麻豆社

Where are you based?

Nottingham - although our guitarist is a Mancunian.

How did the band get together?

Lee (Vox and Guitars) and Paul (Drums) are childhood friends. Al (Guitars) and Lee met at Lincoln University over a mutual love of Ryan Adams. Then later we met Pete (Bass and Vox) through hanging around every night in Nottingham and seeing him at every gig imaginable.

Who are your influences?

Mew, 65 Days Of Static, Bjork, Silversun Pickups, Elliott Smith, far too many to mention...

We sound a bit like...

Comparisons have been made to Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo, Idlewild, Hope of The States, My Bloody Valentine, Aereogramme. One review compared us to Arcade Fire (which we sound nothing like).

Who would be a dream band member, and why?

Possibly Chan Marshall from Cat Power because she's insanely attractive... or maybe Elliott Smith, though we would need to resurrect him first, which surely would be an achievement in itself?!

Who are the most influential figures in your lives?

You probably wouldn't find a John Lennon or Che Guevara poster in our flats, but we do have a poster of Megatron on our wall, so does that count?

What would you give up to get signed?

I think we just have to concentrate on what we're doing, without being too concerned about the whole 'being signed' issue. We're all confident in what we do and that's the most important thing... although giving up our day jobs would be nice!

What was your best gig, and why?

There have been a lot of highlights so far, probably the best is supporting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in Cambridge, and then having Peter Hayes from the band play acoustic guitar on the roof of my car after the show. We're all huge fans of Silversun Pickups, and we had the pleasure of playing with them at The Social. Playing Rock City with The Young Knives was pretty cool.

Does Nottingham offer you enough opportunities?

Nottingham does have avenues and platforms for all bands of various genres. Obviously it's always great to play other cities and in venues you've never played before, but we've had some fantastic shows in Nottingham. We have a good manager who gets us some really good support slots too. However, we've learnt that we have to be constantly active in promoting the band in order to keep the ball rolling, there's never a point when we think we've done enough to get our name around.

Best band in Nottingham, and why?

Lee: The best live band ever to grace Nottingham were Punish The Atom, but at the minute Late Of The Pier are definitely the ones to watch.

Pete: Everyone seems to be raising the game around Nottingham as of late. Personal favourites include House Of Brothers, LOTP, and Felix. Four maniacs called Lovvers are pretty ones not to miss at the moment... if you don't mind getting rowdy!

What are you listening to at the moment?

The new M83 album is lovely, as well as New Yorkers, The Hold Steady. Josh Ritter's last album is amazing too.

In a fire which album would you rescue?

It would be too difficult to choose one. I'd probably use the insurance to buy them all back again.

What's the perfect night out in Nottingham?

Going for a curry somewhere up Mansfield Road, sampling the fine cider at Broadway Cinema, followed by happy Hour at the newly named Bodega Social Club. Then possibly down to Rescue Rooms to observe the newest hair styles. It's amazing how many people wear plastic sunglasses indoors at the Rescue Rooms, what does it mean????