Rabbiting On...

I wrote this for the office newsletter because a few work friends said they wanted to hear more about the band and they didn't understand why we were named after deceased bunnies. Well, here you go. This is a sanitised version because it went out to colleagues and company directors so sex, drugs, rock and roll, swearing, flirting, bitching, bad moods, payment-related rage, driving offences, audiences comprised of goons, rude comments about other bands etc etc had to be glossed over. But maybe they will appear here some other time...

(c) Suzy Sims
December 2011

“Thank you. We are the Dead Rabbits from Southampton.” It’s not the nicest name for a band. We’re named after Dead Rabbits, the gang from New York, as portrayed in the film, er, Gangs Of New York. I’m not sure why because I couldn’t think of a group of people less likely to start gang warfare, although maybe I will get a bit punchy if they keep saying “We’re from Southampton.” Some of us are from Portsmouth, thank you very much.

So we are Dead Rabbits, and we play angsty downbeat rock, shoegazey dreampop, and lots of other made up genres. (Basically we sound a bit loud but slightly melancholic). At present there are three of us – I play the drums, tall thin Tom is the vocalist / guitarist, and arty man-in-black Neil is on guitar. We did have a lovely bassist called Chloe but she left to go to university. This was probably for the best, as she used to date Tom and they split up recently, which made band practice a little awkward.

My first gig was at Proud in Camden. It’s a very well known indie club where everyone plays in a massive room lit with swirling neon colours and an awesome sound system. All the cool bands play at Proud, it’s a brilliant place to show how cool you are. Except, we weren’t strictly at Proud. We were in the little room opposite the main club, and it was more of a restaurant. We rocked up, stuck guitars onto maximum feedback, and a good ten people upped and left. I then dropped one of the drumsticks but scrabbled around on the floor and managed to retrieve it in time for the chorus. Then when it was time to pack up, I managed to knock over most of the cymbals with my enormous backside.

Most of our shows are in Southampton, as the band is from here (and Portsmouth) but we have been asked to play some a little further afield – plenty in London, Winchester, Huddersfield, and Blackpool. Huddersfield involved a pleasant five hour drive with three people, two amps, four guitars and a few random drum parts all crammed into my Ford Ka. It also involved Tom and Chloe having an onstage quarrel about a song that someone couldn’t remember, and our set culminated in a guitar being thrown on the floor and a bit of swearing. We then spent the night on someone’s floor and someone stole a blanket off me while I was dozing.

Blackpool was less painless, as we travelled in a minibus so had plenty of leg room, and I didn’t have to drive either. We saw the Illuminations and even had a fan travel up from Somewhere Else, Lancashire, just to see us. Sadly it’s not easy to sleep in a minibus in November, especially when it’s Fireworks Night, and you’re parked opposite a nightclub, so once we realized no-one could feel their toes, we went for a walk at 5.30am because McDonald’s was open, serving coffee and free central heating. On the plus side we were paid £20 for the gig. On the minus side, it cost £150 in petrol and van hire.

We’ve been offered an album deal from an Italian label and so we’re in the process of recording (after 2 and a half months, we have one song that is almost mixed correctly, so don’t save your pennies for it just yet), and there is regular talk of gigs in Sweden and France, although I will only do these if a) I don’t have to drive and b) we get paid and have a bed to sleep in, which is APPARENTLY too much to ask.

Come and visit us at http://www.facebook.com/deadrabbitsuk or try searching Dead Rabbits Southampton on YouTube or Google or whatever (we are not to be confused with the identically named Pogues tribute. And I’m not from Southampton).

New Year Resolutions

I read a great quote from Jarvis Cocker before where he said every New Year, instead of giving something up, he aims to have a new experience or hobby. I love this. I've been trying to do this the last few years. However, I'm sure Jarvis wasn't scraping by on £15,000 at the time. There are limits to what a girl can do this year, unfortunately...

1. Get out of my SODDING OVERDRAFT
Why? It's not your money. Stop pretending that it is and stop spending. That way, next time your car tax is due or you need new tyres, you don't freak out, go wildly above the limit and steal money from your rapidly diminishing savings accounts. (LOL at me trying to do 'saving')
How? I am not going to buy any alcohol, any books, any magazines, any shoes, any clothes, any gig tickets until at least May. This should help.

2. Get a cheaper phone
Why? So you use it for Facebook? You can do that at home, and it won't cost you £30 a month line rental. Plus you never phone anyone as you have no friends.

3. HOLIDAY IN ICELAND
Why? Ten years ago I was talking about travelling to Australia. I never did it. I was brave enough to arrange a trip to Budapest by myself six years ago, but dad died the evening before and I didn't go. I want to travel. I NEED to travel. I WILL TRAVEL. BUT I need the money to do so (see above)

4. Get a tattoo
Why? To express myself, because I am awesome.

For everything else, see below in my things to do before I am 30. Only six months to go :(

Before I'm 30...

I don't mean to sound a bit morbid, or a bit worn out, a bit 'oh no, not another one' but there seem to be a lot of bucket lists out at the moment. I have a list of things I want to do before I'm 30. I did generally assume I'd be dead before then - and let's face it, there is still time - but as 29 is about to punch me squarely in the face, then clearly I need to sort myself out.

So in no particular order, here is my List Of Things I Want To Do Before I'm 30 (Although I'm Sure I Can Do Some Once I Am 30, Unless There Is Some Kind Of 'Logan's Run' Age Limit. Ageist Bastards).

1 - Start a business.

2 - Go to Scandinavia. Pref. Iceland or Norway, but I'm not overly fussed.

3 - Get a tattoo.

4 - Finish writing my BLOODY BOOK.

5 - Get a BLOODY AGENT (related to the above).

6 - Join a band, one that actually plays. I'm a drummer. Come play with me.
DONE: Search for Dead Rabbits Southampton. I play with them. Huzzah!

7 - Have some sort of beauty treatment. Facial? Nails??
DONE: I joined the gym and got a free back massage. It was awesome, though a bit painful because I'm a sensitive little sausage

8 - Visit more of the places where I recently moved to (Southsea) - I'm talking restaurants, charity shops, the little vintage clothes shops and antiquey furnitures - rather than going to Tesco or Ikea. Though I am fond of Tesco and Ikea. And Waitrose. Ahh, Waitrose.

9 - Put all my bills and statements in little folders, more importantly in date order.
DONE...ish

10 - Learn to swim.
Er... I asked at the gym, and a swimming lesson is the same amount as I pay for drums. Cannot afford to do both :(

11 - CBT (as in riding a bike, not as in psychotherapy).

12 - See my favourite band in concert.
DONE: I bought my first Pulp cassette the day after my 13th birthday. I was in the fan club and used to write little questionnaires and ask them to sign things. However I was either too young or not independent enough to see them. After over 15 years, I finally saw them at Wireless in July 2011, and it was beautiful. I love the songs, I love the live show, I am immensely fond of them all. Sorted...

13 - I started a sitcom and a screenplay (former five years ago, latter one year ago). Should probably revisit these.
DOING: On it!

So if I'm not out much over the next 12 months, this will be why...

RIP Kaiser Chiefs Forum...

The Kaiser Chiefs forum has closed! I haven't been there for a couple of years, but when I first started looking for a chatty message board, this is where I ended up. It started feeling like everyone was talking over your head, but after you have posted for a while you get people laughing at your jokes, sending PMs, exchanging MySpace addresses and arranging to meet at gigs and festivals. After a while my browsing became infrequent and I felt I was no longer part of the community and the 'glory days'. I had moved on, and by the looks of it so has everyone else.

Here is a story I wrote for the Kaiser Chiefs forum some time ago... I'm guessing 2007 ish? It contains many forum injokes, some that I can't remember. Anyway, I won a competition and a signed setlist for my efforts. Yaaay. Here's to sitting up at 3am, pressing F5 repeatedly, fighting off trolls from The Kooks forum (yes really), and downloading lengthy live bootlegs.

Reading it back reminds me that I really should stick to writing non-fiction.

