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This is sickening. Four incredibly bright young scamps who already have the
music industry eating out of their hands and the fans begging for more and the
worst part? They haven't even left school yet! UP pays a visit to Bombay
Bicycle Club, the North London undergraduates who are far from being under-
achievers...
UP: Right firstly please explain why it is that your not signed. Surely you
must have fans beating down your door to get their grubby mitts on your
tunes..
BBC: Well, firstly we have an E.P. coming out in February released on our own
label (Mmm... Records), which is very exciting, we spent two weeks recording
it in our half- term and we're very pleased with the results and we can't wait
for people to hear it. The reason we haven't signed to anyone is that for one
reason we're still in school, and there's not much point signing a record
contract when you can't really commit to it. Also we're very adamant that we
finish school (well, mostly). The other thing is that at the stage we're at
there's not that much more benefit in releasing it on someone else's label.
This way we stand to actually make some money to fund further recordings and
we have complete creative control -- which i think is important this early on.
UP: Good thinking, you lads are way too clever. Do you think that simply
having the tracks available on Myspace is enough to keep fans happy these
days?
BBC: Not at all, it's certainly a good way to get demos to fans for free
though. For us, buying records is still really important. And the gigging
scene is great at the moment and still important, especially if you're under
18 -- you can suddenly go to loads of gigs and that wasnt possible when we
were 13/14.
UP: I've read that you formed the band to play at a school assembly, is this
true?
BBC: Yep that's true, and we were appalling, as anyone there will testify! I
don't know how even tried playing together again after that. We did a Tom Vek
cover, a cover by a funk band called the Meters and one of our own.
UP: Ooh, I love the Meters, you guys are alright. You have some pretty
talented fellow students too, am I correct in saying you go to school with
Cajun Dance Party and FrYars? What are they putting in your Turkey Twizzlers
that turns out these great bands?
BBC: Yep Cajun have got members at our school and FrYars goes there. We've got
a healthy eating policy, maybe it's that... we don't really know really. It's
quite a creative school i think. It's great having so many bands, we should
organise a huge gig. Actually we have battle of the bands but we didn't all
play this year.
UP: Yeah would've been a bit unfair on all the other lot eh? Much is made of
your musical maturity despite your tender ages, what would you put that down
to and do you find it easy to find life experiences to draw upon when writing?
BBC: Well, Jack has been writing and recording since the age of about 12 (he's
made like five solo albums) so he's had a long time to get better. Also i
think not just like listening to Indie is important, listening to as many
kinds of music and broadening your ear is gonna make you sound more
interesting. Life experiences are definitely important, although the music is
quite mature, the lyrics are definately drawn from just being a teenager and
the stuff that goes with it. Oh and writing about girls is always important.
UP: It must have been pretty surreal to be playing at V festival after such a
short time together, tell us a bit about that experience.
BBC: Yeah it was really surreal -- watching Radiohead on the side- bit of the
main stage was the best part. And the free/stolen beer. Oh and playing to
4,000 people in a thunderstorm.
UP: Yeah not bad for, like, your second show or something. What would be your
ideal line up to play on? They can be living, dead, Keith Richards,
whatever...
BBC: Umm, well we each picked one band so it goes:
Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention (Jack)
James Brown (Ed)
Bloc Party (Suren)
Radiohead (Jamie)
UP: What are you doing for A Levels?
BBC: Uhh, this will be a long boring list!
Jamie: English, History, Latin, Maths
Jack: History, Latin, Maths, French
Suren: Geography, French, German, Music
Ed: Physics, Geography, Music Tech, Art
UP: OK, yeah, fair enough you bunch of smartie pants, here's a brainteaser for
you- What's your favourite cheese and why?
BBC: Best question ever... Umm, Edam for me and Jack, Suren says Red Leicester
and Ed says he doesnt like cheese (he's out of the band. )
UP: Err, yeah nice try but you didn't tell us why! Ha! You all get an F and as
a punishment you have to tell us a joke. Make it good.
BBC: It tooks us ages to come up with this:
"Knock- Knock"
"Who's there!"
"Cash!"
"Cash who?"
"I didn't realise you were some kind of of nut!"
UP: Very good, you're all dismissed.
But don't dismay, you'll all be seeing a lot more of this lot once they've
passed those pesky A- Levels. For starters check out their forthcoming EP on
Mmm... Records, available from February 5th from all good record stores.
Words: Alex Sheridan
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