Three quarters Italian and one quarter female, Darkbeat is a London based indie-rock band with post-punk/new wave influences ready to serenade you with tales of intrigue, dark love, murder and alien invasion. Catch them before they catch you!

Our own Mark Wincott caught up with FabD to chat about 250 year old vampires, Frankenstein and favourite actors, here's how he got on....

Please introduce the band and your music in one sentence....

A post-punk outfit with a dark twist.

You’re called Darkbeat, how did you come about choosing this name?

We wanted a one-word name, evocative and easy to remember. Darkbeat sounded just right.

Where did you all find each other and what were you all up to before?

Dolores Dark (vocals) and I (FabD – bass) met through an ad in November 2013. We started working on songs and then I asked my mate FrankD (guitar) to join the band in March 2014. KekkoD (drums) joined Darkbeat in June this year, completing the current line-up. We all played in many different bands but past is past and we’d rather talk about the present and the future with Darkbeat.

In your opinion, what is the BEST album/record ever released?

Unknown Pleasure by Joy Division

Tell me a fascinating fact about you or one of your band members?

Nothing fascinating about us, it’s all about our music.

Being an unsigned band how hard is it to get noticed and how has social media aided your music?

It’s very hard to build a good fan base and get noticed by media and producers nowadays with all that background noise but we are working extra hard to break through. Social media are definitely a big part of the picture and we are using every existing channel the best we can.

If you had to sell your live show to an audience that has never seen you, how would you describe a Darkbeat gig?

An explosive cocktail of rough-edged fast-paced rock’n’roll with a melodic core.

Who designed the artwork for Darkbeat?

I did, taking inspiration from old anatomy books and artworks by Angel Roy.

Is there something you would like to tell each of the band members that you haven’t told them before?

Yes, just one thing: I’m a 250 year old vampire but there’s no reason to be scared!

You recently played The Islington in North London, how was that for you?

It was a great gig in a good venue with a very responsive audience, we’re very pleased.

What guitar riff still gets to you after the first time you heard it?

The solo in New Dawn Fades by Joy Division…yes, I know, I’m obsessed with them!

What classic song would you have liked to have recorded and why?

That would be Israel by Siouxsie and the Banshees, a 34 year old epic tune on a still current subject.

Would you rather live with a dog that sings lullabies or a gorilla that can do sign language? (Explain your answer).

With a mute gorilla as my ears need some rest every now and then.

Love the track Buried Alive, what was the inspiration behind the writing of this song?

Funny you mention that song as we haven’t been playing it for a while. I was just playing around on my bass and it came out of nowhere, one of those tunes that builds itself up without much reasoning behind it. I guess I was in the mood for a slow tempo which doesn’t happen very often. Sent it to Dolores Dark who came up with an amazing melody…I guess it’s time to go back to that tune.

You’re currently writing and recording demos, where are you recording these and what made you choose that studio?

We are rehearsing at The Gun Factory Studios in London, Homerton. They also have a recording studio, we listened to some of the stuff they’ve been recording there and we liked it. It came as a sort of natural choice to record our first proper demo there.

First gig you ever went to?

Lou Reed

There are many good bands and musicians out there, who would you ask the readers of musicmuso to look out for?

Ruiners and Faster Than Bulls, not only good mates but great musicians. Look out for them.

If you could describe your music in the form of a fictional character, who would it be?

That would be Dr. Frankenstein’s creature, huge, scary and good-hearted at the same time.

What are your plans for 2015?

After recording in late November, we’re going to release an EP, a 7”, a video and then start the promotion ideally with a UK and European tour in 2015. We’re actively looking around in order to find booking agents we can trust...stay tuned!

Coffee or Tea? Coffee

Coke or Pepsi? Coke

Drum machine or the real deal? Real deal

Mac or PC? Mac

Lemmy (Motorhead) or Ozzy (Black Sabbath)? Lemmy

CD or Vinyl? Vinyl

Car or Motorbike? Car

Acoustic or electric? Electric

Shower or Bath? Shower

Big Bang Theory or Rain Man? Big Bang Theory

Tattoos or Piercings? Piercings

Robert De Niro or Al Pacino? Al Pacino