s pretty cool, we are very big in the widescreen dream rock crowd! But there’s a definite cinematic quality to the music so I think that’s pretty true.(Robb) we are hi-def widescreen dream rock.
Q6, Gavin Monaghan who has worked with Editors, Jesus and the mary chain plus The Smiths produced your album. Was it easy to attract such a big name and what has he added to the album?
(Ben) he saw what we were after straight away, we met with a few producers and he liked what we were doing instantly, we played him some demos and he just clicked. It made it so easy to work with him
Q7, What is you favourite song you’ve written & why? Is there any song you would have loved to have written?
(Robb) Now We Are Weapons, it’s real fun to play and it’s got a lot of aggression to it. (Ben) The instrumental ending to Deletia, it was re-written and sounded much better that what we had initially. I think it turned out much better than I was expecting (Rich) Too Late To Tell, it came together really quickly and naturally, we’d finished the album and started working on new stuff straight away and we all felt that this was too good not to go on the album so we went back and recorded it. (chris) Now We Are Weapons, I’d say more for the way it was recorded. Usually the drums are recorded first and everything is built on top of that but with this one the synths went down first and then the bass – it was a very really new song and Rich hadn’t heard it all the way from start to finish so I had to ‘conduct’ his drumming through the window into the live room while all he had for reference was the synth part. He had to improvise a lot of the song but he got it in about two takes and the result was really powerful and I think that comes through on the recording. (Ben) I wish I’d written ‘No I in Threesome’ by Interpol. (chris) I wish I’d written ‘Tears of a clown’ by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, that one song has as many hooks in it as some bands entire careers.
Q8, Who would you say are the biggest influences musical or otherwise on Shortwave Fade?
(Chris) Mew, New Order, early Mansun and the Smashing Pumpkins (Ben) I was influenced by a lot of ‘pop’ stuff, I never listen to that type of music but the album has a quite a ‘poppy’ direction and it was useful to hear stuff on the radio in terms of arrangements and sounds.
Q9, Can you list your five favourite songs of all time and if so what are they?
Chris – Do You Realise? The Flaming Lips
Robb - It’s So Easy Guns N Roses
Ben – Perfect Day Lou Reed
Rich – The Ceder Room Doves / If U Don’t Want me to destroy you Super Furry Animals
Q10, How would you describe a Shortwave Fade gig? Any favourites and any you’d like to forget? Who is your favourite band you’ve played with so far?
(Chris) Madam Jo Jo’s in Soho, Robb got arrested on the way and it went downhill from there, we supported this weird act which went from comical to just plain surreal. (Robb) same gig, we supported a drag act and played on a tiny stage, all that was missing were three poles to dance on.
(Ben) we use a lot of projected images when we play live which adds to the cinematic quality of the music, it can get quite intense as the images match the music…
Q11, You’ve been interviewed by Steve Lamacq for 6music, what was that like? Also what’s it like to hear your music on the radio? How much interest do you take in reviews of your music?
(chris) Lamacq was great, he really liked the single and was a nice guy to talk to aswell. (Robb) it’s great to hear our music on the radio, I want to hear it sandwiched between Rihanna and Sash! (rich) we do take notice of reviews, sometimes you get too involved in the making of the music so its nice to hear what an outsider makes of it.
Q12, What is the most embarrassing song in your collection and why did you buy / download it … please be very honest!
Rich – The Seahorses, insanity made me buy it
Ben – James Blunt, I had to get it for my mum and had to queue for ages in HMV with it in my hand
Q13, Where’s you favourite place in the world and what does it say about you?
Robb – Threshers, at least I get an excellent ad campaign in the twilight of my career
Chris – New York, I never sleep either
Q14, What song gets you dancing every time, why and can you dance?
Ben – Interpol, I’ll dance to anything and can dance to anything… 2 years of latin, three of jazz
Q15, In ten words write your own press release (swearing is definitely allowed!)…
Fucking Hell Yeah!
Visit us on Myspace, Facebook or Vox for news, gigs, recordings and more...
(March 2009)
The Race
Q, Who are The Race?
TR..dan, jess, james, gra and andy...two guitars, two organs, bass, drums, a glockenspiel, vocals and anything else we happen to fancy playing with at the time.
Q, Where are you from & where are you at?
We are from Reading, UK and currently live there too. We are meeting up in a bit to record some i.d's for a bunch of US radio stations, should be amusing.
Q, If you had to pick a musical genre to describe yourself which one would you go for?
I'm not a big fan of labelling bands with a musical genre as it can be very limiting and can lead to people having preconceptions about what you do, I'd probably describe us as some kind of guitar band.
Q, You just recorded your second album ‘In my head it works’ what’s it like and what’s the reaction it’s getting?
We are really pleased with it. We're probably a little too close to it to be properly objective but I've recently had a listen and still like it which is cool, we've also been getting a positive reaction from others which is nice. I'm sure not everyone will like it though and that’s fine by us.
Q, Listening back to ‘In My head it works’ does it sound exactly what you wanted it to sound like?
I think its pretty close, Dave Eringa (producer) definitely gave it the bigger and more expansive feel that we were after without making it too slick and over produced. It still feels pretty raw and emotional too which is great. We probably all had different expectations going into it and what has come out is definitely better for us all having an equal say in how it turned out.
Q, What influences did you take into the album and do you think they come through in the songs?
I think two more years of life, hopefully we're a little wiser and a little less blinkered in our outlook, that’s definitely come across in the music too as we now have a much clearer idea of the type of music we want to make, we're not just setting out to please everyone anymore. We want to make music that moves people in their soul and not just their feet, music with a bit of depth to it (WE HOPE).
Q, Can you tell us about the way it was financed and about the deal you’ve got with Shifty Disco as we believe it’s pretty different.
We've been releasing our music through Shifty Disco since 2005. We have a 50/50 split on any profits and are free to come and go as we please, we've not left yet, Shifty are awesome and totally get what we are about. Its a great partnership. For this album they created a stakeholder fund of 1000 £25 units to give the album more of a push, the idea is that we share out some of the profits with the stakeholders and we benefit from their shared ownership and finance in the short term, its a really good way of connecting with our fans and has brought us a lot closer to them. They also have more of a vested interest in spreading the word about us too. The profit share lasts for 5 years so hopefully we shall make them some money out of it. There are still a few stakes available if anyone is interested.