Words (c) Suzy Sims
Originally published as a three-parter on the Kaiser Chiefs forum


Holidays, Yes

Yes, it was a good holiday, thought Whitey to himself as he stretched out on the sand and wiggled his toes. His traditional beanie had been swapped for a rather fetching straw hat and there was a warm can of beer half buried next to his sun towel. The sky was grey, the air was humid (well, they were in England after all) and there were seagulls swooping down to pick at the leftovers of chips at various points along the beach wall.

Nick was sunbathing comfortably nearby, although being British he was still wearing trousers and several jumpers. Simon was wearing a bathing cap and was splashing about in the rock pools looking for crabs to taunt.

Ricky had been buried in the sand up to his neck and had a bucket over his head, which was frankly necessary to stop the fan girls seeing him and wrecking the band's holiday.

Whitey still couldn't understand why when he had requested an ice cream, Simon had skipped off giggling at him.

But there was someone missing, and Whitey couldn't work out who.

"I think I need a pee," said a muffled voice from under the bucket.

"There's sunburn on your nut, mate," said Nick as he threw over the Ambre Solaire (only £8 for Factor 15, available in all good shops).

Simon was walking around with a small bag in his hand. "Who wants a peanut?" he shouted.

That was it! Whitey sat up. He looked around.

"Where the f**k is Dave Grohl?" he said. "He said he was bringing a barbeque."

"I'll go and look for him," said Nick and the bucket simultaneously.

So off they went, padding across the sand dunes with their bare hobbit feet. Ricky kept the bucket on his head, and Nick thought it would be funny to balance things on the top without him noticing. It started with a handful of sand, then a shell, a bottle of Ambre Solaire, a pair of flip-flops, a small child and a deckchair.

Nick was struggling to lift a lifebuoy onto the top when Ricky pulled the bucket off, saying: "What the blooming 'eck are you doing?" (For that is how people from Leeds talk).

As soon as the bucket was taken off, hundreds of bikini-clad babes (and one or two heifers) made a beeline for Ricky. He looked scared and put it back on his head, and the girls became disinterested and drifted away.

"Phew, that was close," he said quietly.

And up popped Dave Grohl, who'd been hiding underneath a small dinghy.

"Hello boys, what are you up to?"

"We're looking for a plot," said Ricky-Bucket. Nick hit him over the head with a drumstick until he reverberated and wobbled into the sea.

"We were looking for you," he said. "Where's this barbeque then?"

"I was bringing it over to you. I was walking along here next to Peanut, who was carrying the food. And then it happened...

"Peanut was kidnapped by a seagull."

Meanwhile a few feet away, Simon had discovered a message floating in a glass bottle. By 'discovered', he actually trod on it and was undergoing immediate surgery to sew his foot back on.

Whitey unravelled the small square of paper. It read:

'I AM BEING HELD CAPTIVE ON BIRD ISLAND. PLEASE HELP'.

"Oh, bugger," he said.

More to follow...



Peanut was lying on the shore. He was staring out across the murky brown waters, which were hiding all sorts of horrors, but not the various condoms and shopping trolleys which would occasionally bob in his line of vision.

He was on Bird Island, home to the enormous seagull which had mistaken him for a large chip and had swooped down, grabbed him by the pants and flown him off. The mainland was a fair distance away and poor Peanut had no idea how to get back. Currently he was lying in a star-shape, his reasoning being that seagulls don't eat starfish because you can't nibble on one leg while the other four are punching you in the beak.

Luckily for the 'nut, Whitey had recognised the handwriting on the note. He'd also reasoned that Peanut wasn't in any immediate danger or he wouldn't have been able to sign it 'Love and hugs, your mate P. Hope to see you soon xx'. Whitey adjusted his straw hat and stood up as Nick, Dave and a damp bucket approached.

"We need to find some way of getting over there," Nick said, flinging himself down onto the sand and taking off one of his jumpers. There was a small piece of seaweed caught in his hair which he flicked onto the towel.

"Could we not just ask the bird to bring him home?" suggested Dave, not very helpfully.

"I think this situation calls for a bit of a sacrifice from Mr Wilson," said Whitey quietly.

"What do you mean exactly?" said the bucket apprehensively, hands on hips.

Whitey paced up and down on his towel, which didn't take long as it wasn't really that big. "There aren't many of us and we need some help. Nick can't row the dinghy because he insists on using his drumsticks for oars." Nick nodded and smiled. "Dave isn't in the band, and his ideas are frankly rubbish."

"OK," said Dave brightly. "I'll try and light the barbeque. I forgot the firelighters so I'm going to eat a pack of chillis and breathe on the coals really hard."

"I want to help," said Simon bravely.

"Your foot is still loose and you're in danger of leaving it behind by accident. Can you help Dave instead?" said Nick.

Simon grumbled into his bathing cap and followed Dave along the beach, but returned a second later.

"Forgot my foot," he said sheepishly.

"Didn't someone say my name?" the Ricky Bucket asked. Whitey put his arm across Ricky's sandy shoulders.

"I think," he said, "it's about time you took that thing off."

Ricky's face paled so much it could be seen glowing white under the plastic cover.

"But... the fan girls!" he stammered.

"We want them to follow you. If enough of them do that, you could swim over to Bird Island, pick up Peanut and get him to walk across the ladies. He'd get back without getting his feet wet," said Whitey.

Ricky wasn't happy with this, but Nick tickled him with a Pro-Mark stick until he started rolling on the floor spluttering: "Stop! I'll do your stupid idea!"

Peanut squinted across the water to try and see if the other Chiefs had received his SOS. He thought he could see his friends rolling on the floor and giggling, with the occasional clash of drumstick on bucket. "Take your time, boys," he thought.

Then suddenly there was a terrifying squawk which echoed around the cliff tops. Peanut froze and slowly turned his head to see an enormous seagull with roaring wings and beady eyes looking at him menacingly. Uh oh...

More to follow...



Ricky was stood at the water's edge nervously. He lifted the bucket off his head slightly to see Whitey and Simon grinning and giving him the thumbs-up sign.

"Come on mate. You can do it!"

"Kaiser! Chiefs! Kaiser! Chiefs!"

Looking to the left, he saw Nick had both drumsticks up his nose and was pulling a silly face and doing a little dance.

He looked down and flexed his furry little toes, then did an enormous jump into the surprisingly chilly water.

"Ouch!"

"Tide's out," called Simon. "You might have to go a bit further out than that."

Ricky rubbed his hands together and took another step into the water. A few paces later and it was swishing around his ankles pleasantly. A couple of minutes more and the waves were buffeting against his knees.

"Bit further," said a voice next to the bucket. "We'll tell you when, don't you worry."

Ricky took a deep breath and kept inching out until the water was lapping around his waist.

"Ready?" yelled Whitey.

"I think so," said Ricky, gripping the bucket firmly.

"1... 2... 3... NOW!"

And the bucket was off and drifting away. Ricky blinked in the sudden sunlight. He shook his head and stared around blearily to get his bearings. Behind him was the shore, with Simon clapping and whooping at the water's edge. Whitey was holding his straw hat and beer can aloft. Straight in front was an island in the distance, which had something enormous moving on it - wait, was that a seagull? Bloody hell. Poor Peanut. And to the right of him - oh dear God.

Ricky could see a line of girls advancing through the water like some aquatic zombie flick. They all had their hands outstretched and wild stares. On the breeze he could hear a demented call of "Rickeeeee!"

After saying several rude words in a variety of languages, the Kaiser Chiefs frontman ducked under the waves and began splashing his way to the island.

Meanwhile, Peanut wasn't having a particularly good day. He was feeling a bit ill after eating much of the food intended for the barbeque. He had been mistaken for a giant chip by a seagull the size of a house, which had just torn the hat from his head and was tussling with it. He was currently edging behind a large rock for safety. The water looked a bit scary to swim in and he didn't dare to venture further along the island because his mum had always told him to stay still if he was lost. And he was lost.

