Interview with SubSiren, August 2004
20th of September 2004, 7:36 am
In the more interesting of settings, editor Steven Belfrage catches up with keyboard duo The Vichy Government at London?s Imperial War Museum to discuss Motown, weird television and world domination, amongst other burning desires:
Valentine's Day 2002 doesn't stand out as a date that anything vaguely memorable happened; maybe a few lonely losers cried over what might have been whilst tenderly stroking a shattered photo of their partner, who'd run off with their brother. Behold, in sunny Cambridge something more sinister was happening'
After moving to the UK from his native Northern Ireland to study at Cambridge University, Jamie Manners soon started pestering a tall local lad called Andrew Chilton to let him DJ at his clubnight. After realising a joint feeling of 'superiority to the world in general and the rest of the venue in particular' it was obvious that they would have to show their combined musical creative superiority as well!
They rose to the challenge of writing six whole songs in under two months after being asked to play a short notice debut gig. Armed with little more than a Casio keyboard, sarcasm, razor sharp observations and so-called controversial tendencies the band are the new boys you either love or loathe. 'I think the original idea was to be unlistenable and horrid and split up before we got lynched, but pop music is written so deeply into our DNA that we couldn't get away from it', recalls frontman Jamie.
Although obvious comparisons can be made to the likes of the usual early electronic culprits like Pet Shop Boys, the band have also been compared to acts as wide of the mark as northern industrial merchants Throbbing Gristle and ambient Scots the Boards Of Canada. Maybe this is where the combination really sets alight as the band personally prefer Motown, Scott Walker and the Associates. Andrew also likes a lot of modern chart pop like the Sugababes (who they would love to collaborate with) and Jamie has a thing for Jamelia. 'A lot of the bands we like, we've gone to the sources of what they like. Not in an archeological sense but you usually find a lot of other stuff you like', states Andrew before going into a little rant about twats trying to sound like U2.
Obviously the shock value of naming the group after a World War II Nazi co-op government is there for all to see. 'It wasn't the first name that came to us but the others are too terrible to mention. After we came up with The Vichy Government we knew it was a great name, and that it would be cowardly not to go along with it', explains Jamie. Andrew adds, 'The original name was The Collaborators, but we thought it sounded weedy and went for the more extreme Nazi overtone!'
Their debut album Carrion Camping deals with a rich and varied, simmering melting pot of issues and interests ranging from 9/11 ('The Reichstag Is On Fire') to Cult TV show The Prisoner ('Portmeirion') and the band also have an amazing passion for football. Andrew still dreams about the 2 weeks QPR 'won the league' on the track '24/4/76' (Jamie snidely explains 'Liverpool were in the European Cup final so their last game was 2 weeks after everyone else finished- they were 2 points behind QPR so inevitably they won it.') Jamie also expresses his feelings on his team Spurs dismal pre-season campaign in a new track he is contemplating called 'The King & His Queens' (as in Ledley King!).
As for The Prisoner, Jamie praises the 60s sci-fi show as 'individualistic, very weird 'in fact completely mad- and something that would never get made today.' Andrew agrees but quips that the inspired album track was made for the Welsh Tourist Board! The duo even made a trip to the bizarre purpose-built village Portmeirion, the setting for Patrick McGoohan's surreal masterpiece, and Jamie admits 'its atmosphere is stunning and quite unique'.
The Vichys tend to split their live commitments between London and Belfast and have mixed memories of good and bad gigs. 'Wherever we go it seems to be equal parts adoration, bewilderment, indifference and blind hatred. Londoners have seen it all, they're a bit jaundiced, but when they see something that's really good they will appreciate it. Outside London people will have more natural curiosity and be more inclined to go and investigate a visiting band; but if you're not what they expect they can become pretty hostile', Jamie admits before reminiscing about a show in Ulster when a burly bouncer took exception to a track called 'The Protestant Work Ethic'.
The track 'I Control Discourse' is featured on the New Cross-based Angular Records' second compilation 'Rip Off Your Labels'. The group got involved with the label/movement after Jamie met its founder Joe Margetts in the front row of a Luke Haines gig; 'they were trying to find exciting London bands to fill up the first CD. Of course, there are none, so they offered to involve us instead.' Although not great fans of former Angular artists Bloc Party ('the worst band on it and now they're in the top 40. I really can't wait for people to tire of this fallout from the first Strokes record') they are fans of The Violets and like the Lovers Of Today's website.
Their do-or-die attitude doesn't end with getting roughed up by a paddy meathead- Jamie's sleevenote list of 'target' pop stars that he would like his fans to assassinate is holding up the release of their single 'Rubbish' as lawyers assess the situation. Hopefully it will be available in independent stores and online from the end of September. After that they want to release a new track 'The Loneliest Man In Ancient Rome' but also have shedloads of new material, including a cover of Nirvana's 'Heart Shaped Box'.