Q, So looking back into the past what is your first album called and what’s it like? Rumour has it you’ve got it on special offer on your website, what’s the deal?
Our debut album was called 'Be Your Alibi' it came out in 2006, it was received really well, got some great reviews and led to european tours and festivals as well as UK stuff, it opened a lot of doors for us and is probably a big part of why we are still going now and why the stakeholder stuff has happened so easily for this album. I'm pretty sure its still available for £5 from our myspace page.
Q, What is you favourite song you’ve written & why? What song would you have loved to have written?
I change my opinion all the time, at the moment I'm loving one of the b-sides of our next single Rude Boy, its called Holy Ghost and feels like it could be the start of a new direction for us musically. Likewise with other peoples songs I change my mind all the time and often play songs until I'm sick of them and so they don't stay favourites for long. An album I've been enjoying these last couple of weeks is Man Comes Around by Johnny Cash. I love the emotion.
Q, What song gets you dancing every time & why?
The cure, lovecats. I'm not a huge dancer to be honest, a bit too self conscious.
Q, What is the most embarrassing song in your collection and why did you buy / download it … please be very honest!
Can't think of anything obvious sorry. I used to like boyzone when I was 12? I got their greatest hits video with a birthday voucher from HMV.
Q, What was the last song you listened to and why?
I was listening to Smile by Brian Wilson last night, so I guess the last song on the album. I love the instrumentation on it.
Q, If you had to pick five albums to take onto a desert island which would you go for and why? Would you take the two The Race albums and if not why not?
Again my opinion changes too often, I might take our latest album just because its a nice reminder of the last two years work and I've still not heard it too much. Other than that..hmmmmmmmmmmm. Hopefully some new music I've not heard before. There are very few albums I love that much.
Q. What’s a The Race live gig like? What’s your idea of the ‘perfect’ gig and what’s the worst live experience you’ve had?
What are we like live? Come and see...hopefully decent.
Perfect gig... the sound is great on and off stage and we are connecting with the crowd. I'm not too fussed whether that’s to 50 people of 50 000 as long as we are connecting musically.
Worst gig. We played to 4 people in Hastings. Our manager actually gave us the option of not playing! We played and were troopers. Its good for your soul to play to four people in Hastings. Things can't be easy all the time and it provides a good contrast to when things go well.
Q, (The standard last question we always ask!) In ten words write your own press release (swearing is definitely allowed!)…
Five passionate friends who still enjoy making music together. (9 words and cheesy).
(February 2009)
Punk TV
From Russia with tunes is what we say about Punk TV. They impressed us enough at Indie Tracks Festival for us to track them down (via myspace) to Moscow and ask them some questions.
Q. Who are Punk TV? Alex - keys, guitar, Konstantin - drums,
Interview - 2008
Viva Stereo
Bless Scottish act Viva Stereo (although members do now live as far afield as Lecicester!) for this extensive and rather interesting interview!
Q1, Who are Viva Stereo & where are you from? Viva Stereo are a four piece electro rock band originally from Glasgow. Although we all now live in different cities throughout the UK. One in Aberdeen, One in Edinburgh, One in Manchester and one in Leicester. Q2, You are just about to release 'Roar Lion Roar' the third and final album in a trilogy, tell us about the new album and tell us how it fits as the final piece of the three piece jigsaw? Stuart: Despite the distance between us, this record is probably our most cohesive and direct to date. Musically it's the sound of a band who have learned from past experience but are still trying new directions and ideas. Lyrically it picks up from the previous albums with tales of drunkenness, regret and good times…..we're still enjoy life, love and nights out… although we are all that wee bit older so its not as easy to get up in the morning! Rob: We certainly drew on all our previous experience and pulled out all the stops for this one. Having been around for awhile now we've met a fair few folk and seen a lot of different ways of doing things. With us not being young whipper snappers anymore and not feeling the need to prove ourselves, we had the confidence to do things exactly how we wanted. Q3, How can we get hold of 'Roar Lion Roar'? Can you still get hold of the first two albums? Stuart: The new album will be available from our online shop(check the website/myspace) from Nov 10th. It will also be available on itunes and from some selected record shops. Doug: The first two albums can also still be purchased from iTunes or our online shop, or in bargain bins of selected record shops… Q4, If you had to pick a musical genre in which to pigeon hole yourself which one would you go for? Tim: Pretty difficult as we try to do a bit of indie, electro, electronica and even some folk….so somewhere in the middle of all that…but if we had to pick one it would be good old 'indie'. Q5, Who are the Fence Collective? And how do they fit into Viva Stereo or how do Viva Stereo fit into the Fence Collective? Tim: Fence Records is a small record label based in Anstruther, a small fishing village on the East Coast of Scotland. The label has been running for roughly 10 years and has released literally hundreds of records during that time. The label is not like a conventional record label. Bands aren't signed, they become part of 'The Fence Collective'. The Collective's main acts could be seen as folk artists, although the label doesn't focus solely on folk, also taking in indie rock and electronica. The most widely know acts in the Fence Collective are King Creosote, James Yorkston, The Pictish Trail and UNPOC….but there are hundreds of others as well as many collaborations between Fence Collective acts. We became part of it a few years back and have done a few collaborations in that time. Doug: An off shoot from the Fence Collective record label is De-Fence Records (run by King Creosote/Fence/Viva Stereo drummer and all round fab musician and great guy… OntheFly) which caters more for the not so folky side of things and this is where Viva Stereo is more aligned at the minute. Rob: It seems like every year we ask ourselves that same question! Fence fits into Viva Stereo in the way that it has been, and still is, a huge influence on what we do and how we do it. If you have an idea, give it a try. If it doesn't work then try another one. If it does work we tend to find the results are even better than we thought. Q6, None of Viva Stereo actually live in the same place, how did this come about and how does it effect the band? Tim: Women and work! We'd previously spent the first four years of Viva Stereo living in Glasgow..in fact we all used to live literally round the corner from each other. So maybe we got fed up seeing each others faces! Seriously though, Doug met a girl and moved to Manchester first. As we are that wee bit older than a lot of bands we didn't see the point in disbanding Viva Stereo and go our separate ways as we are all mates and knew with a bit organisation of we could still keep playing gigs and releasing