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l-r Michael, Neil, Tom, Conor.
First off, for those who don't know much about you, how long have you been together for and how did you form?
Michael: Well we formed about just over 2 years ago, and me, Neil and Tom all went to the same school together!
Is there any particular reason why you chose your name?
Michael: Well what Kinesis means is -
Neil: reciting ' A movement in response to a stimulus'.
Conor: Quite fitting I think!
Michael: We haven't rehearsed that either! laughs
How would you describe your sound?
Conor: Post Pixies.Musical chaos. Its difficult because we draw from so many different types of bands, it's unique. We're unique because we've ripped off so many different bands! laughs
Michael: In the same song! laughs
Conor: A unique blend of rock influences. In a rock vein. laughs
How does it feel to be compared to the likes of the Manics and At The Drive In to name but a few, is it flattering or is it irritating after a while?
Conor: The Manics it gets irritating, just because we're talking about politics, the only reference point in the last ten years is the Manics! Even though we sound nothing like them....
Neil: Therefore we must be them!
Conor: laughs Yeah, we're the new Manics!I mean its quite flattering to be compared to ATDI and trail of the dead etc, but you need reference points to get into new bands...
What was it like making the video for Billboard Beauty?
Conor: Loooooong day. Long time doing the same things over and over again!
Michael: Filming at half speed, then four times speed....
Neil: Millions of lights!
Conor: It was cool though!
Tom walks in.
Where do you get inspiration for your songs from?
Michael: I get my inspiration from....erm.....
Conor: Neil inspires me a lot, don't you Neil!
Neil: No.
Michael: I get my inspiration from anything can move you to write a song, like a book I've read, or some music you've heard, or a quote from someone, something you've seen or something that's happened to you personally ...
Conor: We take a lot of things from what surrounds us, like art or literature and music.
Tom: I think the lyrics are to do with conflict, but conflict on lots of different levels, like conflict between what we see, and what we read, and between what we read in literature and the reality of what we see in politics, and the conflict that goes on between the two of them, inspires us.
You're due to support the Manics on the 8th, how does that feel? Are you nervous, excited?
Michael: Everything really! Every emotion at once...
Conor: It's almost like that feeling of being in love for the first time.... laughs It's quite weird after like two years of playing to three people in a pub, to suddenly supporting the Manics at Brixton Academy
Michael: It'll probably hit us a few weeks after we've done it...
Conor: Or maybe five minutes before we're due to go on! laughs There may be a few trips to the toilet!
Which do you prefer, performing live, recording in the studio, or shooting videos?
All: NOT videos!!!! laughs
Conor: The other two are completely different mediums!
Neil: It's a mix of both, in the studio you think 'aah I can't wait to get gigging again' but when you're touring you think ' I want to go home and relax and record!'
Tom: A lot of bands are like ' Oh we're a live band' or 'Oh we're definitely a recording band' but I can't see a good reason as to why you can't be both!
Conor: In the studio its about trying to get everything perfect, trying to capture that live sound. But live it doesn't matter if there are a couple of stray notes....
Do you ever worry that people place too much emphasis on your age, rather than the music?
Conor: Well we're all nearly legal drinking age!
Tom: Well it's up to them really, they can think what they want. If they're into it then they'll see much deeper than our ages, but if they just want to look at our ages then it's their loss!
Conor: It's what sets us apart from other bands though.
Tom: Its a good thing though, it makes a change as like most bands are 30, going on 40! Why shouldn't it come from the youth, they're the people buying it. Hopefully we'll inspire them, show them they they can do this, not just the 40 year olds!
Conor: Usually every so often there's a new range of bands coming out, but people our age are still listening to bands who were around 10 years ago like Oasis and Suede etc.
Michael: It's like you've got people like Fred Durst singing "My Generation" I mean, his generation are all bank managers or business men now! If we were to write that kind of shit song laughs it would have a meaning but he's not young!!!
If you could tour with any band past or present, who would you choose?
Neil: ATDI.
Tom: The Clash
Conor: Pixies.
What has been your best gig?
Tom: I think a few of the gigs we played at Manchester Roadhouse, one of them was sold out! We got to play a normal length set which was a bit of a novelty for us as we're always the support band!
