Interview: The Xcerts

The Xcerts decided that the Bournemouth leg of the Rock Sound Exposure Tour was the perfect opportunity to discuss cross-dressing and a Bob Dylan tribute act…

What have you got planned for the next few weeks on the Rock Sound Exposure Tour?

Murray (vocals/guitar): I was thinking about wearing a dress for a show or two. But I haven’t given it much thought about what I should wear. A lacy number? Or a gown?

Jordan (bass): When you do the same thing every night, you wanna mix it up. Do something different. All this rocking out, I thought about maybe for one of the shows just not rocking. Something a bit different. So I tried not rocking but it didn’t work, as it happens. But I tried something new.

Have you ever played Bournemouth before?

Murray: Yea we’ve played here twice. The first time was actually with our original line up a couple of years ago. And we played a club NME show and we thought it was the biggest deal.

Jordan: And it totally wasn’t

Murray: It sucked

Jordan: And then we played iBar once before as well. And that sucked. There was nobody here. And apparently it sounded a lot better in the toilet than it did out front. So anybody that was taking a whizz that night was loving it. But you couldn’t watch because it just sounded awful.

How would you describe your sound to people who have never heard of The Xcerts before?

Murray: Distorted pop. I guess its rock music. But we like our pop music as well.

Who would you say are your influences?

Murray: Weezer.

Tom (drums): Weezer.

Jordan: I guess I’m gonna say Weezer for a third time.

Murray: Weezer and Elliott Smith. I think that’s it. Perfect combination

What’s the story behind the name of the band?

Murray: Nothing

Jordan: 14 year old kids trying to sound cool. We never really got around to changing it.

What do you do when you’re not writing or performing?

Murray: Tom works.

Tom: Yea, I occasionally work at a video shop.

Jordan: No brand names.

Murray: Blockbuster.

Jordan: Ah

Murray: It’s the only one though!

Tom: It could have been some cool independent one.

Murray: They’re all dead.

Tom: I’m a corporate whore now. Thanks.

Murray: I’m in another studio based group. So I’m busy making an album right now with them.

Tom: And Jordan goes to open mics and makes noises under the guise of ‘The Troubadour’.

Jordan: Yea that’s my other character. Sort of a Dylan-esque folky poet. I talk really nasal. It doesn’t pay really well but I’ve got a really loyal fan. This guy that comes to every open mic, he’s great. Hi Steve!

What have you got planned for the rest of 2011?

Murray: We’re touring again in April. Hopefully a few festivals but because we’re a smaller band we kind of have to wait until the start of summer to find out where we’re actually going. Then hopefully we’ll go to Europe and tour there some more, and the States, hopefully. And then onto album number three. Or maybe we’ll just do a ‘Troubadour’ record.

Jordan: That would be ideal for me. I’ve been trying to launch this side of me for ages so to jump on the back of The Xcerts would be amazing. Maybe I could open for some tours. I see really bright things for ‘The Troubadour’ in the future.

Interview: Dinosaur Pile-Up

When the Rock Sound Exposure Tour stopped off at iBar in Bournemouth, I chatted to Leeds based trio Dinosaur Pile-Up. It wasn’t long before the conversation turned to hopscotch…

The Rock Sound Exposure Tour has just kicked off, how did the first night go?

Harry (bass): It was ace.

Matt (vocals/guitar): It was really good fun. We know Japanese Voyeurs and The Xcerts from before but it feels like this tour is a really good chance for us to reconnect. Everyone was a bit nervous and everyone got on really well and we ended up crashing with Murray from The Xcerts and hanging out so it was good.

Have you got anything special lined up for the rest of the tour?

Mike (drums): Every gig is special!

Harry: We’re less concerned on this tour to necessarily play exactly what’s on our record. We’re doing some new stuff and some old stuff and trying to mix it up a bit and have fun. And also because we’ve gone into the tour not knowing if we’re going to open up shows or headline shows, we have to be punchy and good. We feel like we’ve got a bit more to prove. There’s gonna be a bunch of people out there who have come to see The Xcerts or Japanese Voyeurs and we wanna be like ‘yea we’re good aswell!’

What do you guys get up to when you’re not making music?

Harry: Skateboarding

Mike: I was road surfing earlier

Harry: Hopscotch. We’re pretty into urban hopscotch at the minute.

