Rain, rain go away...not even a sun dance from all 6,000 East Londoners was enough to will the rain away this past Sunday. Not easily intimidated by such dreary conditions, we set off for East London's best kept secret, 1234 Shoreditch. We even managed to pin down headliners 'The Rakes' for an interview! Check out what they thought of headlining 1234 Shoreditch, their style, and even Lady Gaga. Beware the subtle sarcasm!
Q. How did you meet / form the band?
The East London connection isn't really that we're from here as such, more we played loads of our early gigs here. We were connected through work and uni... from there basically decided to form a band! A few rehearsals later, and we started gigging!!
Q. 22 Grand Job : Has this become a reality yet?!
Ten fold. Golfing in Monaco, parties on the yacht, it's really going quite well. It's a good job Shoreditch is a tax haven!
Q. You've said before that 22 Grand Job was a celebration of getting a job in the city...how does touring compare with an office job?!
Its such a different lifestyle...there's a slight routine in touring - and we've got to say it's a bit gross on the tour bus at times...! But yeah, you do a gig, get applauded by a few hundred or thousand people, get drunk, and do it all again the next day! AND we get paid for it! But being English, we like to have a little moan...
Q. You've been applauded for your fashion sense and style, does this put a lot of pressure on you guys to 'keep up appearances' or is it something you don't really give much thought?!
Well, we have to admit we are naturally so good looking that in-fact when we open the wardrobe our stylish clothes just gravitate towards us...more like walking hangers really...
Q. We've been checking out the website for The Rakes and spotted a section called 'Remix' - what was the thinking behind this?!
Well we heard Radiohead were doing it so we just copied them! It's a great formula - find a band that are successful, and that people think are still cool (which don't always go together...) and copy it! But really I think we just wanted people to have a play with our music and create what they wanted from it...their own interpretation...
Q. Poker Face - a potential b-side for the future?
Noooo! It was really just for fun! We'd just done an interview with a UK paper, where I'd spoken in depth about the cultures of Europe and our music, and got asked what I thought of Lady Gaga. I came back with something a little unsavoury...and you can guess what made the headlines the next day. Who wants culture when we're giving you headlines like that! So as a joke at a festival, we thought we'd do a cover. Though few people saw the irony!
Q. You've had a manic time the last couple of weeks with festivals in 6 different countries, what's it like to be back so close to your 'gigging home'?
Well...whilst every show was brilliant, we loved them all...this tour was not without it's problems!! Behind the scenes was a nightmare...one of our buses didn't turn up, one caught on fire, one broke down...but the show must go on! Somehow we managed not to miss a show!
Q. 1234 Shoreditch...are you guys looking forward to this evenings headline performance?!
We love that we're playing 1234...its great being back after a slightly problematic time away. We used to play so many gigs around here its great to be headlining a gig here!
Q. You toured the USA in April...are you planning a return?!
Well our music got a good reception, they love the British over there! We certainly are planning on going back, perhaps later this year! In-fact we were there for the Topshop / Topman store opening, though our schedule meant we couldn't pay a visit...
It's great to hear from you and see what you've been up to. In your blog I feel your enthusiasm for life. thank you.
Posted by: radii supras | 10/11/2011 at 03:56 PM