records. We were probably at that stage where playing three band bill every other week in Glasgow was beginning to lose its appeal anyway so it worked out well. Stuart was next to go when he met a girl from Leicester. I moved to Edinburgh for work and Rob also moved to Aberdeen through work. It makes things very difficult to function as 'normal' band. So we don't. Gigs are carefully chosen and made into 'events' rather than just another Tuesday night three band bill. Recording is trickier but with a lot of emailing ideas and getting together once a month, we pull it altogether. Its not ideal but its made things interesting for us to say the least. Doug: yeah, we definitely have to plan things with a bit more thought than we used to. It's so easy to do things when you have a lot of time, but when you have one weekend to record an entire tune with 10 musicians the logistics all have to be sorted out well before hand. Rob: Every band practice now feels like a party with the playing of instruments getting in the way of the pub! It does mean though that we are more creatively diverse than ever before. We all go off on our little musical journeys and tend to bring these ideas back to the band that are stronger and more realized than before. Q7, What is you favourite song you've written & why? What song would you have loved to have written? Stuart: My fave two Viva Stereo songs are probably 'Tourniquet' and 'Last Living Hope'. A lot of work went into those songs and they are very ambitious. We used to(and still do sometimes) get called Primal Scream/Kasabian wannabes but I don't think either of those bands could have written a song like those. Song that I would love to have written…very tricky…maybe 'Sympathy For The Devil' by The Stones as its such a powerful song and would have been good to be able perform as one of your own it live night after night. Either that maybe something that provided a continuous flow of royalty cheques! Rob: I couldn't say I love one child more than any other but I do have a soft spot for 'This is Not an Exit' and 'Gone'. Songs I would have loved to have written… The Grave - Don McLean, The Four Horsemen -Aphrodite's Child, Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations. Tim: 'Last living hope' - my ideas are typically bigger than my abilities as a musician so a lot of them just remain tangled sounds in my head. We had done some more orchestrated songs in the past ('Tourniquet' from Optimism Is Not a Curse) and I really wanted to write something in that vain again. The rest of the guys gave me that push needed to round up the musicians necessary to get these sounds on record. Initially it was an instrumental and later Chris Deveney from My Latest Novel came in and sang some of the most amazing melodies and lyrics I've heard. The collaborative element that can be found on a lot of our songs makes things exciting for us as a band. We write the core of the song and then let it loose for someone else to add their interpretation. What we get back is never what we expect and is always much better than we could have hoped for. Doug: Err… I have a very special writing relationship with VS… my input tends to be around small repeating guitar hooks and as a result usually sits on top of the structure laid out by Rob. Yes.. I am always on top of Rob [grins]… A lot of what I do is apparently counter melody (according to our engineer Marcus)… which works very well live, but can cause problems recording…lol. My most inspired input is the 3/4 note frenzied mayhem of Jesus Son, or possibly the start of Copper wire, which on record is actually wrong…eek! Q8, Who would you say are the biggest influences musical or otherwise on Viva Stereo? Rob: Musically its very hard to say. We are four very different people in VS..we both have the same common vein running through the music we make and enjoy. We all love Primal Scream, the Mary Chain, Joy Division, Velvets, Stone Roses, Beta Band, and anything released through Fence Records but we all have our own areas we like. I like a lot of electronica, Four Tet, Warp Records and folkie stuff like Bonnie Prince Billy etc Tims very much into 60's/70's Funk music like Curtis Mayfield and James Brown and also his post rock like Mogwai, Godspeed and Papa M, US Indie rock like Sonic Youth, Mercury Rev and Interpol. Doug likes his epic UK indie rock, Spiritualized, Elbow, Puressence. Stuart likes his sixties stuff from Northern Soul to psyche but also loves anything with a good melody from Girls Aloud to The Modern Lovers. Stuart runs his own club night in Leicester called Biff Bang Pow (myspace.com/biffbangpowleicester) Stuart: Outside of music we are influenced by friends and experiences. A lot of my lyrics come from particular incidents that I try to make a bit more accessible by not getting too specific. I think most people can relate to the stuff I'm singing about, going out at weekends and waking up with that feeling that you need to apologise to someone but you can't actually put your finger on who or what for! I went through a stage in my life of continually making mistakes and f*cking up but also at the same time having a great time in terms of going out and having fun and I draw from those experiences. Tim: Mogwai, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Tortoise which may sound an odd list on a cursory first listen of our albums. But I love the intensity of these bands songs and i hope that come across particularly in our more orchestrated songs like tourniquet/wake/last living hope. Q9, Can you list your five favourite songs of all time and if so what are they? Stuart: I couldn't even list my five favourite songs of last week, it changes so much! Ok here goes 1) Love -Alone Again Or 2) Joy Division - Atmosphere 3) The Ronettes - Be My Baby 4) Jesus and Mary Chain -Darklands 5) Irma Thomas - Anyone(Who Knows What love is Will Understand) Tim: 1) Godspeed You Black Emperor - Blaise Bailey Finnegan III 2) Mogwai - Helicon 1 3) Arab Strap -Trippy 4) The Aliens -Robot Man 5) Add N to (X) - Robot New York Yep i love them robots! Doug (cheating by putting albums) 1)King Creosote - Kenny & Beths Musical boat rides 2)Spiritualized - Pure Phase 3)Puressence - Only Forever 4)Aerosmith - Pump or Draw the Line 5)Billy Idol - Whiplash Smile Rob - At this particular time 1) Harpers Dough - King Creosote 2) No More Mosquitoes - Four Tet 3) Quarantine - Witness 4) The House Song - Beta band 5) hey porter - Johnny Cash. Q10, How would you describe a Viva Stereo gig? Doug: We are bit different live than we are on record. Live is kinda full on electro mayhem, loud guitars, synths and banging beats. We like to try and make our songs sound different live than they are on record by making it all a bit more intense. Some of our favourite bands have been the ones that suck you into a live performance. The phrase 'lost in music' comes to mind! Rob: Frantic, tense, joyous, destructive and loud. Q11,What is you favourite Viva Stereo gig and is there any you'd like to forget? Stuart: We've had a few favourites. One that sticks out was one in a wee Scottish Borders town called Langholm. We played as part of a three band bill of unsigned Glasgow bands who travelled down to perform. I think the previous live acts to play the town had seen were Status Quo in 1974! So it was a really busy gig with young kids upto to old folk in attendance. Really great atmosphere and they really got into the bands and were very appreciative…that always helps make a good gig. Doug: As for