Pre-Bloodstock interview: Victorian Whore Dogs

Victorian Whore Dogs 192Due to the huge number of bands playing at Bloodstock this year, and the fact that our two roving reporters will actually want to watch some of them, we’re doing a little round of pre-festival interviews this year. We’re focussing on the bands playing the Jagermeister and Hobgoblin New Blood Stages so they get a chance to convince you to go and watch them. Remember, these guys and gals are the future of our musical world!

Simple things first – where are you guys from?

Stephen More (Drums): Well in my mind Cybertron but reality we are from Surrey and surrounding areas.

Danny Page (Vocals): Deep, deep surrey. The kind of areas where one does not drink tea without a lifted pinky.

How did you meet?

Stephen: Back in ‘Nam, the gooks had us pinned down pretty good, we were the last of our unit. The other guys took some heavy fire and I don’t think their own mothers would recognise them.

Danny: I fought primarily from the womb, as I wasn’t born then. But thankfully the general let me fight for the cause.

How long have you been playing together as a band?

Stephen: Well as a very important lesson we thought it would be best if we could sleep together in the same bed for 2 months, feeling each others bodies, the way our muscles move, who had hair where and so on. Music wise about 4/5 years.

Danny: I was the little spoon, in-between 3 hairy big spoons. They used me mainly for feeding each other pudding. I joined the bed about a month in, I was wondering when we’d actually get to playing music…

Where does the name of the band come from

Stephen: Oh that’s an easy one. One day all our mothers met up and they went in a time machine to the past. They all looked at each other and kissed till their lips hurt. Also the name comes from a Chris Morris TV show called Brass Eye

What are your influences – individually or as a band?

Stephen: For the last couple of months I have been listening to nothing but the sound of weasels mating in the moon light and I can tell you it has really improved my snare rudiments. Also my other main favourite bands are: Iron Monkey, Will Haven, Today is the Day and loads of other stuff.

Danny: Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Herbie Handcock, Joe Pass. Oh! And Iron Monkey, Neurosis, Weedeater, and much MUCH more.

Describe your music. What makes you unique?

Stephen: I would say a mix of sludge and heavy metal. We find if we think about it to much it doesn’t really seem to flow well. Just playing and going with the flow brings out our best stuff. Also we like the sound of tramps sicking in bins, this inspires us to an euphoric state of mental bliss this transcends us onto a one note ride to music heaven.

Danny: We don’t re-invent the wheel, but we take it out back and piss on it while making macaroni art. We’re four insane dudes cocooned in a band together, gyrating, grinding and sprouting out disgusting, brown stained butterflies.

What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?

Stephen: Probably close to 100 shows now all around the Cunt-ry. We play heavy, loud and very sweaty. Danny likes to run round like a nutter but to be honest I don’t know whats going on, I am so zoned out I do not remember much of it. I sure we look like a bunch of teenagers fighting over their first tampon in the girls changing room.

Danny: I like to bring everyone into the entire experience of our band, including the people who have chosen to witness it, getting all the senses involved: taste, smell, touch, visual, disgust… We’re like 4 car crashes happening at once, in the most beautiful way.

Did you enter M2TM thinking you could win it?

Stephen: Nope, we just wanted to play in Reading again. It was a big surprise that we won it.

Danny: We’d done one M2TM in the past, and we thought we’d try again this time, and lo and behold here we are! The final was great, everyone was on really top form. I would have hated to judge it myself, there were so many great bands to choose from.

What sort of setlist can we expect?

Danny: A combination of our two current releases “Fetch” and “Hobo Chic” plus some newbies. Our musical interpretation of dustbin love making and passive aggressive thrusting.

Which main stage band do you most hope you’re not clashing with / are glad you’re not clashing with so you can see them play?

Stephen: Personally I am just looking forward to seeing Napalm Death, Godflesh, 1349,Sepultura and Rob Zombie. All great bands which I love.

Danny: Desecration, Conan, Burden of the Noose, Bast, Morass Of Molasses, Napalm Death, 1349, Godflesh. In fact a lot of this weekend I’m really looking forward to.

What are you working on at the moment?

Stephen: We are going to be starting work on recording our new album soon, all the songs are done, just have to record them.

Danny: In the mean time we’re attempting to groom Adam (our guitarist) into an icon for all the lumbersexuals.

What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done on tour?

Stephen: That would be the other week when I saw a guy carrying 2 plates of Sushi into the ladies toilets. He did not come out either.

Danny: For me it’s the time a guy invaded the stage at one of our gigs and attempted to raffle off a thorntons chocolate bunny in-between one of our songs! No one was interested so he just gave it to me… Then after watching us and hearing the sort of stuff spouting out of my mouth he jumped the stage again and took it back!

What advice would you give to a young band just starting out today?

Danny: Decide early on what you want to do and stick with it! And make sure you all have the same goals in mind. We’ve always been about writing music we love, that we’re proud to create, and playing great shows with people we love. But also there’s a lot of hard work that goes into not only the songwriting, rehearsing and recording but everything else behind the scenes. So it’s good to know what you want to be. I’m not saying every start out band should write up business plans and get marketing deals, but it’s good to know exactly what everyone is aiming for so they can stick to it 100%

If you could be part of any 3-band line-up (as support or headlining) who else would you have on the bill?

Danny: I’d love to support Triptykon, just so I could talk to Tom G Warrior for hours. Weedeater too, Dixie is a lovely guy. I guess the third would have to be Neurosis, just because of the sheer magnitude of getting to share the same bill as them.

Stephen: Slipknot and Will Haven.

Victorian Whore Dogs are headlining the Hobgoblin New Blood Stage on the Saturday.

Victorian Whore Dogs: facebook | bandcamp | last.fm | youtube

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