How'd you get started in music?
Tim: Looking back I was always interested in electronic music at school,
I was into 80s synthpop and such, but I never felt it was something I could
make because I wasn’t really an instrument player. I started playing guitar in university so
quite late. I was never an amazing guitarist but was always very interested in
the potential for getting cool noises out of it so when computers became
powerful enough to mess around with audio and MIDI relatively cheaply I fell
into it and never looked back.
Jeremy: I was in choirs and bands as a child, but threw that over for
visual art in my 20s, taking photographs, creating small press comics, and
illustrating. I’m the visual half of the band, providing beat-matched generated
graphics and slide decks.
Who are your inspirations or
influences?
Tim: I’m always listening out for new stuff. Right now I’m listening to
a lot of weird dark stuff, Surgeon and a noise band called Mandy, Indiana who
are phenomenal. Factory Floor are great. The Overmono album a couple of years
back was excellent.
Jeremy: At the moment I’m really into frame construction, overpasses and
vacant lots (these aren’t bands they’re visual themes!). Music wise I am loving
Self Esteem, Viagra Boys, and the new These New Puritans is also great.
What advice would you offer
aspiring performers?
Tim: It can be quite hard for new outfits to get started. Don’t expect
to get paid a lot at the start!
We looked at our local free press, sent in demos, got a couple of good
reviews in there, that made promoters prepared to put us on, word of mouth gets
you a long way. It can take a while to build so don’t give up and also don’t be
afraid to put yourself forward for support slots. Have an idea of where you
will fit in as promoters often want to theme nights. We’re lucky in Oxford in
that we have a lot of promoters who are willing to take a chance on new acts at
small events.
If there is a local scene definitely get involved, help each other out.
Do remixes for each other etc, it’s often easier for a scene to get attention
and lift everyone than for a single act.
Jeremy: A great way to get involved is to create zines or take
photographs around your local scene, I did this for years before I actually
ended up in a band, and it can be an excellent end in itself.
How do you set yourself apart
from other bands or singers?
Tim: For electronic music there has to be something to engage with on
stage. It’s really easy to just be a bloke with a laptop but that’s pretty dull
to watch. Put some thought into it, people have paid to see you! We do a lot of
visuals which are all triggered live from the stage by Jeremy. All the images
are by her or cooked up with video synthesizers, and they fit in with the way
the songs work and form a kind of visual counterpoint.
Jeremy: The visuals create a thematic key for each track. For some they
track the lyrics, others they are more commentary or counterpoint. They offer a
way to visually engage with the music. It’s partly inspired by a period of time
when I had synaesthesia following a head
injury!
How would you say that music has
inspired/made an impression on you?
Tim: I
can’t imagine life without music. In my primary school there wasn’t much of a
musical culture but in my secondary school I was suddenly exposed to all this
stuff – punk, early electronic stuff, all kinds of things - and I think it had
some kind of formative effect on my developing brain. I make my living teaching
music tech so I guess you can say it’s been pretty good to me.
Jeremy: I
was embedded in music culture and performance from a young age as my dad was a
folk singer and I sang in church choirs. But this didn’t feel like my music and
as soon as I was able I started listening to pop and electronic on portable
radios wherever I went. I can’t imagine living without a musical soundtrack,
though I frequently had my radio confiscated at school!
Any new gigs or albums in the future?
Our new album
“Joy” has just been released on all platforms. We’re playing a festival - ApTapFest - at the Apothecary Tap in
Banbury on 24th August, our launch gig is at Common Ground in Oxford
on 29th (Thanks Gappy Tooth Industries who are the promoters) and
the All Will Be Wired electronic night at The Library, Oxford on 12th
September. We will be bringing some vinyl to sell!
Special thanks to them & Grace Willliams for this interview & until then I'll catch you on The Flipside! Stay frosty & rock n roll!