Conor: Perpetually first on! laughs
Tom: It was just being able to see all the people who have been there from the star, from the first gig , then to see a mass of people behind them who had just got into us, it was amazing.
Michael: It's seeing people you don't know thats good! laughs
Conor: It's weird not knowing all our fans by their first names anymore! laughs
What has been your worst gig?
Conor: Exeter! It's 300 miles to Exeter, so we drove 300 miles, and played to six people, then drove all the way back. That's 600 miles, we drove 100 miles for every person who saw us! laughs People per mile percentage!
Michael: We drive for the people!
You're getting a lot of attention from the media, how does it feel to see yourselves in magazines or on TV? Do read the articles or watch the video or do you try and avoid it?
Michael: Well I haven't actually seen our video yet as I haven't got MTV
Conor: I've always bought the music press, I used to be obsessed with buying it every Wednesday! So it's weird to see us! laughs
Neil: I just think it's funny to see us all together having a bit of banter!
Michael: I can't imagine what it's like for someone who doesn't know us to read it, as when I read it I know what it's going to be like and what it's going to be about.
Tom: You just have to get that distance, you have to try and blank your mine then read it., to see what other people see when they read it, see what we're portraying. We know what we're trying to portray, but it's only then that you actually see how it comes across.
What are your ambitions? Where would you like to be in a years time?
Conor: Swimming with dolphins! laughs Nah, probably just have got our message out to as many people as we can, sell as many records as we can on our own terms without selling ourselves short in anyway
What advice would you give to someone who's just starting out in a band, is there anything that you wish you had known at the beginning that you know now?
Tom: The best advice is that it is hard work, you have to put hard work in. A lot of bands mess around and think ' Oh we'll get noticed!'.
Conor: Think big. Don't think that you'll get noticed playing tiny venues in your home town, just go to London, it's the only way.
Tom: Like us playing with the Manics, it's a big thing for us, but ultimately we won't be satisfied or happy with ourselves until we're headlining Brixton Academy. That's the level we're aiming at. That's the ultimate goal.
Michael: Well we formed about just over 2 years ago, and me, Neil and Tom all went to the same school together!
Is there any particular reason why you chose your name?
Michael: Well what Kinesis means is -
Neil: reciting ' A movement in response to a stimulus'.
Conor: Quite fitting I think!
Michael: We haven't rehearsed that either! laughs
How would you describe your sound?
Conor: Post Pixies.Musical chaos. Its difficult because we draw from so many different types of bands, it's unique. We're unique because we've ripped off so many different bands! laughs
Michael: In the same song! laughs
Conor: A unique blend of rock influences. In a rock vein. laughs
How does it feel to be compared to the likes of the Manics and At The Drive In to name but a few, is it flattering or is it irritating after a while?
Conor: The Manics it gets irritating, just because we're talking about politics, the only reference point in the last ten years is the Manics! Even though we sound nothing like them....
Neil: Therefore we must be them!
Conor: laughs Yeah, we're the new Manics!I mean its quite flattering to be compared to ATDI and trail of the dead etc, but you need reference points to get into new bands...
What was it like making the video for Billboard Beauty?
Conor: Loooooong day. Long time doing the same things over and over again!
Michael: Filming at half speed, then four times speed....
Neil: Millions of lights!
Conor: It was cool though!
Tom walks in.
Where do you get inspiration for your songs from?
Michael: I get my inspiration from....erm.....
Conor: Neil inspires me a lot, don't you Neil!
Neil: No.
Michael: I get my inspiration from anything can move you to write a song, like a book I've read, or some music you've heard, or a quote from someone, something you've seen or something that's happened to you personally ...
Conor: We take a lot of things from what surrounds us, like art or literature and music.
Tom: I think the lyrics are to do with conflict, but conflict on lots of different levels, like conflict between what we see, and what we read, and between what we read in literature and the reality of what we see in politics, and the conflict that goes on between the two of them, inspires us.
You're due to support the Manics on the 8th, how does that feel? Are you nervous, excited?
Michael: Everything really! Every emotion at once...
