Can’t keep the Noises down

Q. You have all been around the scene for a long time, and a band for a couple of years. How has the scene changed since in that time?

A. The older bands were really good at going off and doing their own thing, at the moment people don’t seem to be doing as much. There’s definitely a gap at the moment for younger bands to come in, play and start the next generation of scene.

Q. What’s the gigging scene like at the moment?

A. We just play the local venues but we don’t really fit in with the same styles as the other bands around here. There are a lot of indie bands which we’re not. The only band we really sort of fit in with is Pathagenic. They play more aggressive music but we work pretty well together.

Q. You’ve got the relative rarity of a female in your band. Does that have an effect, positive or negative on your music and being a band in general?

A. It sets us apart from a lot of other bands and it helps with the vocal ranges as well because we have two singers, one male and one female. It works!

Q. Is the name Loud Noises stolen from The Anchorman (Well worth seeing if you haven't already)?

A. Yes, it is! We even have T-shirts, but we only have two and you can’t get them from anywhere because we made them ourselves!

Q.What do you think would make the scene better at the moment?

A. If we were more popular (laughs). I think it would be better if there were more gigs and more places to play. If there were more places to play, then it would be easier to get the band’s name out there and try to get some momentum back into the scene.

It would be good as well if the gigs were better organised, and people spoke to each other more, so you didn’t get two on the same night, or get messed around at the gigs when you get there to play. Everyone’s really laid back around here, so when you ask about gigs, a lot of the time people give you “yeah, maybe, perhaps” and you don’t really ever get definite answers which makes it really hard to confirm shows.

Q. Do you think that Ryedale could sustain a designated music venue?

A. I don’t know. I’m not sure if people would care enough about the local bands to want to go there. People just go to Fibbers in York for bigger bands as well, so it probably wouldn't work. Suddaby’s and the Memorial Hall are probably the closest we’ll get to that.

Q. How do you promote yourselves?

A. Well, when we play shows, we try to hand out some free CDs for people to take, and at a couple we’ve played at, people have just been milling about and we’ve ended up with quite a good crowd watching us.

Q. Who are your main influences as a band?

A. Don’t ask. We have loads because we all have a totally different taste, from Smashing Pumpkins to The Prodigy, and everything else in between.

We can’t stand bands that sound like they have been made on Pro Tools (music programme that music folk use too make happy sounds – don't worry, it’s not really important).

Q. Do you think that we’ve got to a point where the fashion is to be in a band and it’s not as much about the music?

A. Yeah, I think a lot of people are getting into bands just to say that they are in a band before they can even play an instrument, let alone have had a practice and made any music.

There’s someone I know who’s got a band together, made a Myspace, got songs up with thousands of plays, but then when I've listened to the songs, it’s really obvious that most of the drums are a drum machine, not a real drummer, and the majority of the guitars are out of tune and out of time.

It’s frustrating because people don't seem to put the time into learning their instruments at the moment.

It’s almost like they are doing things for the wrong reasons.

Q. What has been Loud Noises’ best show?

A. The Beached Festival was really good, but we’ve had loads that we’ve really enjoyed. The Big Gig was good too, but some of the best have just been gigs in pubs because you get a good reaction when you play stuff that people know.

Q. Are you generally a cover band or do you work original material into your set as well?

A. Well, we try to write as much of our own stuff as we can, but at the same time people like to hear something that they already know and it gets a much better reaction that if you play something they’ve never heard.

We try to do a set that has lots of covers so people can enjoy themselves, but a few of our own as well. Most of the covers are just cheesy, pop-rock songs, but we’ve been known to do songs like Walking On Sunshine, which went down really well.

Q. What has been your highlight as a band?

A. Well, we’ve had a few ups and downs. We’ve nearly split up a few times, but since last year it has gone really well, so the last year in general has probably been the highlight.

Q. What do you want to achieve as a band?

A. We're not really fussed with the idea of “making it” – it would just be nice to see people down at our shows and enjoying themselves.

Q. For people who haven’t heard Loud Noises before, what can they expect?

A. Just some good fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. We bring a mix of classic comedy and energy to our shows.

•If you want to hear more from Loud Noises or see when they are next playing, you can check them out at myspace.com/loudnoisesband.They have plenty of summer gigs coming up, so make sure you check them out.