Ricky also wasn't finding the water much fun to swim through. Several times he'd spectacularly collided with shopping trolleys. He also had a carrier bag wrapped around his left leg and a surprised limpet clinging to his stomach. But it wouldn't be long until he reached the island. He could now see Peanut hiding behind a rock and staring at him all puzzled-like.

After a few more minutes, Ricky realised the water was shallow enough to stand in and he waded onto the pebbles and hissed at Peanut.

"Oi! You all right?"

"I think so," Peanut whispered. "But it's got my hat!"

"Don't worry about that. We're getting out of here."

Ricky looked back towards the shore - and his heart skipped a beat. There was a break in the chain of people. Someone had distracted his girls and there weren't enough! They had no way of getting back across the water... and that seagull looked hungry.

Back on the mainland, Nick had chosen an inopportune moment to rip off his jumpers and was parading his torso around, striking manly poses and saying 'Heeeey'. Several girls had stopped following Ricky and were instead gazing this way and dribbling ever so slightly

"I'm not sure this is a good time," Whitey muttered.

"Oh, very well," said Nick. He was about to get dressed when there was a thundering explosion. Dave Grohl had set light to the barbeque, a nearby beach hut, his eyebrows and Simon's stray foot. The fearful noise made Nick's fan girls jump into the sea in shock, and Ricky seized the chance.

"Let's go Peanut!"

The two jumped along, from fan girl to fan girl. It was a very wobbly bridge and in places it screamed and grabbed at Peanut and Ricky, who was now starting to weep openly as well as wave his arms melodramatically. The two reached the other side and fled along the beach, yelling as the massive weight of fan girls started to sweep closer towards them.

Suddenly Whitey, cool as a cornet of Premium Soft ice cream, grabbed a bucket from a sandcastle-making child and rammed it onto Ricky's head. The fan girls blinked. They looked around aimlessly, glanced once or twice at a jumper clad Nick, then headed off. Whitey then put his straw hat back on and settled down onto his beach towel, stretching out and finding another warm can of beer.

Nick followed his lead and lay flat out on the sand, making sure to put on another jumper to avoid sunburn. Peanut felt his head - so this is what it feels like without a hat! Sort of soft and a bit hairy. He decided not to bother wearing his spare hat, but every time someone make a squawking noise he flinched and dived under the nearest rock. Simon sat in a rock pool, tossing his foot from hand to hand and occasionally making bird noises at Peanut.

"Could someone please bury me in the sand?" asked Ricky politely. Nick obliged and soon the two were playing in a big happy sandcastle, both with drumsticks up their nose.

Yes, thought Whitey as he put his hat over his face and sighed. It was a good holiday.



In the distance, a seagull swooped down and took off with a man who looked remarkably like Dave Grohl.

Live Review - Southsea Fest 2010

Bit of a delay in posting; sorry about me. I've just taken over control of the work's newsletter (woo) and have also decided to start a rom-com screenplay (unfinished) even though I also have a book (unfinished) and a sitcom (unfinished). Anyway, this was originally posted on mINtSOUTH.com in September. Unfortunately the site got hacked into and everything was lost shortly after. I'm not sure if they've put this one back up yet.

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in September 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

SOUTHSEA FEST - 2010

We’re padding the streets of Southsea in well-worn Converse; head down, looking at maps, fiddling with camera lenses and wondering if the band we’ve just seen is the same as given on the running order. Southsea Fest venues don’t need signs or markers to show where they are. The entrances are illuminated by the shining beacons from a dozen cigarettes being puffed outside the doorway. An excitable friend runs up to us with open arms in Wine Vaults, where we’ve come to check out Brothers. With music in the background, she leads us to the Sailor Jerry stand for tattoos and cocktails – an excellent choice of sponsor, because everyone loves a good rum. mINtSOUTH’s team leave with an anchor for the matelot, and a swallow for the classy bird.

It’s been said many times before, and I’ll say it again – Portsmouth is not known for its music scene. The name most people are excited to see on the list is Pulled Apart By Horses (Leeds), who’s not-so-secret-secret-gig was recently announced. It is however good that people are getting off their arse and doing something to showcase the best local acts through Southsea Fest. Originally set up as a charitable event to help a young artist with lymphoma record an album (and indeed charity is still at the heart of the day, with a healthy donation to The Ellen MacArthur Trust), it’s now a highlight in the festival calendar for the people who are too cool or too broke for the bigger name events across the Solent.

It’s early in the day, yet the Edge of the Wedge is still filling up nicely for The Attika State, as part of the BSM and Alcopop stage. It’s hot in here already, just a little temperature taster of what the Pulled Apart By Horses gig will be like. The music is warm and spicy with some cheering melodies.

Over in Little Johnny Russells, Zoo In The Sky is fronted by the ever present Huw Olesker. His Mohawk brings him punk power and ska beats. Without it, he would be helpless. Summer is extended in the pub during the band’s set.

The day passes in a blur, helped along by an unfortunate habit of arriving at a venue to catch the last minute of a band, and then a half an hour break before the next. We caught the end of punky rockers The Exposed who are deafening the Deco with some loud drums, and spot the next troupe of insanely paisley and animal printed shirts, which we take to be Bad For Lazarus, who are having lengthy technical difficulties. In the end we give up and head to the Kings Theatre, managing to sneak upstairs and catch a sweet balcony spot for The B Of The Bang. I haven’t seen them before and found their jaunty lo-fi slightly downbeat but quite pleasant, but thought they struggled to make an impact.

Most people were heading to the Kings, partly because it had soft seating (the venues are so rammed, sometimes it’s nice to pause and actually see the bands you’re listening to) and partly because The Strange Death Of Liberal England are local darlings at present, with positive album reviews across the land. This is no scruffy pub gig. The Show, for that is what it is, opens with two scarlet-coated military drummers marching to the stage before the band arrive, all mock serious poses, air raid sirens and beautifully sweeping songs. There’s something about the sheer majesty of an orchestra that can help magnify the dramatic elements of a melody. TSDOLE are a theatrical highlight of the day.

After a near miss, when mINtSOUTH try to leave the venue the same time as the band and almost end up at the back of their victory parade behind their soldier drummers, it’s time for a break at the Balti House and another perusal of the timetable.

mINtSOUTH breaks ranks and The One With The Dead Camera Battery ends up at the fast and fun Stagecoach and Tall Ships, who he was particularly taken with, claiming the hypnotic tunes left him enthralled. Meanwhile, The One With The Notepad drifts aimlessly around the Wine Vaults and Porters, again eyeing up the rum cocktails, then heads up Albert Road. I’m not sure where I am or what is playing. I feel lost. There are snatches of rocky chords and fuzzing bass, brief glimpses of bands above people’s heads. Blasts of pounding indie rock echo down the street, as someone – possibly Lucifers Gold? - play at The Festing. The gig venue is separated from the normal Saturday crowd. Downstairs, a tall man in a Scooby Doo outfit and his other costumed friends talk by the jukebox while elsewhere the band play on.

On heading back to the Wedgewood Rooms, we bump into a friend again, who had to escape Pulled Apart By Horses due to heat exhaustion, and is currently winding down. A random taps mINtSOUTH’s reviewer on the shoulder: “Excuse me, my friend says you just pinched my bottom.” No. “It’s quite a good bottom, though.” Again, no.

We flash our wristbands shyly at the doorman on the Edge, who shakes his head and indicates that there is a queue of at least half a dozen people. No PABH for us tonight. We’re also gutted to miss Islet, as by all accounts they were fantastic.

Instead we turn our attention Wedge-wards. I was impressed with Bleech. Singer Jennifer peers out from beneath her mane, rocking away without care, surrounded by cloudy grungy and Nineties Britpop influences.

NME wrote something of a ridiculously poor review of the Little Fish album, possibly because they didn’t realise the group are first and foremost a Live Act. Tonight they are a Live Act surrounded by balloons as it’s the drummer’s birthday. Juju never disappoints and like the girls of Bleech, is a rocking alpha female who is obviously enjoying her time onstage but isn’t too precious to scream or pull crazy faces. Top notch.

