One on One with // Damn Vandals

How would you describe your sound for people who don’t know you?

When people ask, I tell them it’s guitar rock with holes in. It means nothing but sometimes people nod as if they’ve understood.

You’ve just released your debut album – are you proud of it? Was it a good experience writing and recording it?

Yes and Yes. It’s the only music recording I’ve been involved with that I can listen to and enjoy from start to finish and not wish to change in some way – a vain self-congratulatory exercise, I know, but an extremely rare feeling for me. It was recorded quickly – in a couple of weeks – and working with Julian Simmons was great fun, he really knows his stuff.

What’s your favourite track on the album and why?

The Revenge of Spider Toothy, for personal and ridiculous reasons.

What’s next for you?

We’re just putting th finishing touches to a giant golden wheel of fortune – we’re giving away a gold BMX from our last photo shoot at the album launch show this week. The wheel is essentially a Black and Decker Workmate that clutches a large piece of wood, on which is mounted a BMX wheel with an arrow on. Take a piece of shit and paint it gold, everyone suddenly wants it… I’m considering that as new mantra, in the absence of any other it will have to do…

You’ve been playing a lot of gigs and a lot of people have been hearing your music lately – are you excited for the future?

Excited but not deluded. It only takes a blogger somewhere to say something nice to keep us happy really.

Who were your main musical influences growing up?

Speaking for the band it would have to be Slash, The Ramones, Jimmy Page, early Black Sabbath, Jazz drumming, Pixies, White Stripes, The Strokes, Lou Reed, The Doors, Queens of The Stone Age and Leonard Cohen… This list could well have gone on and on. All questionable pop music that we might have tapped our feet to in our early years was erased from our memories during a group hypnosis session in Camden in 2010.

Which song do you wish you had written?

Any kind of Olympic anthem. Muse forgot to take their brain medicine during their session… Sadly we never got asked.

What are your hopes for the rest of 2012?

We’ve been good boys so maybe Santa will bring us something juicy.

Describe yourself in three words?

Persistently persistant, persistently.