One of Andrew's dreams for the future would be for Richard Carpenter to produce one of the band's albums and Jamie adds, 'at least he'd make sure we ate proper meals'.
After moving to the UK from his native Northern Ireland to study at Cambridge University, Jamie Manners soon started pestering a tall local lad called Andrew Chilton to let him DJ at his clubnight. After realising a joint feeling of 'superiority to the world in general and the rest of the venue in particular' it was obvious that they would have to show their combined musical creative superiority as well!
They rose to the challenge of writing six whole songs in under two months after being asked to play a short notice debut gig. Armed with little more than a Casio keyboard, sarcasm, razor sharp observations and so-called controversial tendencies the band are the new boys you either love or loathe. 'I think the original idea was to be unlistenable and horrid and split up before we got lynched, but pop music is written so deeply into our DNA that we couldn't get away from it', recalls frontman Jamie.
Although obvious comparisons can be made to the likes of the usual early electronic culprits like Pet Shop Boys, the band have also been compared to acts as wide of the mark as northern industrial merchants Throbbing Gristle and ambient Scots the Boards Of Canada. Maybe this is where the combination really sets alight as the band personally prefer Motown, Scott Walker and the Associates. Andrew also likes a lot of modern chart pop like the Sugababes (who they would love to collaborate with) and Jamie has a thing for Jamelia. 'A lot of the bands we like, we've gone to the sources of what they like. Not in an archeological sense but you usually find a lot of other stuff you like', states Andrew before going into a little rant about twats trying to sound like U2.
Obviously the shock value of naming the group after a World War II Nazi co-op government is there for all to see. 'It wasn't the first name that came to us but the others are too terrible to mention. After we came up with The Vichy Government we knew it was a great name, and that it would be cowardly not to go along with it', explains Jamie. Andrew adds, 'The original name was The Collaborators, but we thought it sounded weedy and went for the more extreme Nazi overtone!'
Their debut album Carrion Camping deals with a rich and varied, simmering melting pot of issues and interests ranging from 9/11 ('The Reichstag Is On Fire') to Cult TV show The Prisoner ('Portmeirion') and the band also have an amazing passion for football. Andrew still dreams about the 2 weeks QPR 'won the league' on the track '24/4/76' (Jamie snidely explains 'Liverpool were in the European Cup final so their last game was 2 weeks after everyone else finished- they were 2 points behind QPR so inevitably they won it.') Jamie also expresses his feelings on his team Spurs dismal pre-season campaign in a new track he is contemplating called 'The King & His Queens' (as in Ledley King!).
As for The Prisoner, Jamie praises the 60s sci-fi show as 'individualistic, very weird 'in fact completely mad- and something that would never get made today.' Andrew agrees but quips that the inspired album track was made for the Welsh Tourist Board! The duo even made a trip to the bizarre purpose-built village Portmeirion, the setting for Patrick McGoohan's surreal masterpiece, and Jamie admits 'its atmosphere is stunning and quite unique'.
The Vichys tend to split their live commitments between London and Belfast and have mixed memories of good and bad gigs. 'Wherever we go it seems to be equal parts adoration, bewilderment, indifference and blind hatred. Londoners have seen it all, they're a bit jaundiced, but when they see something that's really good they will appreciate it. Outside London people will have more natural curiosity and be more inclined to go and investigate a visiting band; but if you're not what they expect they can become pretty hostile', Jamie admits before reminiscing about a show in Ulster when a burly bouncer took exception to a track called 'The Protestant Work Ethic'.
The track 'I Control Discourse' is featured on the New Cross-based Angular Records' second compilation 'Rip Off Your Labels'. The group got involved with the label/movement after Jamie met its founder Joe Margetts in the front row of a Luke Haines gig; 'they were trying to find exciting London bands to fill up the first CD. Of course, there are none, so they offered to involve us instead.' Although not great fans of former Angular artists Bloc Party ('the worst band on it and now they're in the top 40. I really can't wait for people to tire of this fallout from the first Strokes record') they are fans of The Violets and like the Lovers Of Today's website.
Their do-or-die attitude doesn't end with getting roughed up by a paddy meathead- Jamie's sleevenote list of 'target' pop stars that he would like his fans to assassinate is holding up the release of their single 'Rubbish' as lawyers assess the situation. Hopefully it will be available in independent stores and online from the end of September. After that they want to release a new track 'The Loneliest Man In Ancient Rome' but also have shedloads of new material, including a cover of Nirvana's 'Heart Shaped Box'.
One of Andrew's dreams for the future would be for Richard Carpenter to produce one of the band's albums and Jamie adds, 'at least he'd make sure we ate proper meals'.