The Xcerts are full of furious stop-starts and plenty of punkish pop energy, just right for a Saturday night. They also have a number of fans singing away, hands aloft; always a cheery sight. It would be nice to catch Goldheart Assembly, but there’s been a delay in going onstage and South West Trains wait for no man, so it’s time to step into the shockingly chilly air and trudge back to the station.

Our Southsea Fest 2010 Experience is over – but for many of you, the partying carried into the early part of Sunday morning. Good on ya.

BANDS YOU WOULD TOTALLY SEE BASED ON THEIR NAME ALONE

Head Full of Yoko, Dr Skrivenski’s Pandorium, Smokey Bastard, &U&I, Skibunny, Klezma Villanova, Tricorn, Itchy Teeth, Attack! Vipers!

OVERHEARD RECOMMENDATIONS – EAVESDROPPING ON THE STREETS OF SOUTHSEA

“The best band that I’ve heard today is that 12 Dirty Bullets.”

“I can only see two or three names I recognise, I don’t know who anyone is!”

“I’m really hoping to catch King Charles."

“Islet were well exciting.”

“What did you think of Pulled Apart By Horses? They were immense.”

http://www.southseafest.com/

Interview - The Momeraths @ Great Escape 2010

Submitted to mINtSOUTH.com in June 2010 but currently unpublished
Interview and words - Suzy Sims
(c) Suzy Sims

INTERVIEW - THE MOMERATHS @ THE GREAT ESCAPE 2010

Paolo and Claire

mINtSOUTH: The Great Escape – we’re here now. Do you get a pass to see any other bands?
Claire: “Not that I’ve heard. We’ll see what we can wangle out of it. We did when we went to the Camden Crawl. We managed to get passes so we spent the rest of the day queuing, but hey.”

mINtSOUTH: How did it go today, did you enjoy it?
Claire: “I did enjoy it yeah. Despite being blamed for a mistake on stage which wasn’t my fault.”
mINtSOUTH: It’s on record now. It wasn’t your fault.
Claire: “It was Paolo actually.”
Paolo: “Sounds like a politician...”
mINtSOUTH: It was David Cameron’s fault it all went wrong today. Isn’t it quite hard doing the earlier ones in the day?
Claire: “Really hard to get people out of bed from the night before. And it’s a nice day too.”

mINtSOUTH: What do you associate with lovely Brighton?
Claire: “Seaside. I like the seaside. We know a couple of really good little bands from here.”
Paolo: “The Bobby McGees and The Half Sisters. When I think of Brighton, I always think of them.”
Claire: “Sunshine and the beach and Brighton rock.”
Paolo: “Oh, and that programme that was about that girl from Brighton. Sugar Rush.”

mINtSOUTH: What can people expect to see from The Momeraths’ live experience?
Claire: “A lot of red and white. We’re very well co-ordinated.”
Paolo: “Bar stools, ironing boards, banners.”
Claire: “Anything else beginning with b? Not bums. No bums on stage.”

mINtSOUTH: Did it take you ages to put your banner together? [The band has a series of little flags spelling out their name across the stage]
Paolo: “It took Claire years.”
Claire: “Literally, per letter was about 3 hours, maybe a bit more. It is worth it. Slave labour.”
mINtSOUTH: What if you got to the end and found you missed out one of the letters?
Paolo: “Or did it on the wrong colour, like it’s red / white / red / white - done two reds.”
Claire: “They’re good old ASDA pillowcases.”

mINtSOUTH: Have you got any releases out?
Paolo: “Yes we had an EP out this month, last month? Called A Single Cup of Tea. It’s got five songs on. We’re doing another EP in the summer and hopefully be doing an album next year, with loads of new songs.
Claire: “We’re getting there.”
Paolo: “Gradually. Slow movers.”
Claire: “Slow and steady wins the race, Paolo.”

mINtSOUTH: Tell me a fact about each other.
Claire: “A fact about Paolo... I don’t want to say any facts about you that I know! We’ve known each other for a long time, we live together so we know the deepest darkest secrets.”
mINtSOUTH: It’s not a Jeremy Kyle scandal type of question...
Claire: “But we will, by accident!”
Paolo: “I‘m not going to say something which I’m going to later regret.”
Claire: “Paolo is three-quarters Italian and a quarter Welsh.”

Paolo: “Claire is going to receive an NVQ at John Lewis for working there for three years, two days a week.”
Claire: "Four years, thank you very much!”
mINtSOUTH: I did five years at Somerfield and all I got was a badge. NVQs are much better.
Paolo: “Everyone’s got NVQs.”

mINtSOUTH: Plans for 2010?
Paolo: “We’ve got festivals in the summer. We’ve got Secret Garden Party and Lounge On The Farm.”
Claire: “They’re all the smaller nicer ones. We did Glastonbury last year, it’s great but it’s so big. I always wanted to go to Secret Garden Party, can’t wait.”
Paolo: “Couple of EPs and write an album I think. Enjoy the sunshine, for the next three weeks that we have of it. It’s always sunny down here.”
Claire: “ We live in Kingston, Surrey. I wish we had a beach. We’ve only got a massive river – the Thames. ‘That massive river’. Idiot!”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla vs bear – who would win in a fight?
Claire: “Is that about me and Paolo? (laughs) I think I would! He’s the gorilla. Look at the hair.”
Paolo: “I think bears win in fights to be honest.”
Claire: “Oh I dunno. A gorilla’s got the arms. I think the gorilla could take it out with one quick swing. The bear would just go meehhh and fall over. (giggles) That was a really terrible impression of a bear.”

Paolo: “Now can we read these out to you? Tell me about that bag.”
mINtSOUTH: My friend gave it to me as a present. It’s from Primark.
Claire: “Are you releasing an album this year?”
mINtSOUTH: No.
Paolo: “Why not? Everyone’s releasing an album this year.”
Claire: “What do you associate with Brighton?”
mINtSOUTH: Deckchairs and beach.
Paolo: “How long have you lived in Brighton?”
mINtSOUTH: I don’t!
Claire: “Portsmouth? We’ve been there before. Live?”
mINtSOUTH: Yes I am.
Claire: “What can we expect live from you?”
mINtSOUTH: Probably a bit of talking and muttering.
Claire: “Plans for 2010?”
mINtSOUTH: To get a new job...
Paolo: “How much do you make a year?”
Claire: “Let’s get out the personal questions! Great Escape. I see you’ve got a pass.”
Paolo: “Is that a delegates pass? Have you got any spare ones?”
mINtSOUTH: “Yes, and unfortunately not.”
Claire: “I’m going to have to take that one then! Gorilla or bear?”
mINtSOUTH: Bear. I have a friend who calls himself The Bear and he seems to think he would win any fight.

[Tour manager walks over looking confused.] Claire: “We span it round, we’re messing things up a bit. [Start firing questions at tour manager]. Go on, answer them all at once!”
Tour Manager: “...No!”

The Momeraths

Interview - Detroit Social Club @ Great Escape 2010

Submitted to mINtSOUTH.com in June 2010 but unpublished
Interview and words - Suzy Sims
(c) Suzy Sims

INTERVIEW - DETROIT SOCIAL CLUB @ THE GREAT ESCAPE 2010

Dale Knight and Johnny Bond

mINtSOUTH: The Great Escape. Did you only get here today?
Johnny: “Yeah.”
Dale: “We saw a bit of Rachelle Van Zanten who was on before us, the slide guitarist from Canada. Her band were quite rootsy.”
Johnny: “We played earlier today at the Queens Hotel.”
mINtSOUTH: What about later tonight?
Johnny: “I want to see Band Of Skulls. They’re on after us, so that’s convenient.”

mINtSOUTH: What do you associate with Brighton?
Dale: “Quadrophenia. Has anyone said rock?”
Johnny: “I don’t really know much about it, I only came here when I was 10. Brighton rock and Quadrophenia, there you go.”