ones we'd like to forget…theres been a few of them as well. Mostly through either technical difficulties or the crowd just not being interested. We played one gig in Oldham where the crowd were just ignorant. They had turned up to see their friends band who we were supporting(a Travis/Coldplay monstrosity) so didn't want to listen to us….to the point a lot of them had their backs to us. Quite off putting so they got a mouthful of abuse about "going back to their fucking Hard-Fi records" from Stuart. Rob: There was a gig at Night & Day in Manchester in 2004 I think, just before the first album came out. The place was mobbed, it was a four band bill and the first couple of bands had been pretty good. We were on third and the stars aligned for us. There was a projector screen in front of the stage and as it went up for the start of the gig we just hit the ground running. We'd played about 20 gigs in the 3 months up to the gig and we were tight and it was thr first time that we played to a full crowd who were right behind us from the start. Think I was buzzing for days after that one. Just as well cause we had a 300 mile drive up to Fife for the Homegame the next day! Ones I'd like to forget, none of them. There is a few I wish hadn't turned out the way they did, Stuart I'm looking at you here and the day you smashed my guitar, but hey. There was always time for a pint or three afterwards. Q12, What is the most embarrassing song in your collection and why did you buy / download it … please be very honest! Stuart: For nostalgic reasons I've started to download a lot of stuff I listened to as a kid, when I used to tape things off the radio. This is usually done at 2am when I'm drunk as it seems like a good idea at the time. I think the last one was 'Live It Up' by Mental as Anything….its funny for about 5 minutes and then I wonder why I bother. Rob: Not sure I want to go there. My collection has been whittled of the real embarrassing vinyl from when I was 12 so I no longer own any Def Leppard or Level 42. Kinda wished I still had my California Raisins tapes though! Tim: I also went through a dodgy Metal stage.. I'm not naming any names though! Doug: Belinda Carlisle - an album (dunno which one): Ermmm… it was really good at helping me study. Where the Stone Roses had me singing along and smoking joints… there was something about Belinda that made Inorganic Chemistry really exciting. Q13, Where's you favourite place in the world and what does it say about you? Stuart: My bed…I'm a lazy bastard. Tim: Under my duvet on the sofa - comfort zone! Doug: Glasgow/Scotland… Fish out of water! Rob: My sons bedroom. Proud father. Q14, What song gets you dancing every time & why Stuart: Any good Northern Soul track does it for me. It's the best dancing music. Doug: Crikey… I remember being in a club in Edinburgh with Stuart. We'd just played a gig at the backpackers, it was after curfew and we were pissed… so we pretended to be from Manchester and in a touring band so the bouncers would make allowances for us and let us in. Obviously we ended up looking like a pair of twats (but we got in!). Anyway… I had a bottle of poppers and on came the Modest Mouse song, 'Float On', that was good… queue me tearing up the dance floor before noticing that I was doing a solo show up there. So aye, that's a catchy tune. Tim: Fools Gold - Stone Roses they may have "stolen" the sound from the Happy Mondays but i don't care! Trying to put a reason into words would be like dancing about architecture. But this one always gets the Tim Troup booty shakin, ooh yeah! Rob: Yeah, Yeah - LCD soundsystem. Gotta love the cowbell Q15, In ten words write your own press release (swearing is definitely allowed!)… Viva Stereo; the Soundtrack of Saturday night and Sunday Morning
October 2008
Every now again somebody quite different pops up and throws you a curveball. TD Lind is that man, this ain't fashion music like so much that fills the pages of the NME no this is about as far away from that as you can get. Shadders Online were impressed enough top give 'Lets get lost' a glowing review and ask his people if our people could throw down a few questions.
Questions for TD Lind
1, Firstly who is TD Lind and what does the TD stand for? TD? Timothy (never really liked, but learnt to live with!) and Daniel, it's ok. 2, You've just released your debut album 'Lets get lost' on Tell Tale Records, what can people expect and why should they buy it? I'd like to think the listener wouldn't get bored! The album consists of songs I wrote up to ten years ago to songs a year old, so hopefully a bit of a journey in there. The recordings are also over many years, so again there are different sounding songs from Radio Proposal to Discoboat. And when you've finished listening, I hope you feel different. If you feel exactly the same, use it as a coaster! 3, How would you describe your musical style? I guess I'd go with Alternative roots. It's a hard one cause in honesty the less poppy one's are more in keeping with who I am, but... I need a career so I can keep buying my lady flowers! So please buy the fucking thing! 4, Who are Tell Tale Records and where can the album be bought / downloaded from? Tall Tale Records is an Independent label set up by Jamie Arlon. It's a label that believes in passionate artists. Understanding it's about being true to your beliefs and expression and finding the right avenues to get it heard. The label's about developing a career not one hit wonders. 5, What' s you favourite song on the album and why? Favourite song? I don't think I have an adament favourite. There's different reasons for liking certain tracks. Uhmm. Damn it, ok, I'll say Last Kiss! 6, According to your biog you've played jazz in Paris, the blues in New York and toured the vast wastelands of the United States. Firstly how on earth did all this come about and what was your favourite? I moved to the States when IMAGO records signed me (out of the New York office). That was the start of my years in America. From New York to L.A and Kentucky playing and visiting cities in between. Paris was before I moved to America. As far as which would be my favourite. I'd say Kentucky. I felt very at home there, great people, very welcoming and amazing musicians. 7, What sort of impression has your musical journey made on 'Lets get lost'? Let's Get Lost has ended up consisting of songs a year old to some written ten years ago. So my travels and experiences are really the only reason for the songs on this record. Only as far as the subject matter of course. There's more stories from Kentucky and since I left which I'm looking forward to everyone hearing...but that's the next record! 8, You've covered 'Jesus Christ' by Woody Guthrie on 'Lets get lost', why pick this song and who would you say are the biggest musical influences? Was there any one band or singer that made you want to pick up a guitar? The musical supervisor from the film Driving Lessons wanted the Woody Guthrie song Jesus Christ to be in a few scenes. So, they approached me to see if I'd like to sing it. Of course after living in Kentucky for so long I jumped at the chance to sing a gospel/bluegrass track. Having chosen the songs for the album I thought it would be fun to add Jesus Christ to the mix. As far as my first influence that made me want to play and sing...that credit goes to Eddie Cochran. It was my first record and it just killed me. Crank up C'mon Everybody, Somthin' else and Twenty Flight Rock! Tell me the guy doesn't rock it?! 9, What' s the weirdest place you've ever visited and why? Would you go back again?! Yeh I tell you where's fucked up! Going to visit a 'dry county' in Kentucky...Home of the bourbon. There's no alcohol allowed, obviously I left having made no friends. I ain't goin' back. 10, And obviously what's your favourite place plus where do you call home? I'd say London is home but only cause my family live there and was born in England. I feel more at ease in America, but that could do with having spent so much of my musical career there. 