{"id":2243,"date":"2011-10-31T13:07:31","date_gmt":"2011-10-31T13:07:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nusic.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=2243"},"modified":"2012-04-15T23:41:01","modified_gmt":"2012-04-15T22:41:01","slug":"dog-is-dead-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nusic.org.uk\/wordpress\/dog-is-dead-interview\/","title":{"rendered":"DOG IS DEAD INTERVIEW"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>We first played the catchy tunes of DOG IS DEAD<\/strong><\/a> in the summer of 2008, and<\/em> they did their first Future Session with us over two years ago. Now they’re signed to a major label with their sights set on living out the musical dream. Mary Ann Pickford<\/strong> caught up with the guys <\/strong><\/a> to chat about death, Santa and their new single…
\n
\nSo Hands Down<\/em> is now out! You guys excited?<\/strong>
\n
\nRobert: Yeah it\u2019s really cool. It\u2019s pretty exciting and so far the feedback\u2019s been really great. We hope we can get people to buy it rather than just enjoying the video and things. <\/strong>
\n
\nI saw the video actually and it looks really cool. Looked like a lot of fun to make it…<\/strong>
\n
\nDID: Yeah yeah, it was really fun.
\n
\nWhat\u2019s the decider for your songs to be a single then, do you guys know before you make it or is it like, \u2018this is it, this is the one, this is the anthem\u2019?<\/strong>
\n
\nTrev: We\u2019ll write a handful of songs that are potential singles. We\u2019ll never write something to then say \u2018this will be the single\u2019 \u2018cause it might not necessarily be the next single. That\u2019s kind of the collective decision.
\n
\nRobert: With a band like ours, we\u2019re never going to sell a million singles. And bands are finding it hard to sell singles these days so it\u2019s kind of like, what would I wanna put out as a nice taster and quite an easy representation of what we\u2019ve got going on at the moment?
\n
\nWhat was the idea behind the new single when you first thought of it, lyrically?<\/strong>
\n
\nRobert: Well it\u2019s weird \u2018cause I wanted to have this like- I really wanted a big chorus with a really easy declaration, like a universal feeling of love basically. So that\u2019s how it came about. But the verse lyrics are quite a bit darker and about death and religion and stuff, but it\u2019s really hidden and metaphorical, and it\u2019s still quite an upbeat Christmas sounding song. We want it to sound like Christmas basically\u2026!
\n
\nBut it\u2019s still got this undertone of-<\/strong>
\n
\nRobert: Dying. [laughs]
\n
\nJoss: It sounds like one of those really bad Christmas B movies – Santa\u2019s coming! But he\u2019s going to kill you\u2026 [laughs]
\n
\nRobert: That\u2019s perfect yeah [laughs]
\n
\nThen comes an onslaught of alternative single names for Hands Down\u2026<\/em>
\n
\nJoss: Santa\u2019s Revenge. Rogue Santa. Santa of Death\u2026
\n
\nTrev: Santa Claws\u2026 C-L-A-W-S and he goes and slashes people with his claws-
\n
\nRobert: [laughing] It\u2019s like Scream\u2026
\n
\nHaha! So Rob, is it fair to say you usually write all the songs or does everyone pitch in? What\u2019s the process behind the song and music writing?<\/strong>
\n
\nRobert: Yeah I write the songs, the lyrics and the basic structure, then bring it to the table and everyone picks a part and adds their stamp to it.
\n
\nCool. On a different note, you\u2019re all from West Bridgford, is that right?<\/strong>
\n
\nDID: More or less…
\n
\nTrev: Us three are [Robert, Joss and Trev] and Paul who\u2019s not here, he\u2019s from Stapleford and he [points at Harvey] is from bloody Epworth.
\n
\nHarvey: Yeah I\u2019m from about an hour and a half away from Nottingham.
\n
\nRobert: But he lived in Nottingham for 17 and a half years.
\n
\nJoss: Epworth\u2019s got quite a good music scene\u2026
\n
\nHarvey: Yeah it\u2019s up there with Leeds and Nottingham.
\n
\nJoss: You\u2019ve got those venues like the village hall\u2026
\n
\nHarvey: [laughs] And we\u2019ve got a pub as well.
\n
\nConversation goes off on a tangent about Epworth\u2019s world famous scene\u2026<\/em>
\n
\nThe point I meant was, with all of you being from Notts more or less, what do you guys think of the scene at the moment?<\/strong>
\n
\nJoss: Awesome.