mINtSOUTH: What can people expect to see from you on stage?
Johnny: “We are very loud.”
mINtSOUTH: I figured that when your tour manager gave me earplugs to wear during your soundcheck.
Dale: “Some people say we’re too loud, but I don’t agree.”
Johnny: “The thing about playing live is you’re trying to get across a different side that’s not on the recordings. If you saw us but you listened to the album first, you wouldn’t expect what it sounds like live. If you saw us live first, you’d probably think the album was quite tame and sort of reserved.”
Dale: “It’s a shame when you see a band and it’s as good as the album and there’s nothing more. We try and add stuff.”
Johnny: “It makes it more interesting than just hearing it back as you do on the record.”

mINtSOUTH: Have you got any albums or releases out?
Johnny: “Our first album is out on May 31st and there’s a single, Sunshine People, before that. The album’s called Existence.”

mINtSOUTH: Looking forward to it? Has it been a long time in the making?
Johnny: “It has been a long time. We recorded it last summer, and that’s after spending a year and a half trying to find the right producer to do it. And it was put back another year. It’s been a long time coming. I think it’s good timing though, because people can hear it ready in time for the festivals over the summer. People who have got the album can go and listen and will hopefully learn the words.”
Dale: “We’re looking forward to playing gigs once it’s been released because at the minute you can see people trying to get into it live, but they can’t get involved because they don’t know the album.”
Johnny: “We’re very excited!”

mINtSOUTH: How would you describe your music?
Johnny: “That’s hard to answer because the album’s got a lot of different sounds on it. There are some bits like Silver which is like a hip hop song. It’s got its rocky moments and where it possibly sounds unintentionally mainstream – I think every band’s got songs that just naturally seem more radio friendly. There are quite a lot of experimental songs on the album which probably won’t be in the singles, so if you get the album it’s a good method of getting that side of things.”

mINtSOUTH: Bonus hidden track?
Dale: “There is a hidden track on there. It’s not hard to find, because it’s at the end.”
mINtSOUTH: In my car I’ve got a cassette player, so if I copy the CD then there’s a 20 minute gap.
Johnny: “You need to get with the times. Gramophone in your boot.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you tell me a fact about yourselves?
Johnny: “Dale’s a great spooner. We have to share a room when we go on tour. If it’s a quiet night or a cold evening, just turn to Dale.”
Dale: “Bondy is a budding saxophonist.”
Johnny: “I got given two of them, an alto sax and a tenor sax, about a month ago? Getting there.”

mINtSOUTH: What are your plans for 2010?
Johnny: “Got the festivals coming up. Two gigs at Glastonbury on the John Peel stage and then playing the Queens Head. We’ve got T In The Park and Isle of Wight, should be good.”
Dale: “We’re doing Fuji Rock as well.”
Johnny: “Very excited about that.”
Dale: “It’s going to be a 10 hour flight straight there, play the gig, and straight back.”
Johnny: “We should be doing a tour for the album at some point as well. We’re on this Q Magazine tour at the minute [with Tiffany Page and Goldhawks] which will end in a week and then we’ve got the album coming out so people are going to expect us to tour again. It’s going to be a busy year.”

mINtSOUTH: Gorilla v Bear – who would win?
Dale: “I think a bear would win. But the gorilla’s cleverer.”
Johnny: “I imagine the bear to be like the bad guy in Rocky IV, he’s all brawn and he’d just go raging in.”
Dale: “The gorilla’s got massive claws and massive teeth so I think it’s got a chance.”
Johnny: “I’m going with gorilla.”
Dale: “Deadlock!”
mINtSOUTH: I’ll give you some time to think about it...
Dale: “I want to see some CGI version of this battle now.”

Detroit Social Club

Interview - Pulled Apart By Horses @ Great Escape 2010

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in June 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - PULLED APART BY HORSES @THE GREAT ESCAPE 2010

We first spot Pulled Apart By Horses – Tom (vocals / guitar), Robert (bass), James (guitar), minus Lee (drums) who’s on paternity leave - as they’re sneaking around Brighton Dome, attempting to catch The Cribs in mid-soundcheck. When this fails, we lead them to sit in the park, surrounded by happy toddlers and a man playing the bongos in the near distance. It’s perfectly summery, outdoor beer weather. Let the interview begin:

mINtSOUTH: This is probably going to be the least professional interview you’ve had all day.
PABH: “We’ll we’re the least professional band in the world, so it’ll be fine!”

mINtSOUTH: Can you tell us a fact about yourselves?
Tom: “Robert John Lee - his original name is Robot John Lee, and he’s actually a robot that was made in the mid Nineties. And he runs on oil.”
Rob: “And I was not a body double, but the actual actor that played Robocop.”
James: “You can see the jaw structure there, look. If you shaved Rob’s hair, he’s got a metal helmet.”

mINtSOUTH: The Great Escape... Are you going to have time to stick around and see many bands?
Tom: “It’s really hard because we’re playing at 9 and there’s a few bands we want to see that are all around that sort of time. It’s really annoying.”
James: “We’re really good friends with Blood Red Shoes. They go on at half nine and we go on at quarter past. But we’re going to run over and say hi.”
Rob: “I really want to watch the Cribs. We can get away with it now because normally if Lee was here, our drummer, he’d probably hit us.”
James: “There’s Chickenhawk, they’re playing today. Try and catch them.”

Tom: “The Great Escape’s awesome. Although last time we played it was such a blur. We played at the Sallis Benney at 7pm, and then played the Pav Tav at 12am to a load of drunk people whilst being drunk ourselves, and then the next day played The Hope at 12pm still drunk. By that point we were just on the edge, we had just completely lost it but that added to it.”
James: “Because it was the first time we’d done Great Escape and been down here for it, i think we were having a little bit too much fun as well. There wasn’t much sleep had last year, but a lot of drinking, staying up.”

mINtSOUTH: What can people expect to see from the Pulled Apart By Hoses live experience?
Rob: “There’s the obvious bits which is sweat, sometimes blood. Sick doesn’t happen anymore.”
Tom “Well it does occasionally rear its head.”
Rob: “If you eat an hour before you go on. James usually adds to his collection of knee injuries [James shows off a horrifying bruised scab]

Tom: “That started off with seven stitches. And then we played a couple of gigs at the Camden Crawl.”
James: “There’s only 3 left now. This occurs regularly.”
Tom: “He’s got the knees of a cheap prostitute, from the amount of times he’s landed on them. We are a live band like, since day one we’ve just toured relentlessly and played about 400 gigs in the space of about two years.”

mINtSOUTH: I saw you a couple of times last year, when you were at Southampton Joiners and there was a lot of jumping into the crowd.
Tom: “It’s kind of like unplanned chaos, and that’s the fun of it, Just wait to see what happens and go with the flow. One thing is about Brighton, for a few of the first gigs we played here we realised the crowd are a bit too cool for school sometimes, like everyone just stands there at the back. But last year it was a lot better. It’s probably because people didn’t know us then.”

mINtSOUTH: I think Portsmouth can be worse, you get people stood there arms folded not clapping.
James: “I think it was the Wedgewood Rooms - that was a strange one.”
Tom: “Everyone’s just standing there and you’re like ‘Oh god, this is awful, everyone hates it,’ and then people come up to you after and they’re like ‘Oh that was amazing, we really loved it.’ And you’re like. shake a leg then, go on!”

