The Idol Dead, a local band hailing from Selby/Leeds are just starting out on their mission, hopefully bringing their swaggering brand of dirty rock and roll to your ears very soon.
With members from various cultural ethnicities, it proves the creation of music goes beyond a persons race and religion, but brings colour to the present.
The band have played a few gigs locally and aim to record and release some new tracks in August 2009, meanwhile you can whet your appetite by clicking over to their MySpace page and checking out the posted tracks there! Watch out, they’ll be up there with the legends soon!
Hi folks, give us all an introduction on yourselves and the band?
Hi, we’re The Idol Dead, we’re a multicultural, pan-dimensional, multilayered rock machine – high on life and addicted to the groove. We’re fronted by half-Celtic, half-androgynous libertine Polly, ex of Phluid … our Guitar duties are carried our by snake-hipped Hipster called Tim … drums are beaten to death by our Kiwi/ Sri Lankan drummer Nish … and everything is held together by the bull-fighting bass man from Barcelona, Miguel.All that is totally true, except the bull-fighting, as Polly is a veggie and would be very upset by that sort of thing.
Who would you say your main influences are?
Many and varied.Because we hail from all corners of the globe you can imagine we like loads of different stuff. Polly is mad for Bowie, Wildhearts and Sex Pistols, plus a bit of rockabilly and jazz, Nish like his rock, hard and smoking, Foo Fighters, Live, Green Day that sort of thing, Miguel is into all sorts from Flamenco to Metal, and Tim’s an 80s Metal, Mansun and Marylyn Mason fan.
Would you class your music as any genre?
Yep, we are full-tilt, balls out rock n roll. We all like loads of different stuff, but when we’re on stage we like rumbling bass, big guitars, massive melodies and pounding toms.
How long have you known each other and how did you form the band?
We came together last summer. Phluid, Polly’s former band had just called it a day, and Tim and Nish had just finished with a band called Concrete Bullet. Tim mailed Polly to see if he fancied a jam, and sent him a few recordings, Polly liked them and they decided to form a band. Nish initially came along to help out while we found a drummer, but in the end, the lure of the rock was too much and he just had to stay. Then we advertised for a bass player and, after about 3 weeks of living in England, Miguel answered the ad and joined up.
What inspires you?
We are compelled by the power of the riff! And the lyrics come from everyday life – sex, drugs, politics, religion, the usual stuff.
Where would you like to see yourselves in five years time?
There is no agenda. To write great music and have a good time is the whole of the law. 5 million pound record deals are few and far between, and the devil takes a large chunk of your soul when you sign. If anything, we’d like to make it, but on our own terms and with our ideals, morals and beliefs in tact.
What has been your biggest/most enjoyable gig to date?
Well, we’ve not done much so far! We had a nightmare gig in Selby a few months back – everything went wrong – equipment played up, the sound was awful, guitars broke – then the next night we played Leeds and we were like a different band – powerful, tight, aggressive and good fun. Nights like that make it all worth while.
Any plans for recording new material?
Yep, we’re off in the studio in August hopefully, so we’ll be a doing 3 or 4 new tracks then. Can’t wait.
Give potential new fans a reason to check you out?
Do you want to see a band than make you wanna dance, drink, copulate and sing? Well, that’s us, our melodies are like Ebola – once you get them they’ll never leave you. We may be freeing Polly from his guitar soon, and he’s always fun to watch – in a car-crash, Iggy Pop kinda way! Plus, Nish is a handsome devil, so there’s eye candy too.
Who is the main songwriter in the band, or do you all collaborate together?
Tim’s the riff machine, Polly’s the poet. But the songs are very much put together by the band. The rhythm section bring a whole different feel once a song is up and running, so it’s very collaborative.
What’s the origin of the bands name?
Text banter between Polly and Tim. It’s such a cool name isn’t it? Sort brings to mind the libertine excess of the idle rich, adds in a little B-Movie vibe with the Dead bit, then the Idol part sums up all the celebrity-culture rubbish we have to endure these days. S’deep maaaaaan! And it just sounds cool. ;-)
What equipment do you use, and any reason for your choices?
So long as it sounds big, bad and dangerous to know, that’s the reason. Tim’s all Les Pauls and Marshalls, surly that needs no explanation! And Nish uses a Pearl vintage big toms kit, big zildian cymbals that take a pounding and the biggest, fattest sticks he could find!
Any advice for people wanting to form their own bands?
Do it, do what makes you giddy, and ignore everyone else. If it feels good, it’s right. Don’t analyse it, it’s rock n roll, it’s all about the feel. Play from your heart and speak from your head …. And for God sake, look cool! Grunge nearly killed the theatre of rock n roll, it’s not supposed to be a bout shuffling round stage begging for sympathy, it’s a celebration of life and an exaggeration of the ridiculousness of existence, put on a show and make people excited to be there!
What is the ultimate direction for your band?
Good songs, try not to look old and have a damn good time.
What’s the most rock’n'roll thing you’ve ever done?
Personally, I can’t really say (this is Polly btw), but it will have been illegal, immoral and highly degrading for someone. Self-destruction should be just that, for your self.The people we admire are the people who fight their demons and win, who control their excess, and don’t let it effect anyone else. As Keef Richards once said ‘Turning blue in someone else’s bathroom is just bad etiquette’.
Any pre-gig rituals?
Nish watches live videos and gets a bit giddy, Polly does a few stretches, and that’s about it really.
What are your songs about?
Sex, Drugs, Religion, Politics, Relationships … the usual. The long dark introspection that feeds the heart of the human condition, the cancer and decay eating away at our bodies and souls, and the struggle to fight down the bile and rise triumphant from the flames, smiling and ready to take on the world. That sort of thing.
How would you define the word ‘success’?
People dancing and forgetting where they are … or feeling down and listening to your tunes to make them happy, or more determined. Nish sez a big thing for him personally, is to see people in the crowd singing along to the songs…even better if you heard someone leave the venue still singing to the songs! That’s success. It can’t be measured in pounds and pence, that’s for sure, it’s about becoming more human and connecting with our brothers and sisters through music.
Anywhere in particular you’d love to play/support?
Bowie, Foo Fighters, Metallica and The Wildhearts … all on the same bill … inside the Sangria Familia in Barcelona. Do you think you could set that up for us?
Any final words?
Yeah, come and see us, we won’t change your life or make you a better person, only you can do that, but we will give you a great night out, some top tunes and bloody brilliant show.
Peace,
The Dead
www.myspace.com/theidoldead