Mike: All you need is a piece of chalk and something to throw and you’re away.

Matt: Between us and The Xcerts, we’re starting that as our full time road hobby.

Maybe you could introduce it into the Olympics?

Harry: I like to think it’s too gnarly for the Olympics. A bit too extreme.

For people who haven’t heard of Dinosaur Pile-Up before, how would you describe your music?

Harry: Probably equal rock and pop. But not in a Nickelback way. Actually, we probably do sound a bit like Nickelback. But cool, because we don’t sell so many records. Thus we’re cooler.

Matt: It’s quite heavy and ‘poppy’ at the same time. Because I guess there is an equal mix of what we listen to in there. There’s pop and really old pop and heavy metal.

Mike: Think ‘if Mika met Black Flag’.

Matt: Ooooh! Mind blown!

Harry: Face melted!

You’ve been compared to some pretty big names, such as Foo Fighters and Weezer, is that a little daunting?

Matt: Not at all. They’re all rad bands and we’ve all listened to them so it’s not daunting, it’s complimentary. But I guess a big thing for us is for people to be able to see past that.

What does the future hold for Dinosaur Pile-Up?

Mike: We’ve got some festivals coming up.

Matt: But we don’t know which ones. We’re going to South By Southwest in North America. Then we’re going to do a few gigs in Mexico

Mike: And riding an open top bus and playing!

Harry: Then in April we’ll be touring in England again

Matt: We’re also going to do some recordings of some sort.

Harry: The single ‘My Rock N Roll’ comes out in March.

Matt: But that’s a secret.

Harry: Oh, is it?

Matt: No.

Mike: And we’ve got some love making with The Xcerts slotted in there somewhere as well. Making some DPU/Xcerts babies.

Interview: Japanese Voyeurs

On the Bournemouth date of the Rock Sound Exposure Tour, London rockers, Japanese Voyeurs, talk female genitalia and pervy photography...but not at the same time.

You have just embarked on the Rock Sound Exposure Tour, how did the first show in Bedford go?

Romily (vocals/guitar): It was good. There were a lot of people there. People seemed to be getting into it which was fun. Because you never really know. Some people, how they enjoy a show is just to stand there and watch. Which is cool but it’s always fun for us when people jump around a bit.

You are touring with Dinosaur Pile-Up and The Xcerts, have you ever met them before?

Steve (drums): I used to be in Dinosaur Pile-Up. Matt is one of my best friends so it’s nice to be back out with him. But Dinosaur Pile-Up and Japanese Voyeurs toured together a little while ago.

Johnny (guitar): We’ve done a couple of gigs with The Xcerts. So everyone kind of knows each other anyway.

What have you got planned for your sets in the next few weeks?

Romily: We’re not really into any stage dramatics. We just try to rehearse as much as we can so that we play as well as we can. We don’t really plan anything. I always think if you go and see a good band, the music should be enough.

How would you describe the music of Japanese Voyeurs?

Tom (bass): Loud rock music?

Romily: I think it’s easier to talk about the bands that we love. We sort of formed out of a love of bands like Melvins and Jesus Lizard. I think that always plays a part in the music that you decide to write. Otherwise, all those other crazy subgenres get a bit much really. Like alt-rock…box… number 3, I dunno.

Who else do you list among your influences?

Steve: Between us there is a big range of musical influences. Those are the ones that connect us all. But my first favourite band was Iron Maiden. I’m really into tech metal. But I also like classical music and a bit of dubstep now and then.

Romily: Ha!

Steve: Yea! I love it!

Romily: Yea there’s some stuff that sort of unites us and that’s the stuff I guess most influences the core of what we do. But then it’s always good to have other weird references coming in from the tech side of things that Steve loves. It adds another side to it.

Having a front woman, you are inevitably going to be compared to the likes of Paramore and Evanescence. Does this bother you?

Romily: I just have absolutely nothing to say about that. I just think if journalists love writing about music then surely they should be able to look further than what genitalia I have.

Who are your favourite women in music at the moment?

Romily: I love Lori S, who sings and plays guitar in Acid King. They’ve been around since the 90s. And she is like phenomenal guitar player. I love PJ Harvey, she’s a cool lady. I just read Patti Smith’s book. There might not be that many front women but there are girls in Earth and Electric Wizard. So they’re about.

What do you do when you’re not touring or writing music?