Rob: “Like Tom said before it’s a case of how the crowd interaction and getting in the crowd is because we consider the crowd to be as much part of the band as we are. A lot of people know the end riff we generally finish on so we’ve had a lot of different people just get onstage. Sometimes if we’re on tour with a band or we’ve got a tech we haven’t used before, we’re like ‘Right, you’re playing.’ We did it in Europe with Blood Red Shoes. Laura-Mary and Steven got up to play at the end of ‘I Punched A Lion’... and Laura said she was more nervous to do that than to actually play the gig herself. I jumped over with my bass like ‘LET’S ROCK OUT! WOOO!’ And she was like ‘Aaargh!’ The other thing we were going to say, we hate that whole idea of there being a barrier between the crowd and the band.”
Tom: “I fucking hate barriers.”

mINtSOUTH: The thing is, the more famous you get, the bigger the gap.
Tom: “I remember we played at Audio with Sky Larkin and it was just a crappy barrier that was set up. I opened it up and then this guy came and shut it, so we ended up pushing it on the floor.”
James: “He was furious, that guy.”
mINtSOUTH snapper Rob: "From a photographer’s point of view, I do like the barriers."
Tom: “That makes sense. Well it’s not going to keep you safe with us lot. We’ll just climb all over it.”

mINtSOUTH: What are your plans for 2010?
Tom: “We’ve got some big plans actually. The first single is coming out on June 14th and we filmed an Evil Dead style rip-off music video for it, and the album comes out a little bit after that.”
Rob: “We’re doing PukkelPop in Belgium so that’s going to be ace.”
PABH: “What else is there – Glastonbury, Truck, Heavy Fest.”
Rob: “{Offset} is pencilled in.”
James: “It was really good though last year.”
Tom: “Although between the main stage and where the crowd were, it felt like it was about a mile. When we were playing I jumped off the stage and I was going to try and get to the crowd and it took me like forever. I was just like, yeah I’m getting there! I’m getting there! And by the time I got there, I couldn’t even sing.”

James: “I think after the summer there’s talk of us doing another tour but maybe a bit bigger than this one we’re doing in June.”
Rob: “And working on album number two. We can’t wait to get another album out.”

mINtSOUTH: Album.
Rob: “I misread that as All Bum first.”
Tom: “It’s self-titled. We were thinking of things to call it and we looked at the song title list and it was like no, our songs are too ridiculously titled.”
Rob: “When we sometimes write out the setlist and we can’t be bothered to write out the full length of the songs, it’ll just say stuff like Fuck, Crap, Meat, Hammer, High Five...”
James: “You get people picking the setlist up off the stage and being like ‘What?’”

Tom: “We [recorded the album] just after Leeds Fest. We had a tiny slot to just bang it out really, but that was the best way for it because we weren’t too precious about it, we just wanted to capture it. We did it in eight days in James Kenosha’s recording studios in Bridlington. Lived off microwave lasagnes from Tesco, and went nuts basically."
James: “I keep on saying it’s like a document of the past two years of being on the road.”
Rob: “And with it being our introduction to the record buying public – all two of them – we want to make it an honest account of what we sound like live and as a band and it’s really kind of stripped back.”

mINtSOUTH Have you gone for any special vinyl editions?
James: “I was adamant it’s got to be on heavyweight vinyl.”
Tom: “We got 11 different artists, some are our friends and some are artists we just really loved, and got them to illustrate each song from the album with the lyrics. Should be a nice little package to hopefully persuade people into buying the album.”
Rob: “It’s a nice thing to own. They’re probably going to download it anyway.”

mINtSOUTH: But they shouldn’t?
Tom: “Depends what you do with it. I download stuff then if I really like it I’ll get it on vinyl anyway, just to have the artwork at the correct size.”
James: “If you download all their stuff, you should go and watch them live. Or buy a t shirt, or a single if you’re skint.”

Tom: “I hope that’s the way that people do it now. I think you get a lot of kids, it’s really good that they’re getting into music that they wouldn’t normally just because it’s available for them, but at the same time I think that the new generation of kids just take it for granted now. They’ll just download the crap out of anything.”
Rob: “You’ve got to look for the positives of it. I guess it puts a lot of emphasis on live bands now which has done us a lot of favours. I should probably go and reintroduce myself to my friends and family at some point.”
Tom: “Say sorry to our girlfriends.”

mINtSOUTH: What do you associate with Brighton?
Rob: “Music, playing gigs, getting very drunk and not being able to remember most of it, but knowing that I should go back because I did really enjoy it... but not being able to quite remember what I enjoyed.”

mINtSOUTH: The more tattoos the better the drummer? Discuss. This was more one for Lee who’s not here.
Tom: “Lee’s like the fastest drummer in the world.”
Rob: “I would say that tattoos and drummers go hand in hand, but our drummer’s only got one hand.”
James: “He was born with a kind of disfigured hand. He’s got missing fingers and half a thumb. He’s got this tattoo and it’s amazing.”
Rob: “One says LOVE on his fingers, and the other says NO ROOM FOR HATE. What it should say is, PENTHOUSE SUITE FOR HATE WITH CHOCOLATES ON THE PILLOWS. He’s an angry motherfucker. But we love him.”

Tom: “I think it gives us a bit more credibility. Like the only thing I’ve got on my body is hair and moles. It looks a bit more interesting when you see some colourful ink on someone’s skin.”
James: “And it’s cool because his tattoos are a document of his life. He doesn’t get them for fashion reasons or anything like that.”

mINtSOUTH: Final one. Gorilla Vs Bear – who would win in a fight?
Rob: “That’s what we’re talking about!”
James: “I think it might be the bear. The bear’s going to be a lot taller.”
Tom: “Maybe a bear that hasn’t eaten for a little bit. Angry dudes, aren’t they.”
Rob: “It depends what context you’re in, because if you’re talking like Yogi Bear versus King Kong, he’s got no chance. King Kong’s got him. I think bear, hands down.”
James: “Bear wins. Gorilla dead.”

Pulled Apart By Horses

Inteview - Tim McIver - Tim & Sam's Tim & The Sam Band With Tim & Sam @ Great Escape 2010

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in June 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

INTERVIEW - TIM MCIVER - TIM AND SAM'S TIM AND THE SAM BAND WITH TIM AND SAM

We cornered blue shirted Tim McIver, he of the equally blue shirted Tim And Sam’s Tim And The Sam Band With Tim And Sam, upstairs in the Latest Music Bar for a chat.

mINtSOUTH: What do you associate with Brighton?
Tim: “Mini golf. We’ve played here about four times, and every time we go and play mini golf down at the beach. We’re going to go in a minute I think.”

mINtSOUTH: Do you always go on the pier and play games?
Tim: “No not really, we’re a bit poor so we stick to the mini golf.”

mINtSOUTH: I think most of them are for 2p coins, you should be all right there. Do you come down to Brighton much?
Tim: “We played the Great Escape two years ago as well. It’s good, it’s nice. I like The Lanes as well.”

mINtSOUTH: The Great Escape – obviously we’re here now. Are you staying on afterwards to catch any bands?
Tim : “Because we’re only doing a fringe event, we haven’t got passes or anything. If there’s any other fringe stuff we’ll go to that but we’ll probably just go back. We’re playing in Northampton tomorrow.”

mINtSOUTH: That’s a shame. I think if you pretend you’re working, if you manage steal one of those red STAFF t-shirts then you might be all right.
Tim: “Yeah but there’s five of us, so...”
mINtSOUTH: Just take it in turns with the mugging.

mINtSOUTH: So what can people expect to see from the Tim And Sam live experience?
Tim: [smiling] “The best songs ever? My amazing wit? We just started doing vocals for the first time, we’ve done three or four gigs like that, so that’s new if you have seen us before.”

mINtSOUTH: Is that quite nerve-wracking?
Tim: “I don’t like it at all. I feel like I have to do it! What else – a lot of loops, a lot of drumming and swapping instruments and all that kind of thing. We always wear blue. Well, recently.”

mINtSOUTH: What have you got planned for the rest of the year?
Tim : “We’ve just released our album and we’re doing a tour for that at the moment. Single in June and then a couple of festivals - we’re playing Bestival - and then doing some more recording at the end of the year. Probably touring the album again in about October time.”

mINtSOUTH: Hoping to go abroad?
Tim: “Love to. We’re kind of hoping to license the album out to people and we’re talking about France at the moment, it would be nice to go over there.”

mINtSOUTH: Can you tell us a bit about your second album?
Tim: “It came out on May 3rd. It’s called Life Stream and it took us two years to record. We had band member changes, the vocals, and just general faffing really. We ended up re-recording a lot of it and remixing a lot of it, so yeah it took a long time, but hopefully it’s worth it.”

mINtSOUTH: Any standout tracks on there?
Tim: “To be honest I’m sick of them all after two years! A lot of people like All Tucked Up and Finders Keepers is the new single, so that’s the catchy one.”
mINtSOUTH: If that took two years, are you currently working on the next one?
Tim: “We’ve got quite a lot of songs written already.”

mINtSOUTH: Final question. Gorilla v Bear – who would win in a fight?
Tim: “Probably a bear I reckon.”
mINtSOUTH: Is that because of the claws?
Tim: “Yeah.”

