To be published on www.rhythmcircus.co.uk, link coming soon.
Photograph by Emma Robinson.
Hey guys, everyone OK?
All: Yup, we’re all good.
Looking forward to the gig tonight?
All: Yeah, definitely!
What do you think of the venue?
Doll: It’s really nice, I can’t believe we’ve never been here before! It has a very homely feel even though it’s quite big.
Matt: I imagine it’s going to be a really intimate gig, especially if the room packs out.
Definitely! So for those who’ve not heard your music before, how would you describe your style?
Olivier: It’s very dancey, we try to include as many hooks as possible.
Matt: Female fronted pop-rock probably defines it! It’s edgy and not too generic.
You’ve been compared, especially yourself Doll, to bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. Are you happy with that comparison?
Doll: Yeah, y’know, I don’t mind ever getting compared to other great artists. If you get compared to someone who’s rubbish then I think you’ve got a problem and something to complain about!
Matt: Also I think people can be quite lazy. Cos’ when Doll had blonde hair people would say Gwen Stefani, and now that her hairs black people say the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, even though the gig as a whole doesn’t change.
So, is that the kind of music you guys listen to outside of the band?
Olivier: We listen to all sorts really.
Doll: Today we’ve been mainly listening to Katy Perry’s new album and that’s not a lie!
Chris: We like ‘I Wanna See Your Peacock’!
Doll: Yeah, we like that one. And ‘Circle the Drain’!
I’ll have to have a listen to those I think! What artists are catching your attention at the moment, apart from Katy Perry of course!
Matt: Two Door Cinema Club? They’re album is pretty good.
Doll: Temper Trap as well. Also there was a band that played last night called ‘Kites’ and I thought they were really good.
Matt: They’re getting loads of hype in the industry at the moment as well.
Doll: You can see why though!
Olivier: I really like ‘Yuksek’s album at the moment, in fact I think it’s their only one. It’s more kinda electronic, they’re like Daft Punk actually, so they’re really good.
You guys each came from different bands, Olivier coming from a Ska band and Chris and Matt coming from metal bands; does this have an influence on your music as a band now?
Matt: Yeah, cos’ we all write together so everyone has their own impact on the music.
So when it comes to touring you’ve been to a fair few places, what’s been your personal favourite?
Olivier: I think the place we played last night is mine.
Doll: Yeah, Hoxton Bar and Kitchen, definitely!
And now for the expected Morrissey question! Most bands and artists would kill to support Morrissey on his tour, how did that come about?
Chris: We killed!
Matt: Yeah! Y’know, we killed a few people and now here we are!
He came to a few of your gigs didn’t he?
Doll: Yeah, he did. And just before we got asked to support him he brought down his booking agent and his manager and some of the people from his crew and support hands. And after that, obviously we knew that was a massive deal!
I expect you all had an amazing time; any embarrassing or funny stories for us?
Matt: I liked when we were in Sweden when whilst Morrissey was playing we were packing up our recording equipment and I was really drunk, holding an amp up high and it fell onto my foot. My toe and toe nail were basically in the process of falling off; it was bleeding and literally twice the size. Morrissey came over later that evening afterwards to see whether I was OK.
Chris: Yeah, you made him nearly faint didn’t you?
Matt: Yeah, he hated it, he had his hands like over his eyes!
Doll: It did look pretty horrible, still does look pretty horrible. But then it is attached to Matt!
Olivier: Also, during the tour there was this kind of exchange of notes happening. I’m not even sure who started it, I think he might of. Like he sent us a note and then we’d respond to it throughout the whole tour.
Chris: Yeah, they’d be like cryptic messages!
Matt: There was one time where he’d mentioned something and we couldn’t work out what it was and it turned out that it was a lyric from ‘He’s a Dancer’ backwards or something. There was another time where he put up loads of signs on the way to the venue that we had to figure out to get there, we didn’t have a clue where we were going!
That’s brilliant considering he is portrayed as being, for want of a better word, quite depressing!
Olivier: Not at all, he is definitely a joker!
Matt: Yeah, he has a great sense of humour.
So how about before you come on stage, do you have any odd rituals at all?
Matt: We all kick Olivier in the crotch!
Doll: No, I mean we don’t really have a ritual. I know loads of bands do things to get themselves psyched up for it but we don’t really have anything like that. We just have some booze really!
Do you have a favourite track to perform live?
Olivier: I think we’ve probably all got our own favourites.
Doll: Skeletons is mine!
Chris: Yeah, I like playing stuff from our double A side, ‘Skeletons’ and ‘For the First Time’ just cos’ they still seem fairly new to me so I really enjoy it. Not that I don’t enjoy the other ones, but I just prefer them.
Matt: Even now we only play a couple of tracks off of our ten track album, so whenever we get to an album track that’s cool as well.
One thing I admire about you guys is the fact that you’re self releasing your albums and keeping it ‘Indie’ so to speak. I take it that’s not been the easiest of tasks?
Doll: Yup! Hence why we released our first album in 2008 and haven’t released one since!
Olivier: That doesn’t mean we’re not writing though!
So what kind of advice would you give to bands that are trying to follow in your footsteps?
Matt: Just get lucky!
Chris: Yeah, it is difficult!
Doll: I suppose the best thing to do is just focus on your songwriting. I think if you do that everything else will come in time really.
And finally, what are your plans for the future?
Chris: We’re going to be working on more new tracks; we’ve got some more studio time booked in February and then another tour coming up.
Sounds good! Well, best of luck for tonight. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
Front woman Doll oozed with attitude from the off, assuming her position at the front of the stage, crouched over ready and waiting for opening track ‘Fire’ to start. And boy did she make an impression. Springing to life, Doll went on to storm through an eclectic mix of edgy tracks, with ‘Roll up the Red Carpet’ being the first to show Doll, drummer Chris, bassist Olivier and guitarist Matt at their full potential, luring the audience ever closer in an already intimate setting. Emotive ‘If You Care’ showcased Doll’s impregnable vocals as well as proving their versatility as a band, whilst ‘You Turn Up’ saw even the most stubborn of spectators moving their feet. Ending with fast-paced ‘Dancer’, the band were in full swing, with Doll cementing the reasoning behind Morrisey’s recent acclaim, describing her as ‘... the best British singer of recent years’.
Throwing themselves off of stage as quickly as they’d come on, the venue was soon filled with cries of ‘More! More! More!’ with one of the fans even jumping on stage to hype up the audience for their return. And once again, they delivered with an encore of feisty album track ‘Believer’.
One of the liveliest bands I’ve had the pleasure of seeing, it’s a real mystery as to why Doll & the Kicks aren’t as ‘big’ as they clearly deserve to be. A mystifying watch as much of a listen, you’d be a fool to not sit up and pay attention. Forget the likes of Marina, Eliza and dare I say it, Florence – it’s time to finally move over and make some room for Doll and her ‘Kicks’.
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