Rich (keyboards): Tom’s a video blogger on YouTube!

Tom: I don’t wanna talk about that.

Steve: I’ve got a daughter so I spend most of my time looking after her.

Romily: I read a lot. I love to read and write. Those are basic human skills which I partake in. I love pedals as well. So I’m always geeking about with that sort of thing. I think the thing is when you do something you love you sort of end up doing it all the time, even if you’re not actually doing it. I think everyone sits around and plays a lot even when we’re not all together.

Where did the name Japanese Voyeurs come from?

Romily: It comes from a series of photographs taken by a Japanese photographer in the 70s. And he found himself alone in a park one night and stumbled upon, as the story goes, all these couples having sex. So he decided to start taking pictures of these people. And he was one of the first photographers to use infrared film for art. It’s just really interesting in terms of what it says about human nature and that primal desire to look at the things which you probably shouldn’t look at and to do the things you probably shouldn’t do. And that sort of goes with a lot of the lyrical themes so we just thought it was a good fit.

Have you got any plans for the rest of the year?

Rich: Touring mostly

Johnny: And doing as many festivals as we can. We’ve got our first gigs abroad in March. Two gigs in Germany. We’re playing Ireland too, so we get to go on a ferry!

Romily: Obviously once the album comes out we’ll be in as many places as possible.

Live Review: Rock Sound Exposure Tour @ Bournemouth iBar

All good things come in threes. three Toy Story films, three musketeers, three Jonas Brothers…ok maybe not. But in the case of the Rock Sound Exposure Tour, three really is the magic number. Rock Sound magazine has picked three of the best bands from across the UK at the moment, and it seems that even the venue roof couldn’t contain its excitement that they were stopping off in Bournemouth. You see, the event was supposed to be held at Champions, but due to a minor roof collapse a last minute relocation to iBar was arranged. And you can’t get more intimate than iBar.

Before the main acts, local band The Blackwater Caravan have been given the task of warming up the crowd. The three lads give a decent performance but seem to be trying too hard to give off an indifferent and sulky vibe. They appear to have just stepped out of their parent’s garage and onto the stage and, whether it’s just nerves or a desperate attempt to appear ‘cool’, the crowd don’t seem convinced.

An entirely different reaction meets Japanese Voyeurs however, as the London five-piece launch into their uniquely hypnotic blend of grunge and metal. Unfortunately due to a few technical issues, front woman Romily Alice’s vocals are inaudible at times. But when she can be heard the crowd are treated to her truly mesmerizing voice. Think a 12-year-old girl trapped in an angry eye-liner clad woman’s body and you wouldn’t be far off. And boy, can that girl head bang. Hauntingly hypnotic, their slightly schizophrenic rock is weird, but in a good way.

Next up is Leeds trio, Dinosaur Pile-Up who also appear to be experiencing some microphone issues. But as soon as they launch into ‘Birds & Planes’, it’s like hearing a long lost friend. Heavily influenced by Foo Fighters and Weezer, DPU are reviving 90s grunge with all its huge riffs and faultless vocals and bringing it to a basement near you. The band appear to be right at home in tonight’s dingy setting which bassist Harry Johns perfectly describes as ‘like playing Lazer Quest’. After the huge teenage anthem that is ‘My Rock N Roll’, Johns launches into the crowd, soon to be followed by front man Matt Bigland, and the pair engage in what can only be described as ‘guitar wrestling’. The fact that they almost knock half the crowd unconscious with the mic stand is irrelevant. Health and safety just ain’t rock n roll dude.

The headliners for tonight have two tough acts to follow, but The Xcerts are more than capable of this challenge. As soon as they begin to make their spectacular noise, they have the crowd firmly in their grasp. Nobody hesitates to take a stride forward on guitarist Murray’s orders, causing everyone in the room to be practically on the stage. Considering that when the Scottish three piece last played iBar there were seven people in the room, three of whom were in the band, then it’s clear the lads have already come a long way. Their set of vibrating distorted pop is scattered with sing-a-long moments that most of the crowd seem to already know, particularly for the superb ‘Slackerpop’, tonight’s true masterpiece.

It’s highly likely that tonight show left everyone present with three new favourite bands. And providing they didn’t do too much damage to their eardrums by being in such close proximity to iBar’s speakers, then hopefully they will be blasting them from their bedroom speakers for years to come.