Trevor: In fact, there's so many bands in this area that they get so dispondant when being turned down, and sometimes completely ignored, what sort of advice would you give to these bands? Just to keep on working?
Dave: Try it, just keep trying.
Fletch: I think we was in a better position because we was near London and we was playing concerts in London. I think you got a much better chance if you're in London.
Dave: Y ou could see the scouts from record companies out all the time, they just go to the general club circuit around London and that's their job to go there every night and look at bands. So I don't think you probably get that many scouts up here.
Trevor: As our listeners already know you come from Basildon, was it much of a tough decision for you to move to London fulltime?
Dave: We don't, we still live in Basildon.
Trevor: So you commute, as such?
Dave/Fletch: Y eah, we commute.
Trevor: Do you find that difficult in any way?
Fletch: No, I commute for two years, that doesn't really bother me that much, Martin did as well.
Dave: I did, really , to college as well. I went to Southend, it was about the same sort of journey but it was the opposite way .
Trevor: what about gigs in London? Did you use the 'futurist' trend at the time to get you those gigs, was that the only reason why you were getting the gigs in London?
Dave: No, well, as far as that goes, I was dressed in the clothes that I was wearing then a couple of years before I met the band anyway , and that was just the way our friends and the people that we were going out with, dressed.
Trevor: Dave, tell us how 'New Life' came into being and how you recording contract that you wanted.
Dave: Ehm, well, Daniel Miller from Mute Records met us at the Bridge House, a gig in London, supporting one of his other bands, and he asked us to do 'Dreaming of Me', and we recorded 'Dreaming of Me' and that sort of went to about number 50, and then we recorded another one with Daniel and Mute, which was 'New Life', and that went to about number 11, I think. Number 11?
Fletch: Yeah.
Trevor: Of course there was 'Photograph'- 'Photographic'?
Dave: 'Photographic', yeah, that was on the 'Some Bizarre Album', a compilation album.
Trevor: But Mute Records is actually an independent label, isn't it?
Dave: Yeah, yeah.
Trevor: So when you were down there in London, of course 'Dreaming of Me' was doing quite well and of course 'New Life' was doing quite well, you were still into getting waving, dotted lines in front of you for contracts, but you stayed with Daniel Miller and Mute Records. At that time, did you think that Daniel Miller could give you the success that a bigger record company could give you?
Dave: Well, eh...
Fletch: He said he could (laughs).
Dave: He said he could and we trusted him, he said he could do as well as a major label could do and we trusted him and stuck with him and he's proved that he can.
Trevor: Is there anything that he hasn't done for you, you think?
Dave: No, I don't think so, I think he has done as much as he can. The records went as high as they would, and 'New Life' nearly went silver and 'Just Can't Get Enough' is silver .
Trevor: Yeah that was more of a commercial single for me.
Dave: Yeah, yeah.
Trevor: Was it meant as a number one single as such?
Dave: What, 'Just Can't Get Enough'?
Trevor: Yeah.
Dave: Not really , no. I think it was more instant like, we're very , well I'm bored by it now. It's that sort of single that, you sort of like it when you first do it and then you get very bored with that sort of record. Whereas I think our new single is more, it grows on you, and you have to hear it a few times.
Trevor: Yeah, you mentioned that you got bored of 'Just Can't Get Enough' and yet I think it's very , very catchy . Does this give you the impression that you'll be changing the material a lot in the near future?
Dave: I don't think so, no. I don't think we'll be changing that drastically . Obviously , you only look to improve, you don't go back, so, just hope, you know...
Trevor: You are a part of the 'futurist' trend, would you say that? Or would you not be a part of the 'futurist' trend?
Dave: I wouldn't say we was that big of a part of it now, because when we first began the audience were [wearing] sort of awfully shirts whereas now we get a lot of different people. Which is good, really .
Trevor: Because your band don't wear make-up, do you?
Dave: No (laughs).
Trevor: How do you feel about make-up, c'mon honestly now?
Dave: How do we feel about it? It's alright...
Fletch: We used to wear it.
Dave: We used to, when it was like, trendy to wear it, but we -Trevor: So you're saying now it's not trendy to wear make-up, is that what you're saying?
Dave: Ehm, well it's a bit old hat, people, blokes have been wearing make-up and going out for years, and it's just, it's been done now.
Trevor: Y eah. Right, well I know you gotta go off to a soundcheck very shortly , and you're playing at the Victoria Hall tonight. We only hope that you have a great time and the two girls are pleased who are coming in today . And then of course there's Mandy over here who wanted to come and see how the interview was done and so, I hope it was okay for you, wasn't it? Good. And you are going to the concert as well. Have a nice time. Thanks for coming into the studio and thanks for being so patient.
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