11, If you had to pick five songs to put on a 'desert island' disc, could you chose them and if so which five would you go for? You're making me choose again, damn you Shadders! Ok, but this is very loosely based on an incomplete answer! Not in order. Twenty Flight Rock - Eddie Cochran, if I feel the need to boogie! Hymn To Freedom - Oscar Peterson, to chill with a bottle of wine (do I get booze on this Island?) Charleston - Django Reinhardt, makes life just better! Ballad of The Sad Young Men -Roberta Flack for tears. Picture In A Frame - Tom Waits, perfect love song, for any soft fruit lying around. 12, What were the last three records (or downloads) you bought and why? Were they any good?! The only modern album I've bought recently is Amy Winehouse's record, great album. 13, How many friends on myspace have you got? (it's not a competition obviously but we just like to know!). What can people find on there (any songs?) & have you a website too? I'm not sure of the actual number of friends on Myspace but I know it's over a thousand, which I think's alright...right? To be honest I'm only just getting into the computer age, I just don't feel a connection! Anyway, yes I have a website at tdlind.com. Both my Myspace and website have music as well as other things that confuse me. 14, What' s your views on the reality music shows (like X Factor and Pop Idol) and would you ever be tempted to give them a spin to ensure more people heard your music? They're a bit of a car crash, which I guess is why they're so popular. But no, I'd rather slap my balls repeatedly against a cactus plant than try and make it on one of those shows thankyou very much! 15, Finally in no more than 50 words please write your own press release (and swearing is allowed!). A press release huh! ' Let's Get Lost the debut album from TDLind is life changing! Since purchasing it my love life has become fantastical. My lover will do anything! And let me experiment with all kinds of wonderful devices! Since listening to it I've become debt free! And have been promoted. Buy it! ' R.Biased.
Questions for Mr Shy
Thanks to an inclusion on the American Indie Bible website and newsletter we had drop through the shadders online letter box a fantastic array of parcels all marked with the phrase 'Air Mail'. Some of the CD's were awful, some downright bizzare and of the best were Anglo American rockers Dirty Royals direct from LA and from the East Coast, New York City to be exact came a bit of a surprise. Mr Shy was the name and 'Superstar' was the album, it kinda took us off guard as we weren't expecting such a soulful and smooth album. We reviewed it straight away, dishing out glowing praise. Then using the glorious modern technology that is known as myspace and email questions were sent across the Atlantic ocean and quickly completed and returned. The resuts of this techno interview is also posted below as Mr Shy answers 20 questions.
Q1, Firstly I'm sure you've been asked this question a million times but why are you called Mr Shy, when your real name is Michael Miller!? The name actually comes from an old song I wrote, and also played in my previous band, New Soul Orchestra. The title itself is "Mr. Shy", too, and it was written after I couldn't muster up enough courage to go ask a girl for her number at a restaurant one night. Q2, Your debut solo album is called 'Superstar' is this you blowing your own trumpet? Well, I loved the double-meaning of it as an album title, knowing people will assume it's some egomaniac singer's song (not saying I don't have a decent size ego), before they actually listen to it... so I couldn't resist! And hey, "power of suggestion", as they say ;) Of course, the song is all about what you hope you are in the eyes of your signicant other. Q3, What can newcomers expect from 'Superstar' and why should they part with their hard earned dollars / pounds to buy it? Expect a very original -- but also very pop -- album of good songs, each one carefully crafted, and sung, produced and labored over with all of my love and care and passion for what I do. Hopefully, people buying my album will take it home and quickly discover it was money well spent, and maybe even think it was a steal! :) Q4, Where can we buy it and can it be shipped to the UK? The physical CD can be ordered online, using PayPal, and we ship it globally -- and that, of course, includes the UK! Also, there is no additional shipping!! It can also be ordered through CDBaby.com, and I believe it's available on Amazon.com. As, for digital downloading, it is available on iTunes, and we are waiting for Snocaps, if you've heard of this, where I can virtually set up my own downloading store. You can also find all the places it's available on myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mshy Q5, We think it has the feel of Philly soul, perhaps early Hall or Oates, is this fair and what's the best and worst reviews / comments you've read about the album? Well, my style and my voice certainly are influenced quite a bit by great American soul, like so much of the Philly sound, Motowns, etc.. Funny, was just listening to The Spinners, and they actually started on Motown, but for some reason they were not embraced by them, and then they took off in the 70's on Atlantic, on the East coast. Anyway, I'm digressing a bit... hmm, my best review? Well, I've gotten quite a few that really appreciate the album as a whole, and that is really the highest compliment for me. As for the worst, there was a reviewer who also reviewed New Soul Orchestra (my old band) and while he loved that, was quite luke-warm to my solo offering. Especially disliked the "rinky-tink" sound on my last track, "Missing You", which I sort of thought was funny. Q5, Rumour has it you're working on a remix album, what's all that about and when is that released? Rumor NO MORE !!! :) Yes, I stumbled upon a producer/DJ in France online, who did a remix of my single "Super Star", and he then pointed me to a label in Italy, GKF Records, who specialize in house remix digital-only releases. They loved the remix and hired 2 more remixers, and now a compilation is being released in the spring -- April/May 2007! There will also be a bonus remix track of my album-opener, "Loved The Way You Loved". But I've also uncovered a very extended underground world of remixers and house music, and to-date there are about a dozen remixes of "Super Star" and a few other tracks, that I also plan on either releasing on my label, New Soul Records, or landing them with other labels. Lastly, there is a remix that might be on an album of a producer in Spain, and it could be a major-label release.... Stay tuned on all of this!! Q6, We believe you gig regularly on the NYC circuit, how would you describe yourself on stage? Wow, that's a hard one to answer. Being a front man singer, with just a mic in my hand (I grew up playing drums, btw, and did a lot of singing behind drums) is something I'm still getting used to, but