\n
\nRobert: Well it was totally different til about, three minutes ago [laughs]. When we started out there was never a problem getting started, every opportunity was there. And it was very easy, very effortless being a young band in Nottingham when you\u2019ve got a little bit of a base- college was like our springboard I guess. And there has never been a problem there but there had been a kind of limit to where everything could go. And I think recently that barrier\u2019s been shattered because people are doing alright out of Nottingham now and it’s cool that we\u2019re a part of it. I wouldn\u2019t say there\u2019s a scene but I would say there\u2019s about four or five different artists doing very different things with a lot of support for each other and whether that constitutes as that, I don\u2019t know, you decide. But now it\u2019s raised the roof and there are no limits.
\n
\nYeah I met you guys quite a while ago, three years actually, while you were doing the then Notts Unsigned Future Session. What was the transition like from becoming unsigned to signed?<\/strong>
\n
\nRobert: Well everything goes in its natural progression and you get to different stages, and after a while you\u2019re like cool we\u2019ve been playing together for quite a while and we know we\u2019ve got a few decent songs now\u2019. It\u2019s only a matter of time before someone takes notice if we get people from towns outside Nottingham to come to our shows. Then it\u2019s like another career choice that actually comes about because we\u2019ve been playing and working so hard. But it\u2019s like a nice little mark for us to make it here so far. It\u2019s all in those tiny little progressions and stages and we\u2019ve got our own boxes to tick and things we want to do…
\n
\nDid you guys have any expectations of what it\u2019s like to be bigger, or signed?<\/strong>
\n
\nTrev: I guess I didn\u2019t really have a lot of expectations. I\u2019m quite cynical of the whole stereotype where you get signed and it\u2019s like \u2018yeah it\u2019s massive man, let\u2019s go on tour and score some chicks!\u2019.
\n
\nJoss: You never really think as soon as you\u2019re signed you\u2019re in the top ten.
\n
\nTrev: Yeah exactly, it isn\u2019t really like that but I love how it\u2019s going. It\u2019s just like, you get signed THEN the work starts.
\n
\nRobert: You get so many bands that get signed and they think that they\u2019ve done their piece and they\u2019re like \u2018that\u2019s it\u2019 and they can be rock stars, but it\u2019s totally what it\u2019s NOT about for us. We\u2019re kind of like, thanks for giving us this bit of opportunity to bring out an album which is what we\u2019ve always wanted to do. So far everything\u2019s great. It\u2019s hard work but we\u2019re putting that pressure on ourselves to make sure that everything goes right.
\n
\nWhat\u2019s the hardest thing about being in a band and touring?<\/strong>
\n
\nTrev: I think one of the things I find hard is staying healthy and maintaining your voice, \u2018cause we all sing in five part harmonies. If you go out drinking and smoking all day, it wrecks your voice.
\n
\nJoss: And when we all start to go on tour, then we come back, and we\u2019re really fat…
\n
\nRobert: [laughs] I wouldn\u2019t say really fat!
\n
\nJoss: Well you know what I mean, compared to how we were.
\n
\nRobert: If you\u2019re doing a tour or something you\u2019ve gotta look after yourself.
\n
\nSo what\u2019s the main ambition for you guys collectively?<\/strong>
\n
\nJoss: I\u2019d just like to make an album that a lot of people enjoy.
\n
\nRobert: That we\u2019re totally proud of too. Making a record is just gonna be the biggest thing ever, \u2018cause we\u2019ve been together three years -longer than that actually – just jamming about, and it\u2019s like, when are we going to make this album? When are we gonna do it? So it\u2019s going to be great to put that on first time and go \u2018I\u2019m totally proud of this, I have faith in this, get really ambitious and see where it goes\u2019. You\u2019ve done your bit then in that sense and it\u2019ll be up to the world to decide whether you\u2019re going to be a success.
\n
\nAny last words to your fans?<\/strong>
\n
\nRobert: We\u2019re not dying… [laughs] Well, we\u2019re having a good time, we hope everyone else is, oh and buy our new single!
\n
\nINTERVIEW ENDS.<\/strong>
\n
\nDOG IS DEAD<\/strong><\/a>‘s new single Hands Down<\/em> is available to download now PLUS a limited edition signed 7″ vinyl is available from roughtrade.com or FOPP in town.
\n
\nWe’ve also teamed up with the band to give one Nottingham act the chance to support them at their Rock City headline show on December 17th. Entries have now closed but you will be able to vote on which of the ten semi-finalists make it through to the final five. The public vote will launch on Monday 7th November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We first played the catchy tunes of DOG IS DEAD in the summer of 2008, and they did their first Future Session with us over two years ago. Now they’re signed to a major label with their sights set on living out the musical dream. Mary Ann Pickford caught up with the guys to chat…<\/p>\n

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