Life Stream is out now through Full Of Joy Records

Tim & Sam etc etc etc

Diary - The Great Escape, Brighton 2010 - Part 3

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in May 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

DIARY - THE GREAT ESCAPE, BRIGHTON 2010 - PART 3

Ah, Saturdays in Brighton. The busiest day of the festival, plus a herd of confused shoppers trampling you underfoot. Bliss.

The day starts in a confused fashion, with everyone piling downstairs into the Queens Hotel to see the Chapman Family. There’s been a change in the programme however, and we’re about an hour early. Instead mINtSOUTH finds space by a pillar to watch Rachelle Van Zanten’s brazen blues. She’s a Canadian star with plenty of easy confidence and a few stories to tell, including about one song written when she was deported to Sweden after being caught without the correct visas in Swindon. Wiltshire’s loss, clearly.

It was then time to zip along the seafront to Digital, where the Aussie BBQ was taking place. We arrived just when BlueJuice were coming to an end – a shame, as they were energetically sweaty with some sexy bass. Teenagersintokyo were full of deliciously dark disco pop and each band member has their own super magnetism, particularly singer Samantha Lim and icy guitarist Sophie McGinn. I found them captivating. This band was another of my high points of the festival.

They were followed by the spectacular Bridezilla, a band worth checking out for the name alone. I like them even more now that I know their lead singer is called Holiday Sidewinder, a name of total awesomeness. The rest of the band look a little nervous at times, but Sidewinder completely disappears into a romantic, theatrical performance where nothing and no-one can distract her. Bridezilla are a beautiful yet slightly crazy cacophony of sounds.

Being born at St Mary’s Hospital in the heart of Portsmouth gave me the birthright to seek out the FA Cup Final. I end up at the Honey Club, site of many a great gig last year, but oddly left off the location list this time round. I’m briefly joined at my table by a middle-aged man called Patrick, keen to have a drunken chat before continuing his pub crawl. “Where are you from? Why are you here? The Great Escape, what’s that?” I explain as best as I can and he offers his condolences for my choice of football team (and Chelsea hadn’t even scored yet). Anyway, we know how that match ended – not as bad as it could have been. God bless the woodwork, eh.

mINtSOUTH then scooted to Hector’s House for an interview with Detroit Social Club before their gig this evening. They’re running a little late so we arrive just in time to see the soundcheck. Their manager hands us a pair of foam earplugs. It’s going to be a loud night.

The night starts at Pony Pony Run Run downstairs in the Freebutt. There’s something so damn attractive about French electro pop, especially when there’s flashing lights and everyone’s dancing. The band are clearly enjoying themselves, which is always a good sign.

Then it’s onto the fiery furnace that is Hectors House on a Saturday night. It’s boiling and absolutely heaving. We have to squeeze our way to the back where there is some standing space. Detroit Social Club come onstage and as promised, they’re loud, bluesy and hard rocking, with suggestions of a darker, psychedelic side. The band have been highly tipped in recent times from the likes of NME and you can see why; they’re easy on the ear – in a tough kind of way.

The crowd are mainly here to see Band Of Skulls, who are already making serious strides this year. There’s something vey moreish about their garage rock. The band promise to play as many songs as they can from their album, then point out this shouldn’t be too hard; Baby Darling Doll Face Honey is their only one, after all. There are crowdsurfers tumbling all over the place and the waves of heat pulse across the venue as the guitar solos ooze coolness. I Know What I Am, recently lauded by Fearne Cotton of all people, and Death By Diamonds And Pearls go down particularly well. The crowd clamour for more, but unfortunately there’s a curfew so we don’t get it.

Saturday night is party night and so we head for Concorde 2. There’s no queue and it’s surprisingly empty. French electronic act Chateau Marmont are onstage being bleakly atmospheric and quite chilling, and it’s fascinating to listen to. Check out Solar Apex to lose yourself.

Sleigh Bells approach as figures in the mist, then a buzzing bass roars in so loud the glasses rattle off the tables and the floor vibrates so wildly it tickles the soles of your feet. mINtSOUTH gives thanks for the foam earplugs we received earlier. The band are slightly frightening, with an urgent, distorted, highly aggressive and completely in-your-face sound. The sheer power of this band can actually slay small animals within a two mile radius.

After picking up eardrums and smoothing down wind tunnel hair caused by Sleigh Bells’ drums, mINtSOUTH leave the Great Escape. But never fear, we’ll be back next year.


HYPE-O-METER

-The crowd for Delphic was packed – with delegates, critics, and other industry types. The other queue for normal gig-goers was much, much smaller. Overhyped much?
-Fenech-Soler – never heard of them before this weekend, but they made a name for themselves by playing a number of shows

BANDS YOU WOULD TOTALLY SEE BASED ON THEIR NAME ALONE

Bridezilla, Wax Fang, Curry & Coco, Katzenjammer, Is Tropical, Fenech-Soler, Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band with Tim and Sam, Felix Fables, Ling tosite sigure, Gringo Star, Ghost Bees

NOT SO GREAT ESCAPE

-BBQ at Digital. Huzzah! Unfortunately, before the end of the bands they had run out of everything bar three spoonfuls of potato salad. mINtSOUTH’s stomach was not impressed
-This year there were three levels of entry – normal wristbanders; delegates, who can queue jump but who still have to wait outside if the venue’s busy; and a new guestlist option which guarantees instant entry. Guestlisters are still allowed in if the venue has been one-in-one-out for a few hours. They are still allowed in if various industry experts and music lovers have been stood outside for some time. mINtSOUTH spoke to one peeved delegate whose friends with normal wristbands had been unable to get into at least two venues. When she went into one to assess the situation and see if it was worth everyone sticking around, she noticed a large group of people playing pool and not watching the bands who everyone else was desperate to see. Bastards.

TGE OVERHEARD

“Marina and The Diamonds – all I’m hearing is blah, blah, blah.” Unimpressed punter
“Band Of Skulls, someone told me they’re from New York. Oh, they’re from Southampton? That’s a bit of a difference.” Detroit Social Club during the Skulls’ set

CELEBRITY SPOTTINGS

-Mercury Music Award-winning Jamie Reynolds (Klaxons) hanging around Horatio’s in his role as manager of Cabin Fever
-Chiselled hunk Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) strolling through The Lanes
-Radio 1’s all-mighty Huw Stephens tweeting and chatting with friends during Warpaint and Egyptian Hip Hop at Horatio’s
-Ross Jarman of The Cribs looking slightly lost in the delegates’ area at The Dome
-The drummer from teenagersintokyo walking past Las Iguanas
-Slow Club dining out at Las Iguanas
-The drummer from Fallout Boy wandering about
-Guy at Pony Pony Run Run who looked just like Alan Rickman as The Sheriff Of Nottingham
-Guy at Band Of Skulls who looked just like the Austin Powers baddie who says: “They’re always after me lucky charms”

Diary - The Great Escape, Brighton 2010 - Part 2

Previously published on mINtSOUTH.com in May 2010
Words - Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

DIARY - THE GREAT ESCAPE, BIGHTON 2010 - PART 2

FRI 13th MAY

Good morning, Day Two. We ease ourselves into the day with some Coco Pops and a bit of Alternative Escape at The Latest Music Bar. Tim and Sam’s Tim and the Sam Band With Tim and Sam are first onstage, looking nervous beneath the lights in their matching blue shirts. It’s a gentle start to the day with delicately crafted, looping tunes.

Next on are The Momeraths, a band created from tea and gingham and possibly knitted by someone’s aunt. They’re jaunty and poppy and have some charming flags across the stage announcing who they are. The Momeraths are definitely one of the most cheerful-sounding bands of the weekend.

mINtSOUTH stops off for a quick chat with the two bands before legging it upstairs to the Fortune of War, where Everything Everything are playing a stripped down, three song surprise set. It’s not really a surprise judging from the number of people crammed upstairs, casting resentful looks at each other as the simmering tunes play on. I’m a fan of Everything Everything’s unexpected key changes, and everything has a nice beachy sound to it.