I become more comfortable with myself the more I do it, naturally. I do play locally in NYC on a pretty regular basis, although I have not done a show since early January with all the deals and promotion I've had to oversee. Q7, Any chance you spreading your wings and coming across the Atlantic to play in the UK ? I would love to!!! I am planning more of a promotional tour/trip later this spring, in May it's looking like, but if a single really takes off and I have some financial backing to really take my live show on the road, the UK will obviously be at the top of my list! Q8, What' s your favourite Mr Shy tracks to perform live and why? "Missing You"... and I never would have guessed before the band tackled it and we added it to our set. It's the closing track on my album, and it's sort of a mercurial mid-tempo r&b song, with an up-down/complex vocal melody. The chord changes are not simple, either. But somehow, it's really come together live (my bandmates are virtuoso, and love jazz too, and I think they are especially fond of this song musically and find it a fun challenge.) As for me singing it, I just find myself really getting into it... getting lost... which is not so easy for me. "Loved The Way You Loved" is also a solid live song, and one I love to perform. Q9, If you could pick a couple of covers to perform which ones would you chose and what does this say about your music? Hmm, another tough one. I really love Earth Wind & Fire, and I've sung in cover bands a few times where we did some of their classic 70's songs, and that was a blast! Also, because of my voice, I have fun doing old Michael Jackson songs, like "Rock With You". Q10, Have you a website and do you have a myspace page? Not that it's a competition but how many friends do you have on myspace! Yes, yes, and a good amount!! :) Below are both sites, and I am about to crack 13,000 (as of the release of this interview, it will certainly surpass that) friends on myspace! Oh, and I'll include YouTube below, too: http://www.mr-shy.com http://www.myspace.com/mshy http://www.youtube.com/mrshy Q11, Rumour has it you were in a band before going solo who were they and what were they like? That band was New Soul Orchestra. It was the joint brainchild of myself and my oldest brother, Dan. It sort of never got too far off the ground, although we did manage to put out an album, which is on New Soul Records, together with my solo release. They were more of a live-feel outfit -- a big band, a-la Earth Wind & Fire -- and we did live shows in NYC with 2 back-up singers, 2 horn players, and a string trio!! It was an ambitious project, and partially financed by my brother who had a successful business at the time, but then he started a family and moved out to California, and I was sort of left to myself to finish the album, and things fizzled out after that. But it's on myspace, too, and people can order the CD (and vinyl, btw!) there: http://www.myspace.com/newsoulorchestra Q12, Can we still get hold of their album? Haha.... yes, see above :) Q13, So we believe you were raised and live in New York, what's living in the 'big apple' like? You can get very lost here, and feel quite small and insignificant, like any big city I imagine, but this one in particular. It's still a great city of culture, music, nightlife, etc., and I don't take advantage of it enough. Q14, What's the music scene like stateside? All we see is bubblegum pop, hip hop and goth rock in your opinion is there anything we should be looking out for? I do believe the music scene is pretty divided and stale here. It's why I am finding more success and a warmer response overseas, i.e. my remixes and releases all throughout the EU. So gosh, no, I really don't think we're exporting much these days beyond what you're describing. The major labels just continue to saturate themselves with what they know will bring in profits (bubble gum acts, "street cred" hip/hop and rap, or just oldies that have a built-in buying base) .... the big music biz labels.... real risk-takers and visionaries of new, quality music, aren't they? :p Q15, Could we ask you about 9/11? From this side of the Atlantic it felt like the beginning of the end of the world what did it feel like in the city on 9/11? The beginning of the end of the world. Yeah, it was beyond surreal and very scary. I paced my apartment all day, worrying about my two brothers and mom. I was at home, still sleeping, and I live on the uptown part of Manhattan, so maybe 5-6 miles from ground zero. It was horrible, the whole thing, and utter barbarism in the 21st century. Q16, We' ve visited NYC before and after 9/11 and we thought there was a huge attitude shift in the population (for the better) do you think this is true and what differences have you noticed? Hmm, I'm not sure. I actually think, with 5 1/2 years gone by, that people have forgotten to some degree. Certainly, in the months following, we had American flags hanging from every front door, awning and window. Funny how now, if someone hung our flag, there might be people outside protesting. Q17, Are you Yankees or Mets (we've been to see the bronx bombers ourselves and we gutted to see them beaten in the play offs last season)? Mets, but the Yankees baseball stadium IS nicer -- and filled with all of the legends of our "great pastime" game, a great history/nostalgia and ora to it -- the Mets are the relative newcomers to the scene (came into the league in the 1960's.) But I root for both of them :) Q18, What's your favourite part of the city and what should the humble tourist see or do when they travel into New York? Downtown is certainly more hip and has the best clubs, versus upper west or east sides -- all this in Manhattan, of course. For more cutting-edge hipsters, Brooklyn is the place to hang out, with an underground art and music scene. You can also find this on the lower east side, but that's changed a lot over the years -- it's more basic-nightclub stuff now. Q19, What do you think of the Bush administration and is he as hated as much in the states as he seems to be in the rest of the world?! I will separate Mr. Shy from politics (as I certainly do not write about it in my songs -- love songs all the way, for me;)) BUT, I will simply say, as an artist/ musician from a very left/liberal-leaning city, I do not go lock-step with the rest of my crowd. Bush is not "the most dangerous leader" in the world, or evil, or insatiably power hungry etc.. He's a 2-term limited president in a democratic country, that had a lot of hard choices to make in a new, complicated global age, and he's out of office in about 20 months. So this blindly radical view that he's some imperialist, ruthless, blood-thirsty leader in the minds of so many around the world just puzzles me, and I find it pretty irrational. I guess I'm finding my own brother and mom pretty irrational then, too :p Q20, Finally in no more than 50 words please write your own press release (and swearing is allowed!). If carefully crafted pop songs with an r&b/urban edge, guided by a soulful and passionate voice, delivering thoughtful, straight forward lyrics of love -- requited and unrequited -- sewn together with infectious hooks, harmonies and rhythms is your bag (whew!) ... then Mr. Shy is sure to satisfy!
Questions for Vib Gyor
Vib Gyor hail from the Yorkshire mecca that is Leeds and mix stunning guitars and shimmering vocals to produce a epic indie sound. Vocalist Dave Fendick does the honours and answers a few shaddersonline questions.
