Festival Coverage : HIPSVILLE - The Shook-Ups

MG) Current album Bad Reception hasn't been out for that long but have you worked up any new material since recording finished?

Carl) Dan Coyote our singer is the main song writer and we chip in with ideas, he's literally got loads of new songs on the go and we've started work on about 4 or 5 new tracks, one of which is finished and we've started to play it out live. It's a belter to be honest and amongst one of our favourites in the set, it's a real catchy Back From The Grave style Garage pounder with a rousing '77 style British Punk chorus!

MG) Do you manage to attend festivals as fans or is it usually a case of playing and moving on, like a normal gig?

Carl) Yeah we are all massive music fans so we go to loads of gigs and festivals when we can even if we're not on the bill. We are all into different types of music so we'll be at nights that aren't just necessarily '60s related. If we are on a festival bill we'll always stay the weekend and enjoy the party with the other bands, we're there as fans just as much as as a band.

MG) You guys hail from the North West - is there one particular vibrant Sixties hub, for want of a better word, in the locale or is it a case of small knots of like minded souls regularly getting together to keep the scene alive?

Carl) Just as it is in the North West, all over Europe and further affield, it's just as you call it - little knots of like minded souls. Festivals such as Hipsville are a chance for all the punters, bands, promoters and DJ's involved in their own 'scenes' to get together and have a great time.

Q) Are you playing a lot of festivals this year?

Carl) This year at the moment we are booked for Hipsville and The Beat Convention in London in September. There's more in the pipeline though. We've had more offers but couldn't play due to other commitments but we have played some great ones in the last two years, our favourites have been The Ballroom Bash in Cologne and Rebellion in Blackpool.

MG) What have you been listening to and/or reading recently when on the road?

Carl) Haha! We tend not to listen to much music or read in the van,we prefer to drink and take the piss out of each other!

MG) Who else on the current scene would you suggest our readers check out?

Carl) Well a lot of the bands we'd recommend are on the bill for Hipsville as organisers Andrew and Ade have got great taste in bands! Ones that we love that aren't on the bill include The Mantawrays, Thee Spivs, MFC Chicken, The Fabulous Penetrators, The Branded,The Jackets and many many more!!!

MG) Name one tune (or one each) that is guaranteed to get you on to the dancefloor.

Carl) It would have to be a classic that we all love like 13th Floor Elevators 'You're Gonna Miss Me', 'Pushin' Too Hard ' by The Seeds or a stomper from The Sonics or Little Richard.

MG) Do you find that club DJs tend to play music from the original era rather than the work of new bands, and if so is that something you just have to live with? Do internet radio shows mean that this is less of an issue nowadays, in terms of people getting to know your work?

Carl) Yeah most DJs in clubs play tracks mainly from the '50s or '60s which isn't a bad thing because, lets face it, there's a hell of a lot of great music from back then. There's all that whole criteria of just playing original 45s from back then that lots of club DJs stick to without question. But on the radio I guess there's less of an agenda to stick to playing music from a certain decade. There's plenty of fantastic DJs working on radio and on the internet who mix things up a great deal not only in terms of era but genre too. Great music is great music no matter what style or year it was made. With any scene that has it roots in the past, the people in it whether they are fans, DJs or bands have to embrace new ideas or the garage scene will go the same way as many other scenes like Northern Soul or Trad Jazz or even Rock & Roll and become tired and stale and even worse still, unwelcoming and exclusive.