We're at Beached 2006 in Scarborough and it's just one week until The Bonnitts take the TopMan Stage at Leeds Festival 2006. These guys hail from Hull for anyone who doesn't know of them, and from what I've seen and heard they're going to be absolutely HUGE! These guys need to stick around."Big", "Bad" and "Bluesy" are 3 words used to describe you - What 3 words would you use?
Chris Hossack: I don't know really - they're three good words I'd say.
Mike, you have a very distinctive voice - did you get that with puberty or is it something you have worked on?
Mike Wright: Err a bit of both really, once my balls dropped that was it [laughs] I've never tried to copy anyone either, it's just what comes out.
You didn't have much luck on the drummer front in early days, with your last drummer Joe setting fire to his kit. Did you for a split second fear you would turn into the next Spinal Tap and lose even more drummers?
MW: [laughs] No not really, he should have set fire to himself - because once he set fire to the kit, he was a prick and he got sacked.
Stuart Norfolk: It was scary playing with him.
CH: The human fire ball [laughs]
Your music is very raw, how do you set about achieving that?
MW: I dunno really, we've all got different influences really so I think that helps to the natural thing that just comes out, we just like to be a bit modern, a bit punky, a bit punchy a bit poppie and just enjoy ourselves and keep it upbeat, and hope that people just come along with us sort of thing.
So with your DIY approach to producing - has anyone tried to swoop in and take over yet?
MW: We have had an offer to do a pre recording from a guy called John Andrews who saw us at a gig in Hull and he took us down to London and we recorded down there.
CH: We're really keen to just all dive in there you see and find out what it's all about.
MW: You see the thing about us is we're all self funded and earn our money through jobs and stuff and gigs, and we just try and do what we can you know, with the money that we've got.
We all know that Leeds/Manchester and Sheffield are pretty productive on the music scene when it comes to producing bands, but Hull seems a bit lacklustre on the new talent front. From your own experiences why do you think that is?
MW: I really don't know because there's so many fucking good bands in Hull like The Johnsons and The Dirty Dreamers, so many good band and for some reason people just don't want to come up here, and they're missing out.
SN: People just need to move Eastwards a little bit [laughs]
CH: Yeah it's like the NME article 'New Yorkshire' thing when they mention just about every city like fucking city from Rotherham to Gateshead, and they don't mention Hull!
SN: Yeah sometimes it's like "what's the fucking point!"
MW: It is really disappointing, Hull's not a bad place you know.
You said one of your highest achievements was supporting The Bluetones at The Adelphi, but who would be your dream support slot?
MW: That was early on though, we have supported better since.
Who would you consider better then?
MW: We supported The Cribs before which was sound.
So who would be your dream support slot?
MW: The Doves or Coldplay.
CH: Yeah I'd agree with that.
Who are your main influences individually, and how do you feel they all contribute to your overall collaboration of tunes as a band?
MW: It sounds a bit naff but I've always been a Weller fan, and I got brought up on Motown and Soul, so Weller has always been like a progression of those things.
SN: All sorts really, anything a bit weird like Pink Floyd.
Reader's Question: One desert Island, one album - which one would you take?
MW: Erm.....What's Going On, by Marvin Gaye, errrm no I don't know!
SN: Obscured By Clouds by Pink Floyd.
A great album and sadly overlooked [doth my cap to you young sir]
CH: Harvest by Neil Young.
As an up and coming band, are there any bands playing this weekend that you're really wanting to see?
MW: Yeah, The Fratellis are good. Apart from that, we don't really know the line up; we just got here 15 minutes before we were on stage.
CH: It's my birthday tomorrow, so I'm just gonna go out and get pissed!
What can we expect to hear from The Bonnitts in the next 6 months?
CH: We've got a couple of things recorded, and hopefully some more people here today will hear the music and hopefully we'll be able to get a few more tracks out and maybe release a little EP or album or something and if we can get that done off our own backs, that will be great but if anybody wants to throw loads of money at us, then we'll take that too. [laughs]
MW: And we've got the Leeds Festival next Friday, so we're looking forward to that.
Finally - Seeing as we're by the seaside - are you a bucket and spade kinda band or a kiss me quick hat?
CH: Ooooh a bit of both! But isn't that just Blackpool, I've never been to Blackpool.
SN: I'll go for bucket and spade.
MW: I don't really understand the question, what do they mean?
Sorry got a bit Ted Hughes there. The simile being bucket and spade being hard working and the hat being something quick and just a bit of fun, maybe just a fleeting band of the time.
MW: We work hard and we're not exactly fashionable [laughs] so probably yeah, a bit of both.
Thanks very much for your time boys and hopefully there's going to be plenty more The Bonnitts' fans out there after next weekend - They have everything!
