INTRODUCING COLCHESTER BASED INDIE/ALTERNATIVE 4 PIECE BAND ORDINARY NOISE....
‘These guys are gonna be mega’ was punk poet John Cooper Clarke’s reaction to Ordinary Noise on Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service.
Recently The London Gig Guide wrote, ‘This band are dripping with promise…go see them before everyone is talking about them!’
Their latest release ‘Hungry Tongues/Southern Electric Teddy Girl’ was selected as a Tom Robinson Fresh Fave and as ‘Best 2014 buy on itunes so far’ in June by Radio Kaos Caribou.
Musicmuso caught up with the band and chatted for what seems like ages, we discussed Chas n' Dave, Bob Dylan and dogs that bark, to learn more about this fabulous band, please read on....
You’re called Ordinary Noise how did you come about choosing this name?
A long process…We came up with hundreds of names and this one rose to the top. Some of the names we thought would make better song titles, like ‘Southern Electric Teddy Girl’.
Explain the feeling when your music is played on radio stations such as XFM and BBC 6 Music?
Pretty amazing when your song comes after Buddy Holly, then when Chaz and Dave come after you it brings it back to reality.
Did you get to meet John Cooper Clarke?
Yes a few times. He came to Lou’s first gig when he played solo, and has been a fan since. He then came to see us at Colchester Arts Centre, where he said, ‘I had to pay to get into this gig. I don’t do that.’
‘Backstabber’ is a pretty angry track, what is the story behind this?
Lou’s best mate got off with the girl he fancied, and this song was written in the heat of the moment.
‘Southern Electric Teddy Girl’ is your latest release, where did you film the video and who directed it?
At the university of Essex, in a number of locations that become pretty embarrassing when you all have to mime. The punters watching the football at the SU Bar had a good time laughing at us. We got in touch with the film and creative writing department there, and they introduced us to Agnes Toomus, who planned out the video with us and got it all organised. Esteban Gimpelewicz directed it. We filmed solidly over 3 days, and had a wonderful time, a really lovely bunch of people to work with, and they did it for free!
In your opinion, what is the BEST album/record ever released?
What can you say, there’s no one best record. Excluding Highway 61 Revisited.
What is the best advice you ever received and who was it from?
WWPRD – What would Pussy Riot do? This was a poem by Jeffrey Lewis, who we recently supported. I think we‘ve all taken away a lot from watching him and his band.
Would you rather live with a dog that sings lullabies or a gorilla that can do sign language?
We’d rather have a dog that barks and a gorilla that was left in its natural habitat.
Being an unsigned band how hard is it to get noticed and how has social media helped you with this?
I mean backing first comes from your local following. Social media helps to let people know that you exist, get people to gigs and get your music listened to by people. However it’s easy to spend too much time on it. Being an unsigned band you are doing everything yourself, and it can get in the way of writing songs.
Do you own a record that you wouldn’t like to admit you have?
The internet’s a pretty big place to admit something like that.
Is there something you would like to tell each of the band members that you haven’t told them before?
We’ve already shared too much amongst ourselves…
What classic song would you have liked to have recorded and why?
Maybe a Captain Beefheart song, just to experience the thought process in writing the music. Recording it would be fun too. Apparently Don Van Vliet insisted the drums be covered in cardboard and the vocal overdubs be sung with no headphones, with the track being played instead only very quietly through a tiny window in the corner of the room, so it was barely audible.
First gig you ever went to?
Jonny – The Darkness at Wembley 2004
Ross – Biffy Clyro Hammersmith Apollo. Although my tastes have now changed, it inspired me to start playing guitar.
Tim – Tenacious D with my mother also at Hammersmith Apollo.
Lou – Andy White at the Bluebell Inn.
What is your favourite venue to play at and why?
Colchester Arts Centre is a great venue to have so close. It’s a really beautiful deconsecrated Church with a lot of history.
Name three people (alive, dead or fictional) that you would like as party guests?
Ross immediately said Alf. Tim’s pick is Marcel Duchamp so that he could have a conversation with him about how he managed to make rubbish into art. We’d invite Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh too. He could do with a party to cheer him up.
There are many good bands and musicians out there, who would you ask the readers of musicmuso to look out for?
We’ve mentioned him earlier, the songwriter and comic book author Jeffrey Lewis. Amazing lyrics. He describes himself as ‘anti-folk’. It’s quite punky but mostly acoustic, and very stripped down. He does really interesting live shows. When we supported him he did a song/lecture on the brief history of Communism in Vietnam as he projected his comic-like illustrations on a projector. His songs are really diverse, but maybe a good place to start is ‘When you’re by yourself’.
Who would you like to know has your music on their iPod, MP3 or cassette walkman?
Ross - Annie Clarke from St. Vincent.
Lou - I’d like Alex Turner to listen to a song I wrote called ‘Whatever happened to the Arctic Monkeys.’
Jonny - The Pope, we could reach a new fan base.
If you could describe your music in the form of a fictional character, who would it be?
Marvin the Paranoid Android (Jonny reckons he sums up me (Lou) and Tim in a nutshell)
Do you think we can ever live in a world where a chicken can cross the road without having its motives questioned?
Not unless we learn to speak chicken, or the chicken learns to speak a human language.
What are your plans for the remainder of 2014?
We’ve got some new songs we’ve recently recorded, we’ll be putting them out. We’ll be writing songs and gigging. We’ve got one coming up at the Tunbridge Wells Forum on the 28th June. It's the final of a competition to play at Hop Farm Music Festival, so fingers crossed!
Prior to letting the band go, we refreshed our latte's and sat down to run through a few quick fire questions....
Coffee or Tea? Coffee
Coke or Pepsi? Coke
Stone Cold Steve Austin or Hulk Hogan or CM Punk? The Rock
Drum machine or the real deal? Real Deal
Mac or PC? PC
Fry up or Sunday roast? Fry up
Lemmy (Motorhead) or Ozzy (Black Sabbath)? Neither
CD or Vinyl? CDs are definitely easier to post, which is useful for us
Car or Motorbike? Can’t put your amp on a bike
Acoustic or electric? We use both
Shower or Bath? Shower
Tattoos or Piercings? Tattoos
Robert De Niro or Al Pacino? De Niro
God or Google? They’re the same entities aren’t they?
SOCIAL MEDIA
GIGS
Tunbridge Wells Forum, Kent - 28th June
Buffalo Bar, London - 8th July (TBC)
Colchester Arts Centre - 12th July
VW Whitenoise Festival, Euston Park, Thetford - 2nd August
The Good Ship, London - 7th August
We would like to thank the band for taking time out of their hectic lives to speak to Musicmuso, we wish them every success in the future and look forward to posting juicy, newsworthy items.
Interview by Mark Wincott