Q1, Who the fek are Vib Gyor? A Leeds based band with Substance... Q2, That's some name, what does it mean and where did it come from? Can't say - sorry - but its quite easy to work out... Q3, How would you describe the Vib Gyor sound? Anthemic - ambitious and sincere ! Q4, What were the last three records you begged, borrowed or stole? Well - I'm a download freak ...but...Damien Rice 9 - Arcade Fire & David Bowie live at fashion Rocks, Thom Yorke - spitting feathers EP Q5, What is you favourite Vib Gyor song & why? At the moment its a new song ghosts, because its really personal. I can spit it out with venom. Q6, You've got a pretty cool website, what's the web address and what can people expect to see on it? http://www.vib-gyor.com/ - expect shaved freaks, twisted debauchery plus the occasional dwarf in tweed. Q7, What's the worse record you ever bought and do you still have it?! Possibly the first one i ever bought - the lion sleeps tonight by tight fit and NO! Q8, Is it true you won a competition to play at the Leeds Festival and appeared on local TV news show 'Look North'? If so how did that come about? We didn't win a competition - we were recommended to the festival by a few music pillars of the community to play - BBC Raw Talent, Sandman Magazine etc - so Mean fiddler asked us if we wanted the headline slot, which we snatched off them...then Look North found out about it and followed us around for a week... Q9, If somebody was coming to see you for the first time what should they expect to see? Quality songs without the pretence... Q10, If you had five minutes left to live which song (either one of your own or any other band) would you listen to and why? So many songs - off the top of my head Songs for a blue guitar by Red house Painters or.... killing in the name of by RATM depending on my mood.. Q11, Why should somebody one of your singles and not say a pint of lager? Because you cant sing along to a pint of lager....and we don't make you piss a lot.. Q12, Who would you say are the biggest musical influences on Vib Gyor? Radiohead, Elbow, Jeff Buckley, Doves, Sigur Ros & Timmy Mallet (*one of those is a lie) Q13, What do you hope to achieve musically as Vib Gyor? To be a successful as we can without compromise....... Q14, In ten words write your own press release (swearing is allowed!)… Buy our Debut Single Fallen now on ITUNES (you c*nts!)
QUESTIONS FOR ROB MCCULLOCH
He looks rather smart is from Bolton (and not Manchester!) and knocks out a mean tune, he is Rob McCulloch. Here we review his rather smart debut album and then put twenty questions to the man himself.
1, Firstly who is Rob McCulloch? A songwriter. 2, Where you from and where you at? I'm from Bolton and live in Bolton. 3, You've just released your debut album 'Escaping Times' on Gladrag Records, what can people expect and why should they buy it? They should expect a varied style of songs, they sort of pair up, like to think there's somethin for everyone on their, nearly every song's been picked out as a favourite of someone's, just depends what you're listenin out for. 4, Who are Gladrag Records and did you have any interest from the 'big boys' to sign you? There's been a few bits of interest, phone calls letters and that, there's also been claims of cloak and dagger antics, and the independent's a cover up for a big label, which is bollocks. The main thing is I don't want a major so it's irrelevant. Gladrag is me and my manager, the name came from a list we both made of five names each and it was on both our lists 5, What's this we hear about you sending 100 copies to fans and asking for donations of what they thought it was worth? What was the smallest and largest amount you received! Just an idea I had to let some of the people who've been supportin it get a listen first and see how much they'd pay if the price weren't already stuck on for them, the smallest amount was a fiver biggest were twenty five. 6, What's you favourite song on the album and why? Probably something abuse. It's the fist one I wrote for this album and it's the first time I'd completely got what I wanted to across then as soon as I finished it. It pointed me in the right direction for how the rest of the songs should go, that's why it's the first one on there 7, The album is pretty poppy, are there any songs that show a darker side to your songwriting? They all have a dark side, if you listen close they aren't all sunshine and socks off cos it all happened, but I wanted them enjoyable so put them up beat. Some odd little bits like a soup with a hair in it, not great but it happens, it's not the end of the world and it's summert to talk about. 8, Who would you say are the biggest musical influences and was there any one band that made you want to pick up a guitar? Oasis, more specifically Noel Gallagher on that MTV performance, I was always impressed by acoustic music and him performing like that when he's not the front man made me instantly respect him as a writer and singer. Paul Weller's days of speed taught me the most guitar I recon. 9, What were the last three records (or downloads) you bought and why? Were they any good?! I'm not into the downloads thing, I can't help but think, that computer's gonna bust a long time before that cd breaks then that's all my music gone. I've got an ipod but I haven't updated it for about two years cos I loaded all my cd's onto that itunes, then the computer broke, I weren't happy, but a lot happier than if I didn't have them all on cd! Anyway... I got the 45rpm jam singles box set, I like proper actual records, dunno why but it seems better than a cd to me even though you have to change the thing every five minutes. The La's BBC sessions, the actual La's album I got about five years back and it's been a favourite ever since, now I just buy owt that says La's on it. I am kloot's BBC sessions, cos when I was recording this album the producer kept puttin this song on every time there were a fag break or food in or summert, absolutely brilliant, song called proof, I bought three of their albums on the strength of that one song. beltin albums, just need to see em live now, and get the others. 10, If you had to pick five songs to put on a 'desert island' disc, could you chose them and if so which five would you go for? Some of these change day to day, some are always in there. Proof by I am Kloot. Liza Radley by The Jam, Big River by Johnny Cash, The Irony Of It All by The Streets, Son of A Gun by The La's.... for now! 11, From the cover artwork of 'Escaping Times' you always look very well turned out, do you wear a suit around the house?! Seriously though how would you describe you look / image and how important to you is it? Pretty important, I like to look smart, do my hair and that, I'm not into jeans that look like I've just fallen of a bike, and they don't really suit me as it is. I wear trainers and jeans and that but the battered lookin business just cos I'm not into it. 12, What's the best and worst thing you've ever seen written about you? Worst thing were some article claimin I were from Manchester, not happy with that. Best thing is when the song's understood and they get the point of what it's about when they listen to the lyrics then push it that bit further themselves. 