Jeremedy
If you had to start a brand new band right now, who would be in it, what would it be called and what style would it be?
Jamie:
It would definitely be an ’80s cock rock band called Pink Pump. Tommy Lee would be on drums, Steve Tyler on vocals, the keys player from Spinal Tap, and Eddie Van Halen on guitar. ROCK ‘N’ ROLL.
Hue:
It would be an electro Bollywood band called Disco Ukraine. The members would be whoever I could get.
Tarko:
Something totally electronic. Think Kraftwerk or Tangerine Dream. Members: Jean Michel Jarre, Ollie McGill and Richard Pike from PVT – I think I’d have to call it Synth Murder, haha.
Tuddy:
Something raw and rocky with minimal vocals, electric guitar, lotsa vintage synths, and drums (no bass – sorry Jay). It would be called The Fury Animal, named after me because I am (deceptively) very hairy.
Tuddy
Okay, um…If we could turn back time and launch the band in another country where would you choose, and why?
Tarks:
Having literally just jumped off the plane from a little three week stint in Europe, I’d have to say Berlin. It is such a crazy place. It is so inviting and open – it really is inspiring. The place has room for everything, any band, any genre. It would be really easy to tour from there too. And it is remarkably cheap.
Jamie:
It would be either America or Europe, both for having an accessible audience within a stone’s throw of each other. But I guess I’d prefer Europe culturally.
Jeremedy:
I’d love to have a crack at NYC and LA/San Fran etc., in fact that’s the plan with my solo project Grey Ghost. See how it goes eh 😉
Hue:
A very important question that I’m sure many readers will be killing to know the answer to…Who wears the tightest jeans?
Tuddy:
Jez – but Tarko’s look tighter coz of his twig legs.
Jamie:
Jeremy (aka Jim)
Jeremedy:
Me. In fact I’d go as far as to say I wear the tightest jeans of ANY band – which is fucked coz I’m meant to be a rapper (what would Biggie say?!)
Jeremedy:
What’s ya’ll fav Melodics songs? And why…?
Jamie:
Bang Bang is my favourite Melodics song. I think this song perfectly sums up where we were going as a band as well as where we’d come from.
Tarko:
Donkey Kong Suicide and also Cover Of A Magazine – which I’m sad to say we never recorded. I really like the simplicity of these songs. I think there is a clear musical message and it comes across without being clouded by complication.
Tuddy:
Take Me Away , Donkey Kong Suicide and Pop Culture cause the studio recordings are great, and they also slam live.
Hue:
The Tide is Coming In , because it was the first song we ever played – it sums up the positive vibe of the early days for me I guess.
Tarko:
How has being in The Melodics changed you individually?
Jamie:
I think The Melodics has made me a much more mature and focused musician. I guess I could say I have achieved the same things on a personal level too, being in a five-piece band is like having five girlfriends, you fight and you work things out and again and again. But out of that you learn a lot about yourself and others.
Jeremedy:
The amount I’ve learnt in The Melodics is huge – particularly musically. Sitting around writing lyrics and soaking up all the musical language and knowledge was like being in a master class constantly. I now have the ability to talk to musicians about what I want – and that is priceless for a lazy rapper who can’t be assed learning an instrument.
Jamie:
So… the big question…why are we breaking up?!
Jeremedy:
It’s so hard to try and maintain democracy on a creative level – which is what we tried our best to achieve. I think that we ended up watering each other down too much. We denied each other our full individual potential by compromising to keep everyone happy. Starting up as a solo act has made me realise how much I love control! I never had control of The Melodics and I don’t think any of us did really. I’ve only just realised that that was hard for me.
Jamie:
We gave it a really long hard slog for years and decided that we weren’t able to progress forward at a fast enough rate that the current music scene demands.
Hue:
We are breaking up because artistically we need to pursue other vehicles of creativity. Emotionally you can get in a bit of a rut being around the same people and playing the same songs all the time. Ironically we’re already getting along better than we ever have and I think that’s because we have broken up and pursued other musical interests.
Tuddy:
There are 1,000,001 reasons but I can’t think of one right now 😉
Tarko:
We are breaking up because I turned 30. I have to be in bed by 10pm or else the next day is a write-off. You can’t run an original band on that kind of schedule – haha. Seriously though, we’ve had a great run. I feel like the band ran its course. We’ve loved and hated each other, toured extensively, played great shows (and terrible shows) and whilst it is sad, it simply feels like the right time.