Conor: It's almost like that feeling of being in love for the first time.... laughs It's quite weird after like two years of playing to three people in a pub, to suddenly supporting the Manics at Brixton Academy
Michael: It'll probably hit us a few weeks after we've done it...
Conor: Or maybe five minutes before we're due to go on! laughs There may be a few trips to the toilet!
Which do you prefer, performing live, recording in the studio, or shooting videos?
All: NOT videos!!!! laughs
Conor: The other two are completely different mediums!
Neil: It's a mix of both, in the studio you think 'aah I can't wait to get gigging again' but when you're touring you think ' I want to go home and relax and record!'
Tom: A lot of bands are like ' Oh we're a live band' or 'Oh we're definitely a recording band' but I can't see a good reason as to why you can't be both!
Conor: In the studio its about trying to get everything perfect, trying to capture that live sound. But live it doesn't matter if there are a couple of stray notes....
Do you ever worry that people place too much emphasis on your age, rather than the music?
Conor: Well we're all nearly legal drinking age!
Tom: Well it's up to them really, they can think what they want. If they're into it then they'll see much deeper than our ages, but if they just want to look at our ages then it's their loss!
Conor: It's what sets us apart from other bands though.
Tom: Its a good thing though, it makes a change as like most bands are 30, going on 40! Why shouldn't it come from the youth, they're the people buying it. Hopefully we'll inspire them, show them they they can do this, not just the 40 year olds!
Conor: Usually every so often there's a new range of bands coming out, but people our age are still listening to bands who were around 10 years ago like Oasis and Suede etc.
Michael: It's like you've got people like Fred Durst singing "My Generation" I mean, his generation are all bank managers or business men now! If we were to write that kind of shit song laughs it would have a meaning but he's not young!!!
If you could tour with any band past or present, who would you choose?
Neil: ATDI.
Tom: The Clash
Conor: Pixies.
What has been your best gig?
Tom: I think a few of the gigs we played at Manchester Roadhouse, one of them was sold out! We got to play a normal length set which was a bit of a novelty for us as we're always the support band!
Conor: Perpetually first on! laughs
Tom: It was just being able to see all the people who have been there from the star, from the first gig , then to see a mass of people behind them who had just got into us, it was amazing.
Michael: It's seeing people you don't know thats good! laughs
Conor: It's weird not knowing all our fans by their first names anymore! laughs
What has been your worst gig?
Conor: Exeter! It's 300 miles to Exeter, so we drove 300 miles, and played to six people, then drove all the way back. That's 600 miles, we drove 100 miles for every person who saw us! laughs People per mile percentage!
Michael: We drive for the people!
You're getting a lot of attention from the media, how does it feel to see yourselves in magazines or on TV? Do read the articles or watch the video or do you try and avoid it?
Michael: Well I haven't actually seen our video yet as I haven't got MTV
Conor: I've always bought the music press, I used to be obsessed with buying it every Wednesday! So it's weird to see us! laughs
Neil: I just think it's funny to see us all together having a bit of banter!
Michael: I can't imagine what it's like for someone who doesn't know us to read it, as when I read it I know what it's going to be like and what it's going to be about.
Tom: You just have to get that distance, you have to try and blank your mine then read it., to see what other people see when they read it, see what we're portraying. We know what we're trying to portray, but it's only then that you actually see how it comes across.
What are your ambitions? Where would you like to be in a years time?
Conor: Swimming with dolphins! laughs Nah, probably just have got our message out to as many people as we can, sell as many records as we can on our own terms without selling ourselves short in anyway
What advice would you give to someone who's just starting out in a band, is there anything that you wish you had known at the beginning that you know now?
Tom: The best advice is that it is hard work, you have to put hard work in. A lot of bands mess around and think ' Oh we'll get noticed!'.
Conor: Think big. Don't think that you'll get noticed playing tiny venues in your home town, just go to London, it's the only way.
Tom: Like us playing with the Manics, it's a big thing for us, but ultimately we won't be satisfied or happy with ourselves until we're headlining Brixton Academy. That's the level we're aiming at. That's the ultimate goal.
© 2003 Jen Thomas
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