A hop skip and a jump into the next county and you will find these suave lads, who go by the name Ejectorseat. We have Peter [vocals and guitar] the urchin of the band - Barrington [guitars and vocals] the Obi Wan of the 5 piece - Philip [bass and vocals] he loves Metallica! - James [drums] the quiet one and then we have Luke [synths] aka The Bear - but you wouldn't be able to follow him - he turned up late with James and they went straight to the bar [good lads!]So you guys are from Derby - not a very rock n roll place to some perhaps. What has it been like trying to get noticed in a place like that?
Peter: Hmm, no you're right, it's not very rock n roll, and there hasn't been anything to come out of Derby for a while, but there's definitely something happening at the moment. Something's simmering! As for getting noticed, you just have to try and play away from the place. We've always played anywhere but Derby, but now things have changed and things are starting to look up.
Your debut single Attack Attack Attack was out in October. In what 3 ways do you expect your music to Attack Attack Attack?
Barrington: It's new, it's fresh, and it's not been done before really.
Peter: It's catchy, it's original.
Philip: That's not three words! - it's got to be three.
Peter: Oh yeah, I get you! Because of the attack, attack, attack. [Bless! Don't you just love it when the penny drops?] Hmm ok then [laughs] we'll go with, errr can we come back to that one?
Ejectorseat have stated that there is no better time to be in a band. Why do you believe this as opposed to any other decade?
Peter: I think it mainly happened last year, when there was a big influx of indie bands, they sort of just appeared, and were starting to go straight into the mainstream and that was probably also due to the availability of downloads which helped them get straight into the charts. So many of the kind of bands that we love. I'd say mainly because of the indie wave.
Barrington: That is a great deal to do with it and the download market certainly made people more aware as to what bands were out there.
You've said that you are armed with statements rather than songs. What are those statements and do you consider yourselves to be a movement of youth culture?
Peter: Well the types of bands that have always affected me are bands like The Clash and Manic Street Preachers, very sloganeering type of bands, and when I write songs I think of the title before anything else.
Barrington: [whispers] Pete that is absolutely nothing to do with the question.
Have you had a heavy weekend already?
Peter: Yeah I have as it happens [laughs] sorry I'm really not at all there today - you certainly wouldn't have been able to interview me yesterday, yeah it's been a bit heavy! And this morning for that matter [laughs].
Luke and James arrive late at this point, and after they have prised themselves away from the bar - come and join the rest of their band members. This validates Peter's last comment, because although the lads I've just been talking to for the past 10 minutes look rather together and snazzy, these two are looking rather rough around the edge of a badgers posterior. They pull up a seat, slump themselves down and we shall begin again!
Peter: Hmmm to be considered a movement of youth culture would be enormous for us because our heroes were the same and we just want to be like those guys, not necessarily huge, just noticed.
You have a massive following on the MySpace website. Do you feel a platform like that is a help or eventual hindrance for bands such as yourselves?
Barrington: It's interesting at the moment. For us at this moment in time I feel without it we wouldn't be where we are at the moment. So I can't really answer that question at this moment in time as we're doing alright out of it.
Philip: I can see where you're coming from with that question though, but it's something that we've just done and hopefully it will lead us onto getting noticed more. Just going back to your previous question with regards to why is it good to be in a band at this moment in time, technology has really played a big part in this decade too.
Peter: Yeah, without the MySpace thing we wouldn't have the sort of following and the interest that we have been getting over the past year, or something.
Barrington: It's not a matter how many friends we have, it's the fact that people are spreading the word and we're getting noticed.
So what sort of numbers are you getting for downloads off your page?
Barrington: We're getting about 700 plays a day, which is not a lot compared to your massive bands, but the following that we've got, we're happy with the way things are progressing, very happy!
That all sounds excellent, which reminds me. You've just done a photo shoot with Andy Willsher, who has worked with the likes of Oasis, Babyshambles and The Zutons. Are you going to retain the image you have now or are you going to be one of those bands that change to fit the market place?
Peter: Our image is something that we're always going to be, constant about I think. We do look totally different now to what we did a couple of months ago. A couple of months ago, we were all wearing black shirts, and white ties and we all looked the same, and over the past few months we've just adapted it a bit and added different things, just varied it really. In a couple more months we might look completely different to what we do today.