13, You had a bit of a pop at music journo's on your myspace page recently what was that all about? It weren't much of a pop, I just got some good reviews from the hundred who had the album, and by good I don't mean kissin my arse, I mean actually thought out and good points either positive or negative they were valid. But then I'd send it to someone being paid to do the same as their job and they'd write sounds like Echo and the Bunnymen, a band I've never fuckin listened to and sounds like nothin I do. So can only assumed they've gone with the name stuck on the cd and written it with ear plugs in, either that or say it sounds like summert else, or this band, or that band. I just got bored of em comin back with a list of bands instead of a review, both for my music and readin reviews of other people's music. Point is that's their job and a lot aren't doin it. 14, How many friends on myspace have you got? (It's not a competition obviously but we just like to know!). What can people find on there & have you a website too? Dunno the exact figure cos it changes day to day but it's summert like 4500, there's songs, the video for six of one, sometimes pictures I've drawn or some throw away poem just for a cheap laugh, and you can draw a mate for my mate. I do have a website its robmcculloch.com. 15, If you were to go on some X Factor / Fame Academy type show which song / cover would you love to have a stab at? I'd have a stab at the other contestants. 16, Ever thought of giving these reality shows a spin, would be nice to see somebody on there who could sing for a start! No, I'm not into it, I've had a problem with it for a while, it's not reality for a start it's experiments innit? Big Brother said that for the first one they did it was cuttin people off from real life to see what happens I was interested. I watched the first two then couldn't be arsed with it all, cos they were just windin em up so they'd have a do at each other, then all they do is shout not listenin to each other. Can't be arsed with arguing and double can't be arsed watchin two people I don't know who aren't very bright arguin. Just find it pointless, like them two monkeys Paris and Lionel Richie's daughter, that kind of thing, that's just two birds with a lot of money smashin other peoples stuff up and pretending they didn't do it on purpose, what's the point of that? If they wanna do it fair one but I'm not gonna watch it. Big Brother, I think I'd just be bored in there, the times I've flicked through and gone past celebrity Big Brother and they're just rattlin on about what they used to do and there's nothing to do, I'd go fuckin mad. I watch documentaries, and to be fair I'd say that actually IS reality TV, but people tell me I'm borin or an old man or summert! But I'd rather watch Fred Dibnah dancin on a hundred-foot chimney over some Scottish bird rootin through fat people's shit any day of the week! 17, You play plenty of gigs round the north west, what's the chance of a full UK tour? Suppose that's the next step, it's just puttin all the pieces together. 18, What's you favourite ever gig and on the flipside you worst and why? Favourite was a festival in Leicester, just a great atmosphere, we'd had a good time there the day before and that, the crowd were just up for listening and I was up for playing. Worst was a festival as well but in London, we had to start on time which was fair enough, but they hadn't opened the gates on time, so we're playin to a security guard and a sound man, then people start filing in as we're on our last song. Brilliant. 19, What football team do you support and what do you think that says about you? I support Bolton Wanderers, I've no idea what that says about me, I'm from Bolton I suppose. 20, Finally in no more than 50 words please write your own press release (and swearing is allowed!). On a first listen you might think I'm here to say life's a bag of shite, not the case, I'm sayin it's not that bad, funny bits, sad bits, ridiculous scenes, serious situations. You get angry, sad, have a laugh or a cry, it's yours do what you will with it, I just made the thing.
Questions For Black Light Theatre
Q1, Who are Black Light Theatre? Black light theatre are 4 piss heads that happen to be able to play instruments (Jono How on vocals and guitar, Rob Hirst on lead guitar, Stef Majchrzak on Bass and Leon 'Scouse' Thomas on the kit). Q2, Black Light Theatre is a pretty cool name. Is it cause you like a bit of Chinese puppets, a homage to the great 'BLT' Dave Lee Travis or is there another more bizarre reason you picked it? Rob the Guitarist went to Prague and visited the Black light Theatre. We was stuck for a band name so we just that easy. Q3, Right now where would you say Black Light Theatre are at? We are on the verge of great things with our first single coming out Oct 1st hopefully the press will take note, then the public will. Unfortunately it works like that. Q4, What was the last CD / download you bought and was it any good? I bought three Chris Isto White albums. Check him out, he is a genius. Q5, What is you favourite Black Light Theatre song & why? We don't have one, we spend many hours arguing like little bitches over what songs we are gonna play at gigs and also what to record. Each song is our favourite or they just get thrown in the blt bin. Q6, If you had to pick a musical genre in which to pigeon hole yourself which one would you go for? Loud messy indie. Q7, How would you describe the Black Light Theatre live experience? We are the best band in the world live. Everyone must see us! We even record live. None of this overdubbing bollocks. That's for girls and the Klaxons. Q8, Which is your favourite Black Light Theatre gig thus far? Probably Camden Barfly. We pissed all over the cockney bands, which made us smile long and hard. Q9, What song by anyone other than yourself would you have most liked to have written and why? White Christmas because wed all be filthy rich for doing fuck all. Q10, You are just about to release your debut single on indie label 'Hooked up'; what's it called, what's it like and how did you come to release it on this label? 1402 Valentines Massacre was wrote on Valentines Day. The wags of the band give us lots of shit because we wasn't fulfilling a bullshit day by Clinton cards and balloon factories. So Jonno enlighten us to the real meaning of Valentines day. Hooked up was the first record label to make the effort to sunny Shef and see us play live, so we returned the favour, like I say we are the best live band in the world. Q11, Why should somebody buy a copy of your single and not say a pint of lager? They should buy both to be fair. Q12, Do you prefer the Arctic Monkeys, Reverend and the Makers, Pulp, Human League or Joe Cocker? Each band member would give a different answer to this question. For me it would be this order; Human League, Pulp, Reverend, Cocker and Monkees joint last. Q13, Has Sheffield got a buzzing music scene at the moment or is it a load of media hype? Yes. The buzz has always been there. It just took the media a while to cotton on. Q14, Who are going to be the next big thing out of the steel city? (And you can say yourselves if you wish!) Us. Everybody who has seen us knows it. Q15, Is there a Black Light Theatre website, myspace or face book page and what can we find on them?(You can shameless plug the addresses if you wish!) www.blacklighttheatre.co.uk, www.myspace.com/blacklighttheatre I'm not sure what the facebook one is but is on there somewhere. Q16, In ten words write your own press release swearing is definitely allowed!)… I hate this question. It's the Managers job. Just listen.