INTERVIEWS

Interview for Unscene Magazine
1. Your debut album ‘Adrenalin’ has really been getting some impressive reviews, you must be very pleased with the result?
Rob – Very much so, it surprises me even more when we get a review from some random place that we haven’t had any contact with, it shows they heard about it through the grapevine rather than the usual channels, you don’t expect when you are at the bottom of the ladder that it will be received quite so well.

2. You brought out ‘Adrenalin’ before you played your debut gig in Leeds. Was it a conscious decision to do things this way round?
Eddie - Very much so, from experience we have learned that people take you much more seriously when you have a product in hand. It also helps with promoting yourself, as magazines and promoters would rather deal with bands they can see investing in themselves.
Rob – How else can you sell cds at gigs, it’s also better for people to have something to take away after a gig!!!

3. Many of your tracks are very catchy and seem tailor made for the dance floor. Was it always your intention to create instant club hits?
Rob – Kind of, we have always wanted to write enjoyable and accessible music, but I don’t think any one can write a string of hits, you have to be either really good or really well backed to do that. To be honest, we’re just writing the music we love anyway at least I am, Eddie?
Eddie – you’re just trying to drag me in to the Bleep vs Goth argument.
Rob – NEVER!

4. You’re songs are also pretty impressive lyrically. Is this something that is important to you rather than just getting the glow sticks waving?
Eddie – Thank you very much, that’s very kind of you. It’s really appreciatedt. I always work really hard to ensure that every lyric I write says something particular and makes sense. There is way too much of this ‘leaving lyrics open to interpretation’ attitude around these days which, when you look at that idea closely suggests little other than, the writer themselves doesn’t have a clue what they want to say. Any one can run through a dictionary underlining all the good words, but if some one is going to pay money for a cd you have produced you owe it to them to research your lyrics and refine every aspect of the songs to the best of your ability.
Rob – There are two reasons to listen to a song 1) because you wanna jump around like a looney and 2) because its actually a good song to listen to at home with your feet up and a cup of tea. We like to think that we are doing a bit of both.

5. You’re vocalist John left the band fairly recently. Having some pretty large gigs lined up such as the ‘Carnival of Souls’ and ‘Dark City’, it must have been a bit of a shock for you as a band?
Rob – Not so much of a shock really, but we did have to work extra hard to be prepared, but lets face it, the reception we got at Carnival speaks for itself.

6. Eddie; how did you feel when you realised that you were going to have to take over vocal duties at the ‘Carnival gig’?
Eddie – a little nervous and not just because of the need to practice 2 hours every day, but also because there is this weird social stigma about singers that everyone tries to avoid. Let me explain: If you are a guitarist people think… ‘oh he is cool and fun you could play a couple games off pool and have a pint and a decent conversation with him.’ When you are a singer people think… ‘He’s a singer, that means he is an arrogant show off who will try and nick my girlfriend for the night.’ So when we first tested the water at the Sheffield I was just praying that people would pleeeeeeease remember that I was a fun loving guitarist first and foremost and not a proper ‘arrogant show off’

7. How did you feel the gig went? Did you enjoy the experience?
Rob – Well, I have to say it was the best gig we’ve played so far, I was on such a high afterwards, the reaction was fantastic. I really hope the rest of the gigs we play are as good and I’m sure we won’t be disappointed.
Eddie – Carnival was amazing, we loved it!!! …..to see 250 odd people crammed into such a small space going nuts was brilliant, we may have provided the music but the crowd provided the atmosphere. But it also helped that there were people there we had met over myspace who had been drumming up support for us, and when we were chatting away before hand they really helped lighten the atmosphere.

8. Most similar bands to yourselves come from Europe, where the scene is much bigger. Have you got your sights set there at all?
Rob - Oh yeah, we have already been into some of the DJ’s top ten releases even ranking above Covenant in Italy, however places like Germany and Norway are proving much harder to crack.
9. Eddie, I understand that you’ve played in other bands in the past such as ‘Revolution By Night’ and the UK Gothic Rock band ‘The Voices of Masada’. Can I deduce from this that you’re a fan of both the ‘Trad’ and ‘Bleep’ sides of the scene, and if so, which do you prefer?
Eddie - Tough one, I have always liked Goth it was what I grew up with but a lot of Cybercide is written as goth music on a guitar and then transposed across to a synth. As far as preferring one genre over another, I don’t really know much about any electronic music past 1999, but I do like a lot of newer ‘Goth’ bands.

10. Do you think that Traditional Goth Bands and Electro/EBM Bands can continue to co-exist in the UK scene or should they separate into their own clubnights/gigs?
Rob – I see no reason to put them on different nights, a lot of my friends like both types of music or maybe one or the other so if you have one type in one room and another in another room everyone can have a good night out

11. What music did you listen to when you were growing up?
Rob - Trance and happy hardcore. I discovered EBM and Industrial about 10 years ago and been loving it ever since
Eddie - The Damned, Fields of the Nephilim, Danse Society, Marionettes, same sort of stuff I listen to now.

12. I hear you’re already working on a follow up album. What direction will you’re music be going in, or is it too early to tell?
Eddie - It’s a little bit early to tell, but there are a lot of instruments you would not normally associate with fitting into electronic music, The emotion I write into the lyrics still has a few more miles on the clock, one or two of the songs are a little more personal and hit the same targets ‘Further’ did and the music is maturing a little more.
Obviously the second album is harder to do than the first because it has to live up to and exceed all expectations. What we can say is that we will still be employing all the clichés we did for ‘Adrenalin’ and it should be just as accessible. We will also stay with Justin for the production as he did such a phenomenal job on adrenalin, as well as Stefy ‘Melody’ for the female vocal parts.