Philip: Yeah I'd agree, our image naturally evolves, but we would never dress to please a certain part of our audience. We dress this way because it's what we feel comfortable wearing and we think we look good. We'd never do it to please anyone but ourselves.
In a statement from yourselves you said and I quote: "We're not ashamed to say that we want success." - What is your highest achievement to date and what would be the highest point of achievement for you?
Barrington: Signing to our label was probably the highest point and most success we've had so far. We've had a lot of stuff happen, but personally I think getting a manager was quite an achievement for us.
Philip: The manager we've got now is really good.
Peter: We've got quite a good PR team behind us now.
Barrington: Yeah we have people working for us now.
And what do you want to get out of this?
Barrington: Id like to make a living out of it.
Peter: Yeah definitely.
So what do you all do now then?
Barrington: We all work, I'm a chef, Pete is a postman.
James: I'm a salesman! [The silence is broken - he does speak honest!]
Is that double glazing?
James: [grinning] No - plastics actually!
Barrington: Oh god don't get him started [laughs] and Luke is a laboratory assistant.
Philip: I'm a student, studying a degree in music technology.
You have taken a blueprint from most of the indie bands around at the moment. What do you think is the secret ingredient for any band of this type?
Peter: The secret ingredient, is to keep everything simple.
Philip: Honesty as well I think. You see a lot of bands not just pop bands, all bands and as far as them being honest with you, well they're just a joke.
What do you think of the whole new wave of cock rock that's coming back through into music these days then?
Philip: Don't get me wrong, I love that sort of music. Motley Crüe and that sort of stuff. Actually me and James are big Metallica fans.
Yeah it shows!
Philip: Does it really? [laughs]
Oh yeah, you reek of Metallica fan, as soon as I saw you I thought Metallica fan!
Philip: Oh yes! Come on! Do I really [paranoid laugh] fine I refuse to answer any more questions.' [laughs followed by red cheeks]
So, we're by the seaside - what do you like to do beside it?
Peter: Well, get drunk and get wet, and then.
Barrington: Eat curry!
Philip: Yeah eat curry. Pete was very ill this morning. Spewing out the van.
Barrington: We were out with the big boys last night. [laughs]
The big boys?
Philip: Yeah we mean just us! [laughs]
Peter: I just want an ice cream and a bit of sunshine!
Have you ever peed in the sea?
Peter: When I was very young, yes. It took a long, long time to come out because I wasn't comfortable with it.
Philip: I pissed in the sea last year in Cyprus, and in the swimming pool.
Barrington: Luke was saying yesterday that he used to wee in the sea and he used to aim it, so the tide would take his wee towards people he didn't like. So he would position himself in front of people that were like butch men with their girlfriends and blokes he didn't like the look of, and he'd wee and watch the wee go over with the tide so it touched them. [If any of our readers think they have been touched by Luke's wee please apply directly to band for compensation, vile boy! Yet strangely genius!]
What does the next 12 months hold for Ejectorseat?
Peter: Oooh, errrrm.
Barrington: Two singles and an album, maybe a tour.
Philip: We'd like to do the festival circuit next year I think. [nods of agreement from his fellow band members]
If you could swap everything you have achieved so far for just one thing, what would you swap it for?
Philip: Sixty million quid!
Any reason for that amount in particular?
Philip: Because then I would be able to start the band again, with the money and get where we are again within a week, cause we're rich!
Doesn't always work that way does it though?
Philip: I know, I'm sorry, it was a stupid answer. [laughs]
Peter: Nah, it's ok, I like that answer, it's cool. Cheers man!
Philip: I'm still in shock from being told I look like a Metallica fan.
So there we have it! The finest that Derby have to offer us mortals at the moment, will they stay or will they go now and will they be sent packing after the Attack, Attack, Attack. The choice is yours... and of course squillions of other people who may or may not buy the singles and the album. Great lads! Great tunes! and they're in love with Lego, what more could you want?
Ejectorseat's debut single "Attack, Attack, Attack" is out now.
