Hello. Who am I speaking with, and what do you do with Dead Parties?
Etienne here, singer, songwriter and chimney sweeper at Dead Parties.
You’re returning after a four year absence. What has Dead Parties been doing in the meantime?
I relocated to Europe four years ago and have been based in Barcelona ever since. We’ve been playing heaps with bands such as The Raveonettes, Jacco Gardner and Inspiral Carpets, as well as releasing records and getting some radio love. We also played a number of festivals and London as part of Northern Star Records’ Psych Fest. Most recently we played live on Spanish TV, though I’m not sure they understood me despite the polite nodding.
Tell us a bit about your recent European tour supporting The Drones? How did it all go, and how is the European market responding to your music?
The Drones are one of the best live bands around so we were at the back scribbling notes as they played. As for the European market it’s taken really well to Dead Parties – we’ve been played a lot on radio and we get lots of support via the Internet – it’s pretty darn good.
After being the singer and songwriter in the well respected band The New Black, you decided to do something more shoegaze and indie-influenced with Dead Parties. Why is that?
The New Black got as far as we could at the time. We were on a label that went bust and so our album just dropped off the radar. I’d just bought a Mac and was tinkering with GarageBand and it opened up a whole new world to me. I could play God and record all the parts. I’d always loved shoegaze, dream pop et cetera and so I dived in.
Have you got any big plans for 2016?
Releasing an album has become the focus. The songs are there, but the cash seems to be hiding under the bed somewhere. We’re also about to hit the road in March and tour Spain, with a return to the UK in the works.
DEAD PARTIES are playing at the Grace Darling Hotel on Saturday January 23 with The Crimsonettes and Chips Rafferty.