The evening starts with a few beers and a march along the pier, past the sweet smell of doughnuts and waffles hanging in the air, past the seagulls and the tarot readers, to join everyone piling into Horatio’s for the hotly anticipated NME night. Best Coast kick off first. My friend told me they are amazing. Tim and Sam’s tour manager told me they were rubbish. I kind of sided with him. The general sound was good but there wasn’t much variation in the songs they played – it could have been the same one over and over; sort of garage, surf rock. Best Coast are a little afraid of playing a show out on the end of the pier. “It’s pretty scary. It fucking moves!”

Meanwhile the young ‘uns in the crowd are obviously busy trying to be hip in case they end up with a vox pop in NME. “iPhone knows what’s up. I trust iPhone,” blathered someone as I passed.

Warpaint are cool, mysterious, memorable, with many instrumental breaks, with an arty, psychedelic swagger to boot. Although their recorded stuff sounds effortless, they are more strident live and create some sort of a sonic labyrinth. I also very much enjoyed the revitalising Egyptian Hip Hop, with their hot punchy basslines and plinky synths. On coming back from the toilet I suddenly realised I was in the Eighties, in a very stylish way, but in the Eighties nevertheless.

It’s then time to trek across the city with aching feet, but it’s worth it for a nice sit down and a bottled lemonade at the Duke of York’s Picturehouse. We time this well enough to catch Alessi’s Ark and Peggy Sue without having to cram into the aisles, like most of the watchers. Young Alessi has a beautifully rounded and quirky voice full of kindness but she looks absolutely petrified of being up on stage. Everyone loves Peggy Sue, though I think they’ve been hyped up a bit too much. Rose and Katy are cooler than cool, with their lipstick and tousled hair and funky hat. Both acts bring out the alt-folk love; delicately constructed tunes with real heart.

And so ends Day Two of the Great Escape for mINtSOUTH. The danger with putting on late night gigs in a cinema is that those people who didn’t go to sleep until 5am (us) tend to start nodding off in the chairs, so alas we had to leave slightly early. Plenty of time to refresh for Day Three...

Diary - The Great Escape, Brighton 2010 - Part 1

Originally published on mINtSOUTH.com in May 2010
Words: Suzy Sims
(c) mINtSOUTH.com

DIARY - THE GREAT ESCAPE, BRIGHTON 2010 - PART 1

THURS 12th MAY

BRIGHTON. Beautiful, seasidey, hip and trendy Brighton. Once again the Great Escape is upon us. Three days of much music and not enough sleep lie straight ahead.

We arrive in the city just in time to sit down in the sun for a chat with a very buoyant Pulled Apart By Horses. Then follows some time spent doing Media Things, such as checking out the available space in the press area, working out who’s covering what on the extensive schedule, and wondering if there is any free lager hidden in one of the side rooms (There was. And even better, there was cake too).

“We are Funeral Party. And you are the audience,” announce the band performing in front of the Doughnut, one of the Relentless Street Gig venues for the weekend. The sun is shining and as it’s early, many wristbanders opt to stay on the beach to listen to the perfectly fiddly synths. One girl nips over to take a photograph. She has a £3.49 bottle of cider poking out of her satchel. The band finishes by hurling their tambourine into the waves behind. The music is pretty good though, and promised more top times for the rest of the weekend.

It’s then time to locate Jam in time for Hungry Kids Of Hungary, whose melodies are sundrenched and juicy, with a definite Sixties vibe. They provide a bright and refreshing start to the night. Someone in the crowd is trying to impersonate an Irish accent – which was a little bit out, seeing as the band are actually from Australia. (Insert Family Fortunes incorrect buzzer here).

HKoH is followed by the carefree and optimistic sounds of Pearl & The Puppets, whose music seems poised to soundtrack something indie hip like The Inbetweeners. Unfortunately mINtSOUTH’s reviewer is unable to see either band due to the anti-paparazzi fug emanating from the smoke machine, and the fact that we are a good two foot shorter than everyone else. However both bands sound very enjoyable and easy to warm to.

Skipping along the seafront, we eventually come to Concorde 2. The bar staff are gawping at a screen showing something unusual taking place in the main hall. In neon headdresses and flowing robes, female choir Gaggle are doing their best to hypnotise the crowd by singing in rounds... singing in rounds... singing in rounds, about nasty men and the like. The rockers in the crowd look confused and slightly disorientated, apart from one man in leather trousers who is doing some bizarre dance with his gloved hands, like he’s trying to roll a pea deftly along his arm and fingers without dropping it. Gaggle are entertaining if you like fancy dress and musical theatre. I don’t.

Thankfully a few minutes later, Pulled Apart By Horses stride onto the stage to let launch some shouting and heavy rock. There’s sweat, swearing and a distinct lack of shirts. The crowd are bobbing their heads and enjoying the banter. We have a stand in drummer tonight as the usual tattooed one is at home for family reasons, however he does a fine job of keeping up with their mighty pace.

Then it’s onto The Walkmen... oh no, it’s not. Stranded somewhere that’s not Brighton due to the volcanic ash, the band are instead replaced by Little Comets, who turn out to be one of the highlights of my festival weekend. I heard Adultery on MySpace a couple of years ago and found it slightly annoying. I was pleasantly surprised to hear Little Comets are oozing summer elements and plenty of singalong opportunities. Their instruments / stage gear also includes a saucepan, and a very strange shaped thing that some guy keeps hilariously yelling “ARMADILLO!” while pointing at it. “From up here, it sounds like you’re saying ‘I’m a dildo’,” the band counter drily. They sound like indie pop with a bit of ska and it’s all very splendid and danceable.

The evening takes a downward turn as I head to Fionn Regan’s show at the Terraces. He’s really good, so people keep saying. I hadn’t really paid much attention to the programme and thought I was listening out for a Fiona, so my bad. His set was wholesome folk fun, spoilt somewhat by the noise in the venue, as people couldn’t see anything more than six rows back so weren’t bothering to listen either. Regan tried saying “Shhh,” but that was never really going to work. It was too crowded to hear any banter or nuances in the music. The final track really picked up speed, but by this point it was too little too late to get my attention.

The evening finished as all good evenings do – by befriending a tramp. Shaun likes to stand outside music bars and listen to bands play songs by The Libertines. He especially likes it if they wave at him. If you see Shaun, say hi.

Single Review - The Little Philistines 'Head On Fire'

Words - Suzy Sims, April 2010


THE LITTLE PHILISTINES - HEAD ON FIRE

“To my surprise and wonder, my life is on the up.”

London types The Little Philistines don’t ever have dark days, misery or humdrum times. There’s no moodiness, no bad rock attitude, no complicated time signatures. They are possibly the most cheerful sounding band I’ve heard in some time, equally at home in a mucky scruffy indie venue as they could be dressed as clowns entertaining at a children’s party, juggling with cakes and balloon animals and the like. Possibly.

It therefore gives me pleasure to announce that Head On Fire is another chipper single to get your toes skipping excitedly and your head spinning. “My body is a holy temple / I fill it up with smoke,” they announce before launching into the catchy heads on fire and beds on fire line. Gosh, they’re just so darn jolly. I particularly liked the lyric “Even death has a drink at the weekend.” This is a spritely and relentlessly cheerful tune.

Head On Fire is a double A side released alongside Stick Together which has a hint of the Sixties in the jangling guitar. This one is a bit more subdued and subtle, yet warming. The comfortable softness provides a rest from the band’s usual exhaustingly happy pace.

Be sure to check out the cartoon artwork, which is drawn by the Little Philistines’ John Riordan.

The Little Philistines are a pick me up band for those who like their indie pop to be friendly and their tunes bright. As appealing as they are, I imagine some people would be turned off by their permanent smile. However if you’re an easy-going sort and like to keep your mood buoyant, then give them a whirl.

The Little Philistines