++INTERVIEW++

INTERVIEW WITH THE YOUNG KNIVES

Our guest editors get to take their shoes off, kick their feet up and talk about themselves. So if you've ever wondered what House Of Lords thinks of Lily Allen, or why Henry doesn't like the band's new single, step this way... (Interview: Ric Rawlins / Pictures: Jo Paterson).

ARTROCKER: It’s nearly the end of the decade – what, musically, will the noughties be remembered for?

HOUSE OF LORDS Well, it’s difficult to tell without hindsight…

HENRY: Lily Allen!

HOUSE: Yeah, I suppose there is that kind of commercial indie pop music. Jack Penate and Lily Allen. I can’t stand it.

HENRY: But we’ll all ironically think it’s great in ten year’s time, won't we? We’ll be like “do you remember Lily Allen? Yeah, she did that song "EVERY-TIME I SEE YOU SMI-I-ILE! and then she didn't do anything else. But that girl really is due a comeback…”

HOUSE: Hmmm.

"We played with Hot Hot Heat once, because we were the local band! It was The Zodiac in Oxford, and we thought Yesss! We’ve made it!"

PART ONE: GEEK ROCK

ARTROCKER: Wikipedia describes you as “English Geek Rock…”
HENRY: Cunts!
HOUSE: What is geek rock? Weezer?!?
< HENRY: You’re allowed to call us ‘geek rock’ though if you like. At least they’re not calling us a ‘post punk trio’! Who else is in ‘Geek Rock’? Exactly. No-one else. We’re in a genre of our own.

PART TWO: THE GREAT MYSPACE SCANDAL

ARTROCKER: Look at the computer. It’s your myspace page, and it says you’re “online now”, and you’re clearly not.
HENRY: We’ve got a guy that goes on there, reads on the post and stuff. We do read it sometimes! Sometimes I go on myspace just for a bit of an ego boost, to read what people say. But I’m not very myspace friendly. I find it hard to do blogs. Some people are ok with it, and they’ll be like “y'know, this funny thing happened the other day when House Of Lords slipped on a banana skin and broke his ankle!” – but I find it almost impossible to wax lyrical about how great it is to be in a band.

PART THREE: NIGHTCLUBBING

ARTROCKER: Tell us about the new single, ‘Up All Night’.
HENRY: It’s probably the poppiest song we’ve ever put out as a single, and therefore probably my least favourite!
HOUSE: You can’t say, just before it comes out, “I think it’s alright”! You should say “I think it’s really good, that’s why we put it on the record!”
HENRY: I’m allowed to have favourites and non favourites!
ARTROCKER: So what’s it about?
HENRY: It’s about people searching for the ultimate high, and never getting there. It’s about them saying: “You know, just one more beer would be great. I’m WANKERED – but with one more I’d be even better drunk! It’s also quite honest – you’re on a night out and you start getting dressed up and you think “I look shit in all the clothes I’ve got, what’s the point in doing this?!” Then you go out and everyone is younger, prettier and having more fun than you.

PART FOUR: NEW ALBUM, NEW CAMPAIGN

ARTROCKER: So with the new record out soon, is this the calm before the storm?
HOUSE: Well with our last record there was all this hype about us, but we’re not a new band anymore. We’ve got to just release it so people can see how it’s different and hopefully loads better.
HENRY: Still with our band, we try and let people find us, as opposed to them being told to find us by the media. It’s not shoved down your throat, there’s no TV advert. I like the fact that it’s a slow burner – although you gotta be careful of fizzing out.
HOUSE: People got excited about our last album, then it fizzled out. Then we got the mercury nomination and people got excited – then it fizzled out. And now we have the new record…
HENRY: You mean it’s a fickle business?!
HOUSE: I mean it’s a shit business!

PART FIVE: LOCAL SUPPORT

ARTROCKER: What’s the idea behind inviting local bands to support you on every step of the new tour? (see the competition for a chance to participate)
HENRY: It’s a bit fun, really. I’m sick of getting dogshit first bands that don’t even suit the evening. Of course there might be some shit local bands too – but we get to choose them so hopefully they’ll be OK!
ARTROCKER: Are they unsigned?
HOUSE: It doesn’t matter – we just want small bands on board, because that’s how we started out, getting first on with touring bands.
HENRY: We played with Hot Hot Heat once, because we were the local band! It was The Zodiac in Oxford, and we thought “Yesss! We’ve made it!”

++ The Young Knives ++

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